Would you believe the main material for this project is...Drops from a glue gun!?
Supplies:
- Printer with paper and ink
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Silicone or non-stick heat-safe mat
- Gold spray paint
- Acrylic paint in various colors of your choice
- Gloss finish lacquer
- Jump Rings (2)
- Earring findings (2)
- Strong adhesive (like E-6000)
Do this:
I started by printing off some circles in different sizes, and wound up using ones that were about an inch in diameter.
Place the page of circles underneath the silicon mat.

Using the circles as a guide, place dots of glue on the mat, making sure none of them touch!

IMPORTANT: Let them cool before you join the dots with more dots. Otherwise, it will all just glob together.

After the forms cool completely, spray paint front and backs with gold paint. To make this easier and less messy, I strung my forms on a piece of twine and tied it to either side of a cardboard box. Let paint dry completely.




Begin by choosing three colors (I used yellow, peacock, navy) and use one of each color to paint the sections on, then middle, then bottom. You'll probably need two coats.
Then just dab on colors in a close shade with a tiny paintbrush, then dab off with paper towel. I dabbed at it until I got a look I liked. I also swirled similar colors together. When it was a little dryer, I used the metallic gold and repeated the brushing-and-dabbing process. Last, I used a tiny bit of copper colored Rub-n-Buff around the very edges, but you could do without that if you want.
After this dried completely (didn't take very long), I liked the look, but it was a bit dull, so I used a glossy lacquer spray to make it shiny. I did three coats, with just a little drying time in between.

Next I took a jump ring and attached it to the earring finding.

Using E-6000, I simply glued the jump ring to the back of the form, making sure the hook faced the correct direction and didn't get glued.

Once the adhesive dries completely, they're ready to wear and show off!

By the way, I saw similar earrings for $420, but these were SUPER CHEAP!! The only supplies I had to buy were the jump rings and the earring findings.
Jump rings - $1.39 for a pack of 12 = 11.5 cents each. I used two, for 23 cents.
Earring findings - $1.39 for a pack of 8 = 17 cents each. I used two, for just under 35 cents.
I already had everything else and used minimal amounts of each, so basically these earrings cost me less than 60 cents for the pair!
Charlotte! These are amazing!! Great project.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kit!
DeleteCharlotte - you are brilliant! Can't wait to try these myself. Did you try placing the jump ring into the hot glue glob before it cooled? I might try that when I test out your technique. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Darrelyn! I didn't try that technique with the jump ring, but I considered it afterward. I think it might work as well or even better than the way I did it. If you try it, I'd love to hear how it worked!
DeleteBRAVO!!! Charlotte
DeleteSo very cute!
ReplyDeleteYou are amazing I love these. I am gonna try them today. Did I mention that you are a genius.
ReplyDeleteWow! I'm so glad you like this!
DeleteShut-the-front-door! Awesome idea!
ReplyDeleteWow, these are amazing! Good Job
ReplyDeletewowsa! Genius xx
ReplyDeleteI love these!!! Thanks for sharing your genius with those of us who believe imitation is the greatest form of flattery... LOL... I wish I could see how others interpret your gorgeous earrings. I plan on making at least one pair,thanks again.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for all your kind comments. I'm so flattered!
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic. Tks for sharing
ReplyDeleteThese are awesome! I am flabbergasted!
ReplyDeleteLove these - and like that they will be big - but not 'heavy'!!! What fun!
ReplyDeletethis is really a cool idea and these would certainly be lightweight! Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteglue drops seriously??!! superb
ReplyDeletethis is fabulous!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, very cool idea! I'm thinking other shapes, maybe some long
ReplyDeletestrands, side by side...how bout squares? squiggles?How fun!
Hi Charlotte,
ReplyDeleteI love this idea....your earrings are beautiful! Question for you, how did you get the glue dots to turn out so nicely? Mine have little strings all over, or come out looking more like a chocolate kiss (with the "swirl" on top!). Does it matter if you are using a low melt versus high melt gun? Or small vs larger gun? Any tips you can share with us? Thanks much for your help & the great idea! :) Julie
Good question! I used high temp glue in a small gun. After I made each drop, I kind of hovered the gun tip over the glue drop (Without pressing the trigger) and very slightly swirled it to keep the strings to a minimum. I did have some strings too, and I was able to rub a lot of them off with my fingers (after they cooled). Any strings that were along the edge, I just cut off with a blade. But once you paint and spray them, they seem to disappear. I made several (as you see in my pics) partly for this reason, so I could choose the best of the bunch. You'll notice mine DO have strings (see the gold pic and the one after the first coat of paint colors). I think the final coating with gloss makes a big difference and is key to disguising the stringy bits. Good luck!
DeleteGreat! Thanks for your help! J.
DeleteSo love these, will be trying very soon with the Fall season approaching. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteCeleste
absolutely brilliant! waiting to try 'em. thank you so much for sharing :D
ReplyDeleteGOD bless.
Guess what .. I found neon glue sticks as well as glow in the dark glue sticks at Walmart today!! A easy way to brighten up this trick : ) I'm trying it now.. Thanks for sharing ur creativity!!
ReplyDeleteWow! Sounds like a few big steps saved, and what fun! Feel free to send us pics of your finished project!
DeleteIncredibly clever and pretty!
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it. Thanks for the comment!
DeleteGreat job! I would've never guessed this was made with glue sticks! :)
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wow this is a great and cheap idea love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing
What about gluing a backing onto them? Something like felt would give it stability without adding weight and make them last longer.
ReplyDeleteWhat about gluing a backing onto them? Something like felt would give it stability without adding weight and make them last longer.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely clever! Got to try this!
ReplyDeleteThese are so cool. I think you could make a necklace to go with them. Gonna try to make these.
ReplyDeleteThese are so cool. I think you could make a necklace to go with them. Gonna try to make these.
ReplyDeletetoo good...i just loved it n dying to try these
ReplyDeleteawesome genius idea love it super cool gotta try it out myself
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cynthia, a statement necklace would be fab!
ReplyDeleteWow, these are stunning Charlotte, who would have thunk!! 😉 I'm not a big fan of earrings (for myself, at least), but I think I'm gonna try this as a brooch, so original!!
ReplyDeletecartilage hoop earringsReally very informative content is here, thanks for sharing such info.
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ReplyDeleteJust LOVE these and plan on making some for Xmas gifts this year. Has anyone tried to make different shapes such as a long oval instead of a circle????
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing.
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ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea!
ReplyDeletejust gorgeous, beautiful and simple
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm so frustrated! My dots are coming out so badly! Most of mine look way smaller than yours and not as nice. I will try changing glue guns but this one is my smallest and hottest. Any suggestions? Love these and want to make some for Xmas gifts. Lis
ReplyDeleteThere is good collection of the articles with informative stuff. suitsAnarkali
ReplyDeleteDrops from a glue gun!? Supplies: Printer with paper and ink; Hot glue gun and glue sticks; Silicone or ... temperaturegun.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Charlotte, I have something to ask you and prefer not to do it on your website. Could you contact me at MarkMontanoNYC@aol.com Thanks so much. Mark
ReplyDeleteWhy not use colored glue sticks to begin with. Then use the gold rub and buff Just wondering. You do know that you can tint Elmer's glue and make glue dots too..Works and they are so pretty then just glue together.
ReplyDeleteJust made several of these without the earring bit. Painted them gold and gonna get some more paint on when then that dries. Then gonna hook them together as a necklace instead. My best friend is gonna LOVE it as a christmaspresent, it is so her.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing these beautiful creations... Superb!
Are they light or heavy?
ReplyDeleteme gusto mucho tu idea.y gracia por mostrar nos tus tea bajo
ReplyDeleteSo amazing! Thank you! I have seen this done with metal clay which is more difficult and a lot more expensive!! Thank you so much!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this interesting and informative article, painting with airless spray gun will be faster and more interesting!
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I do LOVE that earrings. Are you interesting by selling it by any chance ? i will use it on my Anarkali Suits.
ReplyDelete