Ooozey Earrings

Ooozey Does It Earrings

Ingredients:
Wireform Brass Designer’s Mesh
Turquoise and Mauve Friendly Plastic
Beads
Pliers
Earwires
Silicone glue

Method:

1) From the Designer’s Mesh cut a strip 12cm x 5 cm (4 ¾ x 2”), this should give you at least 16 long strands of wire in the mesh piece.

2) Fray both the short ends using pliers until there is only a small amount of mesh left in the middle measuring about 1.5cm (just over ½”) long. Cut in half lengthways making sure there are 8 long strands of wire in each piece.

3) Heat a small piece of turquoise Friendly Plastic (just a little bit wider than the mesh area) on top of Aluminium foil using dry heat. When soft position a piece of mesh on top of the plastic and push down being careful to avoid touching the plastic in any way. Pick up the foil and push up from underneath with your fingers until the warm plastic has oozed through the holes in the mesh.

4) Use a palette knife to ease the excess plastic at the sides over the raw edges of the mesh, sealing them in.

5) Heat a small square (0.5cm / less than ¼”) of Mauve using the hot water method and position this in the middle of the still warm oozed square of turquoise. Using the needle tool drag in the sides of the square to form a small flower, and push a bead into the centre. (This may require a dab of glue to secure)

6) Repeat steps 3 to 5 for the other earring.

7) Using pliers twist all the wires at one end of each earring into a tight single twist of wire. Twist the other end into four twists. Bead and twist the four strands as desired, eventually twisting four strands into two, and then into one. Add a final bead and coil the wire into a loop and push it back up into the final bead. A tiny dab of glue will secure it.

8) Coil the single twist of wire at the top of the earring into a loop and give it a twist to secure. Curl the end onto the back of the earrings and cover with a small square of turquoise that has been heated in water.

9) Finally attach ear wires by opening out the loop on the ear wire with pliers and threading through the earring loop. Close securely.

Variations:

· Try Ooozing through scraps of lace, paper cut outs, Peel Offs, sequin waste, ladder yarn, indeed anything with holes in.

Finishing Work

Seal anything that is to be worn or touched a lot with clear acrylic sealant.