Dangly Ones! Busting Your Bead Stash with Easy-to-Make Earrings

Making cute earrings just takes a little practice. I started out by using inexpensive findings, and only the beads I had on hand at the time. It's a great way to make the most of your bead and findings stash.

See my five simple rules here for busting your stash this year.
Check out my glass seed bead bangle bracelets here.

Now I've probably made a few dozen pair altogether, and I love to wear them, give as a little gift and sell them at craft fairs. My favorite packaging is to make large tags with my Big Shot out of cute patterned paper, poke tiny holes and put the hooks right through. Then I finish packaging them in the small baggies you can buy at the craft store or even Wal-Mart. They keep everything in place while still showing the pretty beads and cute little tag. That way, for a craft fair, you can put a price sticker on the bag, but your customer can still write something on the actual tag if they're giving it as a gift.

My packaged earrings

Tags make the cutest packaging

Here is the most secure way I find to put earrings together. First make sure you gently open the fish hook finding to the side, not out in a u-shape or you'll weaken the wire too much.

Next, use a long pin-head, string on your beads securely, and about 1/8th of an inch up from your top bead, bend it over to the right.

Keep your three-in-one-tool clasped.

Then bend the wire around back to the left around your pliers to form the loop and twist around the extra wire under the loop to make it secure. Snip off the extra, and smash it down a bit with your tool to get rid of any sharp point.

These little stars were from my daughter's stash of long ago!

Now you're ready to add your fish hook on each earring, closing it back up the way you opened it. You can make some really pretty dangly ones in no time at all, just using your bead stash!

Love these sparkly acrylic beads

 See how secure that top loop looks after you've twisted the wire down?

Use the loop and twist technique, and add two or even more beads to your fish hook.

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch, String Beads!