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How to Make Leather Leaf Earrings

How to Make Leather Leaf Earrings

How To Make the real rose leaf printed DIY earrings? Check out the detailed instructions!
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Upcycled Leather Lamp

I'm planning to renew our living room after the ongoing front renovation is over - in September. But I already started the work from small scale chores. This lamp shade is made out of a pair of white leather pants. I'm actually quite happy with the result and qoing to make another piece (maybe black leather or blue jeans) for sale as well. But here the instructions for you too.


For this lamp you'll need upcycled leather, linen, splitrings,
glue, a thick needle, 
scissors, cardboard and a gel pen.

UPCYCLED LEATHER LAMP

  1. Take your leather and glue another fabric behind it to make the back side constant/sleek and also make the leather a bit more stiff. Here, I used white linen from an old curtain.
  2. Cut a square from an old card, draw squares to the leather (I used gel pen because you can wipe it off with a wet cloth after cutting) and cut as many squares as you need.
  3. Make tiny little holes in the middle of the each side of the square. I used a darning needle. Remember to make holes ONLY to the 3 sides of the squares in the lowest row!
  4. Connect each square with splitrings to each other. You'll need three rings per side.
  5. Connect the last and first column and attach the highest row to your upcycled lamp frame.
  6. Your lamp is ready!

 

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HOW TO: Starching Lace

Starching is a good way to reuse old pretty handmade lace table cloths or similar. All you need is water and sugar. With this simple recipe I for example made a wall decor for a birthday present to my almost mother-in-law, an earring holder for my goddaughter, hooks for my friend and a pair of earrings for the RokRokInc. shop.


Hooks for clothes, wall decor and a earring holder: all made of recycled table cloths.

 

So, by starching you can also create small or bigger things, for example earrings from small recycled or self made lace pieces. Here some easy instructions for you too. 


For those who loooove spring, 70's and want to be seen:
RokRokInc. big orange earrings.

 

HOW TO MAKE LACE STARCHING

  1. Take you piece of lace and wash it properly.
  2. Measure about the same amount of water and sugar. Maybe just a bit more sugar than water. The amount depends always on how big your cloth is. For a small piece one desiliter/cup is enough.
  3. Warm up the water and pour the sugar in.
  4. Let the water simmer and wait until the sugar has melted and desappeared completely.
  5. Soak the cloth in the hot water until it's thoroughly wet.
  6. Take the cloth from the water with some heat protecting gloves and squese the excess water out. NOTICE: You can not wait until the water cools down because in that cade you end up with sugary lumpy outcome.
  7. Place the cloth on a gladwrap (to protect) and then on an even ground, like on a table.
  8. Tap the cloth gently with your hands even and flat.
  9. Let dry. This may take a couple of days depending ot the size.
  10. If you want, you can modify the end product with spray paint or different kind of accessories.


 

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Fall Time Inspiration

The fall is unfortunately soon again here and that means autumn colors and shapes also in RokRokInc. jewelries. Here are my newest pieces of the autumn collection and the instructions how to make them. Check out also all the RokRokInc. fall pieces in the Shop/AUTUMN collection!

For leather leaves you need: recycled leather, jewelry findings, pliers, chain,
clothing paint, paint brush, pencil, (glue), scissors, iron, thin cloth and a thick needle.

 


 HOW TO MAKE LEATHER LEAF JEWELRIES

    1. Pick some leaves and put them between a book to dry. Give them a good week time to really get dry.
    2. Choose you recycled leather. If it's too thin, glue two pieces from the back side together.
    3. Draw your leaf to the leather (back side) and cut it.
    4. Spread your paint on the leaf and press it gently on the cut leather. Let it dry.
      (Back side of the leaf usually gives a better print.)
    5. Iron the paint side through a thin cloth. (This makes the paint last.)
    6. Make holes to the leather with a thick needle. Modify the leather leaf as you wish.

       

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Cassette tape pendant

 

Cassette tape pendant is very simple to make. You just have to find a tape that you like!

Upcycled DIY cassette tape pendantFor tape pendant you need 1 cm split rings, 2 pliers,a drill, 2-3 cm drill bits, (spray paint) and chain.

 

 HOW TO MAKE A CASSETTE TAPE PENDANT

  1. Drill 2-3 mm holes to the tape both corners but not quite to the edge so that the chain will hang straight. I make the holes about there where there are the holes already.
  2. Put in 1 cm split rings. Split rings in order to make it last better.
  3. Add the chain. I like to use a bit chunky chain to balance the heavy pendant.

 Handcrafted cassette tape pendantMaking spray painted tape will take the whole day because you need to let the paint get dry between layers.

 

IF YOU'D LIKE TO PAINT THE TAPE

  1. Choose a cassette. It has to be just plastic without any paper.
  2. Drill the holes and insert the split rings.
  3. (Already now because you don't want to mess the paint later.)
  4. Clean the cassette.
  5. Spray both sides with plastic primer and let dry.
  6. Spray both sides 5-10 layers of color (depending how thick layers you make). Let dry at least 30 minutes between the layers. (I have used again the rim spray paint with little sparkles, because it gives a nice finish and is most wear resistant.)
  7. Spray both sides with paint protection spray and let dry.
  8. Add the chain.

 

 

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Golden animal brooches

Some time ago one customer of mine asked for golden animal brooches. So here they are. I hope she'll stop by at my table soon so I can show that I finally fulfilled her request.

Upcycling ideas

 

CRAFTING TIPS FOR GOLDEN ANIMAL BROOCHES

  1. I used the rim spray paint. It seems it's really hard to find a paint that really sticks. So far, the rim paint with little sparkles in it has been the best. If anyone has better knowledge on this one, please share your secrets with me!
  2. The paint sticks better to a softer plastic. Though some soft plastics can not take the paint. You'll notice that if the surface gets weird and the paint won't get dry.
  3. From the other side of the animal I sanded the place for the brooch flat with the grindstone tool of my Dremel. The grindstone tool is meant for metal materials but works well with plastic as well.

 

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MARSHMALLOWS

Here's advice for making marshmallows out of oven hardening modelling clay. I am not the best clay artist (far from it) but I have some tips for you.

Handcrafted polymer clay earrings

For polymer clay crafts you need the clay, an oven and a sharp knife. For cleaning up the dust some q-tips and water. Then just swirl three bars of clay lightly together and cut with a sharp knife.

 

TIPS FOR MODELLING CLAY CRAFTS

  1. Polymer clay/modelling clay gets dry and hard relative soon after opening the package. You can temporarily soften it to be able to mold it with a blow dryer's hot air. It won't last long though so you have to be quick after that.
  2. Clay collects easily all the dust floating in the air. You can clean up the small particles of dust at least out of the surface with a wet q-tip.
  3. You can stick the headpin in already before the oven so you don't need to drill a hole for it.
  4. Handle the clay as gently as possible if you want the form to hold until the oven.
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LEATHER FEATHER EARRINGS

I love to work with leather. Here the instructions for the LEATHER FEATHER EARRINGS.

...And here they are ready to wear: RokRokInc.leather feather earrings.

 

How to make leather earrings

For leather earrings you need recycled leather, marker, cardboard, scissors,
needle, (spray paint), pliers and earring hooks.

  1. Make a shape mold from cardboard. Take the cardboard from old cards/flyers.
  2. Draw the feather on the back side of the leather with a thin marker. Remember to draw the second earring other way around.
  3. Cut the lines. Make sure you have sharp scissors.
  4. Cut about 3 mm slices from the outer edge to the middle. Direct the cuts slightly upwards.
    (You can also cut the both sides but in that case don't cut the slices quite until the middle. Leave at least 1 cm beam in the middle to keep the feather in one piece.)
  5. You can spray a thin layer of spray paint to the back side. It helps the feather to stay flat.
  6. Make a hole for the hook into the "stalk" with a thick needle.
  7. Attach the earring hook.  
  8. Take one more look and cleanup the edges, also the back side.

 

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Pencil Earrings

Here is how to make pencil earrings to bring color to your day.

 

MAKING PENCIL EARRINGS IS AS SIMPLE AS IT SEEMS

Handmade pencil earrings 

How to make pencil earrings

For Pencil earrings you need pencils, a small saw, a crafting drill, screw hooks, glue, sandpaper, pencil sharpener, crafting pliers and earring hooks.

 

  1. Saw the pencils into pieces with a mini saw.
    Remember to leave enough length for sharpening the tip.
  2. Sand the other tip with a sandpaper.
  3. Drill about 1 cm hole into the sanded tip, in the middle of the color material.
  4. Put just a little glue into your screw hook and screw it in.
  5. Sharpen the other tip with a pencil sharpener.
  6. Attach the earring hooks and that's it! 

NOTICE: Screw hooks in earrings are ideally as small as possible. But normally I use maximum the size 3mm x 8mm. Then you can use the drill pit size 2 - 2,5 mm depending a bit on the screw hook and target material.

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