Guest Post: Kellyn of the church mouse

Hello, everyone! Since Matt and I are in New York City from now until early Monday morning, I've asked some of my bloggy friends to guest post for me. Today's post is from Kellyn of the church mouse. Kellyn is the sweetest girl, and she has such a unique sense of style! Her blog is an eclectic mix of music, musings and personal style, and you should definitely check it out! So without further ado...

Hello, everyone! This is Kellyn from The Church Mouse guest posting for the lovely Emma while she's on vacation! I’m totally jealous she’s in New York.

I have a do-it-yourself project for you guys. Every store I've been to lately has feather earrings. There's a pair at Urban Outfitters that I am just in love with but they are $24! I don't know about you but I don't have $24 to spend on earrings. Instead, I bought supplies to make my own. I spent about $18 total for everything. I have enough supplies for about six pairs of earrings, bringing the price to around $3 a pair. I recommend saving money by splitting the cost with friends.

The tutorial is pretty easy. Don't be afraid to experiment with different types of feathers or supplies! There are tons of ways to make feather earrings.

You will need:
-jump rings
-feathers
-crimp beads
-earring hooks
-small chain
-jewelry pliers

All supplies can be picked up at your local craft store. I was unimpressed by the feathers my local store had, so I bought mine from ubTribe on Etsy. They have some amazing feathers for a pretty cheap price!

The crimp beads I used are called a clam shell bead tip. I prefer the way those look but I think using a "chain end" would be simpler. As long as it has a hook and a place for you to attach your feather, it should work.

Step one: Using your jewelry pliers, break off two 2 1/2 inch pieces of your chain. If you prefer to have yours hang lower, use more chain.

Step two: Attach your crimp bead to the end of your feather. Use the end of the feather that has the stick-like end. (Kind of obvious, but I figured I better clarify just in case.)

Step three: Crimp your bead.

Step four: Add a jump ring to the hook on your beaded feather, and attach it to your chain.

Yours should look like this so far!

Step five: Use a jump ring and attach your chain to an earring hook. Repeat these steps for as many feathers as you like!

I placed two feathers on each earring; one with a chain and one without. You can add three or four! It’s totally up to you. Seriously, feel free to experiment! Don’t worry if it doesn’t come out exactly right the first time.

This is what my final product looks like!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I would love to see pictures of your finished product! churchmouseblog(at)gmail(dot)com

I hope you enjoy making these wonderful earrings! And a big thanks to Emma for letting me share :)