How to Make Sparkling Earrings Using Hot Glue

I always prefer studs instead of dangling earrings whenever there is need for change of earrings. Otherwise I usually stick to a simple gold stud.I kind of like stripes and patterned studs but I don't usual find them in the size and design I want .I have designed a few in clay but those where little heavy to wear.So I wanted a alternate way to make my own earring with all the specifications mentioned above.So, I came up with the idea of making sparkling earrings using hot glue. I am sure you would also like them and want to know how to make them.So, lets get started.

• Hot glue gun
• Earrings post
• Nail polish or Acrylic paint or paint pens
• Rhinestones or glitter or gold paint pens to add sparkle
• Mod podge and a brush to seal your earring
• Tweezers if you are using Rhinestones
• Micro nib pens if you want to add patterns (I used Micron)
• Scissors to trim the edges (if needed)
• Styrofoam board or anything soft to hold your earrings post while drying (I am used thermocol board)
• A tile or any surface which is easy to remove the glue from.(Wax paper doesn't work, I tried :))
• Blade to remove the glue from the tile
• Super glue or E6000

Making the glue base for the earring is very simple and it just takes 2 to 3 trials to understand how it works.You may wonder how the glue base shown in the picture is so smooth without glue strings. Actually when you press a amount of glue in the tile to form the base it will initially have the glue end peaking out when you take the glue gun off (You know what I mean if you have worked with the hot glue ) but it will eventually disappear when the glue dries.

First , make a dot in the center and swirl around to make the circle of your desired size and pipe out some more glue to complete the base. Don't think much to get it right the first time.I assure I did not :) ,so be happy and have fun while making and enjoy the process.Once you got familiar with the process of making the base move on to the next step for customization. There are many ways to customize these glue earrings and I will share the all possible ways I can.

• Make the glue base as explained in step 2.While it is hot ,pour the glitter on it as shown in the picture. Also make sure the sides are covered in the glitter. Once it is covered , shake the excess glitter into the container.Allow it to dry.
• Take the blade and slide it under to remove the glue base from the tile.
• Apply a coat of mod podge to seal the glitter. You can also use clear gloss spray if you have or even clear nail polish can also do the trick but don't scold me if you clear nail polish turns into a glittery one ;) May be you can pour a little in a paper plate and use it with a paint brush.
• Once the sealing is dry , dab of small amount of super glue or E6000 to the earring post and attach it to the glue base.(Pictures in next step )Allow it to dry and you are ready to rock in your glitter earrings :)

• Make the base and while it is still hot, add the rhinestones with the help of tweezers in your desired design. Add the rhinestones and push it a little to ensure it is embedded nicely in the glue.Allow it to dry.
• Once the glue base is dry you can paint it with nail polish at the back. If you have a precise brush you can also paint in the front. Painting at the back gives you matte look (Yellow, green and purple) whereas painting in the front gives glossy look(Black one).
• Once the nail polish is dry, dab of small amount of glue in the post (as shown) and stick it to the glue base.Allow it to dry and Voila!! you are now ready to wear your bright and shiny earrings.

• Make the glue base as explained in the step 2. Once it is dry, take a micro nib pen and draw your desired pattern at the back of the glue base. Allow it to dry for few minutes.
• Paint your desired color nail polish above the pattern drawn and allow it to dry.
• Once it is dry , dab a small amount of super glue of E6000 to the earrings post and attach it to the glue base. You are now ready to wear !!! It was pretty quick ,isn't it ?

• So, you don't want the matte finish and want to eliminate a step by directly creating the base in the post itself? yes you can do it that way too. Again this needs a trial too, you can see my first trial was a total flop. But, I figured out how it works :), This is what people says "Learning from mistakes".So, I am saying again don't worry if you don't get it right the first time. :)
• Follow the same procedure as creating the glue base, the only difference is, you are using a post instead of a tile.Pipe a small amount in the center and make a swirl till it covers the edges and add a small amount of glue to level it. It will be as shown it the picture 1 & 2.
• Poke the earring post on to the Styrofoam or any kind of foam board to dry.Poke the earrings on the edge so that when you paint it, it will be easy to reach the edges. Paint it with nail polish of your desired color choice. You can also use acrylic paint instead of nail polish.
• Allow it to dry and draw your desired patterns like dots, stripes or any pattern using a contrast color paint pen.I used medium point gold sharpie paint pen to add dots, so it was not so precise but I like the handmade look :) . If your prefer precise dots use a fine point paint pen.
• Allow it dry and add a coat of mod podge or any sealant of your choice. Let it dry and you are ready to wear :)

If you have a uneven piece of glue strings at the edge, use a normal scissor and trim the edges as shown.Easy !!!

If you make any mistakes while drawing the patterns or if you want to change the color, simply use nail polish remover to do the trick. It wipes off easily as it would with the nails.

I used paint pens instead of nail polish to paint the back of the glue base but it was not looking even and I kind of felt it need more coats.So I would say it is better to paint with nail polish or acrylic paint.

Here is how the earrings look when I actually wore it. Do you like it?? I absolutely love that it satisfied all my specifications.:) There are lot of possibilities to make these earrings to suit your taste. I bet you are going to have fun making these.If you like this instructable, please do vote for me. I am submitting this instructable to "Hot glue Challenge" , "Glitter Challenge" and "Earring Challenge". Thank you :)

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