How to Make Upcycled Puzzle Piece Earrings

Hello, and thank you for checking out my instructable! This is my first instructable for a while, so bear with me if I'm a little rusty with the formatting. But enough with the introduction, you probably want to know more about this project and how to make it right? Well don't worry, I've got you covered.

"So what are we making exactly?"

Glad you asked! Today we will be making upcycled earrings from old puzzle pieces! (These ones are STARWARS themed!!!) This is a great (and quite fashionable) way to reuse old puzzles sitting around the house. They don't have to be Star Wars, they can actually be from any puzzle that you'd like, but now I'm getting ahead of myself so let's move onto the parts list! :)

Let's get to making! But first, you'll need stuff to make earrings with. Here's everything I'll be using in this project:

• Old Puzzle
• Jump Rings
• Ear Hooks

For the puzzle I used a really cool Star Wars puzzle, but you can use any kind of puzzle you want. I really liked this puzzle because it has actual frames from the original trilogy on each piece! One suggestion when picking out puzzles for earrings: Try to pick puzzles with lots of small details that show up really well on individual pieces. A blurry gray puzzle piece will not look near as cool as a bright and colorful one!

For this project, we don't need much in the way of tools:

• 2 Pliers
• 1 Thumbtack
• Hammer (not pictured)

(Pliers are optional, but very useful. If you don't have any, just use your hands!)

This step is pretty simple. First, find a puzzle piece, and grab your thumbtack. Place your thumbtack on the puzzle piece where you would like to put a hole. Be sure to place it on the end of the puzzle piece that will be the top. (We will be adding a jump ring and an ear hook through this hole later) It's also a good idea to poke the hole on a nub of the puzzle piece, but you could put it on the corners, that's up to you. Now it's time to puncture the puzzle piece. This is where the hammer comes in handy! Use the hammer to lightly tap the thumbtack until you can see just the tip poking through the bottom. Then use your fingers to gently push the thumbtack through the puzzle piece, ensuring it doesn't rip apart. Once you are done making the hole, remove the thumbtack!

Once you've made a hole, it's time to add a jump ring! Just open the jump ring and feed it through the hole, but don't close it yet, you'll need it open to add the ear hook. (Pro Tip: Be careful to only bend the jump ring back and forth, like in the example images. DO NOT bend it outwards.)

Now we need to attach an ear wire for the earring to hang from! This part isn't very hard, just follow the pictures! Slip the ear hook onto the open jump ring, paying careful attention to which direction the hook is facing. Make sure it points backwards so the earring itself faces forwards! Once you have added the ear wire, carefully use your pliers (or fingers) to bend the jump ring shut. Congratulations, you've just finished one earring!

Thought you were done? Of course not silly! You've still got to make a second one! Just follow the previous steps, and you will be well on your way to making some beautiful earrings. Remember, poke a hole, add a jump ring, attach an ear hook, and that's it!

Thank you for checking out my little instructable, I hope you learned something new! I'd love to hear about your creations, so be sure to post about them in the comments below! (Images are appreciated too)

I'd also like to add that this instructable was made for the Trash to Treasure contest, so if you liked it, make sure to vote for me! Thanks! Have a great day. :)