Fun with Upcycling: Dollar Store Earrings
This summer, my teens and I have been wandering the aisles of our neighborhood dollar store when we need a break from our routines. We set a $10 limit and see what we can find, just for fun. Some of our favorite treasures include flamingo-shaped novelty sunglasses, rainbow Mardi Gras beads, and of course, snacks!
Above: Three easy ways to add your own touch to dollar store jewelry.
Last time we shopped at Dollar Tree, I found what I call jewelry jumpstarts.
These are earrings or other accessories with good bones that are easy to embellish with wire, beadwork, or other techniques. I look for hoops, wire cuffs, and other simple forms that can be blank canvases for adding a handmade touch.
3 Ideas for Upcycling Dollar Store Earrings
There are so many ways of upcycling simple jewelry! Here are just a couple that I tried:
1. Wire Wrapping
I’ve been noticing a trend of hoop earrings that have beads wire-wrapped onto the inner surface of the hoop. When I saw these beaded earring hoops at the dollar store, I was inspired to wrap them the same way. (My usual technique is to wire-wrap them onto the outside of the hoop.) The large-hole pearlescent beads required a little extra finesse with the wire, but I like the imperfect look because it makes the plastic beads seem a little more natural.
For these beaded hoop earrings, I added non-tarnish brass Artistic Wire from my supplies, and that’s it! 24-gauge is a good choice for wire wrapping beads onto hoops and other metal surfaces because the wire is durable and pliable enough to withstand a lot of bending
2. More Tassel, Less Hassle
A colorful tassel and a charm dress up pretty much anything, including square hoops. You can make your own embroidery thread tassels using $1 embroidery thread or you can purchase inexpensive tassels at your favorite craft store. (And don’t forget to shop your local thrift store–last week, I found a set of colorful tassels in the craft section at Goodwill!)
For these square hoop earrings, I added a few items from my own supplies: Bird in a Tree oxidized brass plate pewter charms and 6mm jump rings from TierraCast; and aqua tassels from Michaels.com. Alternatively, you could remove charms from an old charm bracelet or use dangles from earrings you no longer wear.
Once you’ve collected your materials, this is a quick and easy assembly project. Simply string the charm and tassel onto a jump ring and connect it to the hoop.
3. Brick-Stitched Seed Beads
Any hoop is a good candidate for brick stitch embellishment. Several rows of stitched beads add a lovely handmade touch to acrylic, metal, wood, or other hoop material. You can also use the brick stitch rows as a foundation for adding beaded fringe, if you want to. Substitute findings as necessary to complement your beads.
You’ll need a hard beading needle, your choice of beading thread, and a variety of seed beads from your collection. Use basic brick stitch to add seed beads to the upcycled earring hoops.
Are you inspired by jewelry you discover at your neighborhood dollar store? We’d love to see your tips and tricks for transforming bargain finds and upcycling dollar store earrings. Check out Free How-to Bead Storage Solutions for advice on recycling jars for your bead storage.
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