Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Ah, knock it off, will ya?

You might or might not remember that I promised a little knock- off the other day. It'll cost you pretty much next to nothing, and I'm pretty sure you will laugh all the way to the bank because yours truly is about to save you a whopping £118! (don't ask how much that is in $, but it'll be a lot of dough.)

How do you feel about these babies:





Minoan earrings that, according to Anthro, give you some sort of divine powers. And they'll give THEM aforementioned £118. For a bit of brass. You WHAT? I don't think so, people.

Ready to kick some Minotaur butt, guys? Go and pour yourself a pint.

Yes, pint.

Then grab the empty can, carefully cut it open and do this with a sharpie:




Just estimate the length, it totally depends on what size you want your shinies to be.

CAREFULLY cut out your shapes, the metal is really sharp. Keep away kids, cats and clumsy significant others! You'll get this:


Sand down the edges. Please don't skip this step, unless you feel the urge to decapitate yourself with your new earrings!





Now, bend the metal strips into shape. I tried to make mine resemble the original, but again, it's totally up to you!





Now... I am lucky enough to have a crazy talented Man in the house who used to paint wargaming miniatures. He does not paint anymore, but all the equipment is still there. You might want to enlarge the following two photos (click on them!), just to treat yourself to the full range of, well, INTERESTING shades available to yours truly.








Snot green is my all time favourite, but I went with Mithril Silver, followed by a coat of clear varnish. I'm pretty sure you could use spray paint or even nailpolish instead!




Oops- I forgot to mention- before I started slapping on the paint, each shiny got a little hole at the flat end.
Anyway, it won't do any harm if the brushstrokes are visible- the original Anthro version seems to be brushed brass, so no smooth surface there.

Now, let everything dry out nicely and gather two beads of your choice, two headpins and two earhooks.


Assemble.



Take a final picture:


... and sit back to imagine what you could do with the £118 you just saved.

Notes: I made a couple of mistakes. I applied one thick coat of paint rather than to thin coats, so little "blobs" of paint accumulated at the edges, and at some points, the green permanent marker still shows through.
I also did not make the little holes smack- bang in the middle.
But since this is so ridiculously easy, I'll just have another go and experiment a little!

I hope you are a bit inspired. Now, go spend £118 on something that's REALLY worth it!

22 comments:

  1. Love these earrings. Thank you for linking up to Ucycled Awesome at www.thetshirtdiaries.com.

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  2. What a great tutorial! I love these earrings! I am so making a pair of these. I will either use an aluminum can and incorporate an interesting and colorful part of the design, or I may use some of the sheets I have on hand for my "punched tin" work. I have the perfect beads and the findings. Can't wait to get started!

    Well done you!

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  3. My jaw dropped... I've been looking at those earrings at Anthro's website but I have no idea how to make them. Thanks for the tutorial! :)

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  4. Those are great! I was LOVING the names of the paints. THanks. Found you on Katie's Nesting Spot.

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  5. GREAT knock off! I wonder if your could paint then bend? What do you think? And £118 is about $177! That's crazy!
    Thanks for linking up to Making It With Allie! I can't wait to see what you have for next week!
    AllieMakes.Blogspot.com

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  6. Allie, I might just have to try that. Maybe paint, bend and then coat? Certainly worth a shot. Thanks for the idea, if it works it'll save a lot of hassle!

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  7. Ooh, I missed this when posted...Steff, this is fantastique!!! Wonderful tutorial. I LOVE your earrings, boo-yah, you totally kicked Minotaur butt!

    I would like to see a pair in snot green. Hilarious!

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  8. Beautiful!! i'm going to make these! love projects out of the recycling :) thanks for your comment on my trashion post!!

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  9. this is about the best use of a beer can I've ever seen!! I don't make jewelry but I am totally inspired to drink a beer and make myself some totally nifty earrings!! great job!

    btw thanks for visiting my blog!!

    http://megschmitt-neveradullday.blogspot.com/

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  10. Aha! These are so cool! Definitely the prettiest can earrings I've seen.

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  11. Awesome knockoff! So similar to Anthro's, but so much cheaper...all the better, hehe!

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  12. Adorable! I love clear tutorials, so thanks for giving one! I have to go try this. Thanks for sharing. Check out my blog at http://chicaesartistica.blogspot.com/

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  13. These are so fun!!! Difinetely going on to my to-do list! Thanks so much for linking up to Think Pink Sundays - I'm sharing on the FB page!

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  14. Haha. "Definitely". I do know how to spell. Just not how to type. ;)

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  15. Those are great! Turned out just lovely!

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  16. What a nice post & tutorial..you are so talented honey..I must have to follow you back,,hehe thanks for your visit & nice words
    Love ~

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  17. I love this idea a lot and I've been looking at your other posts. Just want to let you know that I am passing on the 'Versatile Blogger' award to you because I love your projects. You can check out my post to get the badge and for more information about the award:

    http://ofpinksandfairytales.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-award.html

    Happy Monday! :)

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  18. You're GENIOUS!!!!! Anthro is SO overpriced. I can't stand it.
    I love your "what the f are you wearing" post too...hahahahahaha. :o)

    natalie

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  19. How cool are those!!!! GORGEOUS.

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  20. cool earrings...I would try it right on...I came to your blog through Michelles..(Mich L)..and PS :I love your cats....do check out my blog sometime

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