Jewelry not only enhances your appearance but it also makes a statement about who you are. Personalized photo jewelry is the ultimate way to express yourself, giving you the opportunity to wear miniature photos of important people and pets in your life. Plus, it makes a special gift for almost any occasion. Here’s a quick and inexpensive way to make handmade photo earrings:
Items needed to make photo earrings:
Photos of your choice
High quality photo paper
Access to a color copier or a color printer
Matboard (available at art supply and craft stores)
An exacto knife
Scissors
A glue stick designed for use with paper
Envirotex Lite polymer finish (available at craft and hardware stores)
Earrings posts with a flat round surface for gluing (available at bead and craft stores)
Make photo earrings: Choose your favorite photos
Decide how large you’d like your photo earrings to be in size. Do this by cutting out a paper square in the size you want your final earrings to be. The portion of the photo you choose will need to fit into the square area you’ve selected. Trace around the square on another sheet of paper and cut the square out using an Exacto knife leaving the outside paper intact. You’ll have a square cut out of a blank sheet of paper. You can now lay the square over the photo to show you how much of your photo will be included on the square earring. This will help you select the best photo to use. You’re going to need two copies for earrings unless you want to wear a different photo in each ear. Make copies of your chosen photos on high quality photo paper or print them out on your printer once you’ve scanned them. Use your square template to cut out the portion of the photo you’ll be using from each photocopy.
Make photo earrings: Create the base for your earrings
Use your square template to cut out two pieces of matboard the same size as the photo squares. Paint the matboard a basic color such as black on front and back and allow it to dry before proceeding. Carefully apply the photo squares to your matboard squares using your glue stick. Smooth them down securely and allow them to dry for several hours.
Make photo earrings: Apply the finishing touches
Now that your photos have been applied to the matboard and are completely dry, you’ll want to apply a finish to protect your earrings from wear. The best finish to use is called Envirotex Lite which is a two part polymer compound that dries to a glossy, resistant finish. To apply, mix the Envirotex Lite (found at crafts stores) according to the instructions on the box. Be sure to use this product in a well ventilated room. Lay your photo squares on waxed paper and apply a coat of the glossy polymer coating using a paintbrush. Make sure the entire photo square is covered to the edges. Allow them to dry for 36 hours. Check on them after ten minutes. If you see air bubbles on the surface of your photos, blow on them gently to pop the bubbles.
Make photo earrings: Apply your earring findings
Now that your photos are dry and have a glossy finish, it’s time to apply your posts to the back of your earrings so you can wear them. Apply a small dot of E-6000 glue to the flat round surface of each post. Adhere a post to the back of the photo square in the middle of the upper half of each. Allow the glue to completely dry before wearing your new earrings.
Enjoy your new creations!
