Their bright red bracts are so colourful in the cooler months but sadly, they don't flower at Christmas time here because we're in the middle of summer.
Luckily, the local garden centres always have a good supply which the growers have managed to trick into flowering at this time of the year - it's amazing what they can do!
So today I've designed some bright and cheery poinsettia earrings.
Here's what you'll need:
and a red oval onto one wire and leave a tail of at least 5cm (2").
Thread the long end of the wire (the working end) back into the oval bead and gently pull the wire through so the loop doesn't kink.
This will secure the seed bead in place. Bend both wires outwards to hold the oval bead in position.
String an oval bead and a seed bead
on the wire and pull them up to the first bead leaving a small gap of 2-3mm (3/32"). (You need this gap so that you can place a bead in the centre later on.) Thread the wire back through the oval bead, securing the seed bead in position.
Create 4 more petals in the same way so that you have a total of 6 petals.
Take the tail of the non working wire and insert it into the last petal created. It will be easier to pull through if the wire in the loop underneath the bead is straightened as you feed it through, and not left curved.
Pull up the wire so that you have formed a flower shape.
String a light topaz bicone
on the working wire and position it in the centre of the flower.
Insert the wire through the bead on the opposite side of the flower, keeping the wire behind the bead in a straight line with the bead to prevent kinks and to make it easy to pull through.
Thread the wire through the seed bead as well.
Next, create a wrapped loop to hang the poinsettia from. Grip the wire above the seed bead with chain nose pliers and bend it at a 90° angle.
Place the round nose pliers in the neck and wrap the wire around the jaw to create a round loop.
Wrap the tail around the neck of the loop.
And then trim away the excess from the loop and also the wire
at the bottom of the flower. Be careful not to nick the wires running through the petals. Make two more poinsettias in the same way.
Separate the chain into two equal lengths and then separate one of these into three lengths: 1 link, 5 links and 15 links. Open the bottom link of each chain and hook a poinsettia on each one.
Attach a jump ring to the other end of each chain and then attach these to the end connector with the longest one in the centre.
Attach the earring wire to the top loop and you're finished. Make a second earring to match.
I just love the shade of these red beads - it's the perfect Christmas Red. And of course, it's the perfect colour for these poinsettias!
'Til next time.....
If you can't get enough of My Tutorials and you want even more inspiration, click here to find my books and printable pdfs
So today I've designed some bright and cheery poinsettia earrings.
Here's what you'll need:
- 36 6x4mm faceted red oval beads (these are similar)
- 36 pearl white seed beads
- 6 4mm light topaz crystal bicones
- 2 3-loop silver end connectors
- 6 4mm silver jump rings
- 9cm (3 1/2") 3x2m oval silver chain - my chain has a total of 42 links
- 1.5m (60") 28g non-tarnish silver wire
- 2 silver earring wires
- Round nose pliers, chain nose pliers, flush cutters, nylon jaw pliers for straightening the wire if it kinks (optional)
and a red oval onto one wire and leave a tail of at least 5cm (2").Thread the long end of the wire (the working end) back into the oval bead and gently pull the wire through so the loop doesn't kink.
This will secure the seed bead in place. Bend both wires outwards to hold the oval bead in position.
String an oval bead and a seed bead
on the wire and pull them up to the first bead leaving a small gap of 2-3mm (3/32"). (You need this gap so that you can place a bead in the centre later on.) Thread the wire back through the oval bead, securing the seed bead in position. Create 4 more petals in the same way so that you have a total of 6 petals.
Take the tail of the non working wire and insert it into the last petal created. It will be easier to pull through if the wire in the loop underneath the bead is straightened as you feed it through, and not left curved.
Pull up the wire so that you have formed a flower shape.
String a light topaz bicone
on the working wire and position it in the centre of the flower. Insert the wire through the bead on the opposite side of the flower, keeping the wire behind the bead in a straight line with the bead to prevent kinks and to make it easy to pull through.
Thread the wire through the seed bead as well.
Next, create a wrapped loop to hang the poinsettia from. Grip the wire above the seed bead with chain nose pliers and bend it at a 90° angle.
Place the round nose pliers in the neck and wrap the wire around the jaw to create a round loop.
Wrap the tail around the neck of the loop.
And then trim away the excess from the loop and also the wire
at the bottom of the flower. Be careful not to nick the wires running through the petals. Make two more poinsettias in the same way.Separate the chain into two equal lengths and then separate one of these into three lengths: 1 link, 5 links and 15 links. Open the bottom link of each chain and hook a poinsettia on each one.
Attach a jump ring to the other end of each chain and then attach these to the end connector with the longest one in the centre.
Attach the earring wire to the top loop and you're finished. Make a second earring to match.
I just love the shade of these red beads - it's the perfect Christmas Red. And of course, it's the perfect colour for these poinsettias!
'Til next time.....
If you can't get enough of My Tutorials and you want even more inspiration, click here to find my books and printable pdfs
