Difficulty: Beginner
Age: 18+ (due to possible sharp edges and small pieces)
Price: ££ – > £15
Time: 30 mins
Create your own pair of shiny earrings to add a funky and fun touch to your look by reusing/up-cycling an aluminium drinks can of your choice. You can go for as patterned or as plain as you would like!
This project will teach you some simple jewellery making techniques whilst being a fun craft to make for yourself or a as a gift for a friend. It creates minimal waste as any scraps that are left can be recycled in the same way you would normally recycle a can.
Aluminium is great to work with to make jewellery as it is a lightweight metal meaning you can make big, eye catching pieces that aren’t heavy to wear.
Interesting fact:
Did you know 75% of aluminium cans made each year are in circulation still? Recycled aluminium cans are melted down and made into new cans in a loop recycling process. Old can in – new can out!
Equipment:
All of these items can be purchased from your local hobbycraft store
You will also need
Scissors (kitchen or craft scissors)
1 x aluminium drinks can of your choice
How to
Please proceed with caution using kitchen scissors and be mindful of any sharp edges whilst cutting.
Step 1:
Use your kitchen scissors to make a hole in the side of the can near the top. Cut around the can to remove the top.
Step 2:
Cut down the side of the can in a straight line in a place where you don’t want to use the design/pattern and repeat step one to remove the bottom part.
Step 3:
Flatten the aluminium sheet that you are left with, wash and then dry it. Using your larger circle punch, punch 2 circles out of the sheet in a place that you like the pattern.
Step 4:
Use your smaller circle punch to punch a hole towards the edge of the large circles. Leave a few mm gap so you don’t cut a circle out of the edge by accident.
Making the earrings:
Step 5:
Using your round nose pliers open one of your 5mm jump rings. Find the split in the ring and pull one part towards you and the other away from you as pictured. Pulling the ring apart (as pictured left or top image if viewing on mobile) will cause the metal to loose tension and you won’t get the same rounded shape again easily when trying to close the ring.
Step 6 and 7:
Thread the jump ring through the hole in your aluminium shape and pull both sides of the jump ring back towards each other until they meet in the middle.
Step 8:
Open a second jump ring following step 5 and thread your ear wire on. Thread through the ring already attached to your aluminium shape as well. Make sure your ear wire and front of your shape are facing the right way. Close jump ring as in step 6 and 7. Repeat all steps to create your second earring.
And finally
Step 9:
Recycle your aluminium scraps OR make some more earrings!
This is a great project to experiment with and once you are comfortable with these basic jewellery steps you can start experimenting to create different styles. Check out the image below for some more ideas! An assortment of shape punches have been used and the smaller holes have been created with a metal hole punch.
Thank you for reading and I hope you all enjoy this easy and fun crafty project!
Vanessa x