Autumn-Inspired Shell Earrings

Here in Artsy Land, Fall is definitely in the air! The mornings and evenings have a definite chill, and I’ve spied some leaves starting to change colors in our neighborhood. As much as I love summer, I’m a huge fan of all the fun things this season brings…boots and sweaters, warm drinks, nights around the fire pit with our neighbors, and of course the beautiful colors of Autumn. Here’s a pair of earrings I created inspired by the shades of the season:

The beads for my earrings came from this month’s Blueberry Cove Beads box. If you’ve never heard of it before, Blueberry Cove Beads is a subscription service, much like the others out there that deliver all kinds of different things to your door each month. This one just happens to deliver a surprise assortment of beads and other jewelry findings {like charms, toggles, stringing material, and more} based around a monthly theme! The best part about it, besides the fun of seeing what you got, is that because everything is chosen for a theme, it’s specifically designed to coordinate and work well together, so the projects feel like they almost create themselves.

This pretty postcard was included in the package to introduce September’s theme: the Colors of Autumn.

Here’s a peek at what was inside! I’m loving the large leaf pendant, the tiny leaf toggles, and the little maple leaf charms, not to mention all the pretty, colorful beads themselves!

As soon as I saw the assortment of triangle shaped orange shell beads, I knew they were just perfect for earrings. The color is just right for this time of year, and the shape reminds me of candy corn. I paired them with round brown beads to make them even more interesting and extra-dangly. This season, large statement earrings are right on trend, so I can’t wait to wear these with a favorite neutral sweater and jeans. Here’s how I created them…

Materials:
– 2 orange triangle shell beads
– 2 semi-transparent brown beads
– 2 eye pins
– 2 ear wires
– silver wire, 20 gauge or smaller
– needle nose pliers, wire cutters

Step 1: Place wire through the hole in one of your shell beads. Wrap the end of the wire around the other piece, then form a wire wrapped loop. {The simultaneously fabulous and frustrating thing about shell beads is that no two are alike, so you’ll want to look through your beads and choose two that are closest in size, shape, and color for the best results.}

Step 2: Attach an eye pin to the loop you created. Thread a brown bead onto the eye pin and form a simple wire loop at the top.

Step 3: Attach your top loop to an ear wire. Repeat for the other earring.

That’s all there is to it! If you’ve made jewelry before, you can easily whip these up in less than ten minutes. If you’re new to this hobby, don’t worry, it’s totally doable once you learn a few basic steps! You can start out with my Basic Wire Loops and Wire Wrapping post to get you going.

Want to make your own? You can get these exact beads in your own Autumn box from Blueberry Cove Beads. {Mine was provided, but all opinions are always my own}. Just go to the website and sign up for a monthly subscription that you can cancel anytime, or buy an individual box. You can see all the past boxes and their contents there as well, so you can pick up any box that strikes your fancy! Be sure to check out Blueberry Cove Beads on Facebook too so you can see what other crafters are doing with their beads and share your creations! Each month, one person who submits a photo for the challenge wins her next box free…will it be you?