How to Make Earrings out of Buttons

I love to give handmade gifts. Making something handmade to give a friend, family member or co-worker is a wonderful treasure. People enjoy receiving handmade things because they are unlike anything you can buy in a store, and because they require thought and effort. Making earrings out of buttons is a very easy and fun gift to make. I made some beautiful little earrings out of buttons for a sweet girl in our church. I am not sure who enjoyed the gift more - her receiving them or me making them! They are just as much fun to package, either in a little jewelry box or a handmade card decorated with stamps.
What you will need:*
buttons with a hook or shank in the back
earring posts and backs
button shank remover
jewelry glue
cardstock, stamps
*all these items can be purchased at your local craft store These are some fun buttons I found at our local Joann's. I thought the chicks and bunnies were very sweet for Easter. Here is my Button Shank Remover and Jewerly Glue. I got these both at Joann's using 40% off coupons. I paid under $10 for both items. Can you see the "shank" on the back of the button? Use your Button Shank Remover to remove it. They work like a pair of pliers. You have to squeeze hard. I like to do it in the palm of my hand to I can "catch" the button. The shank will probably go flying in the air and never been seen again. Until you sweep your floors. Or step on it. Ouch. And there you have it. A nice flat button for making earrings. You need the back to be perfectly flat so you can glue your earring post to it. Use a tiny dab of the Jewelry Glue to attach the post. A toothpick works great for applying glue. You don't want a ton of excess glue on the back of the button. Let it dry for several hours. Then you are done! I like to attach these to cardstock. I glue two cardstock squares together to make them extra strong and then use a couple stamps to decorate the square. Use a needle to poke the holes where you want the earrings to go, and then secure the earrings to the square with the earring back. Aren't those adorable for Easter? These would be the perfect addition to any little girl's Easter basket. Fun, easy, affordable AND handmade. These are the perfect project for anyone, even for people who don't think they are crafty, they are that easy. Give them a try and let me know how they come out!

All the pictures in this post were taken by very talented friend Travis. Check out his work here.