25 Gifts & Ornaments #15 - Peacock Earrings

Today's project is brought to you with the help of my Mom!
This summer while she was garage sale -ing she found a place that had a stash of peacock feathers. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them so I have been saving them ever since.  Now, these feathers aren't as fringed in the center as some are so they aren't as long or as showy as some. 

If you'd like to give these a try but don't know where to find peacock feathers I'd first try your local zoo.  They often gather up the feathers and sell them for a very reasonable cost in the gift shop.  Sometimes you can find local owners who will give the feathers away for free.  If all else fails you can find them on e-bay and various on-line retailers.

25 Gifts & Ornaments

#15 Peacock Earrings

Supplies:

Peacock Feathers
Crimp Beads
Jewelry Wire
Beads
Ear Wire
Pliers

Instructions:

1. Trim the eye from the rest of the feather leaving about an extra inch of the shaft.  Strip all of the long fringes from the shaft.

2. Normally crimp tubes are round...peacock feather shafts are oval so you'll need to pinch a crimp bead so it forms an oval.  

3. Slide this oval crimp bead down the shaft to the base of the feather eye as shown.

3. Slide a 3-4" piece of wire into the crimp tube and pinch the tube shut securing the wire to the feather.  You may now trim off the excess shaft above the crimp bead.

4. Slide the desired beads onto the wire and affix the earring wire. 

5. Repeat steps 1-4 for the second earring.

Now it's time to enjoy the way cool looking earrings...

or of course you could give them as a gift!

Mine started out as a gift but I'm thinkin' I might have to keep em - LOL!!

These took a very short time to assemble, are relatively inexpensive and very easy to make.

I spent more time cutting and picking up all the wispy bits of feather I cut off that I did making both earrings!

So, if you're short on ideas for gifts these are GREAT in a pinch!