supplies:
-2 fish hook earrings
-2 jump rings
-polymer clay
-(2) 1 inch pieces of wire
-pliers
-paint (optional)

it's really pretty simple, just shape the clay into the general shape of the antler.  then gradually start to the taper everything down so it doesn't look so chunky (unless you want it to look that way).  bake according to the clay you're using.  using your pliers, make a small loop on one end of each piece of wire.  insert the straight end of the wire into the end of the antler after you finish sculpting it.  attach the antlers to the fish hooks using the jump rings. 

i used some gloss white nail polish as a finish on mine but you could make them any color...

and that's it..seriously...you just made a knock off of $200 earrings for probably less than $5!?  crazy right?  i mean sure the anthro version is a lot more thin/delicate looking than mine and made out of mammoth ivory but still...i'd rather have my $5 version.

linking up here.

My entry into Make the Scene Monday #33  is sponsored by Appliances Online & Bosch Washing Machines.

 supplies:
-8 jump rings
-2 fish hook earrings
-shrinky dink
-sharpie or colored pencils
-nail polish or paint

if you've never worked with shrinky dink before you can also read my other project here. 

start by sketching out the filigree design you want.  you can use colored pencils or sharpie to fill in your design.  i wanted a sort of scribbled look so i didn't completely fill it in.  then make 4 small teardrop shapes and 2 large tear drop shapes.  (i ended up rubbing off the sharpie scribbles on these parts and i made the large teardrops smooth on top like the smaller ones.)  cut out your designs and punch your holes. 

next, bake your shrinky dink as per instructions.  you can use paint or fingernail polish to paint the teardrop shapes.  and it's read to assemble.  i used 4 jump rings per earring, no the 7 pictured.  

and that's it!  pretty simple right?  and altogether i think they cost less than $5, versus $68!  of course if you're buying all these supplies new it will cost more but once you break it down based on what you use they're really cheap.  i wish i had made the teardrops a bit bigger and fatter but i really like the way they turned out!

next, lay the larger square onto the smaller making sure the centers line up.  pinching the center of the pouf, press down and twist.

this is where i changed it bit from the kojo tutorial: i sewed a circle all around the pouf attaching it to the smaller square.  i also stitched the center of the pouf into place.  this way inside of your pillow is smooth and the rosette is pretty solidly attached and (hopefully) won't unravel.  don't worry about your stitches showing, as long as you keep it pretty close to the the your hand stiching the fabric will keep it covered-i can't even see it on my pillow unless i pull the fabric apart.  

before you start pinning the pleats in place, keep twisting the larger, top square around as much as you can to get a sort of 'torsion' effect-this will help hide your stitches.  then line up the corners and pin in place.  the fabric should already be forming ridges so just use these as a guide to pin your pleats into place.

at this point, depending on the size of the circle you used for the rosette, your top square may still be larger than your bottom square.  if this is the case, don't try to line up the edges, just pull the top square taut, pin, and trim the excess.  if you try to line up the edges when there is excess fabric, you will end up with a weird poofy version (that's what happened to mine along the corners).

sew along the edges, trim the excess fabric, and that's the front of the pillow!!  (somehow i managed to lose some of my pleats during this process.  i still haven't figured out how since they were all pinned in place...)
 now for the back...you need the other 24"x24" square and the 6"24" strip:
you might be wondering what that random 6"x24" strip is for...well i wanted my zipper to be near the bottom instead of the middle and this is my weird method of zipper sewing.  basically i wanted the zipper to be 3" up from the bottom, so i doubled that and cut a 6" strip instead of 3".  this saves me from having to make 2 hems and adds a little more weight to the bottom half.

first press the 6"x24" strip in half lengthwise, that crease will be where the zipper eventually goes (blue line).  now line up the strip along the bottom (or any side really since it's a square...) of the 24"x24" square (the 6"x24" strip is outlined in white).  pin in place and baste along the crease (blue line).

sorry i don't have a really good photo of the next few steps...but press your seam open.  make sure the 2 halves of the 6" strip are together-the strip should be folded in half.  press the 3" flap of the 24"x24" square up or away from the 6" strip.  trim this flap down to about 1", then fold and press into a hem.

pin your zipper in place and sew along each side.

this is what it should look like when you're done...at this point you can rip out the baste stitches and your zipper should be good to go.