Challenge 2012 (Day 8) - 365 earrings in 365 days!

Button button who's got the button?  I saw a pair of earrings made with buttons in this really cool little book titled 1000 Jewelry Inspirations by Sandra Salamony (Quarry Press) and thought "cool!  i'll do a pair like that!"  Well, of course, it didn't turn out quite "like that" but buttons were the starting point and we went from there.  I'm trying to use beads and things that i already have on hand.  I do have to raid the shop for findings because i'm low on ear wires, headpins, rings, and the like.  The buttons were still on the original card from, oh, probably five years ago and i actually had several colors to choose from.  Simple, round, plastic, washable, two hole buttons....

Supplies include 24gauge and 18gauge silver plated copper core wire, 10mm jump rings, 6mm soldered rings, ear wires, two blue 11/16" (18mm) buttons, and frosted glass drops.  Drops are fat little teardrop shaped beads with a hole in the tapered end of the bead.  Argghh!  I see more briolette wraps in my future!

Cowgirl up and get 'er done, darlin...

And i have to say, i don't usually sit down to make a pair of earrings and walk away satisfied 15 minutes later.  I try my original idea and of course it doesn't quite work.  I started this pair with clear drops and they just d-d-d-disappeared into the background so i had to redo hoping the frosted drops would work and fortunately they did better.  Then the first wraps i did, i used a wrapped loop and that made the drops all hat and no cattle so i had to redo using a simple loop and that worked better.  Do you get my drift?  Start here and loop-de-loop around and over yonder and back until it jells.  Good thing i enjoy the process as much as the product!

OK.  Three drops are dangling one each to a soldered 6mm ring.  The soldered 6mm rings are threaded onto an approximately 8mm jump ring that i made from the 18gauge wire because, of course, i didn't have any jump rings that size on hand.  I could have used a 10mm jump ring but it didn't look right.  The 8mm jump ring is threaded onto a 10mm jump ring that goes through one hole of the button.  A second 10mm jump ring is threaded through the other hole and a soldered 6mm ring is also on that 10mm jump ring and connects to the ear wire. Thank goodness a picture is worth one thousand words!  These are actually kinda cute.  Day 8 is done.  Uh oh.  We're gettin into higher math here but i think i have 357 pairs to go.