Spirit Of A Dream

        A piece inspired by Native American headdresses,the feathered ear cuff has become immensely popular as of late. I have always found Native American culture fascinating and beautiful, and anything reminiscent of it always grabs my attention. These ear cuffs can be found in a wide array of colors and fashions, with some even being accompanied with various charms and chains. Ranging from the delicate to the extreme, these ornaments for the ear can really add interest to an otherwise plain ensemble. Continue reading to see how you can create one of these at home easily and more importantly inexpensively!

Materials Needed:

1. Craft Wire-A 24 gauge wire recommended but optional. Keep in mind the thicker the wire, the harder to work with.

2. Jewelry Pliers-I use a set of 3 mini round nose, flat nose, and cutting pliers. 

3. Feathers- You can use natural or synthetic. I prefer smaller feathers but you may use larger ones for a more dramatic look.

4. Jump Rings- To help attach your feathers and chain!

5. Optional supplies- chains, spikes, and other charms can be added as well. 

Step 1: Start off with about 10 inches of wire. Bend the wire at 4 inches and create a small loop at the end as shown in the picture above.

Step 2: Here's the part where you customize the cuff to your ear! You don't need all 10 inches of wire. Take the top 4 inches and see if it wraps around your ear properly. This is the standard size and for most this will fit perfect. If you need a longer or shorter length of wire this is the time you can fix it. Once you find the right fit for you, cut off the excess.

Step 3: Here comes the trickiest part! You will need quite a bit of wire for wrapping the base. I like to wrap the wire straight from the spindle rather than cutting a length off so you don't have to worry about constantly restarting and cutting more wire. Twist the wire around the entire length of the base, leaving small loops of wire where you would like to attach feathers as shown here:

Step 4: Now you are done with the base and are ready to attach the feathers. First to prepare the feathers twist wire around the feather's stems just as you did with your cuff base leaving a small loop at the top to attach. Next acquire some jump rings and open them (remember the proper way to open a jump ring is to pull apart vertically, not horizontally!). I attached a jump ring to all the loops on the ear cuff base and the feathers. Now all you have to do is attach those two jump rings together and you should have one feather attached!

Step 5: Repeat for the rest of the feathers. I chose to only attach three as I prefer a more sparse look but you may add as many as will fit! 

Step 6: You're pretty much done! Here comes the optional part: to create an even more interesting look, attach chains, spikes, or charms. You can do this by using more jump rings. The possibilities are endless! I hope you had as much fun creating yours as I did mine. My ultimate vision for an ear cuff design is one with white feathers using silver wire and chain. I am making it my mission to hunt down some white feathers!