Paper, Scissors, Earrings: Rock

Want a pair of frankly flashy earrings to dazzle under disco lights but don’t want to pay a fortune?

How does $7 a pair sound? There is one catch. You have to make them yourself. But there’s not much to it.

“It’s as easy as making paper-doll clothes,” says Cypress artist Elizabeth Smithwa. And the process is similar: cut out a cardboard foundation, glue on paper, add froufrou and attach fasteners.

Smithwa got inspired after discovering iridescent vinyls called Radiance papers at a local craft shop.

She began experimenting with paper earrings, using cardboard from cereal boxes, then switching to only slightly more expensive black mat board.

“The more earrings I make, the more ideas I seem to get,” she says.

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Cost breakdown: Radiance paper (it’s 11 inches wide) averages $1 a running inch. A half sheet of black mat board sells for less than $2. A small bottle of white glue will add another $2. Earring findings (at bead stores) start at 25 cents a pair. Everything else should be available at most craft supply stores.

For class information, contact Textile Resources in Long Beach at (310) 434-1522.