Getting Ready for Earrings Every Day Month

Are you ready for Earrings Every Day Month?  It starts in a week on September 1st!To be successful at a daily challenge, I find it's helpful to be prepared ahead of time.For this particular challenge (Earrings Every Day Month, that is) that means gathering up the tools and materials you'll be using every day into one convenient location.  It doesn't matter if you have a dedicated workspace or not for your jewelry making, you can still gather up your earring making supplies into one convenient kit so they're ready each and every day.So what do you need?The exact materials and tools you'll need will depend on what earrings you're making, but there are some general things you can have on hand so you can easily make a pair of earrings at any time.  Certainly you don't need to have all of these items for every pair of earrings.Tools:The tools you will use over and over again for making earrings and, in fact, these are the 3 basic tools you'll need for wire wrapping any jewelry, are:

• Wire cutters
• Chain nose pliers
• Round nose pliers

And if you're going to be opening a lot of jump rings, I suggest bent nose pliers as well.If you're making your own earring wires, you'll need a jewelry file, wire rounder or burr cup as well.Materials:BeadsYou definitely do not need beads for all earrings, but you'll certainly want some beads around for a lot of earrings.  If you've been making jewelry, you probably already have all the beads you need for this challenge, but you might want to pick up a couple of new strands.If you're new to jewelry making, the thing to remember is you don't have to get a bunch of beads all at once.  You'll purchase a strand and not use the entire strand and eventually you'll have a collection.My favorite place to get beads is Happy Mango Beads because of their unique choices.  I also love going to thrift stores and seeing what I can find to take apart.  You can also check out your local bead store or craft stores that sell beads.WireIf you're going to make your own earring wires, you'll need 20 gauge, half-hard round wire in the metal of your choice.And I use a lot of 20 gauge half-hard round wire for most of my wire wrapping in earrings beyond earring wires as well.  You can also use it to make your own headpins as well.If you're new to jewelry making, I would suggest trying a less expensive wire (i.e. not sterling silver) to get started until you get comfortable.A note about artistic wire:  It’s typically silver plated or coated copper.  Often it doesn’t state a hardness (like half-hard) but it works similarly to half-hard in my experience.  If you have metal sensitivities, you will not want to use this for earring wires.  Either practice on it and when you’re comfortable make your own earring wires with sterling silver or just purchase pre-made earring wires.Other Materials:You may want some other fun materials as we go along like chain or buttons.Earring Findings:Earring Wires:Since we'll be making earrings every day, it makes sense to have a bunch of earring wires on hand.  You can make these yourself or you can purchase them already made for you.  (Either way is perfectly fine, but they really are easy to make yourself, so why not give it a try?)Making your own earring wires is great, too because if you're working on an earring design and realize that you don't have any earring wires it's so easy to just whip up a pair quickly.Headpins:This is another supply you can purchase made for you already, but you can add a lot of personality to your earring designs if you make them yourself.  Also, when you make them yourself they're more versatile.Here are some free tutorials I've done for different decorative headpins:Ornate headpinOpen Spiral and Knotted HeadpinsInfinity HeadpinNote:  If you're taking Earrings eCourse (the premium version of Earrings Every Day Month in which you get a tutorial every single day), I'll be showing you how to make different earrings and part of that will sometimes be different headpins, depending on the design.Jump Rings:You can make these yourself ahead of time, but I rarely make mine.  I typically purchase them.Learn how to properly open and close jump rings if you don't already know how.Other Earring Findings:There are other findings like chandelier findings that you might want to have on hand.  Of course, you may want to make your own shapes as well.Charms:Charms can be super cute on earrings or even be the complete earring.  You can make your own bead dangles to use as charms, make your own charms or have pre-made charms on hand.Other Considerations for Earrings:I love using upcycled and repurposed items in my jewelry making and that goes for earrings as well!The main thing you have to take into consideration is the weight.  Your earrings cannot be too heavy.  If you're making earrings for yourself, you know how heavy the earrings can be for you to still be comfortable.  If you're making earrings for someone else, err on the side of being light.Every Day Challenges and Not Getting Burned Out or Feeling Defeated:If you've ever participated in an every day challenge, you may have gotten to a certain point and given up.  I know I have.Remember:  a few pairs of earrings is better than none.  You do not have to "keep up" and if you "get behind" don't let it bring you down.  You can simply jump back in at any point and make more earrings.Maybe once a day is too much for you, but you can do once a week.  Perhaps you want to make a few pair a week.  Maybe you want to make 5 pair in a day and then none the rest of the week.  Any way that works for you is completely fine!  Even if you make just 1 pair of earrings this month!Earrings Every Day Month:For free weekly inspiration and encouragement emails, sign up for my email newsletter here.  (If you don't want the Quick Start Guide to Wire Wrapped Jewelry, just scroll down to the form and click the button that says you just want the weekly emails without the guide.)If you would like the structure of an earring tutorial every single day (and you get to keep access to all those tutorials and return back to them again and again) check out the Earrings eCourse that goes right along with Earrings Every Day Month.Sharing Your Work:I would love to see what you're making!  There are 2 main places I'll be looking for it:

• My Facebook page.  You can add a little description saying that these are your Day 3 earrings from Earrings Every Day Month (EEDM) or something like that and upload a photo.
• Instagram.  You can follow me at @KimberlieKohler.  (I'm just getting started on IG and would love to connect with you there!)

I hope that helps you get ready for Earrings Every Day Month!  I'm so excited to get started!Get the eCourse to go with Earrings Every Day Month!  Daily tutorials via email and keep access to all the tutorials after the challenge to return to again and again!Learn more here.