Converting Clips to Posts

We're so excited to bring you a post from our new HVG candidate, Marilyn Mercury.  Recently she wielded her glue gun to do a bit of updating to a fabulous piece of vintage jewelry.  This is an easy How-To for anyone who hates those biting clip earrings. 



On the 4th of July, Mr. Mercury and I were looking for something to do that, of course, needed to involve driving our 1965 Mercury Comet. After looking through craigslist, I found a flea market in Northfield, MN, about an hour from where we live.  This drive is one of the prettiest routes you can take, traveling through gorgeous farm country.  We try to go there at least once during the summer. It was a beautiful summer day, which was most appreciated because summer took so long to get here this year.  Here in Minnesota, we still had snow in May!! 

Marilyn enjoying the Summer sun on her flea market trip.

When we got there I was a bit disappointed that it was such a small flea market, but I did find a few treasures, one of them being these amazing atomic-looking earrings! Now at first glance, most vintage earrings seem unlikely to be worn because they're usually clip-ons.  I have often passed them by before, but these just intrigued me.  I just had to try and make them work!! 

So off to Joanne Fabrics jewelry-making department I went. This is something I've never attempted before.  I was overwhelmed at the selection of tiny metal pieces for making necklaces, bracelets and earrings!!

I picked out some silver metal posts and backs. I already had at home some Gorilla glue and a hot glue gun. I figured one of those would work for adhering the posts to the backs of the earrings after I pried the clip portion off with a pliers.  


I ended up using a drip of Gorilla Glue to secure the base of the post.  After letting that dry, I then surrounded the base with hot glue. 

clip removed and post glued in place

I'm not sure it will hold for the long haul because these earrings are very heavy!! But I can't wait to wear these babies out! I think they'd look best with the very outfit I found them in, but now I'll have to wait til next summer! 

For now I will model them in my recent thrift store find, a beautifully beaded cardigan.  It only needed new buttons and a few tiny holes stitched up! Can't beat a deal like that! $4.50 for the cardigan and $3.00 for new buttons!

We think Marilyn looks smashing in her new cardigan and earrings!  Finding vintage pieces is not only an adventure, but restyling them to fit your needs can be so rewarding (not to mention economical).  Thank you for sharing your project with us, Marilyn.  Now I'm off to find my hot glue gun...