02/12/2012 - Packing Peanut/Coffee Bag Earrings

Sometimes you have to make lemonade. I thought for sure melting packing peanuts would mold them together to make a large piece. My original plan was to melt the peanuts together and make a box. They just shrink up into tiny pieces and don't stick to each other...they do, however, get an iridescent look to them when they are melted. I decided to try to make some kind of small jewelry with the pieces, but the pieces were to brittle to use on their own, hence the addition of plastic/foil coffee bag.

Reclaimed Material: packing peanuts, coffee bag, bicycle brake wire 
Other/New Material: earring findings
Tools: iron and board, parchment paper, pliers, glue, straight pin

How I did it: As I stated above, I melted the packing peanuts. I did as with the other plastic melting projects -- between parchment paper with a hot iron. I glued the melted peanuts with the shiny side up onto a coffee bag, also with the shiny side out. Once they dried I cut out squarish pieces from the coffee bag then poked a hole in each piece with the pin near the top to string the wire through. I cut four pieces of the wire (about 4" long each) and looped two through the loop on each earring finding. There were four pieces of wire hanging down so I threaded packing peanut/coffee bag pieces on each strand of wire. I staggered the placement of the squares then wrapped the ends and trimmed the excess wire.
 
What I would do differently: I have no clue what else I would do with these melted packing peanut thingies again. As far as jewelry making goes, I just need to keep practicing on my wire work.