Sunday, June 12, 2011

Cowrie Shell Hair Clips




I made these hair clips today. I love them so much. Let me show you how to do it:

1.) Get some copper wire and some shells.
2.) Wrap your first shell with the wire. I use as much wire as I can handle comfortably. You can always add more wire - but it is a bit messier when you do:



2. Wrap your second shell:


3.) Keep adding shells till you get to five:

4. Connect fifth one to the first one to make a nice 5 petal flower. Try to make sure all your wire wraps are tight so that your flower won't be floppy.
5.) Connect to your hair clip:

6.) Connect the smaller shells (if you want - it looks cute without them, too) See:
...but anyway. I like it better with the extra shells. So, go ahead - if you have them connect the first small shell to the middle:

7.) Connect the other two (one at a time):

8.) Wrap your remainder wire around your shells, adjusting the shells, tightening the wire until you get the look you want.

9.) Make another one.

10.) Clip them them your hair (or give them as a gift). And enjoy the compliments :)

6 comments:

Libby said...

These are very cute hair clips. Thanks for the tutorial. I need to make some things for myself. It's getting ridiculous. lol

Anonymous said...

Love it!!!! Very creative! Ive been making them. But I used glue gun. This seems more secure. Do u sell them? How much?

Ayana said...

Thank you! Nope, I don't sell them. A glue gun is probably good - it is just that a lot of times hot glue doesn't last that long. But maybe with wires AND hot glue...

Anonymous said...

Hi my name is Kimberly. I like what you did and it is cute. Im actually the original designer of these barrettes. Got the idea 7 years ago and now made it a brand of mines, Ethnic Designer Fashions. Check out the site. Thanks!

Ayana said...

Hi Kimberly! Excellent minds think alike! I have actually never run across your website before... and I doubt that either of us was the *first* to put cowrie shells in our hair. ;)

But I thank you for the compliments and for visiting my blog!

ImaQween said...

Such a classy response, sometimes I think that I come up with things and then find out later it has been out for years, then I just have to laugh to myself.