Any little bit of money we artists can save these days helps, right? One way I save a lot of money is by making my own earring cards. I have been doing this for years, they are a great way to get your name on your jewelry and they work well in a display. Now mine are pretty simple, but you could make these as elaborate as you would like. You could put your contact information, a little bio, or images the sky's the limit.
When I layout my design on the computer, I can get four cards across the bottom. They measure 2.5"w x 3"h after the cards are folded. The complete size is 2.5"w x 6"h. Here they are when they come out of the printer.
I bought this paper cutter for cutting my cards. After about two years of using scissors, I realized they would be much straighter and faster to cut this way.
I like to pierce a couple of holes for the earrings to hang from. You can use a large needle to do this, but I like to use a drill press. I cut a big stack of cards and mark the top one with where I would like the hole to be. I use a very small drill bit and it's done in no time. I can drill a hole through a 2" stack of paper in seconds this way.
After drilling I fold the cards in half and they are ready for earrings. These folded cards can stand alone on your table or they can be hung over wires, on a rack. You could also use a bigger drill bit or hole punch to make a hole for hanging depending on your display.
Written by Jennifer Heynen
17 comments:
Great idea! I do something similar, but I think I like yours better :)
Great idea!
I am a Print Shop Pro addict myself. I just made a bunch of business cards and have previously done everything from invitations to wedding programs.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing that very valuable tip. I have yet to come up with a great way to display earrings.
Thank you for posting this! I never would have thought about it! Great idea that I plan to put to use!
Great to hear I have helped out. Most of the time, I fly to my jewelry shows so the lighter the better for taking on the airplane. Plus they fold flat for packing, you can't beat that.
Have a good one,
Jennifer
I love that idea of using the drill press. The holes will be neat and clean and it is soooo fast.
Thanks!
- Elaine Ray
The drill press idea is terrific!
I cut mine to fit six across a custom display I have, to I can't print them (drat) but I started using a corner rounder and it helped keep the cards from getting the ends crunched up over time. There's a giant corner cutter out there, like the drill press idea of making many cuts at one time, but I haven't invested in that yet.
I like the drill press idea. I have previously used small hole punches. I am all for saving money, make my own cards and custom tags as well as brochures and table signs.
Great tip! Leone
I've been printing my own cards, getting eight cards per sheet of heavy card stock, and using a 1/16" hole punch to make the holes. The only issue I've run into has been especially long, dangly earrings being longer than the cards, which makes it difficult, at shows, if I need to set the earring cards on my table (I seem to always run out of rack space), as they don't display nearly as nicely that way. By the way, for those of us using the folding-type cards, I saw, somewhere, the other day, a really neat and inexpensive way to set earring cards on a surface without them unfolding themselves or scooting around, on the surface. Buy some lengths of hardwood (or pine, I suppose, though it won't finish up as nicely) that are in the neighborhood of 1" x 2" (it's called dimensional sizing; hardwood is sold by actual measurements, as opposed to pine, which is always a half inch less than it's named, in either dimension--a pine 2" x 4" is actually 1 1/2" x 3 1/2" and so forth) or perhaps even smaller, if that works for you. Ask the nice man at the lumber yard to cut a dado, the length of the piece, or have your DH do it for you. Of course, if you are one of those cool chicks with woodworking skills, and don't feel like exploiting a suitable male, you can do all this, yourself. ;-) Then cut the lengths to suit your display needs: either cut it into pieces roughly the width of your earring cards, or if you like the idea of lining cards up in rows (this may fall into the definition of anal-retentive, but I pass no judgement *grin*), then leave it in longer pieces. Stain and varnish or paint--or leave unfinished--to suit your tastes, and then simply place them on your table and set the cards in them. The front and back lips will keep the cards from flattening themselves out, and unless you are dealing with a really strong breeze (at which point you just might want to pack up your display and head for the pub), your cards will be a lot less likely to fly away. By the way, if my description is unclear and you want a sketch or a better explanation, feel free to e-mail me, HeronMoonDesignworks (at Gmail.com) or convo me at my Etsy shop, username HeronMoon. I'll be happy to do my best to be more clear! Best wishes and thanks so much for this delightful website! -- Terri, Heron Moon Designworks
Besides making polymer clay beads and jewelry I also do acrylic paintings and cut mats for them. Once the centers of the mat boards are too small for framing paintings, I use the centers as earring cards. They don't fold and display nicely like yours do, but are thick and classy looking. I use a rubber stamp to put may name on the cards and rub ink around the edges to finish them off nicely. I think now I will drill them instead of using a hole punch though, what a time saver!
Great idea Jennifer! I especially like the drill press tip...if I had one of those and knew what to do with it! I actually posted an article like this on Jewelry Business Success news by Rena Klingenberger. I use a postcard from VistaPrint designed in fourths. I cut them when I get the stack and punch the holes (I mark where I want them with a small asterisk so that I can be sure they are always in the same place. I get 100 postcards for the cost of shipping...almost like getting 400 for next to nothing! I like the tent idea..in which case I would only do two to a card. Still a good deal! Erin, Tesori Trovati Jewelry
i love it -- see my post dated 15Dec08 to see how you inspired me! thank you for putting this up.
I started doing this for my earrings this year!! I am loving the look feel and name recognition that makes doing this a must!!
Thanks for sharing...
I love this earring card idea but was wondering what paper weight you use. I have 110 pound paper but it doesn't seem heavy enough.
Thanks for your idea!!
Thanks for the idea! I was looking for instructions to a folded triangular stand but this looks easier. Think I'll use a hole punch for the holes, though. I'm scary with a drill!
Huh, drilling sounds interesting - never would've thought of using it for that! Definitely a quick way to do a lot at once! Wonder if a little holder could be made to stack them in while drilling...
thanks for this nice post
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