Ear Dooglies

[bright-young-things]

Hi there, I'm new to this craftster posting business so be gentle with me!

I have had big holes in me ears for 5 years now and am always looking for new plugs and whatnot, my fave being those 'tribal' style swirls and horns that you can get on markets and things, but they are usually too expenseive, so I came up with these... I call them 'dooglies'! take a peek I have made loads over the last year, for myself, for friends and other people who wanted a pair...



xxx

[LanaTurnerSmile]

I think people will love these. I know loads of people that wear plugs, and this is the sort of thing they like.  I'll pass on your site addy for them to look at 

[CamOovas]

Those are awesome!  My girlfriend would love them.  Are they made from clay?  And did you seal them with something?

[Lera-star]

I think people will love these. I know loads of people that wear plugs, and this is the sort of thing they like.  I'll pass on your site addy for them to look at 

agreeded even though i don't ear them myself i still like them. good job

[nikki626]

very cool indeed!  yeah, the reason i got back into making jewelry was because i just couldn't find what i wanted for my 5/8" holes in my ears...

[sheratzapan]

these are so clever and look great

[kitschkitty]

If they are made from Polymer clay are you aware of the issues regarding the polymers leeching into your body?

They are really really cool, but not safe for putting in the body.

[bright-young-things]

I've read up as much as I can on the net and I do recommend to anyone I give them too that they arn't for prolonged wear or to go anywhere near unhealed piercings. Like heels, attractive but not good for a hike?

[StoryFromTheStars]

If you wanted to make them for long-wear, I think you could make molds out of the polymer versions and make them out of something that wouldnt' leech. I dont' know if they leech (I dont' think they do), but something like resin maybe?

[OMGitsTinsel]

omg, those are awesome!! i wear plugs because i cant find good-looking 'dooglies' anywhere that are my size, and theyre so expensive when i do find them!! so, i have a couple of questions!!

1.) is there a tutorial on how to make these?
2.) what are they made of? (im going to assume that it is a safe material to be wearing in your ear, yes? has anyone had any allergic reactions to the material?)
3.) i guess this costs cheaper than buying my own pair?  or at least I hope it is. Are they cheap to make??

answers to any of these questions would be super rad!!! thanks, pals!! anyone can answer, i'd love the help!

[when_im_sixty4]

Those are fantastic 

And surely there's a way to seal them with something that would make them safely wearable? Like the same way you use a particular glaze to make pottery food safe?

I always remember women coating their cheapie earring posts with clear nail polish to keep them from turning their ears green- maybe paint them with a layer of clear polish, then? 

[cheesedip]

i think that making these a size smaller and wearing them through kaos earskins would work well, but i'm not sure about the safety of polyclay.

on a less boring note, they are really nice!

[MelancholyMiss]

They're really nice in real life   Unfortunately I haven't worn mine, I ordered 12mm, when i'm more like 14mm haha oops

[~Otherside27~]

What does polymer clay leech into your body? Plastic (i.e. a polymer)? Isn't all your food wrapped in plastic? aren't most of your synthetic clothes plastic?
I'm very interested in what exactly makes it bad as everyone wears metal in their ears and forensically, from a blood sample you can tell from levels of iridium i believe it is (been a while since my degree) whether or not the individual has body piercing.
And we all know that sometimes, metal can be bad for us!

So I don't think that like for a night out it would cause too much harm (link me if this isn't true) because these "dooglies" are so cute I know loads of people who'd like them (since the acrylic ones are sooooo expensive!)

[TheWomanMonster]

First off: Great stuff! I love the swirly stripe effect.
They'll definitely be a big hit.
And also LOL at Dooglies! that's a new one to me!


My experience with similar crafts to answer a few questions:
I used to make my own plugs out of polymer clay - they are great for once in a while short term use but definitely go with an organic (wood, bone or horn) or glass for long term use!

Things I noticed with my polymer jewelry - the clay would often discolour where it touched the ear and during long term use it gets soft and breaks easily. The clay is porous so I recommend washing them more often to prevent bacterial build up and not allowing them to soak (for example remove if you're bathing or showering).

Also I made jewelry for a couple friends and my boyfriend at the time, 2 of them had reactions to the red clay - extreme swelling of the tissue and 'leaky' ears, which resulted in removing the jewelry and downsizing the piercing temporarily until healed.

I totally agree well healed piercings only and remove to shower.

If you wanted to make these out of anything else I'd recommend silicone or glass.

[environmental]

~Otherside27~, yes food is wrapped in plastic, and lots of things people use every day are made out of plastic, but that is because it is cheap and light (which means it is easier/cheaper to ship products in plastic containers than in glass), not because it is good for us.

All plastics release chemicals, which is why, for example, plastic water bottles are bad, and putting something like that IN your body (especially if the piercing isn't completely healed) is just a bad idea.

[craftydebs]

Those are awesome!  My daughter had gaged ears and would love them.  I shall work on making her a pair!  Thanks for sharing!

[chica grande mas bonita]

I work with resin, but I am not sure if it is any safer than polymer clay for leeching. I would guess not-- it is fairly toxic in its fumes and dust, and I doubt prolonged exposure in your ear holes would be any good, either....

[CamOovas]

Plastics and Toxins:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=243074.msg2684706#msg2684706