https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/aluminium-fairies • Posted by Jackkie
I once had a pair of fairy earrings but I lost one of them and used the other one as a charm. When making butterflies, I accidentally cut one of the wings off, and thought of making this. Easy to make and really cute. If you like the can you used, you could turn them to the other side to show the coloured side of the can. You can also paint them any colour. You can use them on whatever you want but I think they are perfect for jewellery. These two are going to be earrings but you could make rings, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, etc. Scissors : Don't use scissors that you also use for food preparation, etc as there may be traces of metal left behind after this, even when you wash them. As you can see, I used some really old, rusty scissors (but they are still sharp) SAFETY - Make sure your workspace is easy to clean so if any metal gets anywhere you can clean it up and don't have to go looking for it. Also, make sure you support what you are working with so it can't go anywhere, e.g. fling off into your eyes (that's why I worked in a sink area - its contained for easy clean up and control of your metal) - It's really sharp. We all know this but I thought I'd remind you - Frequently check for splinters. If you feel something sharp, check your hand for metal splinters. If you have a metal splinter, deal with it before you continue or you'll regret it.
I once had a pair of fairy earrings but I lost one of them and used the other one as a charm. When making butterflies, I accidentally cut one of the wings off, and thought of making this. Easy to make and really cute. If you like the can you used, you could turn them to the other side to show the coloured side of the can. You can also paint them any colour. You can use them on whatever you want but I think they are perfect for jewellery. These two are going to be earrings but you could make rings, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, etc. Scissors : Don't use scissors that you also use for food preparation, etc as there may be traces of metal left behind after this, even when you wash them. As you can see, I used some really old, rusty scissors (but they are still sharp) SAFETY - Make sure your workspace is easy to clean so if any metal gets anywhere you can clean it up and don't have to go looking for it. Also, make sure you support what you are working with so it can't go anywhere, e.g. fling off into your eyes (that's why I worked in a sink area - its contained for easy clean up and control of your metal) - It's really sharp. We all know this but I thought I'd remind you - Frequently check for splinters. If you feel something sharp, check your hand for metal splinters. If you have a metal splinter, deal with it before you continue or you'll regret it.
Cut up your can. (instructions in Aluminium Butterflies tutorial if you need help) You should have a large rectangular piece left.
Cut off a small rectangle, approximately the size of your fairy's body.
Cut off one of the corners. This will be the back of the leg. Make sure you leave enough space in front to have the foot.
Make another cut to form an obtuse angle, then round the point.
From the end of your last cut, make a head for your fairy. Elongate it so you will have room for making a hole for hanging. (If you are making these not to be hanging, just cut a normal head shape, you can add a high bun or wavy hair detail as well.)
Go back to your original cut. Make a foot and leg shape.
Cut another line to form an obtuse angle, making the rest of the body.
Shape it a bit.
Cut a small triangle that resembles equilateral triangle from your large bit of aluminium. Round one of the edges.
Cut a line for the forearm.
Cut a line for the elbow to shoulder. Make that a bit thicker than the forearm. Shorten the arm’s length if needed.
Cut another piece of aluminium. Fold this in half and cut out a wing shape. Cut the the fold to make 2 seperate wings.
Put the fairy body on a hard surface that you aren't worried about marking (lid of an old icecream tub?). Use the skewer to poke a hole in the area above the head. (skip this step if you're not going to hang this)
Repeat steps 2-13. Lay out all your pieces.
Put a bit of hot glue on the back of the the larger shoulder side(back of circled area) of the arm piece. Stick this to the fairy in its appropriate place, so that the top of the arm slips under the head. Do this for both fairies.
Glue the wings together then glue them to the back of the fairy in their appropriate place. Do this for both fairies. Tada! Your finished fairies! You can play around with this by using different wing designs.