Guess The Mystery Thing: Long Green Earrings

Hi!  Today, a new challenge for you lovely fans of Guess The Mystery Thing.  Wanna play?  Take a gander at this cute pair of earrings.

Can you identify the mysterious secret ingredient, i.e. the long, swoopy green-and-white jobbies? 

We're playing on the honor system, so no peeking yet.  What are those stripey things?  Have your guess firmly seated in your brainpan before you scroll down for the reveal.

Brainpan set?  Okay, let's do this!

*

*

*

Hint: it's not from the dollar store.  Not even from a yard sale or thrift shop.  It's something I got at an actual, honest-to-gosh, full price retail establishment.

*

*

*

Keep scrollin'...

*

*

*

I try to predict how easy these challenges will be, but most of the time I'm wrong.  This time I predict 85% will get this one.

*

*

*

Ready to see the answer? Sure?

Okie doke!   Here it is:

It's the waves in the hair of the mermaid on the cup from the Starbucks!

I cut out the hair with my littlest scissors:

With a thumbtack, I poked a hole in each tress.  Then layered two of them (facing opposite directions), and incorporated them into in a chandelier-style earring, in the same way I would use any charm with a hole at the top.

I gifted these to one of my fave baristas - she loved them.

So let us know in the comments: didja know this one?  If you guessed something different, what was it?

Do tell!