Shrink Plastic Earrings

Summer isn't complete without creative beach crafts! Make Shrink Plastic Earrings from Candace Jedrowicz to show off your love for the season. Use wire to add flair to these easy-to-make earrings. People will think you bought them in an expensive boutique!


 

Materials:

• Clear or frosted shrink plastic
• Acrylic paint – any color
• Heat tool
• Scissors
• Round and chain nose pliers
• 20 gauge wire
• Tweezers
• Wire cutters
• 1/8″ hole punch
• Assorted beads

Instructions:

1. If you have clear shrink plastic, use a fine sand paper to create the frosted look.
   
   
    
2. Cut organic shapes about twice the size you want.
    
3. Punch a hole in what will be the top of the piece.
   
   
    
4. Paint one side with acrylic paint and quickly wipe it off. The color will get darker as it shrinks.
   
   
    
5. Place the tweezers in the punched hole to hold the piece while the heat gun is on.
   
   
    
6. The piece will curl up like a potato chip, but it will flatten back out.
   
   
    
7. It only takes a couple of minutes to finish curing the practice.
    
8. You can stop here, or you can add texture. While the piece is still hot, stamp on one or both sides.
   
   
    
9. You can hold the heat gun on the piece a little while longer to make it nice and soft. Then get it on the stamp quickly and press.
    
10. If you heat it while it’s on the stamp, you’ll get some residual ink on the piece, which is actually kind of cool.
    
    
     
11. Sweet! Look around you, what could you use to make patterns in the plastic.
    
    
     
12. If you’d like, you can sand back some of the paint on the ridges to show the pattern.
    
    
     
13. Gather some jewelry tools, wire and beads.
    
    
     
14. I used 20 gauge wire. Cut 3″ lengths of wire – two for each earring.
     
15. Bend the center of the first wire in the middle. I bent it around the widest part of the round nose pliers.
    
    
     
16. Slide the shrink plastic piece onto the wire.
    
    
     
17. Slide a bead onto both wires and bend one end out.
    
    
     
18. Make a loop with the straight wire.
    
    
     
19. Wrap the end of that wire one or two times below the loop.
    
    
     
20. Wrap the bent end around below the loop. Make the wrap as big as you want.
     
21. Cut off the excess wire.
    
    
     
22. To make the ear wire, start with a 3″ piece of wire.
    
    
     
23. Bend one third of the wire around the round nose pliers.
    
    
     
24. Crimp the wire with chain nose pliers while the wire is still wrapped around the round nose pliers.
    
    
     
25. Slide the finished dangle on to the loop.
     
26. Slide a bead over both pieces of wire.
    
    
     
27. Bend the rest of the wire over the handle of the tool to complete the ear wire.
    
    
     
28. If desired, you can add a spiral detail with wire.
     
29. I used two more 3″ lengths of wire, Make a small loop at one end.
    
    
     
30. Wrap the wire into a spiral. Slide the small loop onto the wire holding the beach glass and close it with pliers.
    
    
     
31. I got some really interesting effects, stamping with ink and without, sanding back some of the color and applying pearly powder!
    
    

For a comprehensive video tutorial, check out How to Make Shrink Plastic Look of Beach Glass Earrings.