DIY Motherhood Earrings

Oooh boy oh boy you guys, I am SO excited to have actually gotten a craft for myself done.  Not to mention- It. Is. Spectacular.  So here's how this came about: a woman from my church started selling handcrafted earrings (check her items out HERE). I love her pieces and asked about custom designs.  She's not currently doing that but I just kept longing for the design I had in mind. The motherhood symbol.  The problem is, I don't have a machine that cuts wood and I wanted something sturdy. So I came up with this solution that only took me about 15 minutes!

[Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links to products I used to create these earrings. Purchasing through these links earns me a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thank you for supporting my blog.]



Y'all. This is made from Shrinky Dinks.  The process is simple and fast.  Here's how:

Materials:
-'Crystal Clear' Shrinky Dink paper
- Sharpie Marker
- Dangle Earring Hooks (jewelry making supply)
-(optional) Printoff of your design to trace *I do not own this design.*

STEP 1:
If you are tracing a design, print off your photo. Make sure that it is 3x larger than you want the finished earrings to be. Mine was about 4.75 inches tall to start. If you are blessed with more of an artistic skill than I am, free hand your design! When finished, cut around your shape.  I suggest using the clear Shrinky Dinks so that your design can look detailed without having to cut a bunch of small pieces. Lastly and very importantly: Using a hole punch, make sure to put a hole at the top to hang the earring pieces from. (remember it gets smaller, so use an actual hole punch!)

STEP 2: 
Bake your pieces! Following the instructions on the Shrinky Dinks, bake your design.  It only takes a minute or two so keep an eye on it. This is the exciting part!

[you can see how large the pre-baked pieces are on a baking sheet vs how small they are in my hands after being in the oven!]

When shrink paper bakes, it not only get smaller but much thicker as well.  So the flimsy pieces become thick and sturdy- perfect for a pair of lightweight but strong earrings!

STEP 3:
Attach your new shrunk pieces to the earring hooks using pliers or a small tool (I used tweezers!) and enjoy!

These turned out exactly how I was hoping and that rarely ever happens so perfectly.  You can do any design you want in any color. Just remember that the marker color does darken when you bake it. I am so in love with these earrings and I love being able to wear a piece that is such a beautiful reminder of this crazy amazing journey of motherhood that I've been blessed to be a part of.

[although my eyes look tired, it's actually allergies.  But I thought tired mom eyes made a good photo too! ha!]

What design would you make?  The opportunities are endless! Join me on Instagram & tag me in your own creations. I'd love to see what you make!