Glitter Birthday Jewelry

Birthday post #2! Your birthday only comes once a year so of course you need customized jewelry to wear on your special day! And of course this jewelry is full of gold glitter. What better way to make you feel extra special?!

I picked the word HOORAY because it accurately describes how Machelle and I feel about our birthday. Hooray! And then of course I had to make earrings that were the age we are turning!

Materials
• Shrinky Dinks for inkjet //
• Word template (download several options here) //
• Glue //
• Glitter //
• Clear gloss spray paint //
• Gold chain //
• Jump rings //
• Spring ring clasp or lobster clasp //
• Earring Post pad //
• E-6000 glue //
• Earring back stopper //

1. Print out the word, numbers, or trace what you want the jewelry to be on the shrinky dinks. Just remember that when you bake it, the shrinky dinks shrink about 4 times in size!

2. Cut out the letters/numbers/word. Use a hole punch to punch holes where you want the jump rings to go for the necklace.

3. Bake the shrinky dinks according to instructions-  I did mine at 180 degrees for 5 minutes.

4. Wait a few minutes for the shrinky dink to cool down, then coat it liberally in glue.

5. Sprinkle the glitter all over the glue. Shake the excess glitter off and then let the glue dry all the way.

6. Use a clear spray paint to coat the glitter. This helps keep the glitter in place- although a few strays will find their way unto your clothes!

7. Place a jump ring through the middle O’s. If I had a hold punch, I probably would have punched holes before I baked the shrinky dinks and placed the jump rings through those holes.

8. Place the chain through the jump ring and then use pliers to close the clasp securely around the chain. Attach the clasp at the end of the chain and then wear your new necklace!

9. For the earrings, I just used E-6000 glue to secure the 2 and the 6 to the posts and waited for them to dry completely.

What word best describes how you feel about your birthday?! I really love the “hooray” necklace and I think I will make a few more using different words!

I always forget how fun shrinky dinks are too and now I have loads of ideas of how to use them! Sometimes revisiting childhood crafts is the best way to spark new craft ideas. And revisiting a childhood favorite also seems like a perfect thing to do around your birthday.