How to Make Plastic Jewelry

When you think of plastic jewelry, maybe you think of the bubble gum machine fashion rings and necklaces that you wore as a child. But plastic jewelry has come a long way. If you remember the old shrink plastic that used to be colored with pencils and then baked in the oven, there is a new method that can make some fantastic plastic jewelry. It is called shrink paper, which can be inserted into your ink jet printer at home. The plastic shrink paper can be found at your local craft store, and by following some easy steps, you can be well on your way to making some really neat plastic jewelry.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic shrink paper
• Scissors
• Ink jet printer
• Computer
• Digital images
• "O" rings for jewelry making
• Needle nose pliers
• Baking tray
• Oven
• Oven mitt
• Embossing materials

Instructions

1. Decide which image you would like to print on your shrink paper. You may want to make a necklace or bracelet with a plastic photo of your loved one, or even a flashy plastic pin with a art deco design. Either way, the image must be on your computer.

2. Blow up your image by 50 percent. Shrink paper will shrink your image during baking up to half the size, so you want to make sure it is oversized to begin with. This can be done with a photo editing tool on your computer.

3. Place your shrink paper in the printer and print out your image. It doesn't matter what side of the shrink paper you use, but remember to only insert one piece in the printer at a time.

4. After printing, allow the ink to dry thoroughly and punch a hole in the shrink plastic with your hole punch. It is important to punch your hole before you bake it, as doing so later will be impossible and may damage your piece.

5. Cut out your image and lay it on a metal baking tray.

6. Heat your oven to 300 degrees F. Place your plastic shrink image that is on the baking tray into the oven and bake for 4 to 5 minutes.

7. Watch the baking. The shrinking will appear before your eyes and the plastic will curl, distort and suddenly flatten.

8. Remove the plastic piece from the oven and allow to cool.

9. Attach the "O" ring to the plastic piece, and close with your needle nose pliers. From this point you can put it on a leather string to make a necklace, or if you are making a more intricate piece of jewelry, connect "O" rings to make a chain and then attach the plastic jewelry piece. The plastic images also look beautiful on decorative ribbon. You can also attach the plastic jewelry piece to a pin back.

Tips & Warnings

• You can emboss your images with rhinestones or beads by attaching them with some hot glue.

• Be very careful after you remove the plastic jewelry from the oven, it will be very hot.