DIY Alcohol Ink Statement Earrings

Learn how to make your own beautiful marble-look DIY statement earrings easily using alcohol ink markers and shrink film! These earrings have a bold and trendy look but are inexpensive to make plus lightweight and comfortable to wear.

I have always loved a fun pair of earrings, so I am a big fan of the statement earring trend happening right now. If you want to try out a simple statement earring DIY, then I have just the thing for you today! These earrings have great size and movement plus a beautiful watercolor or marbled look that I just love.

Isn’t that pretty? The secret to getting this fun look is alcohol ink markers such as the new Studio 71 Dual Tip Markers. These markers are perfect for working on lots of different surfaces, and for this project, I used plastic shrink film to create my own custom shapes and designs.

Supplies needed to make your own DIY statement earrings:

• Studio 71 Dual Tip Alcohol Markers
• White Shrink Film
• Ultra Fine Mist Spray Bottle filled with rubbing alcohol
• Large Circle Punches
• 1/8″ Hole Punch
• Scissors
• Gloss Acrylic Spray Sealer
• Jewelry Pliers
• Jump Rings
• Fish Hook Earring Wires or Flat Pad Earring Posts
• E6000 Adhesive

Step One. Create Alcohol Ink Design.

The first step is to create your watercolor-look designs on the shrink film. This process is really pretty simple and a whole lot of fun.

1. Start by laying down patches of color on one side of your shrink film. I find that this works best if you stick with a monochrome or analogous color scheme.
2. Use your mist spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol to cover the surface.
3. You can blow on the shrink film to spread the ink and blend the colors together.
4. Try tipping and rotating the surface to help move the ink along your sheet.
5. When you are happy with the look, set the shrink film aside to dry.

After it has dried, you can lightly mist the top of your design to add a speckled look. Once that has completely dried, flip the film over and repeat the process using the same colors on the other side.

Keep in mind that your colors will deepen and darken after shrinking, so if you want a lighter look, use less ink.

Step Two. Cut Earring Pieces.

Next, it’s time to cut out all of your earring pieces. I used a 2″ and 1.5″ hold punches and a pair of scissors to cut rounded rectangles. Your pieces will be half as big after baking, so keep that in mind as you cut your pieces.

As you are cutting your shapes, plan out your design and how your pieces will fit together. When you have your design set, use a 1/8″ hole punch to punch holes where the pieces of the earring will be joined together.

If you are planning on using a fish hook earring wire, then you will need to punch a hole in the top the top piece. If you want to use a flat pad earring post, then no hole is necessary.

Step Three. Bake Earring Pieces.

Next, place all of your pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake them according to the instructions that came with your shrink film.

My pieces baked at 325 degrees for 2-3 minutes. As your pieces shrink, they will curl up and may even roll around a bit. Don’t worry, they will flatten out after a few minutes. When they are all flat again, they are done baking, and you should remove them from the oven to cool. After shrinking, your pieces will have a thick white edge. If you would prefer the edge to be a different color, simple color the edge using an alcohol ink marker.

Step Four. Assemble Earrings.

After your earring pieces have cooled, take them outside or to a well-ventilated area to give them a quick coat of clear acrylic gloss spray on each side. This will seal and protect those pretty alcohol ink designs.

After the sealer has dried, it’s time to put those DIY statement earrings together! Use your jewelry pliers to gently open up a jump ring and connect two of the shrink film pieces. Then use the pliers to close the jump ring.

Repeat this process until all the pieces of both earrings are attached. Finally, finish off your earrings by either attaching a fish hook earring wire with a jump ring or by gluing a flat pad earring post to the back of the top piece with some E6000.

And that’s it! Your new DIY statement earrings are all ready to wear.

I made three pairs, and really love them all, but that blue pair has to be my favorite. It has such fun movement!

Alexis

Alexis Middleton is a lifelong crafter/DIYer and blogger at Persia Lou. She started crafting at a young age. As a girl, she spent summers with her grandmother crocheting baby doll afghans, making coasters out of plastic canvas and yarn, and canning apricot jam. Today, Alexis spends a lot of time dreaming up and working on projects for her family’s home. She loves mixing traditional crafting techniques with a more modern aesthetic.