DIY Chevron Necklace (or any shape you want)

So again, I have a tutorial I want to share, but I didn't take very many pictures of my process along the way.  Hopefully I can describe it simply enough without them.  :)

 

 

Supplies needed:

• A sheet of Shrinky Dink plastic
• 9 or so jump rings
• 1 jewelry clasp
• Paint in the colors of your choice
• Paintbrush
• The oven
• Picture to trace (optional)

Step 1: Trace or draw your design/shape onto the Shrinky Dink plastic.  Follow the directions on the package to shrink it in the oven.  If you are doing the chevrons, use a single hole punch to punch 4 holes in the corners of the top piece and two in the top corners of the bottom piece.  (take a look at the picture below and you'll see what I mean)  These are where your jump rings will go later.  Remember, the plastic will shrink 3x, so everything will look big before it goes in the oven.

 

Step 2:  When you've shrunk your plastic, it's time to paint.  I painted mine gold on one side and a red/pink ombre thing on the other so it's reversible.  2 necklaces in one!  I used a few coats of acrylic paint, however, you could also color the plastic with markers or colored pencils before you shrink it.  If you have a lot of colorful Sharpies, that could be really fun.  Also, I'm not sure that acrylics were the best choice for the job, but they were what I had on hand.

 

Step 3:  Link the two chevrons together with jump rings.  Look at the picture to see how I constructed it.

 

There are 3 jump rings connecting the top and bottom.  On top, I have two jump rings on one side, and a jump ring and a clasp on the other side.  This is so that...

...you can open up one of your existing chains and attach it non-permanently to the necklace.  The clasp of the chain attaches to the jump ring side of the chevron charm and vice versa.

That's it!  Fairly simple, no?  Certainly way cheaper than buying one!  And think of the possibilities for all of those extra Shrinky Dinks!

Niki