A Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier is a girl’s best friend, but you’d never know it because it’s so hard to find cute Wheaten accessories. Make your own fashionable Wheatie earrings that look just like your favorite pup! It’s easy and it only takes 15 minutes with these step by step instructions:
What You’ll Need For This Project:
- Crystal Clear Shrinky Dinks sheets, or #6 plastic takeout containers, cut into sheets (You can get these at many sandwich shops and delis, or even order in bulk from a restaurant supply store)
- Sharpies or other alcohol-based permanent markers (We recommend double-tipped Fine/Ultra Fine black Sharpies)
- A sharp pair of scissors (nail scissors are great for creating precise edges)
- A single hole punch
- Earring hardware (we used fish-hook earrings and jump rings. You can also use beads and other accessories)
- Pliers
- Nail polish (optional)
- A toaster oven or conventional oven
Step #1 – Preheat the Oven
Preheat your toaster oven or conventional oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (163 degrees Celsius). For best results, use an oven with an oven light and a windowed door that you can clearly see through.
Step #2 – Print and Trace
Print your Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier cartoon. For all other breeds, check out our collection of 400+ popular and rare dog breed cartoons.
Your design with shrink to a third of its original size, so aim to make your design about 4-6 inches tall, depending on how large you’d like your charms to be.
Place your plastic sheet over the cartoon, then carefully trace using your black permanent marker. Use downward strokes to create smooth lines. The ultra fine tip is best for small details. You can also draw a collar, hair bow, and other custom additions.
Step #3 – Cut and Punch
Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut out your shapes. Punch a hole just above the dog’s head, the carefully cut around the hole – this is where you’ll attach the charm to your earring hardware.
If any sharp, jagged edges remain, use nail scissors to create a smooth, precise edge.
Step #4 – Shrink!
Place your charms on a baking sheet lined with clean parchment paper or aluminum foil. Put tray in the preheated oven, then… watch! Shrinking happens in about 1-3 minutes. Your charm will melt, crumble, then finally flatten into a small, thick plastic charm.
Sometimes, a very large charm may fold in on itself, and the melted plastic will stick together, ruining your charm. You can prevent this by watching the whole time, and using a metal spatula to gently flatten the edges.
Remove the tray from the oven once the charm has flattened again.
Careful! Your charm will be very hot. After 10 seconds, use a spatula to remove it from the tray, then lay it on a flat surface. For about 30 seconds, the charm will be warm and pliable enough to shape if it’s not perfectly flat. You can also warm it in the oven again for a few seconds to make it pliable again.
Step #5 – Paint
Use a light-colored nail polish to paint the BACK side of your charm. Take care not to get any polish on the front, as it will cause the marker to smear.
You can use several thin coats of polish, allowing each to dry for 5 minutes in between coats.
To make your charms sparkle, paint a coat of glitter polish before adding a solid color.
Step #6 – Make Your Earrings
Once the charms are dry, you can attach them to earring hardware.
Open a jump ring by pulling it sideways. Thread your charm and earring hardware onto the jump ring. Then, use pliers to tightly close the jump ring. You can also add beads, additional hardware and other charms to make it your own.
Step #7 – Wear!
Your Wheaties look gorgeous! They’re the perfect finishing touch to any outfit. Wear them with jeans, to a wedding, at the beach – they go with absolutely anything. You can even wear the same nail polish shade as you used to paint your earrings to coordinate your outfit. Get ready to get plenty of compliments!
Not feeling crafty? Check out dozens of Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier gifts in our Zazzle shop!
