Create an Art Nouveau-Inspired Shrink-Art Pendant!

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Susan Beal, contributor

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This pendant project uses some of my favorite supplies: shrink plastic, rhinestones, chain, and vintage beads and charms.

Susan Beal

Here's what I used to make this shrink-art pendant!

Susan Beal

The pendant hangs on a handmade beaded chain that's totally adjustable, so you can wear it as a choker or a longer necklace.

Susan Beal

This pendant project uses some of my favorite supplies: shrink plastic, rhinestones, chain, and vintage beads and charms.

Photo: Susan Beal

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Pick up some sheets of shrink plastic at your local craft store or online and use it to create a vintage-inspired pendant piece! I traced a romantic, swirly pattern onto white plastic and used it as the basis for a red-and-black pendant on a beaded chain. The sky is the limit with shrink art, so you can freehand or use specific designs for inspiration. Adding sparkly faceted beads along both sides of the adjustable chain, and as a decorative dangle at the clasped end, is a fun way to embellish the overall design.

These are the materials I used for my pendant project.

What you'll need:

• White shrink plastic
• Medium- and fine-tip markers (I used black Sharpies)
• Sharp scissors
• Hole punch
• Pliers (flat-nose, round-nose, and wire cutters)
• Craft glue
• 24-gauge silver wire
• Medium-weight silver chain
• Medium-sized sparkly beads (I used eight)
• Small sparkly beads (I used five)
• Seed beads in a coordinating color
• Medium jump rings
• One large jump ring
• Teardrop or other focal charm
• Clasp

1. First, you’ll create your central pendant design on shrink plastic. I drew mine with Sharpie markers, and based it loosely on a copyright-free design in 305 Authentic Art Nouveau Jewelry Designs by Maurice Dufrene. You can use the one pictured here or improvise your own. Remember, the final design will shrink to about 40% of the original size, so plan accordingly.

Here is the hand-drawn design for my pendant.

2. Cut out your Art Nouveau design and punch two symmetrical holes in the pendant piece, near the top edges on each side. These large holes will shrink down to the perfect size to incorporate jump rings.

Cut out your design and punch two holes into it, one on each side horizontally.

3. Following the package instructions, shrink your plastic piece to the desired size. Let it cool. Now use craft glue to embellish it with rhinestones, and let the glue dry completely. Choose a teardrop or other style of charm to complement the pendant piece—I chose a black curving teardrop to echo the black design I drew. Set these centerpiece elements aside.

Choose a focal charm that works nicely with the finished-size pendant piece.

4. Now you’ll begin creating the beaded chain that surrounds the pendant. Cut twelve 1/2-inch segments of chain and twelve 4-inch pieces of wire, and gather your small and medium sparkly beads.

5. Create the beginning of a wrapped loop about 1-1/2 inches in from the end of your first piece of wire. Slip the wire tail through the end link of your first piece of chain and finish the loop with a wire coil.

6. Next, add a seed bead, a medium sparkly bead, and another seed bead. Repeat step 5 to join the other end of the bead link with a second segment of chain.

You’ll create the chain with four medium-sized beads (as shown on the right) and two smaller beads (as shown on the left) on each side of your design. Add a clasp and a bead dangle to the ends to finish the design.

7. Working the same way, continue building your beaded chain by alternating a bead link with a chain segment. After joining each one, you’ll have two symmetrical pieces of embellished chain with four medium bead links and then two smaller bead links (as shown), but stop before completing the last wrapped loop on each of your outermost small bead links—you’ll add the clasp and adjustable chain there.

8. Slip a clasp onto one of the open loops and complete the wrap to finish that side of the beaded chain.

9. Now cut another 2-inch or longer (depending on your preference) piece of chain and slip one end link into the open wrapped loop on the other open loop. Complete the wrap to finish that side.

10. Cut one more 4-inch piece of craft wire and make a tiny loop at one end with your pliers. Slip a seed bead, then a sparkly bead, then another seed bead on the wire and create the first half of a wrapped loop above it. Add this dangle to the end link of the chain you joined in step 9 and complete the wrap.

The clasp and bead-embellished adjustable chain are at the back of the pendant design.

11. You’ll finish the design by creating the center pendant. Cut a 2-inch piece of chain and open the large jump ring. Slip the focal piece (teardrop or other shape) into the ring and attach it to the center link of the 2-inch piece of chain. Close the ring securely.

The shrink-art design, suspended teardrop, and beaded chain all join with a single jump ring on each side of the pendant piece.

12. Open the two smaller jump rings. Slip one through one hole in the shrink-art pendant, then through the last link of the focal-piece chain, and last through the chain link at the end of the first beaded chain you finished in step 9. Close the ring to join all three elements—the focal-piece chain will hang behind and below the shrink-art piece, and the beaded chain will link above them.

13. Repeat step 12 with the second jump ring and the other side of the pendant, teardrop chain, and the second beaded chain.

The pendant hangs together neatly with the three elements joined on each side of the Art Nouveau-inspired design.

14. Wear your new Art Nouveau pendant with a little black dress!

Variation: If you're having fun playing with shrink plastic, how about making a set of buttons too?

These shrink-art buttons were one of my favorite CraftStylish projects!

Thanks again, everyone! If you'd like to check out more crafty stuff from me, you can always find me at my craft blog, West Coast Crafty, as well as on my book sites: Bead Simple and Button It Up.

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Comments (5)

craftlover writes: Realy neat! I wil HAVE to try this! Great work!






Posted: 8:15 am on September 20th

trusk4u writes: It's beautiful and I never would have guessed it was shrink plastic. I haven't used that stuff since my kids were small!
(about 20 years, yikes!)
Posted: 11:32 am on August 4th

KraftyGirl writes: Thanks Susan, you've always been one of my favorite bloggers and I look forward to seeing your great work elsewhere!
Posted: 10:35 pm on June 3rd

LizOlsen writes: i love this project it's so cool and relatively easy to do. i love how you were inspired by art nouveau architecture.
Posted: 4:06 pm on May 31st

Maureclaire writes:
Absolutely gorgeous !!!
Posted: 8:25 am on May 31st

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