These cute 3D umbrella earrings are made with shrink plastic and are a fun, quick DIY project. Below you’ll find the video tutorial, materials list, and free printable templates so you can make your own fruity umbrella earrings at home.
Video tutorial
Here’s a video of me making an umbrella earring from start to finish. You’ll see how I colour the shrink plastic, punch the holes, shape the umbrella dome, and assemble the beads and findings into a finished pair of earrings.
It’s a sped-up video so you can watch the whole process without getting bored.
Materials & Tools
To make one pair of shrink‑plastic umbrella earrings, gather the following supplies.
Materials:
- Shrink art plastic sheet
- 12~14x seed beads
- 2x charm stoppers
- 2x earring hooks
- 2x jump rings
- 2x head pins
Tools:
- Coloured markers (if you’re using frosted plastic you can also use coloured pencils)
- A pair of scissors
- A hole puncher – a single hole punch is best
- Jewellerly pliers – to assemble the earrings
- An oven or hot sandwich press – to shrink, thicken, and harden your charm
- Baking paper and foil tray
- A pair of winter gloves – to protect your hands from heat
- A sponge – to help shape the umbrella
- A small round object (eg. a marble) – to help shape the umbrella into a hemisphere
Free Template Download
To make things easy, I’ve created a printable PDF template you can trace directly onto your shrink plastic. It includes a blank, kiwi fruit, and watermelon umbrella templates.
You can download my template here:
If this is your first time working with shrink plastic, you might enjoy starting with one of these easier, beginner‑friendly projects. These projects will help you get comfortable with how shrink plastic behaves before you try shaping 3D pieces like the umbrella dome.
Each one includes free templates and detailed step‑by‑step instructions:
Get inspired
Once you’ve mastered the basic umbrella shape, the design possibilities are endless. You can customise the blank template to create rainbow umbrellas, floral or seasonal designs, cute animal‑themed brollies, and so much more. Here are some ideas to get you started:
There are also lots of cute ― real ― umbrellas that you can get inspiration from!
Shrink plastic is incredibly versatile, so have fun experimenting with colours, patterns, and bead combinations to make your earrings truly unique.
For more shrink‑art ideas, tutorials, and free printable templates, explore other shrink art projects on my blog. You’ll find a mix of step‑by‑step guides, quick‑make projects, and template downloads for creating shrink‑plastic earrings, cute charms, and other handmade accessories, along with other creative DIY tutorials beyond shrink art.
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Comments (3)
Nancy Geesays:
October 2, 2025 at 5:20 amHi Kei,
Thank you so much for the Umbrella Earrings template, but unfortunately I am unable to open the file.
Kei Madesays:
October 2, 2025 at 11:24 amHi Nancy, Sorry to hear! I checked it out but couldn’t find any problems with the file. Do you want to re-download it and try it on a different device?
Kei Madesays:
October 2, 2025 at 11:54 amHi again, I had a closer look and I was able to replicate your problem on a phone – I had to open the file from the downloads folder, instead of from the screen that the gmail app shows after the download is complete. How strange!
It was seamless on a computer. Hope that helps!