DIY Wood Burned Earrings

This DIY wood burned earrings tutorial gives you step-by-step instructions for burning the Tall Trees Earrings that I sell in my shop. You can check those out here.

If you are new to wood burning, you can learn more about the basics of wood burning by reading my previous blog post: Wood Burning Basics.

One of the things I love about what I do is sharing what I know. I want you be empowered to make your own version of the things I make. It brings me great joy knowing I am helping others grow and explore new hobbies.

These earrings are quick and easy to make. You’ll spend more time waiting for the paint to dry than you will actually working on the project.

You can watch the video for the entire DIY Wood Burned Earrings Tutorial here on Youtube.

Before you begin, read about wood Burning Safety here: A Word About Wood Burning Safety.

Step 1: Gather your supplies.

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• Your wood burning tool: For this tutorial I use the Walnut Hollow Creative Wood Burner with the universal tip. It’s the wedge shaped tip that comes with the wood burner.
• Earring blanks (these are the ones I used from amazon)
• Earring hooks (here are the ones I use)
• Jump rings like these
• Fine tip brush markers or watercolor paints and a fine tip brush Here are the Arteza Real Brush Pens I use in this tutorial
• Needle nose pliers – here’s a cute set of pliers that won’t break the bank.
• Ruler (here’s the one I use)
• Pencil (this is my favorite mechanical pencil)

Step 2: Prepare and sketch

Plug in and turn on your wood burning tool. If you have one with temperature control, turn it up to the hottest setting.

The earring blanks are already quite smooth when you get them, but it’s helpful to give them a light sand with 220 grit sandpaper before burning. Remember, the smoother your wood, the easier it is to burn.

Draw a line down the center of the wood using a ruler if you need to – I always need to use a ruler.

Step 3: Burn the tree.

Once your wood burner is hot, try it out on a scrap piece of wood to practice and figure out the pressure you might need to complete the burn.

Start with the center line using the “knife edge” of the tip. Try to do this in one long gentle stroke, but it’s not really important for the line to be smooth. You just need to make sure it’s a solid line so the watercolor won’t bleed across.

Next, burn the branches of the tree using the very tip of the nib with the tool at about a 45 degree angle to the surface

Step 4: Add Color

I often only color one side because I love the contrast, but in this demo, I colored both sides in honor of spring. Since you burned the solid line along the center the colors should not bleed into each other, or across to the unpainted side.

Step 5 (optional): Protect with clear acrylic spray.

Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for any finish you use. Be safe and do it in a well ventilated space, or outside.

Here’s a Tip: Use a brad nail on cardboard to hold the light weight earring blank so it won’t get blown over by the spray.

Step 6: Attach the hooks

Use your needle nose pliers to attach the earring hooks to the wood with the jump rings. If you’re not sure how to do this, I demonstrate it at 16:33 in the video on my YouTube channel.

Step 7: Show off your new hand made earrings!

Give them away as gifts and you can make more for yourself!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions!