It’s official – we’re obsessed with making backpack charms. They’re SO much fun because they can literally be almost anything – there doesn’t have to be any rhyme or reason to it! They’re kind of like Christmas ornaments that you can use all year round, and who doesn’t love the idea of that?

Statement earrings have been super trendy for some time now, and we decided to gather up a few cuties and give them a new life as backpack charms. Some dangling earrings can be really quite large, so if you’re not up for wearing them from your ears all day long, you can still embrace their cute shapes as a backpack charm or even a keychain instead!

We picked out a handful of affordable earrings that all went nicely together and had happy shapes and colors. If you already have earrings laying around that you aren’t wearing anymore (or have lost one!) this is a great way to put them to good use. Or, check out the thrift store for even more options! Once you’ve picked out your earrings, everything else is easy peasy. Keep reading to see the full instructions below.

• Statement earrings
• Jewelry pliers
• Beads
• Scissors
• String or embroidery thread
• Safety pins

Step 1
Begin by disassembling the earrings. You’ll find it’s very easy to do – likely you’ll just have to twist the earring hook off of the charm or a jump ring and you might not even need pliers to do it. Don’t forget, don’t throw away the earring hooks – you can totally save the earring hooks for another DIY project too. Three cheers for that!

Step 2
Time to get creative! We mixed and matched the earrings with different colored beads, string, and even attached two earrings together to make one charm. The oversized tassels are great for pairing with the simpler metal shapes and really let them shine. You can really use anything you want for this step – pom poms, pipe cleaners, ribbon, yarn, tassels … anything laying around your craft room is the perfect addition to these fun charms.

Step 3
Finally, we attached safety pins onto each charm, and they’re ready to be pinned onto your backpack or tote bag!

If you want to make keychains instead of backpack charms, use a key ring or small carabiner instead of the safety pin. You also might want to use wire instead of string when assembling the charms to make sure everything is super secure. Now get ready for the compliments on your new backpack flair!

Aren’t they so much fun? We’re going to have too many charms for our backpacks very soon, but what a great problem to have! If you want even more tutorials for fun backpack charms, check out these miniature ice cream cone charms made from makeup sponges, these pipe cleaner charms that teach kids how to sew, and these tiny cake slice charms also made from makeup sponges! If you need us, we’ll just be over here making more and more backpack charms until it’s time for back-to-school!

Happy crafting!!