Shrinking plastic.. (Shrinky Dinks)

Today, I will show you how to make some various Shrinky Dink items. At the end I will show you how to turn one such item into a pair of earrings.

Shrinky Dinks are a plastic that when baked shrink to 1/3 of their original size and become 9 times thicker!! Making them very durable for various projects!

These are some charms I made before I did the shot by shot for the tutorial.. The long rectangular piece in the corner is actually the front for a nail file project..

                                These are fully colored but, before they were cut out and baked.


A charm I made my friend Molly after she shaved her head bald and, donated her hair for children who have cancer!

These are some of the charms after they were baked.. you may be able to compare this picture with the picture above and see the difference in size.

OK!! Let's get started!!

 Now you will need the following..

Shrinky Dinks Plastic

It can be bought at arts and crafts stores, I bought this from Michael's but, it can also be purchased at ShrinkyDinks.com. They have various kinds of paper. I'm using Ruff-n-Ready ...

Permanent markers, to color the shiny side of the paper.. which you will see soon.

Colored pencils, to color the ROUGH side of the paper.

Patterns, to trace. You can google some and print from the web as I did. Use something you have found at home or, freehand it. I have some printed for various occasions, but also have some that are just shapes in different sizes, so that I have a base and design myself from there.

You will also need

• Scissors
• A hole puncher
• Oven or Convection Oven NOT a microwave
• Brown paper (as in a bag or kraft paper)
• Flat oject for flattening pieces after they are done baking
• pot holders
• Flat surface to work on
• tape if you need to tape your pattern to the paper

This is the SHINY side of the paper where you will use your permanent marker.

This is the "dull" side or Rough side, where you will use your colored pencils.

Step #1:

Place your pattern under your paper making sure it's taped down and, you're on a flat working surface.

Step #2

Trace your pattern. I like using black for the initial outlining.

Step #3

Using your markers color or, make patterns on the shiny side of your desgin.

In this case I just made little designs on the flowers. The ovals I used a swirl pattern and, various markers to color the pattern.

This is the pattern that I used for the above picture.

The outline for my bookmark

The flowers

I used markers to write various authors names. All of them are authors that I love reading their work, click on the authors name to go to their website!!

• Stephenie Meyer (Twilight)
• Richelle Mead (bloodlines #1 Aug 23rd,2011, Georgina Kincaid #6 Aug 30th, 2011)
• Tom Sniegoski (so far my fave is The Fallen Series)
• Christopher Pike (my fave "Last Act")
• Christopher Paolini (just found out 4th book to Eragon is being released Nov 8th, 2011 woo hoo!)!
• Andrea Cremer (Nightshade already out book #2 Wolfsbane July 26th, 2011)
• Andrew Shaffer (Great Philosophers who failed at love)
• J.K. Rowling (hello Harry Potter)
• Megan McCafferty (Jessica Darling Series)
• C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia)
• William Rabkin (Psych Series)
• Louise Rennison (Georgia Nicolson Series)
• Scott Westerfeld (Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras)

sorry... I love books :D

ok back to art!!

Step #4

Now turn over your paper.. take the pattern off so you can color.. i usually color on regular paper first to test colors.. once you mark the back.. it's stuck there!! so here I've started to color the back.. with the Ruff-n-Ready it will be a opaque color if left uncolored... only the clear shrinky dink paper will be clear if left uncolored.

Here you can see where on the left I lightly colored one side and, on the right I haven't colored yet. It easily takes color but for a darker image once baked you want to color darker.. the darker you color the bolder it will look.

Continue with your other pictures

I lightly colored the bookmark background with silver.. it will look white when done.

Step #5

Roughly cut out the shapes before you cut in more detail. I do this because if you accidentally cut into another piece to far.. well you cant fix it..

Step #6

Cut the pictures out completely.. cut slowly..

Step #7

Using your hole puncher.. (it's a standard sized paper hole puncher) punch a hole or holes into your shapes.

For shapes to be used as earrings I place them together so the hole is in an identical spot on both pieces.

Step #8

Place your brown paper on a flat baking sheet.

Space evenly.. even though they will be getting smaller, larger square or, rectangular pieces have a tendency to close in on themselves.. so you do not want them rolling over and, sticking to another piece.

Now Preheat your oven to 325

My oven has a window so i can watch.. but if yours does not. DO NOT walk away.. once your oven is at the right temp. place the baking sheet in and, wait for 1 minute, check the shapes.. they should have started shrinking. If you have a rectangular piece take it and, unstick it's sides from each other. Be careful, it will be hot.

If the pieces have not laid completely flat or you still see them moving, it's not done.. at most it takes 3 minutes.. no longer. Take the sheet out and press your flat object against all the pieces.. Work fast because once they cool, they are hard and solid.. you'd have to reheat them to bend them again.

That's it... You're done.. Attach them to a key ring, then to your key chain.. or make a bookmark... or even make earrings (up next)

See the difference in size?? this is after they were baked!!

Here is a video I took of the Shrinky Dink's in the oven.. You will see the book mark curl up on itself. I actually paused filming to unstick it, then proceeded filming.  It looks a little blurred but, it's not.. it's the criss crosses on the oven window..

Let's make some earrings!!!

You will need,

• shrinky dinks in your preffered shape..
• Flat nose pliers
• Chain nose pliers
• earwire
• beads*
• Headpins*
• eyepins*
• Wire cutters*
• Jumprings*
• earring backing

*Not necessary

 Here i have my pliers, cutters, earwires, earring backings and, jumprings

 I took some jumprings that matched the blue of  my shrinky dink oval componants. then attached them to my earwires and added the earring backings.

I hope you have enjoyed this.. come back soon for more craft projects.