Father’s Day Shrinky Dinks
Recently, we found out that you can make your own shrinky dinks at home with #6 plastic! We had Care Bears, Smurfs, Cabbage Patch dolls, and this cool craft called Shrinky Dinks. Your email address will not be published. I happened to have a thin business card magnet that I didn’t need. Make sure to not touch the shrinky dinks with your hand to flatten – they are very hot.
Can You Use Sharpies on Shrinky Dinks?
- For more ideas on making your own homemade art supplies and saving money, check this out.
- If you have a heat gun, place the shrink plastic on a heat-proof surface like a baking tray or ceramic tile.
- Good airflow also speeds cooling, reducing the time you need to handle warm pieces.
- Handmade photo jewelry makes heartfelt gifts for weddings, anniversaries, and graduations.
- If you’re looking to get great results with your own Shrinky Dinks, choosing the best markers and coloring tools is key!
- While the scent might not be everyone’s favorite, it adds a sensory dimension to the crafting experience.
Shrinky dinks can also be turned into jewelry, however, these school supplies were sized for keychains. Although Shrinky Dinks are primarily an arts and crafts item marketed for children, adult crafting buffs also use the sets for jewelry making and other projects. Prior to heating, the plastic sheets can be colored with felt-tip pens, acrylic paint, or colored pencils and cut into shapes. At checkout, you can add a custom message, a gift receipt for easy returns and have the item gift-wrapped If you’re looking to get great results with your own Shrinky Dinks, choosing the best markers and coloring tools is key! The regular markers were the only ones that didn’t “bake” into the plastic and sort of rubbed off when I was done making my shrinky dinks.
For printed designs, use graphic software or a photo editing app to resize your images. Keep this in mind when choosing your design’s level of detail and size. Before you start, remember that your design will shrink to about 1/3 of its original size and become 9 times thicker.
Reader Interactions
I love the colours of these shrinky dink keychains and it’s so cool that each one is unique! Our star keychain started off a little over 3 inches across and it was 1-1/4 inches in size after shrinking! Shrinky Dink film is often used to make keychains, zipper pulls, ornaments, and jewelry.
Updated kits hit the shelves, featuring modern designs and themes that appealed to both children and adults reminiscing about their own childhoods. Nostalgia breathed new life into Shrinky Dinks in the 2000s, as a new generation discovered the joy of crafting with these magical plastic sheets. Creative kids and crafters saw potential beyond simple ornaments, crafting unique pins, necklaces, and earrings.
Step 4
They shrunk a little and thickened a little. The first batch, I didn’t note whether it was #1 or #6. The three plastics I used looked and felt very similar before cooking, so my son expected them to behave in the same way, but they didn’t! Cut into desired shapes, decorate with sharpies as desired. We’ve just made one attempt so far, but I thought I’d share my how-to results. The next day, the students in my small groups made necklaces from their cell cycle art with plastic jewelry making string that I picked up at the craft store.
Or maybe you want to do another science project? Attach it to jewelry, make a luggage label, or even a guitar pick! The shrinky dinks are still cut-able, sand-able, drill-able, glue-able, and plenty more. I don’t know what kind of shrinky dinks are available, if any, but I’ll always be able to make some on my own… I guess my parents actually taught me something. We freehanded it on blank sheets of plastic, and copied the designs from coloring books.
Again, make sure to draw your design larger than you want the final product to be. Start by decorating the outside of the paper cup with colored pencils. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the Shrinky Dink cool before handling. If you’re looking for a fun and creative DIY project to do at home, look no further than homemade Shrinky Dinks with cups!
#6 plastic is the only sort that shrinks well, and even then its not perfect. If you’re here in St. Louis, head over to Michaels and look for real Shrinky Dink plastic. The charms below are all made on #6 plastic and they turned out a little warped.
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It will only take a few minutes for the plastic to melt and shrink to a fraction of its original size. You can still buy Shrinky Dinks the brand, but the name now commonly refers to the miniature shrunken shapes you get after heating and shrinking plastic rather than these specific printed sheets themselves. It’s not super strong, and is pretty much gone within minutes after you’re done baking. I would do one test with 3-5 different sizes and once you find one the size you like then you’re good to replicate based on the test.
Our team independently selects products featured in our editorial content. This would be a fun way to do it and showcase it especially if you’re shrinky dink paper in a book club! Hey Emma, are the edges of your book charms scratchy after baking? So glad you’ve shared it! Punched a hole, added a ribbon to use it as an ornament. So it’s 20% of the original size.