Shrinky Dinks are one of those crafts that bring to mind so many happy childhood memories. I remember going down the street to a friend’s house, doodling designs, and watching them shrink in the oven as if it was magic. So when I saw earrings utilizing this incredible shrinking plastic, I knew I had to jump at the chance to walk you through the process. I’m a dork at heart and I decided to correlate my designs with an anime I had recently watched.
What you’ll need:
Heat shrink plastic. (I got mine from Amazon)
An image of what you want to make
An oven
How to make it:
Draw the pattern on the frosted side of the plastic. I made sure that any words I had on my images were inverted so they faced the right way on the shiny side of the plastic.
Figure out where you want to punch a hole (if you’re making it a keychain or earring).
Cut out your image and the hole.
Preheat your oven to 325F.
Place baking paper on a tray and set the frosted side of the plastic facing up. Make sure you have enough space between pieces if you’re baking more than one.
Slide the tray into the oven and watch the magic happen! The plastic will shrink and roll up, then flatten again. Once they flatten, keep them in for about 30 more seconds.
Remove the tray and baking paper and lay your pieces flat. Let them cool for about 15 minutes.
Attach any fastenings you want to use!
What designs did you come up with for your project? I used a phrase from the anime My Hero Academia because I’m already planning on dressing like a character for Halloween this year. Why not get started on my costume early? Next time you visit us in the Innovation Wyrkshop, check and see if I’m wearing any shrinky dink earrings!