Do you remember Shrinky Dinks? They were sheets of plastic film you could draw on, cut out and bake into a shrunken solid piece of plastic. The original Shrinky Dink is no longer in the market, but now there’s something even better: Inkjet printable shrink plastic! Print your very own photos, snapshots or fine art pictures onto a plastic sheet, watch them shrink in the oven, and then create some unique pendants, ear-rings or key chains! They’re great accessories, but also make an excellent gift for a friend or family member.
What You Need:
❑ Inkjet printable shrink plastic (available at most major craft stores or online)
❑ Oven or convection toaster oven
❑ Cookie sheet
❑ Parchment paper
❑ Scissors
❑ Hole punch
❑ Ear-ring wires, necklace chains, string, key rings (available at craft stores)
What You Do:
- Find a photo on your computer that your child wants to turn into a piece of jewellery. It could be anything from a family photo, a picture of a family pet, or a piece of artwork your child made.
- Print the photo onto a piece of the Inkjet printable shrink plastic. Be sure the photo is about 2 to 3 times larger than you want for the final piece; once you shrink the image, it will be 1/2 to 1/3 of the original print-out. Print as many images you can fit on one sheet to conserve the shrink plastic.
- As you wait for the ink to dry, preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Help your child cut out the images. You can either cut around the outline of the shape or leave a border.
- Punch a hole in the images that will be used for ear-rings, necklaces or key rings.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on the cookie sheet.
- Arrange the cut-outs on the cookie sheet and be sure that none of the edges are touching.
- Watch your pictures shrink as they bake for 2-5 minutes! They will curl and uncurl. But if they still need some flattening after 5 minutes, press on them gently while they’re still hot with a metal spatula.
- Let the pictures cool; then add the ear-ring wires, chains, string, or key ring and voila! You have your own handmade personalized accessories!
