{"id":4792,"date":"2026-01-29T21:15:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prosper-yamagata.com\/?p=4792"},"modified":"2026-08-05T23:50:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T14:50:50","slug":"make-your-own-shrinky-dinks-awesome-craft-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prosper-yamagata.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/make-your-own-shrinky-dinks-awesome-craft-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Your Own Shrinky Dinks Awesome Craft!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"toc\" style=\"background: #f9f9f9;border: 1px solid #aaa;display: table;margin-bottom: 1em;padding: 1em;width: 350px;\">\n<p class=\"toctitle\" style=\"font-weight: 700;text-align: center;\">Content<\/p>\n<ul class=\"toc_list\">\n<li><a href=\"#toc-0\">Tips for Success with Shrinky Dinks<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#toc-2\">Color &amp; Decorate<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#toc-3\">Where to purchase materials:<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#toc-5\">My Favorite Quilting Supplies &amp; Notions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>You can leave a space in the unpainted part to put a hole in case you don\u2019t want to put a hole in your image. If you add a lot of paint, it will flake off when melting! But if you are kiddos are little, you might just want to do colored pencils for mess sake!<\/p>\n<div class=\"dp_toc_container pos-before_first_h allow-toggle\" role=\"navigation\" data-margin=\"30\"><p class=\"toc_title_block\"><span class=\"toc_title icon-list\">INDEX<\/span><span class=\"toc_toggle icon-up-open\" role=\"button\"><\/span><\/p><ul class=\"dp_toc_ul has_title\"><li><a href=\"#toc-0\">Tips for Success with Shrinky Dinks<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#toc-1\">They\u2019re Still Sold Today<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#toc-2\">Color &amp; Decorate<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#toc-5\">My Favorite Quilting Supplies &amp; Notions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><h2 id=\"toc-0\">Tips for Success with Shrinky Dinks<\/h2>\n<p>Practice makes perfect, so don\u2019t hesitate to experiment and practice techniques on test pieces before diving into your main project. While not necessary, curing can provide added protection and increase the resistance of the paint against wear and tear. If you\u2019re short on time or impatient to see the final results, you can use a hairdryer or a heat gun to speed up the drying process. You can use a fine brush for intricate details, a flat brush for broad strokes, or even sponges and stamps for interesting textures.<\/p>\n<p>The passing decades have not diminished their appeal and my 7th graders absolutely LOVE creating designs using this shrinkable plastic. I am a product of the 70\u2019s and \u201cShrinky Dinks\u201d was a favorite childhood craft activity! Shrink plastic is fantastic for creating unique, lightweight jewelry pieces. It\u2019s simpler than you might think!<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"toc-1\">They\u2019re Still Sold Today<\/h3>\n<p>This injection of money and know-how added a new shine of professionalism. The fun part is that you do not have to be a master artist to make really adorable crafts using shrink film. If you\u2019d like to check out more ways you can use your Cricut check out these posts! Once they are flat again you\u2019ll want to cook for about 30 seconds longer.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"toc-2\">Color &amp; Decorate<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s like a magic art project \u2013 you draw on the shrink film, heat it up, and watch it shrink! These have always been a student favorite! Tiny designs have more possibility of the sides touching each other when they curl up in the heat. The reason I recommended not making your designs too small is because of this curling. Don\u2019t freak out if your DIY Shrinky dinks start to curl up.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll also be drawing my own design but as this shrink film is transparent you can also trace a page from a coloring book, magazine or book! For this project I\u2019m making a key chain but check out some other ideas of things you can create at the bottom of the post! When they shrink, the colors on your artwork become more condensed, making them darker. Shrinky dinks shrink about 1\/3 their original size when heated \u2013 I use a small craft oven; a toaster oven, kitchen oven, or heat gun, can also be used! They\u2019re my favorite, with one side that has a sanded surface, which, takes mediums really well!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Colored pencils and permanent markers (such as Sharpies) are the best for drawing and coloring Shrinky Dink designs.<\/li>\n<li>Decorate the circle and punch a small hole at the top before you place it in the oven.<\/li>\n<li>You can also make wall art by cutting out shapes and attaching them to canvas or wood.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Heat is the catalyst that transforms a painted Shrinky Dink from a flat, colorful sheet into a miniaturized, hardened charm. Acrylic paints and permanent markers are generally safe and provide vibrant results, while oil-based paints or excessive layers can cause issues. Don\u2019t forget to check out my Best Adult Coloring Apps (Including Free!).<\/p>\n<p>Morris and Bloomberg enlisted their children\u2014three from each household\u2014to help assemble the kits. Just be cautious you don\u2019t rub off your beautiful colors when you are done. (I also made some \u201cPaw Patrol\u201d ones because I have children who LOVE \u201cPaw Patrol\u201d and because we are working with a clear medium, you can trace!) I started by outlining all of my shapes with black, and then went back and colored them all in. Scientists who want manipulate the properties of certain materials work with nano-scale patterns printed with those materials.<\/p>\n<p>So grab your shrink film and your markers, and let the back to school magic begin! With free printable patterns, a few simple tools, and a little imagination, you can help kids create personalized treasures they\u2019ll love to show off. A bright yellow school bus with windows, wheels, and stop sign details is a fun and iconic back to school image.<\/p>\n<p>Some crafters even began experimenting with Shrinky Dinks to make unique jewelry and custom decorations, showing that this simple plastic had uses beyond just childhood play. Some children even used them to make customized name tags, accessories for their dolls, or miniature artwork to trade with friends. Shrinky Dinks started as large, thin sheets of plastic that kids could draw on with colored pencils or markers. This accidental invention soon became a household name, and by 1975, Shrinky Dinks hit store shelves, quickly becoming a beloved craft for children across America. The discovery was both simple and fascinating\u2014kids could color and customize the plastic before baking it, watching it transform into a hardened miniature version of their artwork. Either send it to me by email or share it on my facebook page\u2013 I\u2019d love to add it to my Shrinky Dinks Fun Pinterest Board!<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-5\">My Favorite Quilting Supplies &amp; Notions<\/h2>\n<p>If you want a more colourful version just add the appropriate flag. Make a personal jewellery pendant by creating <a href=\"https:\/\/shrinky-dink.com\/\">shrinky dink art<\/a> a shrink of your country or state. A really cool shrinky dink idea, I love the way she got the fingers to curl. Cookie cutters were used to get the Christmas shapes for these lights. The guide walks you through designing colorful patterns on shrink plastic, cutting out earring shapes, baking them to shrink, and assembling the final pieces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ContentTips for Success with Shrinky DinksColor &amp; DecorateWhere to purchase materials:My Favorite Quilting Supplies &amp; Notions You can leave a space in the unpainted part to put a hole in case you don\u2019t want to put a hole in your image. If you add a lot of paint, it will flake off when melting! But if you are ki&hellip;","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4792","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-shrinky-dink-com"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prosper-yamagata.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prosper-yamagata.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prosper-yamagata.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prosper-yamagata.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prosper-yamagata.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4792"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/prosper-yamagata.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4793,"href":"https:\/\/prosper-yamagata.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4792\/revisions\/4793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prosper-yamagata.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prosper-yamagata.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prosper-yamagata.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}