Monday, December 16, 2013

Shrinky Dinks--fun project that costs only pennies

A friend asked about Shrinky Dinks on a Facebook post today and I had fun remembering my last encounter with cooking plastic in my oven. See this post from a few years back for more info on how to do your own:


I spent so many weeks on The Tesla Project, that my brain has decided it's time for a vacation. And I have a feeling the next couple of weeks are going to be spent decompressing. Today? Shrinky Dinks, interspersed with naps and basic ennui. I used shrinky dink plastic that came with a craft book, but I happen to know you can use #6 plastic that to-go containers are usually made from. You will just need to sand one side of the plastic to give it some tooth. Use Sharpies and/or good quality (low wax) colored pencils and draw on the scratched up side. To cut the plastic, use very sharp scissors--little ones work the best. And don't fret over the plastic tearing a bit when you cut. Imperfections in the cutting can seem to disappear when baked. Then preheat over to 325 degrees, put prepared cut outs on a cookie sheet covered in waxed paper or tin foil, and bake 1-3 mins. Watch your creations. They will curl up and then uncurl. Wait 30 seconds after they uncurl and take them out. Voila! See? They shrink down quite a bit! Note: You must hole punch before baking.


Raleigh's creations... She just traced pictures in the craft book that we have, just as I traced the pic of Tesla from a little thing I had laying around.

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