For printed designs, use graphic software or a photo editing app to resize your images. If you’re drawing by hand, use a pencil to sketch out your design, then color it in with permanent markers or colored pencils. Before you start, remember that your design will shrink to about 1/3 of its original size and become 9 times thicker. Inkjet printable sheets are designed to go through your home printer, allowing you to print full-color images and photographs. Clear and frosted sheets are ideal for tracing designs and using permanent markers or colored pencils.
- You can use regular scissors to cut it out.
- Brand Mecefeno Age range (description) Adult Colour Semitransparent Theme no Item dimensions L x W x H 12.7 x 10.2 x 0.3 centimetres Seasons All Seasons Included components Shrink plastic sheets, scissors, oven/heat gun, instructions Item weight 0.13 kg Size 0.8 inches x 0.64 inches x 0.02 inches Number of pieces 30
- Designed for inkjet printers with a frosted printable side, this shrinky dink paper shrinks to 20% of the original size and thickens fivefold, adding dimensionality to your artwork.
- I remember doing similar (but less involved) projects growing up.
The instructions on the package says to pre-heat the toaster to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (163 degrees Celsius). I used a bigger pair of scissors to separate the drawings from the sheet and a smaller pair of scissors to get into the grooves of each drawing. It’s best to use permanent markers or colored pencils on Shrinky Dinks. Remember to follow the safety precautions, and most importantly, have fun! In conclusion, shrinking Shrinky Dinks in the oven is a simple and fun activity that offers endless creative possibilities.
Oven Temperature for Shrinky Dinks
Shrinky Dinks will curl during the cooking process, and the parchment paper helps to keep them flat. I used Design Space to create my designs and flatten them to create a print then cut image. I remember Shrinky Dinks from my childhood.
Cutting Your Shapes
My neighbor Sarah recently used Auihiay Shrink Films Papers to make beautiful DIY earrings for her mom shrinky dink crafts on Mother’s Day. Me, as a busy mom, I am always looking for fun and creative ways to spend quality time with my kids. I remember being a kid and spending hours creating colorful and unique designs on small sheets of plastic that would magically shrink in the oven. The process is simple. Shipping cost, delivery date and order total (including tax) shown at checkout. If you love our Shrinky Sheets, who not check out our huge range of other Arts and Crafts, as well as Sand Art and Plaster Painting Packs.
Your children are only little once, and it goes so fast. I instantly went back to my childhood and knew I wanted to make something with my own children. I remember Shrinky Dinks from when I was a child.
And why not add in a long ruler for interest! Some of the smaller ones are still the right size for dangle earrings (like the pencil sharpener and eraser) or even pendants (like the notebook and crayon). Just be aware that keychains sometimes do fall off, so add an alternative name to the item as well. It’s a fun choice for back-to-school workshops as it is so easy to install and comes in fun colors. The backpack has a natural point on the design to add a jumpring and keychain but the others needed holes punched.
You can also add reflective tape on the back to boost visibility at night. Bake, flatten, and seal the piece before slipping a split ring through the hole. Inkjet Shrinky Dinks produce crisp graphics and photo‑based designs with very little drawing. Hand‑drawn Shrinky Dinks are the simplest way to start, and the key is sizing and surface.
The sheets are printer compatible so you can easily print out your desired pattern or photo and create your own shrink art freestyle. The shrink art will curl and then will then go flat when ready. The designs I used are very simple, but you could print out photos of your kids and other designs that are much more intricate. Once the photo is sized correctly, add the offset layer and the hole in the exact same way as the initial above. On the preview screen, select the image you just added and then click “Add to Canvas.”
Additional information
You’ll need a good pair of scissors to cut out your shapes and you can also use a hole puncher if you’re planning to make your DIY shrinky dinks into charms. The kits we used to use as kids came with rough sided plastic that you could easily decorate with the included colored pencils. The lid that came with it was mainly a nice, flat piece of #6 plastic. Kits came with pre-printed coloring sheets of your favorite characters (I was partial to the Care Bears or Rainbow Bright) and a set of colored pencils. Then put a light, oven-safe flat thing on top of that.
These shrink plastic sheets significantly reduce in size when heated, making them perfect for detailed designs. Thank you SO much for sharing this, and thank you for making it easy to follow, and for providing great pictures. I’ve seen necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and all sorts of jewelry made from them. Once your designs have uncurled and are flat again, they won’t shrink anymore, so you can take it out of the oven. Also remember that the plastic will shrink up to about 1/3 the original size of the designs. Keep in mind, colors will be more intense when the designs shrink up, so use that knowledge to your advantage.
Kids and adults alike love watching their creations shrink and solidify, turning a simple drawing into a durable, miniature work of art. Be sure to visit all the other crafters for more handmade Christmas ornament inspiration. I finished them off my adding some gold cord to hang them. To add a little more vintage charm to these vintage Christmas postcard Shrinky Dinks ornaments, I added some gold liquid leaf to the edges. You can see from my photos how much the finished ornaments shrunk in size.
DIY Honeycomb Shrinky Dink Earrings
Some artists melt similar colors together in metal molds to create marbled cabochons rather than wasting material. You can also repurpose larger scraps by sanding one side lightly and printing smaller designs. Wearing cotton gloves adds a barrier when you must reposition a piece quickly. Teach children to stand back until the plastic cools to room temperature. If you need to press the piece flat, cover it with parchment and use a heat-resistant spatula, keeping hands clear of steam.