I think I am one of the few who grew up in the 80’s and didn’t make Shrinky Dinks at least once. Probably because my mum doesn’t like the smell of melting plastic (so don’t leave Tupperware on the stove!)
I was a little uncertain of the appeal of making bigger plastic into smaller plastic, but a little research has given me a ton of ideas. I am putting together a take home craft kit for the library, making a mason jar fish tank.
I just grabbed a package of sheets, not knowing there were different types. The kind I grabbed, crystal clear, only work with non-alcohol based permanent markers. The frosted type will also take crayons and colored pencils, and they have an ink jet version. The material seems thin enough to work with my Cricut, which opens a lot of possibilities.
I like to include a list of books, but there are very few. While there are thousands of projects, videos and tips on the internet, I found only one recently published book, Shrink, Shrank, Shrunk by Kathy Sheldon.
I was glad of the information I did find online, since the instructions with the package were only about the practical, not the creative, aspects of this. Use light colored permanent markers- see the before and after below. Items shrink about 1/3 of their size. Punch holes before baking. The instructions said to cook 1-3 minutes, I took mine out at 2. It was surprisingly not stinky ( a laminator smells worse).
I then attached fishing wire to my fish and taped them to the underside of a mason jar lid. (Note to self, check if jars are clear, not decorated before buying next time!) I put in a ring of construction paper “seaweed” and voila. The fish move if you move the jar a little. Perfect for the people who keep going to the pet store to get tiny tanks not suitable for real fish. You could add a led candle for a glow effect.
I also made some leaf charms with the scraps of my sheet. I want to try out other ideas, this craft is definitely on my “will do again” list.
