If you’re drawing by hand, use a pencil to sketch out your design, then color it in with permanent markers or colored pencils. Whether you’re crafting with kids or using them for a professional-looking DIY project, Shrinky Dinks offer endless creativity and satisfaction. They become thicker, smaller, and more vibrant in color, making them perfect for keychains, charms, ornaments, pins, and other custom creations.

The Finished Earrings

• For printed designs, use graphic software or a photo editing app to resize your images.
• So it’s 20% of the original size.
• Keychains need a double or triple punched hole to make the shrunk version the right size to fit in a key ring.
• As the material is forced through the die and then cooled on rollers, the molecule chains that make up the plastic are stretched out and lined up as well — biaxially-oriented, if you want the technical term.

You can see from my photos how much the finished ornaments shrunk in size. In those days before colored pencils could be used to decorate Shrinky Dinks, Morris said her product sold so quickly in Brookfield, Wisconsin, “Sears ran out of permanent-ink markers.” The mix of creativity, science, and a little kitchen magic was unmatched, leaving an impression on kids who grew up in those decades. Their versatility made them a favorite for kids, who could turn the shrunken plastic creations into keychains, jewelry, or decorations.

Designing Your Shrinky Dinks

It’s been a while since I shared a good back to school craft, so I decided to design some back to school Shrinky Dinks templates for you to enjoy! When you’re done, try these Shrinky Dink earrings too! Easily craft these back to school Shrinky Dinks using the free traceable templates – and turn them into keychains and jewelry! They can be used for shrinky dink crafts a variety of purposes like charms, pins, and zipper pulls.

Reader Interactions

In addition, don’t forget to look for specific answers by using the Search Box on the blog. If you’re interested in sealing, this is the post to read (including the comments). Finally, we use colored pencils, rather than Sharpies, to color our design. We cover several cool ideas, like drawing on the front and back of the plastic. Their enduring appeal bridges generations, ensuring their place in the annals of crafting history. The simple act of crafting and shrinking became a rite of passage for many, bonding families and friends.

Charm bracelets are a super fun handmade jewelry gift that you can make using shrinky dinks. The clear shrink film shrinks to one third of its original size and become 9 times thicker. Once your shrinky dink has fully shrunk, and is flat, leave it to cool before you handle it. Alternatively, heat the plastic for a few minutes in a 170°C oven, until it has reduced in size. If you are using permanent markers, you can skip this step if you ant to, but other colouring methods will need this textured surface to stick to the shrink plastic sheet. Once it has shrunk to its minimum size, it will straighten itself out.

While you can buy pre-made Shrinky Dinks nowadays, you also have more plastic shrinking crafting options. Sadly, it didn’t work out that way, but here are the lyrics if you are interested in singing them yourself. As if proving my dedication to the brand would somehow make more of the kits appear.

Use sharp scissors for simple shapes, or a craft knife for more detailed edges. Use multiple layers of color for depth, and let each layer dry before adding more. For frosted or sanded sheets, colored pencils work beautifully. Always test your shrink ratio with a scrap piece if you’re unsure.

Shrinky Dinks – Welcome to the Magical World

After that, they are heated in an oven, where they shrink in size and become thicker and stiffer. This product has become popular as a children’s activity as well as a hobby for adults. Mix and match colors, add gems for extra dazzle, and create earrings, rings, and more to match any outfit or occasion.