How to Make Shrinky Dinks

Shrinky Dinks are shapes cut out of plastic, decorated with markers or colored pencils then baked in an oven. Once baked, the plastic shrinks and hardens. You can make charms, mini ornaments or whatever else comes to mind with this magical product.

Instructions

1. Purchase Shrinky Dinks Ruff n' Ready Shrinkable Plastic sheets. Draw or trace a picture onto the plastic and color the picture with markers. Outline the colored areas with black marker so the colors don't run.

2. Cut out the colored pictures. If you want a hole in your Shrinky Dink, punch it through the plastic before you bake it. Remember that the hole shrinks a bit when it bakes, so make it large enough for your purposes.

3. Place the cut outs on a clean cookie sheet with the colored side facing up. Ensure that the Shrinky Dinks don't touch each other on the pan. Bake the cut outs at between 300 and 325 degrees F for approximately 3 minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't want to time the baking, you can judge readiness by watching the shrinking process. When the Shrinky Dinks curl then flatten out, wait another 15 seconds or so before you remove them from the oven.

• Carefully unfold any Shrinky Dinks that curl up onto themselves while they're still warm.

• You can re-shrink Shrinky Dinks. Simply repeat the baking instructions to shrink them again.

Resources

• Buy Shrinky Dinks online at the manufacturers website.