Did you know that March is National Craft Month?! Yay!
I am determined to do at least one craft a day throughout the month of March. I love creating and trying new things, so this is going to be a really FUN month!
Today I’m shrinking flowers.
Follow along with me and share your ideas, suggestions, and comments. You can also follow along on my Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/JayDeesBlogPage
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Shrink Film Flowers for Spring
Honey, I shrunk the flowers!
Seriously. Today’s craft was a blast from the past – Shrinky Dinks! I even got my husband to join me. I made flowers, and he made a keychain for his tractor. (He’s such a guy!)
There are so many fun things you can make with shrink film – it’s hard to stop once you get started. I’m going to hang the flowers on fishing line on a window in our kitchen to remind me that Spring is coming soon!
What You Will Need:
- Shrink Film
- Sharpie Permanent Markers
- Cookie Sheet lined with Parchment Paper
- Scissors
- Pattern to Trace (optional)
What You Do:
- If you have a pattern you want to trace, place that under a piece of shrink film
TIP: You may want to tape the shrink film over your pattern to help hold the shrink film in place while you’re tracing. - Use Sharpie markers to draw your design onto the shrink film
Make sure to draw your art large enough to accommodate for about 50% shrinkage when you heat up the shrink film. Also, remember that your image will be backward when it finishes shrinking – the smooth side (the opposite side you drew on) will be the front of the finished piece. - When your drawings are done, use scissors to cut out your art
- Place your shrink art onto parchment paper inside a cookie sheet
- Preheat your oven to 329-degrees, then place your shrink art into the oven for 3-5 minutes
Your shrink art will start to curl as it shrinks. Don’t panic! The film flattens out again as it finishes shrinking. And, you can use a spatula to help flatten the pieces as soon as they come out of the oven before they cool off. - When your art has shrunk, take them out of the oven and allow the pieces to cool before using
Additional Tips:
- Make Keychains – Use a paper punch to punch a hole in your shrink art project before shrinking the film. This hole will shrink to about 50% its original size, so make sure it’s large enough to accommodate your key chain.
- Use Your Inkjet Printer – If you prefer, you can design your art using graphics design software and then print your designs directly onto the shrink film with an inkjet printer. The possibilities are endless! You could even print photos of your family onto the shrink film, then shrink them into fun decor pieces or ornaments.
- Use Patterns – If you’d like, you can use patterns to trace to make your designs. Coloring books work great for this! You can also search Google Images for lineart or clip art to use for your designs.
- Use Your Shrunken Pieces for Gifts – Create gift tags and gift wrap embellishments using shrink film. You could even make wine charms with the shrink film. These pieces look great on gifts and are an unexpected surprise.
Make sure to see all my other projects for National Craft Month to give you ideas of projects you might want to try!
I hope you enjoyed this project! Make sure to check back tomorrow to see what I’ll be working on.
