Tips & Tricks to Shrinky Dinks

I LOVE Shrinky Dinks!  

  A few days ago while I was getting lost in social media, I came across a blog post about using everyday art by our kiddos as a necklace and even more as a special gift.  Another one of those gifts I love oh so much that MEANS a little extra special something!  While reading this inspiring blog post - a few ideas were running through my head.  I was even making a physical list of items I would need to buy and searching for this special paper on Amazon - because before reading this post I had never heard of shrink paper.... Really.  Check out the post that inspired me here!  She also has lots of other really fun things.

So I purchased Shrinky Dinks paper on Amazon right away...
I purchased it early enough in the morning that I got the paper the very next day!

I got all ready to print on my Shrinky Dinks paper and read the instructions.

THIS FILM IS NOT INK JET PRINTABLE.  

Whoops!  Thankful Hobby Lobby is just down the street and around the corner.  I packed the boys in the car and off we went.  (Got a few other goodies while I was there) And with my 40% off coupon, Shrinky Dinks Inkjet was on sale!  ;)  

**So if you plan to use an inkjet printer to apply your design to the shrink paper - make sure you buy the right one!  

Best part, when we got home everything was ready to print.  

(**by the way I am making inspirational and oh so cute little charms for my work badge, in case you are wondering)  

Supplies needed:
-Design or Idea
-Shrinky Dinks Inkjet or Inkjet Shrink paper
-Parchment Paper
-Hole Punch
-Inkjet Printer
-Oven
-9mm Round Jump Ring
-16mm Split Ring

I printed my design, cut them out, rounded the edges, (my design measured 1 5/8 x 2 1/4 inch) punched a hole and put them between two pieces of parchment paper on a baking sheet and in  the oven at 300 degrees for a minute or two while keeping a close eye on them.
Each time I tried the paper curled to no repair.

I made several attempts to straighten them out, each time was unsuccessful.  I followed the directions on the package perfectly, I googled several tips and was still unsuccessful.  I decided to just start OVER!  






I took like a 2 second break, got the kids a snack and printed my design on my second piece of Shrinky Dinks Inkjet paper.  This time I used a paper cutter and a corner punch to trim the edges of my charms. Lastly, I punched my holes with a regular hole punch and again they were ready to heat!

I preheated the oven to 275 degrees.  I used the same parchment paper I did the first time.  One piece on bottom and one on top of my design on a baking sheet.  I decided this time I would let the design bake for 3 minutes before I tried to straighten it out.  The directions said that it may curl and to help straighten it out if it does.  To my surprise when I opened the oven at the end of 3 minutes, my design was mostly flat - so I quickly removed the the parchment paper and charm and flattened it under a heavy box.  Left it there for about 15 seconds and it was perfectly flat!  I placed each piece in the oven separately to ensure this was going to work this time.  And it worked great for all 15 pieces!  

I guess the trick is NO PEEKING!  OKAY okay... I did PEEK!  But I did NOT touch!  The  

paper does curl a little and then curls back.  When I took the Items out of the oven, the edges were slightly curled up, and quickly placing them under a heavy book or box they flattened right out.  (I actually used a Project Life Core Kit!)

My Final project measured 1" x 3/4".  I inserted the jump ring and attached 3 charms to a split ring and there ya have it, my new super cute charms!

There may be a few of you that can recognize these little charms!  They are a few of the Project Life cards that are truly meaningful to me!  I felt that these cute little charms would be a great addition to my work badge - a little something to inspire me while working long hours in the ER!


    I really do enjoy my new charms!  They sure do add a little something something!                                                                                    Hooray!

DIY Rub Ons Wood Transfer

I LOVE RUB ONS!  

My favorite scrapbooking accessories are definitely rub ons - I can still remember the very first time I ever used one!  They look like they are apart of the paper - yet stand out like a sticker!  They instantly became my favorite thing to scrapbook with - however, 8 years ago - they were more difficult to find in stores than they are today!  

So with google - All things are possible, I found several tutorials to make my own!  And over the last few years - I have perfected my own way to create Rub Ons that work on nearly anything!  

I usually just use rub ons for paper crafting - but recently have been using the same technique on WOOD!  Take a look, it definitely works well!  

Recently, a dear friend of mine graduated from a nursing program and made her this little gift!  

What you need:

bare wood plaque
stain (optional)
transparency paper (I purchase this on amazon)
computer printer
fine sander (if desired)
spray sealer

How I made this:

-First I stained my bare wood and sanded the edges.
-I typed my desired font in Microsoft word, and in printer properties I changed quality to high and mirrored my image.
-Next CAREFULLY place the transparency paper on the wood
(DO NOT MOVE THE TRANSPARENCY PAPER, or                                                                         WORDS WILL SMEAR!)
- I used a rub on transfer tool and a Popsicle stick to carefully rub on my text.  Remember to press hard and over each word several times to ensure that the text transfers. (this process tires your hands so you may need to take breaks!)
-Lastly I used a spray sealer several times to seal the plaque for years to come! 

I hope you found this helpful!  Enjoy!

DIY Photo Sign

I am just going to say it, I LOVE PINTEREST!  

There are so many ideas all in one place, how could I not.  My crafty self gets the best of me, especially over the holidays.  This year I wanted to be able to give the grandparents a unique gift that they could use to display photos of their grandchildren all year. So, I searched on google and of course pinterest.  I found a ton of fabulous signs - I found a few really great etsy shops and then that thought that seems to strike my brain every time, I CAN DO THAT.  So off to Hobby Lobby and Michael's I go to get all of the supplies for much less than I could buy the finished product for and I can truly personalize the gift for the receiver.  So many memories and so much meaning when it is homemade!  

 This is my before and almost after photo for the gifts that I made each of the grandparents his year! (Before getting each gift in the mail I clipped and burnt the ends of the hemp with a lighter to give it a more rustic look and I used a staple gun to adhere a burlap ribbon bow to hang the sign) I think they turned out great.  I added a little of my own flare and a heartwarming phrase.  

DIY Gifts are simply the BEST!

The best part of this design is that the clothespin clips allow you to change out the photos for each season as quickly and as easily as possible.

If you love this design, here is what you need to make your very own!

-bare wood sign (I got mine at Hobby Lobby)
-Paint (I used a cream color, brown and black)
-hemp or other string
-eyelet screws

-Vinyl (I cut mine out with my cricut expressions)
-flowers or other embellishments
-clothespins
-Hot Glue Gun
-Staple gun

How I did it:
1. I painted the sign entirely with cream color paint.  I used a cheap foam brush. Then left it to dry (about an hour)

2. Then I mixed the cream paint with 2 dots of brown and a dot of black and used a course paint brush and brushed it over the entire sign (to give it a rustic look)  Quickly I used the back side of the brush and drew on a wood grain pattern (to add a little something) Then I set it aside and let it dry till the next day (probably would be dry after an hour or so)

3. I cut out the vinyl with my cricut expressions machine, I used packaging tape to transfer my letters from my cricut mat to the sign (instead of transfer tape and to keep my letters straight!)

4. Next I placed the eyelet screws in the bottom corners and attached my string.  (I eyeballed my locations and they turned out pretty great!)

5. I used the hot glue gun to attach my flowers, I chose a few burlap flowers and also a paper flower (fun, colorful, patterned paper is one of my very most favorite things)

6. Next, I tied the hemp string tightly between the eyelet screws with a double knot (tie tight so that once you place your photos on the clothespins, it doesn't hang too low.  I trimmed the string and used a lighter to burn the edges (to give it a rustic more complete look, also will keep the string from fraying. :)

7. Lastly I attached a ribbon on the back with a staple gun and a special note for the receiver!  

Hope you found this helpful and fun!