17 Most Fun DIY Shrinky Dink Craft Ideas
February 19, 2026DIY Shrinky Dinks Guide: Simple Steps to Tiny Custom Art Your Projects@OBN
February 20, 2026Content
There are hundreds of companies that have teamed up with design and printing companies to create printable downloads. It is a lot easier than you might think to create a printable download. Then I dripped ink on the plastic wrap until I liked the combination of colors and the plastic was mostly full of color. Then I cleaned my bowl with rubbing alcohol on a paper towel and removed the sale sticker from the bottom. I started with some sailboat blue drops that I spread out with the canned air. I opened up my laminating pouch, and I chose a rainbow of ink colors.
This makes it possible to color with colored pencils on the shrink film. The shrink art will curl and then will then go flat when ready. Either trace or draw freehand your favourite pictures or images on to the plastic using good quality pencils or permanent markers. Working backward, I needed to start with an image about 3 inches wide and large.
DIY Shrinky Dink Rings
This project is a great way to add some festive flair to your accessories collection and is perfect for the winter season. These earrings are perfect for adding a touch of seasonal charm to your outfit, and they make great gifts for friends and family. These pins are easy to make with Shrinky Dink plastic and can be customized with your favorite emojis to express your mood or personality. This is a fun craft to do with kids, as you can create a keychain with their footprint. This one is perfect for all the donut lovers out there!
- And if you’re bored out of one design, you can even create more and add it to your jewelry collection.
- Take inspiration from your kid’s favorite cartoon character to create the backpack tags.
- Do NOT use oil-based materials such as crayons, oil-based paints or cheap colored pencils.
- Clear smooth sheets or the recycled #6 plastic will need to be sanded lightly in order for the color stick onto the plastic.
- Here you’ll find ways to make different shapes like a circle, flower, and a bone-shaped name tag.
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If you create more intricate shapes, a pair of fine-tip scissors may be handy for precision cutting. Once you have finished drawing your designs, it’s time to carefully cut them out. Keep in mind that the designs will shrink to about one-third of their original size, so make your drawings larger than the final size you want.
DIY Shrinky Dink Keepsakes: Fun Handprint Ideas for All Seasons
Start by drawing or tracing your design onto the rough side of the sheet of shrink plastic. Shrinky Dink paper is perfect for creating lightweight, customizable earrings. With the right tools and a bit of creativity, you can create stunning, one-of-a-kind plastic earrings that showcase your personal style. If you’re looking for a fun, easy, and customizable shrinky dinks way to make your own jewelry, Shrinky Dink earrings are the perfect project. Pick your favorite emoji to wear or give them as gifts with the free printable “flair” cards. Before we start- I did write up a big blog post with the shrink material I bought and how I do it- plus free tracing treats!
If you like, you can spray the Shrinky Dinks with an acrylic sealer to make sure the images don’t smudge. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the Shrinky Dinks, ink side up, on the pan. The vintage postcards were perfect for Shrink Dinks, as they have a faded, vintage look. I decided to use some of vintage postcard imagery from the New York Public Library’s digital collection to make my Shrinky Dinks Christmas ornaments. I just loved watching the paper curl up and shrink in the oven. It’s never too early to get a jumpstart on your Christmas crafting.
For more vibrant colors, go over it more than once. With the permanent colored markers, trace your child’s drawing onto the shrinky dinks sheet. When your child is finished (or so they think, you can add to it right up to baking!) place the shrinky dinks sheet over their drawing.
Click "Duplicate" to make another circle slightly smaller to form the inside of the circle. To add a circle to your Canvas, click the Shapes icon and pick a circle to add it to the Canvas. Remember that holes shrink in size as the material bakes, so do not use a starting hole any smaller than .25” or you will likely not be able to use it! Now we need to add a circle for the keyring or keychain to loop through.
Materials
For more shrinky dink patterns for all occasions, check these out. There’s something about Shrinky Dinks that pairs perfectly with summer break. I used a purchased printable image from Lindsay Letters 12 Days of Christmas collection on an ornament. For these Christmas ornaments, I don’t recommend printing more than four images per page. Keep those ratios in mind when choosing images for your ornaments. The finished ornaments will be a third the original size of your image, and 9 times thicker.
This will keep your DIY shrinky dinks from sticking to your pan and ruining it. Now you’ll want to arrange your designs on a sheet pan, with a sheet of parchment paper underneath them. And don’t make them too tiny, they might end up sticking together during the heating process (more on this later) Keep in mind, colors will be more intense when the designs shrink up, so use that knowledge to your advantage. Make sure your plastic is really clean and dry before getting started, especially if you’re using old take out containers. That’s why you’ll need permanent markers for this project.
