Shrinky Dinks for Grown Ups

I know everyone remembers Shrinky Dinks--the 70s wouldn't have been the same without these funky little plastics--and I saw this post at Curbly about an easy way to make your own without any fancy kits.

It's no big secret, I'm sure many of you have done this too, but it inspired me to try a new project to use this retro craft in a new, chic way: Shrinky Dink mobiles.

Save the number six plastic containers you get when you buy salad at the grocery store salad bar or a container of bakery goods (it should have the triangular recycled mark stamped on it in a corner with a little number six in the middle). Cut out the smooth middle square of plastic, make sure it's clean and smudge-free, then draw your design in the thinnest permanent marker.

Cut it out, punch a small hole in it, and briefly bake at 350 degrees, marked side up, on a sheet of aluminum foil or in an aluminum pie plate until it's finished shrinking. When you take it out you may need to quickly and gently press it flat if it's still slightly curled--larger designs tend to be more wavy.

So far no big revelations, right? Well the kids brought out their Star Wars, Spiderman and Disney princess books and traced pictures from them to make mobiles for their rooms. A little craft wire and nylon thread and they had some fun room decorations.

But for my mobile I wanted something a little more grown up (Ariel's just not my thing, sad to say) so I pulled out a book on Renaissance clothing and drew eight groups of men and women in costume.

They turned out beautifully--see for yourself. Very classy I thought. It would also be pretty with simple drawings of seashells, wild flowers or maybe even something way out there like your initial in various large, 100-point fonts. You know, an M in Times Roman, Arial, Courier, etc.? That would look terrific in a home office.

There's nothing like recycling something into artsy chic. Here are some other links for artsy Shrinky Dinks:

* Shrinky Dinks napkin rings from Dillon Designs
* Shrinky Dinks wine glass charms from Ljc's Projects
* Shrinky Dinks Christmas ornaments from A Daily Dose of Mischief
* Shrinky Dinks thank you card from GreenerMe Casuals
* Shrinky Dinks photo bracelet

And the mobile? Well I threw it in my Etsy shop if you've got a hankering for one of your own.

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Congratulations to Steve for winning this week's giveaway and the Evenflo Triumph Car Seat--and thank you all for visiting and entering, I wish I had hundreds of car seats to give out, you're wonderful!

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Also, you might be particularly interested in my Site of the Week listed on my sidebar, The Savvy Source. You can take a free quiz about your child's development then based on your answers they'll recommend activities and toys that meet your child's individual needs. Not a bad idea I'd say--now why didn't I think of that?

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