#shrinking plastic

I have been introduced to shrinking plastic and I couldn't avoid to start immediately making my favorite sillies, both as tests and as "Finally! Silly merch!"

So I was binge watching Moriah Elizabeth's craft videos, and I came across her shrinking plastic video.

I guess you could say something in my mind just clicked because I felt super inspired and decided to make my own.

I'm kinda proud of the results. I'm not about to open an Etsy store or anything but for a first attempt I think I did ok.

If you're interested in making Shrinky dinks as well, then you definitely should! They're super quick and easy to make and are fun as well.

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First you draw or trace your design onto the plastic. If you buy the ruff n ready plastic then you draw on the rough side.

Just so you know, the plastic shrinks, hence the name, so make sure you draw a big design. Here's the comparison between the image I traced to the final product:

What it loses in size it makes up for in thickness and strength.

Next cut around the design and put it, coloured side up on some foil/parchment paper on a baking tray.

Then put them in the oven for a few minutes. They will start to curl up and shrink.

Once you take them out, make sure you flatten them before they cool. I didn't do this for the hamster, which is why he's a little crooked.

And you're done. If you want to, you can attach pins or keychains just to make them a bit more special.

Once I improve, I hope to make pins of some of my favourite Layton characters and add them to my collection.

If you make any Shrinky dinks I'd love to see them, even if they're not PL related.

I bought my plastic from Amazon here, but you can probably find alternatives in craft stores, etc.

(However, just so you know, the first pack of plastic I bought was smooth on both sides so my pencils didn't work on it. If you are using pencils then you should get plastic with a rough side.)

I also recommend watching Moriah Elizabeth's videos, here, here and here as she goes into more detail and is a great artist.

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Thank you and happy crafting!

Here's my progress so far:

Here's the reference photo I'm using: