Shrink Plastic Projects
- If finger rings are your thing, think outside the box and create them from shrink plastic. You'll need matte plastic for this, not the glossy kind. Simply stamp the plastic with a repeating pattern rubber stamp. You'll want a simple pattern, like stars or leaves, as full scenes won't show up properly.
Cut the plastic into strips 2/3 larger than you want your rings to be. If you want rings 1/4 inch wide and 1 inch long, your strips should be 3/4 inch wide and 3 inches long. Bake the strips on parchment paper at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 seconds. Pick the strips up with tweezers and form them around a mandrel immediately. - Though there are countless kits and pre-printed shrink plastic images for sale, you can go the eco-friendly route with homemade shrink plastic. The plastic is made to shrink and thicken in the oven, a quality that ordinary #6 plastic shares with the commercial kits.
Most plastic items are marked. Save the #6 items and cut your desired shapes from them. Sand the shapes to create a frosted effect or leave them clear. Color or paint as desired and bake at 250 degrees Fahrenheit, usually until the image has curled up, then flattened again. The craft is virtually free and reduces the waste in your home. - Let your creativity, and your skin, shine through with homemade plastic pendants. If you leave some of the pendant uncolored, it will look like a tattoo against your skin. This is the perfect opportunity to test whether or not you want to get inked for real.
Sketch your design onto a piece of paper. Slide the paper under your shrink plastic and color the design in with watercolor markers. Outline and shade the design with a black permanent marker. Cut out the design, punch holes for your chain, and shrink the plastic in the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. If you want a full tattoo illusion, use clear elastic instead of a chain to wear the necklace. - If you love trendy, colorful earrings but don't have the budget for them, design your own. Cut two identical shapes from your shrink plastic, keeping in mind that it will shrink to about 1/3 its original size. If you want huge earrings, 4 inches or so, your original shapes must be 12 inches wide.
Draw an abstract stained glass outline on the plastic with black permanent marker. Color in the blank parts with colored permanent marker and let the ink dry for about 20 minutes. Punch a hole in each shape for an earring hook and heat the shapes to shrink at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Varnish them for protection and add your earring hooks.
Stylish Rings
Eco-Friendly Shrink Plastic
Plastic Pendants
Stained Glass Earrings
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