DIY Do-It-Yourself Shrinky Dink Paper

Shrinky dinks were one of my favorite childhood toys. Draw on a piece of plastic, put it in the oven and watch it shrink magically before your eyes. Shrinky dink paper can be found at almost all craft stores, but unknown to most is that you can easily make your own, much cheaper version, simply by recycling old plastic you probably have in your home.

In order for the plastic to have the correct shrinking ability it has to be code #6. This would be things like the clear plastic boxes that salads come in, which are especially good because they have a large flat surface to draw on. Some nut and coffee container lids are also made of this plastic. Make sure you see the number 6 stamp on it.

Once you have found the correct type of plastic, decorate it. If you want to use markers, permanent ones are your best bet. Washable markers, such as Crayola, tend to rub off after the shrinky dinks have shrunk, and especially when they are worn outside and get wet, such as on keychains or pins. You end up with a slight color wash, which can be pretty, but might not be the look you want. Plus there is a chance the marker can bleed onto and stain other things.

Colored pencils work well and don't bleed or become discolored, but sometimes you have to lightly sand one side of the plastic to get the color to stay. If you need a hole in your shrinky dink to make a necklace or keychain punch it before cooking them.

Make sure you bake your shrinkydinks in a conventional oven, not a toaster oven, which tends to cause holes and burning, and that your oven is fully preheated. The temperature can vary from oven to oven but I usually bake mine at 350.

Bake your shrinky dinks on a piece of computer or wax paper. This prevents the plastic from sticking to the cookie sheet and possibly tearing as it shrinks. Once you put them in the oven, do not walk away. Watch them the entire time, as they should be done in under a minute. The plastic should curl up as it shrinks and then flatten back down. Once all the pieces are mostly flat you can remove them from the oven.

Right after they come out of the oven, if they are not completely flat, sometimes it helps to press them with a metal spatula for a few seconds. Make sure you do this immediately after removing them as they cool very quickly. Another option is to remove the shrinky dinks form the oven, flip the ones that aren't completely flat over and stick them back in the oven for a few seconds to completely flatten.