YW Camp Shrinky Dink Keychains
Colorful and cute, these YW camp shrinky dink keychains are easy to make! There are four sheets of camp and young women-themed designs to choose from!
Pin Recipe
Cost: <$1
Equipment
- Toaster Oven
- hole punch
Materials
- shrink art sheets
- permanent markers
- jump rings 8mm
- keychains
- printable tracing templates
Instructions
- Use a permanent marker to trace the outline of the design onto the SHINY side of the shrink art sheet.
- Flip the sheet over and color in the design on the matte side of the shrink art sheet.
- Cut around the edge of the design, leaving a space to punch a hole.
- Punch a hole using a regular-sized hole punch.
- Place the shrink art design onto a small baking sheet, lined with a piece of parchment paper.Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Bake for 1-2 minutes, watching carefully. The sheet will curl up then flatten.
- Once flattened, let it bake for 20-30 additional seconds, then remove from the oven. Cool completely before handling.
- Add a jump ring and keychain to each design using jewelry pliers.
Video
Notes
Use colored pencils or Sharpie permanent markers. There are all sorts of art supplies that you can use for shrink art (paint, pastels, alcohol pens, etc.), but the easiest ones are colored pencils or permanent markers. Especially if you are making these with a group. I always try to keep things as simple as possible for camp crafts, so I am only offering two options to help the girls get the best results.
Use both sides of the shrink sheet. There is typically a shiny side and a matte side. I outline the image using a black permanent marker on the shiny side, then flip the sheet over and color the design in on the matte side. This prevents the color from bleeding with the outline and gives the design a sharp, bold look.
Punch a hole near the edge BEFORE BAKING. Don't forget to punch a hole with a standard-sized hole punch if you plan to make your design into a charm or keychain. Once baked, the plastic will be too thick to add a hole.
Use a toaster oven. I've had the best results baking my shrink art designs in a toaster oven or a regular oven. Heat guns are hit or miss for me, but many people use them. I'm making these at camp with 100 girls and need a dependable and portable option to keep in the craft cabin, so I bought a small toaster oven. It works great!
Have patience. Don't freak out if you see the shrinky dink curling in the oven. It's supposed to do that! It'll flatten out, just give it time.
