Saturday, January 30, 2016

Textured Valentine Shrink heart necklace

Valentine shrink heart necklace



Did you know that you could use any typically tossed out container that is marked with the (6) inside the recycle symbol to make awesome jewelry?  Many take out containers have this symbol, as do many egg containers.  After you paint or decorate with markers you simply bake it in a 350-degree oven for about 2 minutes and it shrinks to a third of its size with about the thickness of a nickel. It is also amazingly hard and durable.  It is very similar to the familiar kid’s Shrinky Dinks.

You can use these shapes for key chains, necklaces, zipper pulls, pins and more.  This little Valentines heart necklace is a super kids craft.  I use thick tube acrylic paint and layer it on.  When you bake it to shrink the paint texturizes and looks pretty amazing.   This is a fun snow day craft for kids.  The kids can cut out the shapes and decorate them and parents can bake them. 

Supplies:

Number 6 plastic egg carton (Look for the little recycle triangle with a 6 inside)
Red tubed acrylic paint
Small paintbrush
Paper hole punch
18 inches rat tail ribbon
Two large jump rings
Needle nosed pliers
Cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil
Home oven or toaster oven
Paper, scissors or pinking shears, pen or pencil, paper plate for paint

Instructions:

1.     Cover your work surface with paper to protect it from paint.  Cut out the top flat area of the egg carton.  Cut out a heart shape from paper and use it as a pattern to transfer on the flat plastic egg carton piece with pencil or pen. Be aware that whatever size you use it will shrink to about 1/3 of it's original size.

Look for the 6 in the symbol




2.     Cut out the heart shape with scissors or pinking shears if desired. 



3.     Squeeze some acrylic paint onto a paper plate for a palette.  Working on a protected work surface, use the small paintbrush to apply a liberal amount of paint on the heart cut out.  Let dry.




4.     Use the hole punch to make a hole in the center of the heart. 


5.     Place the heart on a cookie sheet lined with foil and into a preheated 350-degree oven.  The motif will begin to curl and may distort somewhat but will eventually lay flat, shrink and thicken.  Remove from the oven and let cool.



6.     The paint will have texturized and there may be a little distortion in the shape but that is desirable and makes it quite unique.


7.     Cut an 18-inch piece of rat-tail ribbon.  Using the needle nosed pliers, open the jump ring by twisting rather than pulling apart.  Insert the jump ring through the hole in the top of the heart (It will have shrunk as well) and close in the same manner.  Add another jump ring and close.  Insert the cords through the top jump ring and tie a knot.








1 comment:

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