Go see a shrink: Getting practical with kitsch
For children of the 80s, Shrinky Dinks are right up there with Sea Monkeys and Slap Bracelets as cherished interactive fads of our youth. But although I have yet to see a modern-day application for the latter two, Shrinky Dink-style plastic has reemerged as a versatile and affordable material for DIY projects.
Essentially, Shrinky Dinks are made from a special type of plastic that can be artsied up and and then shrunken down—simply by baking it in the oven. The magic of the Dink is that the plastic shrinks uniformly, keeping the applied design intact. Modern crafters have used shrinkable plastic for such projects as dog tags and key fobs (thanks, Making it Lovely, for the how-to) as well as the rings pictured above (tutorial à la Planet June). Considering the current chaotic state of airline travel, I’m envisioning a set of Shrinky-Dinked neon luggage tags with my name and info printed in 48-point font.
But here’s the best part: Shrinky paper is easy to find—it’s even available in the ReadyMade store. Mr. McGurie from The Graduate was right: there is a great future in plastics.
