Fun with Shrinky Dinks

Anyone else remember playing with Shrinky Dinks when they were young?  I must admit I was pretty excited when I found out that they were still around.  I bought a couple of packs for the kids to play with way back in December and finally got a chance to bring them out during Spring Break.

For those of you who are not familiar with the magical world of Shrinky Dinks, they are basically plastic sheets that you draw or stamp on, cut out, and place in the oven for a couple of minutes.  Then you watch in amazement as they shrink down to approximately a third of their original size {they also become thicker}.  Okay, maybe it's not quite that amazing but the kids thought that it was pretty cool and anything that entertains my kids that is not a TV or computer rates pretty high in my books as well.

They also now have shrinky dinks that you can run through your printer.  Since the boys' favorite game is Candyland, we made some Matthew and Connor play pieces.  Sorry I don't have any pictures of this process.  I was trying to figure everything out with two boys climbing all over me.

In the instructions, they recommend decreasing your photo saturation by 50% so that the ink is not too heavy.  As well, the color intensifies when you put it in the oven.  I did this with Matthew's figure and his legs ended up purple.  For Connor's, I left the saturation much higher and he ended up with bright red legs.  Somewhere in between would have been perfect!

Once your photo is ready, you just print your photo on the Shrinky Dink photo sheet {make sure it is on the sticky side}, let it dry for a couple of minutes, and cut out your shape.  Pre-heat the oven to 300 and place your shrinky dink on a cookie sheet covered on top of a brown paper bag.  The shrinky dinks first curl up and will then flatten out after about one minute.  Sometimes it gets stuck in the curled position so make sure you are standing by to help it out if needed!

Immediately after it comes out of the oven, press it flat.  Remember, they are hot so use something over it!  You only have about 5-10 seconds of molding time before it hardens but you can always place it back in the oven for a few more minutes and try again.

The photos also make cute key chains.  Just remember to punch your hole before you shrink it {and remember that the hole will shrink too!}  I had started to perfect the color saturation by this point!  After the shrinky dinks have been heated, seal them with clear nail polish so the colors don't run.

So what did the kids make?  Matthew made a backpack tag:

For the robot and bunny shapes, I ran the Shrinky Dink sheet through the Silouette {on the magnet setting}  It didn't cut all the way through but enough so that the lines were visible to cut out the image.  The inside lines were also visible to make it easier for coloring in {you can see this more on the robot}.  We added the bunny to a piece of scrapbook paper and attached one of the magnetic pins that came with the pack.

Now just in case you thought Shrinky Dinks were only for kids, check out these other great projects that I have come across.  I am definitely planning on bringing the Shrinky Dinks back out one night when the kids have gone to bed!

They can be used to make some awesome jewellery:

{image via Living Locurto}

{check out I Love Blocks} 

{available at Dillon Designs}

Try some cute key chains made from stamps:

{via Making Memories}

Or design your own images and print them out on your inkjet printer:

{via How About Orange}

Martha Stewart has these free downloads for dog tags {many of then could also be used for backpack tags though}:

I also loved these cute pin ideas from Wee Wonderfuls:

{the spirograph...another blast from the past!}

I hope this gives you lots of Shrinky Dink inspiration!  I can't wait to try a few more ideas!

I have linked up with Childmade, Today's Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, My Delicious Ambiguity, Polly Want a Crafter, CRAFT, Craft-O-Maniac, I Heart Naptime, Young and Crafty, Tatertots and Jello, Sun Scholars, Paisley Passions, Somewhat Simple, Blue Cricket Design and Running with Glitter.

Organize Everything - The Craft Room

Hey everyone!  I hope you are all enjoying your weekend.  It is the last weekend of Spring Break for us so we are just trying to fit in some last minute activities with the kids before they head back to school.  Even though I was still working for the week it still felt like a nice little break!

For those of you that have been following along on my craft room journey, I am finally done!! {Well, almost anyways.}

Here's a big thank-you for putting up with me for the last couple of months! 

For those of you that are new, I started this little transformation back in January with a room that looked like this:

Not exactly the most inspiring space. 

I spent days going through my supplies and organizing everything as much as possible {this picture only shows part of the space that needed to be sorted through by the way!}.  You can see the initial posting and more pictures here.

Thanks to my fabulous Dad and hubby, the room received some new walls, a ceiling, baseboards, and crown molding.  We painted it a soft grey color and added some laminate flooring. 

Then all that was left was the fun part - decorating!  Since my house is filled with boys, I wanted this space to be nice and girly.  I have attached links for all of the projects that I worked on so just click if you would like more info.

I stenciled the far wall of the room and added an Ikea kitchen organizer above the desk {with a spice rack and two tins} for little odds and ends.  I ordered the desk from Target and the lamp and chair are from Ikea as well. 

 

I bought a floating shelf from Home Depot for above the desk and added a few accessories.  I made the pink flower ball, subway sign, and little butterfly twigs. 

{Sorry about the lighting.  The projects stand out much better in real life!}

I have the majority of my storage along one of the side walls.  All of the white storage cubes are from Michaels and have been purchased over time.  They are often 40% off and you can sometimes snag a 50% coupon every now and then.  They work great for storing paper, embellishments, tools, etc.  I generally have all of my stickers and other embellishments sorted by season or event {i.e. summer, Christmas, birthdays...} and the drawers are all labelled. 

The small wire rack on the wall stores some recent scrapbooing magazines and the little round storage container on top of the cubes holds some extra scrapbook supplies.  They are both from Willow House {they have amazing home decor and kitchen items!}. Althouh Willow House isn't available in Canada, I was able to do a catelog party and still got to collect the hostess benefits.  

The tutorial for the magnetic dry erase board can be found here.

I purchased the large metal storage rack from Costco for $35.  The large baasket on top holds a variety of crafting supplies.  I am going to add some pictures and some of my favorite quotes to the little tree thing on the top shelf {one of the little projects still left to do!}.  I have listed some of the other storage supplies I use in a previous posting here as well as some other great stoarge/organization ideas here.

On the opposite wall I have this file folder/shelving system.  It was purchased from Target online for about $60.  I then added the vinyl Create lettering.

When I was initally clearing out my room, I had a ton of magazines and books marked with sticky notes highlighting projects or ideas that I liked.  They were taking up way too much space and it was not a very functional system if I was looking for a particular idea.  So I labelled each of the file folders with a particular subject or Season, tore out the pages, and filed them away.  Favorite craft and decorating books were stored below in the shelving. 

On the back wall of the room I added a few cork board circles for photos and mounted an old flower bin to the wall for more storage. 

Here's a close up of one of the cork boards and flower tacks.

And one more final look:

Well, congratulations if you made it to the end of this post!  I tried to cover as much as possible but if you have any questions, just let me know. I hope you can get a few ideas for your space! 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

I linked up with Crafty Scrappy Happy, Thrifty Decor Chick, Funky Junk Interiors, Chic on a Shoestring, The CSI Project, Be Different act Normal, I Heart Organizing, Passionately Artistic, Thrifty Decor Chic, Polly Want a Crafter, Funky Junk Interiors, Young and Crafty, Be Different Act Normal, Whipperberry, The Shabby Nest, Tidy Mom, Delightful Order, Paisley Passions, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Blue Cricket Design, Running with Glitter, Sugar Bee Craft Edition, Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog, Skip To My Lou, Sew Chatty, The Girl Creative, Craft-O-Maniac, The DIY Showoff, Tatertots and Jello, Under the Table and Dreaming, I Heart Naptime.

Craft Day {Flower Tacks and a Subway Sign}

Happy Friday friends! I had a great day today crafting {and chatting!} with one of my long time friends. Becky blogs over at Cupcakes and Ruby Slippers and we have been buddies since Kindergarten.  She is actually the one that started me on this crazy blog journey.  We don't really get a chance to get together often but when we do it never seems like much time has passed!

I didn't actually finish as much as I had planned {what a surprise!} but I did manage to get two projects done.  The first one is these fabric flower tacks:

I purchased these cork boards {which are actually supposed to be hot trays} from Jysk for $1.99 for a pack of three.  I have also seen them at Ikea.

I used fabric stiffener on the fabric.  It makes the fabric more like scrapbook paper but with the durability of the fabric.  You just spray it on until the fabric is wet, stick it in the microwave for 45 seconds and iron.

I cut out a few different flower designs, added some buttons to the front and glued flat tacks on the back. 

{Sorry, I was too busy chattering away to take pictures during the process but if you have any questions, just let me know!}

Just add a few of your favorite pictures and you are done!

My second project was a subway sign for the craft room.  I picked the saying "Color outside of the Lines".  Sometimes my seven year old takes this a little too literally but I love this quote.  It reminds me to be creative and that everything does not need to be perfect!

{Directions for the sign can be found here.}

I will be back tomorrow with the final craft room pictures.  I still have one rather large project to complete but I'm not exactly sure when I will get a chance to get around to it.  Maybe next weekend...

Have a great night!!


I linked up with Whipperberry,  The Shabby Nest, Delightful Order, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Blue Cricket Design, Running with Glitter, Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog, Skip To My Lou, Sew Chatty, The Girl Creative, Craft-O-Maniac, The DIY Showoff, Under the Table and Dreaming, I Heart Naptime, Funky Junk Interiors, Be Different Act Normal.

Quick and Easy Magnetic/Dry Erase Board

Hi everyone!  For those of you with kiddies off school this week, I hope you are enjoying your Spring Break!  We are having a "Screen-Time Free" Spring Break here so I probably do not have long before the kids figure out where I am and drag me off to play!
When I purchased my metal sheeting for my magnetic calendar, I picked up a few extras with no real plans for what to do with them.  I knew they would come in handy some day though! 

I wanted some kind of note board for the craft room and love how these sheets can function as both dry erase and magnet boards.  The sheets are cut in 12x12 sections so it was a little small for the space that it needed to cover.  I was thinking of putting the two of them together but just happened to find the perfect frame this weekend while shopping at Ikea.

It is one of their Ribba frames and was $19.99 {only $17.99 if you live in the US!} I loved the large matting around it and the picture actually sits recessed in the frame so it adds some great dimension.  And the opening was 11 3/4 x 11 3/4. 

I put the matting in front of the glass and adhered the metal sheet to the glass with some Command strips.  You could just attach the sheet to the backing and remove the glass but I wanted to keep the glass around in case I use it for something else later.   

I added some rolled flowers to one of the corners:

{If you are looking for a tutorial on how to make these, the best one I have come across is this video clip from Freckled Laundry}

And some magentic clothes pegs to hold my notes:

{tutorial can be found here}

The ledge on the frame is perfect for stroring a dry erase marker and a little notepad.

So now I have one magnet board in my craft room:

and the other sheet up on the fridge {don't you love the little vinyl elephant?}

Now the kids and I are off to play with Shrinky Dinks!  Have a good day!

I have linked up with Young and Crafty, Somewhat Simple, Blue Cricket Design, Running with Glitter, Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog, Skip To My Lou, Sew Chatty, The Girl Creative, Craft-O-Maniac, The DIY Showoff, Under the Table and Dreaming, I Heart Naptime,  Funky Junk Interiors, Be Different Act Normal, Tatertots and Jello, Whipperberry,  Fingerprints on the Fridge, Tidy Mom, The Shabby Nest, Paisley Passions, House of Hepworths, Delightful Order, Passionately Artistic, Night Owl Crafting, Lil Luna, Blue Cricket Design, A Beach Cottage, This Blessed Nest and Sugar Bee Craft Edition.

How to Stencil a Wall

I have finally finished the stenciling in the craft room {insert huge sigh of relief!}  Seriously, this took me sooo much longer than I had planned. If I could have quit mid way through I definitely would have. But it is done and I am very happy with the end result!

I think I really should have titled this post How NOT to Stencil a Wall as I definitely hit a few bumps along the way.  Hopefully, my mistakes will help to make your project a little easier!

Let me start out by saying that this project works best if you have some patience and are not a crazy, obsessed perfectionist.  Unfortunately, neither of these traits applies to me.  I had estimated that it would take about 4-5 hours but let's just say that I hugely underestimated my time.  I must be the slowest person in the world.  Did you guys ever watch Trading Spaces? {I totally loved this show by the way!}  I would so be the person that would be staying up all night freaking out... 

Okay, so here are some tips to make things a little easier for you. 

• Use a good stencil!  I purchased mine through Cutting Edge Stencils and am so glad that I spent the extra money.  I really could not imagine doing this with a flimsy or smaller stencil.
• Practice first! Try your stencil on a cardboard box or sample board first.  There definitely is a little learning curve to figure out how much pressure and paint you should use. 
• Tape off your mouldings and the edges of the walls that will not be painted with blue {low tack}painters tape.  You will also need the tape to adhere your stencil to the wall. 
• Start on the area of the wall that will be seen the least.  Since the bottom of my wall is covered with storage pieces and my desk, I started there {and am very glad that I did!}

• Use a dense foam roller with rounded edges so that the edges of the roller do not catch the stencil. 
• This may seem extremely obvious, but make sure your stencil is level!  Once the first few have been established it should get easier.  You will need a level or a plumb line.  I purchased this nifty little clip on level but did not realize that I did not have it attached straight to my stencil.  My first three stencils ended up being crooked.  See?  I told you I was glad I started on the bottom!

• Make sure you have left over paint from your base coat to do touch ups.  Little mistakes can be easily corrected with a little paint.  I ended up touching up around the edges with the base paint a lot!
• Baby wipes or a moist Q-tip can also work well to correct the more minor mistakes. 
• Remember that it is a stencil.  That means that there will be a few imperfections unless you would like to spend hours on touch ups! Yes, I definitely had problems with this little fact...
• Less paint is better.  It may mean that you have to go over your stencil a second time but it will save a lot of bleeding through.  Just let the first coat dry for a couple of minutes before re-rolling.
• The edges of the wall were a big pain in the *@* for me.  In the end, I found that it was much easier to just free hand them with pencil and then paint them in.  I really wish that I would have figured this out a lot sooner!

You know what was really painful?  After moving everything back into the room, I realized that I missed a row of stenciling...

Really???  I'm still not done???  This is when I figured out how much easier it was to freehand and paint!

So the painting is done and you guys will just have to wait a little bit longer to see the craft room reveal.  I totally forgot to take a picture of the completed wall before I started moving everything back in.  {I think I was going a little crazy by this point}

Have a great week!

I linked up with  Sew Crafty, The Girl Creative, The DIY Showoff, Under the Table and Dreaming, I Heart Naptime, Funky Junk Interiors, Be Different Act Normal, Tatertots and Jello,  Whipperberry,  Fingerprints on the Fridge, Tidy Mom, The Shabby Nest, Paisley Passions, House of Hepworths,Delightful Order, Passionately Artistic, Night Owl Crafting, Lil Luna, Blue Cricket Design, A Beach Cottage, This Blessed Nest, Sugar Bee Craft Edition, Today's Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Polly Want a Crafter, CRAFT and Craft-O-Maniac.