17 Fun and Easy DIY Shrinky Dink Craft Ideas

Are you looking for innovative and fun shrinky-dink ideas that can take you back to your childhood days? Shrinky dinks gained immense popularity in the 1980s, but now you can bring them back to life and have a blast while making them with your kids. Your kids will love these retro crafts that have retained their importance even after years and are very easy to make.

From Christmas ornaments to cool brooches, necklace pendants, keychains, stylish napkin rings, and decorative garlands, you can make many beautiful, shrinky dink products. You can also use acrylic paint and shrink plastic to create holiday ornaments or keychains of your little ones’ handprints. The basic idea while creating all these products is to decorate a piece of polystyrene and bake it in the microwave so that it shrinks down in size. The final product that you will get will be thicker, smaller, and more heavily pigmented.

So wow your kids by creating the shrinky dink products that will help kill your little one’s boredom and keep them entertained for hours.

Fun and Easy DIY Shrinky Dink Craft Ideas

Let’s take a look at 17 easy and fun DIY shrinky dink craft ideas that you can use to create wonderful products with your kids with a few supplies at your home.

1. Shrinky Dink Pins

Do you know that you can make custom pins from shrinky dinks? Just by putting a little effort, you can transform a plain plastic sheet into a fresh flair pin. The only hard work you will have to do is in finding what type of image you want on the pin. You can Google to select your favorite image and then take its printout.

The image that you have selected should be at least three inches tall for the pin. Encourage your kids to participate in this activity so that they can be proud to see the final product. Your kids can color some pre-drawn designs, cut out the shrinky dink designs, or create their own abstract art.

While baking, the shrinky dinks switch on the oven lights so that your kids can watch their art transforming into tiny treasures.

2. Shrinky Dink Fridge Magnet

Shrinky dink fridge magnets not only look adorable but also give you a chance to display your artwork on your fridge. You can gift them to your mother, grandparents, or loved ones. The best thing is that you need minimum supplies to make the shrinky dink magnets, and they can give an attractive look to your fridge.

Draw whatever you want on the shrinkable plastic with permanent markers and put it in the microwave to allow it to shrink down. Once your shrink dinks design is ready, you will have to glue a rare earth magnet onto its back to turn it into a shrinky dink magnet.

3. Shrinky Dink Necklaces

Shrinky dink necklaces can be used as a statement piece for an event or as everyday wear to add a touch of personality to your accessories. They are lightweight, and you can design them as per your style or outfit. Whenever you wear them, people will appreciate your art and compliment you for wearing jewelry uniquely designed for you. You can also gift them to your loved ones to show how much you love them. You don’t need to stock up on expensive supplies to create shrinky dink necklaces; you can use materials that are already there in your craft bin.

4. Shrinky Dink Earrings

The right earring can add a finishing touch to any look. Rather than buying expensive earrings, you can make shrinky dink earrings right at your home. They are very lightweight, and you can wear them for hours without a hint of pain or discomfort. You can even accentuate the look of the shrinky dink earrings with beads and vintage crystals. You can make these earrings in any design ranging from cactus to butterfly and diamond to moon. And if you’re bored out of one design, you can even create more and add it to your jewelry collection.

5. Shrinky Dink Keychain

For those looking for one of the best DIY shrinky dink ideas, a keychain can be a good choice. Choose from different designs, such as heart-shaped or monster-name keychains, and personalize them with funny sayings. If you’re making it on Mother’s Day, you can make regular handprints or spell out the word MOM with a handprint.

You can gift it as a keepsake to your mother or to your friend as a friendship day gift. To make the keychain even more worthwhile, you can make a handprint keychain that will remind you about your kid’s tiny hands even when they grow up.

6. Shrinky Dink Bracelet

Nothing can look more beautiful and hold more worth than a handmade piece of jewelry. The shrinky dink bracelet looks super cute and is easy and quick to make. With a bit of imagination and a few supplies, you can create a unique and ravishing shrinky dink bracelet.

This fashionable piece of jewelry will enhance the beauty of your hand and make you the center of attraction wherever you go. While creating this eye-catching accessory, you can experiment with the design and style and even take some inspiration from Pinterest.

7. Shrinky Dink Clothing Buttons

Do you know that you can make clothing buttons from shrink plastic to jazz up your outfit? Shrinky dink clothing buttons can be sewn onto your shirts and t-shirts, and they hold up quite nicely. With the help of these buttons, you can add personality to your clothes and enhance their look. They look much better than the classic buttons available in the market, and you can even customize them as per your preference. Decorate them with a permanent marker before shrinking them in the microwave for a one-of-a-kind look.

8. Shrinky Dink Cake Topper

Are you still using the boring and old-fashioned cake toppers that give a plain look to your cake? One of the most interesting shrinky dink ideas is to create custom cake toppers with the help of shrinky dinks. From baby showers to birthdays, you can use them on various occasions to give your cake a wonderful look. Create any image you want in a few minutes, bake it in your oven, and you’ve got a one-of-a-kind, completely customizable cake topper. Leave some extra room at your design’s bottom to ensure that it easily sticks into the cake. If you’re planning to have a big cake for your event, you can consider making cake toppings groupings to cover more area.

9. Shrinky Dink Dog Tag

Show your undying love to your dog by dedicating a craft project to them. You can create cute, colorful dog tags that allow you to type in your pup’s name. Once you have written your dog’s name, get a printout on Shrinky Dinks paper. Pop it in the microwave for a few minutes, watch it shrink, curl, and then flatten out with gentle motion to create a distinctive tag in a beautiful pattern. For additional security, you can even add a lobster claw clasp and a jump ring. When your dog sports the personalized shrinky dink tag, you won’t be able to control your tears, and you will feel happy that you did something unusual for your pet.

10. Shrinky Dink Snowflakes

If you’re looking for some inspiration to craft Christmas ornaments, then you can’t go wrong with the shrinky-dink snowflakes. Shrinky dink snowflakes capture the magic of snowfalls, and making them is easier than you think. Once you get the hang of it, you can experiment with intricate designs and patterns and create more beautiful designs. You can even decorate a few snowflakes with sparkles or your nail polish. If you want them to be very blingy, paint them with glitter polish. Once complete, you can use the snowflakes to decorate your walls or Christmas tree or for creating Christmas cards.

11. Shrinky Dink Wine Charms 

Showcase your crafting skills by making shrinky dink wine charms that look extremely beautiful and will get you noticed. With the help of these wine charms, the next time you plan a party, you can enjoy it to the fullest without worrying about which glass is yours. These adorable wine charms can also be the right choice to elevate the joy of your bachelorette party or bridal shower. Thread your new shrinky dink charms onto wine charm hoops to increase its usability.

12. Shrinky Dink Bookmarks

While spending an evening curled up with a warm mug of tea and a good book might seem like the best way to have a productive day, choosing from a wide range of your own handmade shrinky dink bookmarks can make your reading experience even more enjoyable. With the help of these bookmarks, you can also encourage your kids to read books. You can create playful kitties bookmarks, shark fin bookmarks, or rainbow corner bookmarks for your next reading session. Don’t forget to make a hole if you want to use it as a charm.

13. Shrinky Dink Bobby Pins

Bobby’s pins keep our hair in place and make us look organized and neat. But we all want them to be more attractive or exciting, which is often not possible with ordinary hairpins. Shrinky dink bobby pins are a great pick for any occasion and can enhance the look of your attire. These pretty hair accessories can spruce up your hair and enhance your glam quotient. From animal print to floral and beaded bobby pins, you can create shrinky dink bobby pins in various designs and patterns.

14. Shrinky Dink Backpack Tags

Are you looking for a fun way to label your kid’s backpack? Shrinky Dink backpack tags can be the best way to help your kids spot their things at school. You can cut the shrink plastic sheets in any design and pattern as per your imagination. Take inspiration from your kid’s favorite cartoon character to create the backpack tags. You can even personalize these backpack tags and put them on sports bags and luggage. Your kids will love these backpack tags and flaunt them to their friends.

15. Shrinky Dink Cupcake Toppers

Cupcakes are the perfect treat for baby showers, anniversaries, and birthday parties but decorating them can be a huge task. You can add a festive flair to these party desserts with the help of shrinky dink cupcake toppers. These cupcake toppers will make your desserts extra special. You can even create three-dimensional shapes using shrink-plastic sheets to enhance the look of your cupcakes. You can even decorate them with stars, beads, and beautiful accessories for a more polished look.

16. Shrinky Dink Napkin Rings

Whether it is a weekend meal or a fancy dinner party with your family, napkin rings are perfect for your table setting. But if you don’t want to spend money to buy them, you can create DIY shrinky dink napkin rings at your home. These napkin rings are budget-friendly, easy to make, and serve various purposes. You can even customize them so that they suit the ambiance of your room and your home style. So spice up your next evening meal or dinner party with these napkin rings and impress your loved ones.

17. 3D Shrinky Dink

You can use shrinky-dink ideas to create amazing and out-of-the-box 3D creations. You can create butterflies and many other creatures using the shrinky dink. If you love flowers, you can even create 3D shrinky dink floral masterpieces to enhance the artistic vibe of your home. When your final product is ready, you won’t be able to believe whether it is real or not. So allow your kids to fill the house with their 3D shrinky dink creations to get it feeling like an art house.

Conclusion

Shrinky dinks are a favorite childhood craft of the people who were born in the 70s. But now you can give it a makeover with the fun shrinky-dink ideas and create pieces you’ll love flaunting to your friends and family.

From napkin rings to necklaces and bracelets to bookmarks, you can make many fun shrinky dink products. You can even gift them to your friends and family as a keepsake. You can even use your own creativity to make them unique and eye-catching. If you need more inspiration for creating the shrinky dink items, you can check out the ideas mentioned above.

Most of these items are easy to make, and you need limited supplies to create them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Create Shrinky Dink Items if You’re a Beginner?

Shrinky dink items are easy to make and cost-effective, and you can create them with limited supplies. You just need to follow the proper instructions to create them perfectly. So whether you’re a beginner or experienced, you can create the shrinky dink items without any problem.

What Should You Keep in Mind to Create Perfect Shrinky Dink Items?

You should choose a good design that aligns well with the final result you’re expecting. It is also important not to bake the shrinky dink item for more than a few minutes, or else it will become very hard, and you won’t get the desired results. Sand the edges of jewelry to ensure you feel comfortable while wearing them.