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Shrink It
 Do
you love all the acrylic and plastic embellishments you see in scrapbook
stores but can't afford to buy them all? Do the colors not quite
work with your photos? Now you can make acrylic embellishments yourself
using shrink plastic. I used shrink art as my subtitle design in
the layout example shown here, but you can use shrink art in many
ways on your layouts. You can:
- create charms and hang them from a tag or photo mat
- make your own buttons
- create custom mini-frames
- create miniature lettering from your favorite fonts and alphabet
stamps
- design other one-of-a-kind accents to use as embellishments
on your pages
By following these simple instructions, you too can create one-of-a-kind
miniature embellishments for your scrapbook pages.
- Sand.Sand the sheet of shrink plastic with 320-400 grit
sandpaper or a sanding block. Sanding provides a rough surface
for ink to adhere to, preventing the ink from beading up or smearing.
- Apply design and color. Stamp an image or trace an image
from a piece of clip art onto your shrink plastic.
- When stamping an image, use either a heat-setting ink such
as Colorbox Pigment Inks or Fabrico, or a permanent pigment
ink such as PSX Home Decor Ink or Zim Ink.
- If using chalks, be sure to use non-oil chalk pastels.
- To color designs, use markers, such as Pilot or Sharpie,
or colored pencils, such as Prismacolor or Crayola.
- Cut. Cut out your design and punch any holes (i.e. if
you are going to use your images as charms you will need to punch
a hole).
- Bake. Bake on medium-weight cardboard or a Teflon baking
sheet at 300 to 350 degrees in a regular or toaster oven for 3
to 4 minutes. You may also use a heat gun to shrink the plastic.
Be sure to keep the heat tool moving to get even shrinking.
- To seal your shrink art and prevent the ink from smearing,
use a non-acrylic spray such as Krylon Matte.
Different
types of shrink plastic will produce different looks. Shrink plastic
comes in four different types:
Clear - allows you to see through the finished piece
Translucent - creates a soft look
Canvas White - produces crisp colors and high contrast (see
example)
Black - provides a dramatic backdrop
Shrink art is a fun way to add embellishments with texture to your
scrapbook pages. Whatever style of shrink plastic you use, you're
sure to be pleased with the unique results. Give it a try!
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