I remember when I was a little girl going to the department store and buying ShrinkyDinks. I would color them meticulously and then, with wide eyed amazement, watch through a lite oven door as they magically wiggled and jumped....and finally shrunk. I remember that feeling of awe and wouldn't you know it... I still get that wide eyed, heart thumping feeling of awe when I create something with my stamps and Polyshrink!
I thought it would be fun to try it with my scalloped punch and my Papertrey Ink stamps. I had a blast! Ella (5) and I made charms and an array of other little things. (no surprise that the one she made has a crown. LOL!)
To start I lightly sanded the clear Polyshrink then stamped (in Black and Summer Sunrise Palette Ink) my dots from Polka Dot Basics, Dotted rectangle from Borders & Corners {circle}, and the Wish sentiment from the Eat Cake (All by Papertrey Ink) The next step was to let it set for a few moments. I noticed slight bleeding when it was drying and made note to try it without sanding next time... which worked better actually. I think the problem I had was I used a corse grit instead of a fine as reccomended.
One of the things I love about my Marvy punches is how they make it easy to see where you need to punch as well and having some serious power in its punch! I do recommend that after using them on such thick and dull material you punch out some tin foil to sharpen the punch a bit. (I used a 1/2 inch circle punch to create a hole in the charm also for ribbon to pass through.)
There are several ways to heat shrink plastic. There is the oven of course... but for me, Heating up the hole oven for just a few minutes seems wasteful. So I use a method that an old friend shared with me when I was just learning how to play with PolyShrink.
I cover up a cutting board with foil then use a kabob stick to lightly hold the little charm down. Next I use my heat tool to start the reaction. Now... please know that it will curl and try to get away from you. Be patient while it does it's business, making sure you don't poke into the plastic.
Here is the finished charm!
I decided since I had used the clear plastic that I could under-layer with white to help POP out the sentiment.I also wanted to add some additional contrast so I added a black scalloped rectange (yellow marvy punch). I used cotton thread to tie the ribbon ends together then added a brad wrapped around it to give it a more finished feel! You'll also note the use of the dots from Polka Dot basics and Faux Ribbon to coordinate the elements together.
I also chose this sentiment from Birthday Greetings for the front because this card will actually be a graduation card and this sentiment is perfect for that person that is headed away for their first year at college!
and finally, the finished card! Simple but full of well wishes!
Supplies, All from Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.
- Stamps- Eat Cake, Polka Dot Basics, Borders & Corners {rectangle},Birthday Greetings, Faux Ribbon
- Ink- Summer Sunrise, Black Noir
- Paper- SUmmer Sunrise, Stampers Select White, Black (SU)
- Other- Summer Sunrise Swiss Dot ribbon, Pink and yellow scalloped Rectangle Punch (Marvy), 1/2 inch circle punch (Marvy), scalloped blade with papert Trimming Buddy (Marvy), black brad (creative impressions), cotton thread.
Now... with all that playing I HAD to share one of the other things we made! Our cat Mozart is a sneaky fellow and needs to wear a collar because he likes to jet outside. (We keep him inside unless we can accompany him because he is super allergic to bees... he got stung once and his paw swelled up to the size of a lemon! it was scary!) We never invested in a tag that had his name, just his registration. So here is what I came up with!!!
isn't he "Charming! heehee! I love how the scallops stay and give the edges a cozy feel. I used both Ambassador and Trajan Alphabets (Papertrey) for this tag. (I edited out my phone number... its not like that IRL.)
Ok... now its your turn to break out the Papertrey Stamps,PolyShrink and the scalloped punches! I can't wait to see what you create!
Lisa
Wow! The card is beautiful! I don't have the punches...wonder if I can run my polyshrink through my cuttlebug?
Posted by: snarflemarfle | June 06, 2008 at 04:54 AM
I love this idea...so darn cute!! I am going to have to go pick me up some poly-shrink!!! smiles...
Posted by: Christi | June 06, 2008 at 04:58 AM
Ooooo! This is beautiful! Never tried polyshrink - it makes me nervous to tell you the truth....but this is wonderful!
Posted by: Bonnie Sharp | June 06, 2008 at 04:58 AM
Wow! I love the colors and the shrinky dink charm is a sweet reminder of a fun activity I used to love when I was a kid! Thanks for the inspiration! You are a very talented lady! :)
Posted by: Edith Demshar | June 06, 2008 at 05:01 AM
What a great card Lisa! Also, what a handsome chap Mozart is - I LOVE his scalloped tag, fabulous!
Posted by: Ruth M | June 06, 2008 at 05:03 AM
The card is gorgeous and I am so going to have to make some of those poly shrink tags for my cat and dog, dogs name is Daisy so I should have some fun with that. thanks for the inspiration.
Posted by: Susy | June 06, 2008 at 05:04 AM
both projects are great! what a cool idea to use it for a animal tag!
SueD
Posted by: SueD | June 06, 2008 at 05:05 AM
Wow! What a great idea. this made me think that I had left over tags from the tag maker that I sold because I never used. I just found about 6 pkgs of the blanks and was going to put them in the next tag sale. Guess what I made a tag like yours and Voila! Beauty. Thanks for the great inspiration.
Posted by: Lesa | June 06, 2008 at 05:39 AM
You are so freakin' talented, you amaze me constantly - and I'm LOVIN' this card!
Posted by: Sue B | June 06, 2008 at 05:51 AM
Cute cute cute! Love Mozarts tag! Where on earth did you find the super adorable tiny scalloped punch?
Posted by: Debby | June 06, 2008 at 05:54 AM
amazing! i have never used the shrinky stuff. it looks fun.
Posted by: veronica | June 06, 2008 at 05:56 AM
What fun! And what a lucky cat to have a designer name doodad on his collar!
LeAnne
Posted by: LeAnne | June 06, 2008 at 06:00 AM
Lisa....WOW...I love this card!!!!!
Posted by: Tammi Clapper | June 06, 2008 at 06:17 AM
I really like this card. Everything about it is eye popping. Then we move on to your kitty. I could hardly believe the name. We had a black cat several years ago named Mozart! He is my favorite composer. Thanks for blessing my day! :)
Posted by: ShariW | June 06, 2008 at 06:47 AM
Such a darling card, Leese! I love all the polka dots! I recently went thru all my papers and put my poly shrink in a place where I'll remember to use them! it's been too long!
And Mozart does look quite charming!
Posted by: Emily | June 06, 2008 at 07:21 AM
Great projects! I especially love Mozart's collar tag. My daughters and I have been making polyshrink jewelry charms lately. And to answer the question in the first comment - YES, you can put the polyshrink through your Cuttlebug. Nestabilities work great on it!
Posted by: Chris (cdjkssss) | June 06, 2008 at 07:31 AM
AWESOME!!! I soooo need to try this. My daughter would love making a tag for our kitty.
Posted by: Jennifer | June 06, 2008 at 07:32 AM
Love the card, AND the kitty charm! And the kitty! What a great idea...if only I could get mine to leave their collars on! They paw them off with their rear feet! :(
Posted by: diane mcvey | June 06, 2008 at 07:33 AM
I am always so excited to receive your emails! It is like opening a birthday present!! Thanks for sharing your awesome gifts!
Posted by: Pamela Johnson | June 06, 2008 at 07:57 AM
So cute!
Mozart is adorable & looks like he's loving his new tag!!
Posted by: Erin Bassett | June 06, 2008 at 08:35 AM
Thought your Mozart cat and tag were both adorable. I made shrink plastic tags for my cats years ago and I found they don't last very long. Sad, but true. So, after a few rounds of shrink plastic name tags in an all too short a time, I went the metal tag route. We, too, only let the cats out when we can supervise them in our fenced back yard, but alas, those shrink plastic tags still take a beating. If you find a way to make them last longer, I'm all ears.
Posted by: Cheri Miller | June 06, 2008 at 08:38 AM
I will have to break out the shrink platic and punches now, these projects are too cute, as well as your cat! :)
Posted by: Conniecrafter | June 06, 2008 at 08:50 AM
Love the polyshrink tags! What a pretty kitty, too!
Posted by: Niki Estes | June 06, 2008 at 08:51 AM
Cute card and cute cat! Love the name! Keep the ideas flowing straight to us!
Posted by: Janet C. | June 06, 2008 at 08:52 AM
what an awesome project! love them shrinky dink!
Posted by: mj | June 06, 2008 at 08:59 AM
LOVE YOUR TECHNIQUE ON SHRINKY DINKS AND YOU MADE ME WANT TO TRY IT AGAIN. THAT FELINE OF YOURS IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! CAN YOU TELL I HAVE A THING FOR TIGER CATS! OUR LAST THREE WERE MINNIE, MOLLY AND NELLIE.
Posted by: Sandy in NH | June 06, 2008 at 10:18 AM
Great card and the name tag is just way too cute! Love it! Thanks for sharing all your wonderful creations with us! I am a regular and happy visitor!!!
Posted by: Teresa | June 06, 2008 at 10:18 AM
Leese this is super CUTE!! The tag for Mozart is adorable too. Thanks for sharing!!
Posted by: Maria | June 06, 2008 at 11:15 AM
These are so cute! I should get some more of that---it's been years since I have played with that. I LOVE the color scheme and those polka dots are yummy! When I used to heat them, I used my toaster oven---it only heats up a small space and the kids could watch through the window! Thanks for reminding me of this!
Posted by: Kathleen | June 06, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Love the idea and the tag. TFS your tips.
Posted by: Joyce Casaldi | June 06, 2008 at 12:00 PM
Oh! your tag is adorable! My daughters have been punching out paper name tags for their webkins and other small stuffed animals. They will love joining in and playing with polyshrink!
Posted by: Christin Buhlig | June 06, 2008 at 12:22 PM
Lisa - your card is beautiful! Love Mozart's tag too!! Thanks for sharing all the info, I used to love playing with shrinky dinks and forget to use them. You've inspired me to pull them out again and play a little.
Thanks again! Looking forward to seeing your sneak peeks and new stamp set next week!
Posted by: Shari | June 06, 2008 at 01:07 PM
just adorable!!
Mozart is such a cutie! Love the way he modeled his name tag for the camera!
Posted by: Nancy | June 06, 2008 at 02:12 PM
Love this! I have a lot of polyshrink and have only tried it once - this inspires me to pull it off the shelf and dust it off! thanks for the inspiration!
Posted by: Julia (Artystamper on SCS) | June 06, 2008 at 03:39 PM
How adorable, Love the layer under the tag, like dsp underneath clear buttons! and Mozart is so handsome! What a great kitteh model!
funny thing is-a few years ago when shrink plastic was so hot before in the SU world, I thought how cute would pet tags be then saw that they used to sell a preprinted tag kit you write on and shrink at one of our local pet stores. I thought, HEY why didn't I think of marketing that before they did?
and if you don't have any shrinky plastic, the #6 plastics (strawberry containers, some bubble packaging) is the same chemical makeup and will shrink too! It's fun I tried it last weekend.
Posted by: stampylisa | June 06, 2008 at 07:17 PM
What a fabulous design on the card. I love everything about it, and I really want to try what you did with the ribbon.
Love the cat tag too! I could use some of those in my household.
barb
Posted by: Barb | June 07, 2008 at 09:18 AM
This is such a simple yet elegant card I am going to have to case in many colors. However, I love the colors you used. I hope I have good luck with the shrinky dink paper, I have yet to get a good charm from it and I too played with the little oven as a kid it was my favorite toy. Lost my touch I guess.
Posted by: Tammi | June 07, 2008 at 10:18 AM
Oh..this is such a cute idea. And your Mozart is adorable! I love his tag too!
Posted by: jules | June 07, 2008 at 10:20 AM
That is one really handsome cat! He does look a little pampered, don't ya think? Lucky you, lucky him. - Nimmy
Posted by: Nimue | June 07, 2008 at 06:44 PM
Cool idea for using the shrinky dink; incorporating into the card. I'll have to give that a try.
Mozart is very cute; his fur is so pretty.
Posted by: Elaine | June 08, 2008 at 05:48 AM
What a great idea! You've inspired me to make some tags. I have made a few plain ones in the past. I like your ideas. Is the white backing and the black scalloped back paper?
Whomever asked if you could cut shrink plastic with your cuttlebug, you can! I have done it using Nessties and cuttlebug.
Posted by: Joan | June 08, 2008 at 08:37 AM
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for the tips. Love the card! I made a black, yellow, and white card yesterday.
Angie
Posted by: angie | June 08, 2008 at 02:50 PM
WOW! I love this! I want to run to Michael's right now for some Shrinky Dinks! Great project! I love the simple design!
You got a Shout Out for Tutorial Tuesday over at Card of the Week.com. You can check out the original post at http://www.cardoftheweek.com/2008/06/tutorial-tues-1.html
Posted by: Susanna | June 11, 2008 at 06:34 AM