Shrinky Dink Ornaments
These Shrinky Dink ornaments are SO EASY and super fun to make. Just trace one of our free printable templates, colour, and bake! It’s so cool to watch the colourful figures shrink into adorable, holiday treasures.
These DIY ornaments are perfect for a kid-friendly Christmas craft or a fun throwback project if you loved Shrinky Dinks growing up! Hang these festive shrink plastic ornaments on your tree, tie them onto gifts, or string a few together to make a cute holiday garland!
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How to Make Shrinky Dink Ornaments
Materials:
- Free Printable Shrinky Dink Ornaments Template(find more patterns below the tutorial)
- Frosted white shrink plastic sheets(oven-shrinkable)
- Permanent markers
- Fine tipped black marker
- Metallic baker’s twine
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Set up the shrink plastic sheet
- Print one of our free Shrinky Dink ornament templates.Find the link for the Santa ornament in the materials list above, or scroll down below the tutorial for more ornament shapes.
- Tape the corners of the template to your working surface.
- Place a piece of shrink plastic over the template and tape its corners down as well.You should be able to see the template through the shrink film.
Step 3: Colour the ornament
- Colour in the picture on the shrink plastic sheet using permanent markers. Leave anything you want to be white blank.
- Trace the detail lines of the template using a black permanent marker.
Step 4: Cut out the shape
- Cut out the ornament shape, along the outline of the picture.
- Use a one hole punch to punch a hole at the top of your ornament.
Step 5: Bake the ornament
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set your ornament on top.Place the baking sheet in the oven, following package instructions for time and temperature.
- Leave the Shrinky Dink ornament in the oven until it shrinks, curls, and flattens out again. Ours took about 3 minutes.
Step 6: Add an ornament hanger
- Cut an 8 to 10 inch piece of string or ribbon. Thread it through the hole at the top of the ornament and tie the two ends together in a knot.
- Your Shrinky Dink ornament is complete!
Helpful Tips:
- If your ornament doesn’t completely flatten during baking, gently press it flat with a flipper spatula as soon as it comes out of the oven, before it has a chance to cool.
- You can also draw your own Christmas shapes on the shrink film! Just remember to make the original shape 3 times larger than you want your Shrinky Dink ornament to be.
Get our free printable Shrinky Dink ornament templates:
The links below will take you to our free, printable Shrinky Dink ornaments templates! The PDF files will open in a new window. Then simply print the templates on 8.5 x 11 (letter size) printer paper.
>>> Penguin Shrinky Dink Ornament Template <<<
>>> Snowman Shrinky Dink Ornament Template <<<
>>> Santa Shrinky Dink Ornament Template <<<
How can I see the Shrinky Dink ornament template more clearly through the shrink plastic?
If you’re having trouble seeing your template through the shrink plastic, try taping your pages to a window or lightboard. The light coming through will help the template show more clearly through the shrink plastic.
How much do the shrink plastic ornaments shrink down?
Different brands of shrink plastic will reduce by different amounts. Ours reduced to about 1/3 of the original size of the template.
If you’re drawing your own ornament, be sure to draw it at least 3 times as big as you want the finished ornament to be. The ornament will also become thicker as it shrinks!
What can I use to colour my Shrinky Dink ornaments?
Permanent markers, whether water or alcohol based, are recommended for colouring Shrinky Dink crafts. You can also use paint pens or coloured pencils on shrink plastic!
You shouldn’t use washable markers on shrink film. The colour will bead up and easily smudge off.
Deck the halls with these super fun Shrinky Dink Christmas ornaments! Just grab one (or all) of our free Shrinky Dink ornament templates and watch them transform into adorable mini keepsakes. These DIY ornaments will definitely have you feeling like a kid on Christmas morning!
Here’s even more baked Christmas ornament ideas:
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
