Do remember Shrinky Dinks? As a kid, I loved making jewelry from Shrinky Dinks so I figured my kids might enjoy making a similar retro-style craft, and we came up with this shell garland made from shrink plastic sheets.
Your will enjoy the easy process of making the garland. Your kids will enjoy putting their own spin on it by choosing their favorite colors or illustrating the "shells." Just follow our easy instructions for a great craft for a rainy afternoon or after school.
MORE: Take a look at our favorite retro crafts for kids!
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Materials
- Shrink plastic sheets. You can use Shrinky Dink brand sheets, but there are a lot of copy cat sheets out there.
- Colored pencils, or markers
- Scissors
- Hole punch. A hole puncher with a soft grip handle is so much nicer than metal!
- Baking tray
- Thread or thin ribbon
Instructions
1. Draw circles onto the plastic sheets. They do not need to be exact circles. You can free hand the circles or trace them, if you prefer. Be sure to draw a variety of sizes for visual interest.
2. Using the colored pencils or markers, color in the circles. If desired, add drawings or designs to each circle.
4. Cut out plastic circles and use the hole puncher to put a hole in each one.
5. Arrange the circles on a piece of parchment paper set on a baking tray.
6. Follow the baking instructions that are on the package of shrink plastic sheets. Turn your ventilator fan on high!
7. When out of the oven and cooled, cut a piece thread to your desired length, with a little extra for tying off.
Our circles really curled up! At first I was disappointed that they weren't flat but the curled shapes reminded me of shells so we decided to call it a "shell garland."
8. Weave the thread through the shrink plastic shells' holes. Tie a knot around each hole so each shell remains at the desired spacing on the garland.
9. Finally, hang your shiny shell garland in a window where the sun can shine through it.
MORE: Painting project using recyclables
Variations
This project could so easily be adapted for so many purposes like a holiday garland, just by cutting different shapes and using different colors.
How lovely would it be to see the sun shining through a window filled with multiple shell garlands!
If you don't want to purchase shrink plastic sheets, experiment with #6 plastics that are headed for the recycle bin. Be sure to clean and dry thoroughly before coloring. Use a 325 degree oven and watch carefully. This type of plastic will shrink unevenly, but for a shell garland like ours, it may not matter very much.
Be sure to check out more great indoor activities for tweens!
First published 2012, updated 2023.
maryanne @ mama smiles says
I confess I was a but surprised to see the word plastic on your blog! I've never used stinky sinks, but had no idea they could curl up like that!
maryanne @ mama smiles says
Lol shrinky dinks! Hazards of phone typing...