Crafty technique ~ Shrink plastic....

Shrink plastic never ceases to amaze me! Never heard of it?  As the name suggests it's plastic that shrinks but let me show you more about it and why I think it is so cool....

You can buy shrink plastic from most craft stores and websites, it is sometimes found in the kids craft area and it is something you can do with the kids but with supervision.

You can buy it clear, translucent and in black, for this demo I used translucent 

I've written Live and Laugh and cut them into rectangles before shrinking.

I use a heat tool to shrink the plastic on a heat proof surface. To stop it from blowing away I used the end of a paint brush to keep it on my mat.  You don't need a heat tool instead you can use an oven, the instructions are on the packet, but not a hair dryer, it's not hot enough and a heat tool's air flow is more intense.

Don't Panic! it will shrivel up but as it shrinks it will go back flat.  Just make sure it doesn't stick to itself, if it does use a tool to gently separate or snip with scissors, don't use your fingers, it's hot!

And it's shrunk! It won't go completely flat but you can use a book to rest on it whilst it is still hot, again I speak from experience, don't use your hands, ouch!!

The "Live" has shrunk from 13cm to 5cm, it's magic! It is also thicker and I find the writing looks neater too.

I used these letters on a wall hanging.  These hangings have proved popular at craft fairs and this one is now available in my Folksy  and Etsy shops .

You can also stamp on to shrink plastic.  You need a StazOn ink which is a solvent based ink designed for non-porous surfaces.

To avoid slipping you can gently sand the plastic to give it more grip.

I coloured the flower with Promarkers but any alcohol pen will work.  I cut the flower out and shrunk with my heat tool as before.

Oops! Make sure your heat proof surface is clean so there is nothing for the plastic to stick to otherwise this will happen!

There is so much you can do with shrink plastic! I have been using it for wall hangings and card embellishments but next I want to make jewellery with it.

Shrink plastic is cool! right?

fizzi~jayne x