Shrink Plastic Adventures

Ever since my bookbinding course last weekend, my brain has been very much on making books - I'm dying to get going on it, but of course needed to order some resources in.  In the meantime, I've been playing with shrink plastic.  I've had a mixture of success with this.

I bought 2 types of laser printable shrink plastic from Crafty Computer Paper - white and clear. The plastic is really easy to use - you simply print your design on them, cut them out and pop them in a moderate to hot oven for two minutes, with paper either side of the designs, until they shrink.  They end up about a quarter of their original size.  They curl up while shrinking, and then when done should go flat again.  I've learnt through trial and error that it's a good idea to put something like a cooling rack over the plastics to help it stop curling.

I've had real differing successes between the white and clear.  Take a look at this picture, and you'll see that the white shrink plastic has shrunk unevenly and created an elongated flower, but the clear has worked brilliantly (that's the red flower on the left!)  Does anyone know why this may be?!  I had the fan going in the oven, should I turn the fan off?

However, I did make a big mistake with the clear shrinkies as well, in that I forgot to make the holes before shrinking - Aaarggh!!

Loving playing around with them though, and I have definitely not stopped yet.  I've always lots of ideas going round in my head.  I've made this cute Shrinkie Flowers card out of them (and I remembered to make the holes before shrinking!)

Shrinkie Flowers

What I love, is that those little flowers can be used as buttons afterwards!

Will carry on with my shrinkies experimenting, along with my book making, but really need to concentrate on making some Christmas cards now for PaperToots - and it's not quite September yet!

Jane x