DIY Marbled Pendants

Okay, so earlier this week we established that I am basically obsessed with shrinky dinks right?  Well I just really can't help myself, I've been using them again!  

 Does anyone else see a dragon in this one or is it just me??

 

First, check out this video tutorial on how to marble glass with nail polish.  I saw something similar a while back on Pinterest but I couldn't get a good handle on how it actually worked.  The video makes it seem really easy but it shows the general process.  

I didn't actually take any photos during because you have to move really fast to get them to turn out...I mean really fast...no dilly dallying allowed here.

 There is a lot of trial and error involved in this, or at least for me.  The video makes it look really simple but it took me about a million tries to actually get one to turn out well.

I used an old jar lid with water to make mine.  You really don't need much water maybe 1/2", just enough to keep the nail polish suspended and keep it from touching the container bottom.

The video says to use a few drops of clear nail polish first which honestly did not work well for me.  I think the problem was that my clear polish is supposed to dry in 60 seconds, so it formed this kind of dry film almost instantly when it hit the water.  And when the polish is dry it causes problems...I ended up just using a drop of the blue polish first, which spread out completely and then did alternating drops from there.

You will have to play around with your polish a bit because each polish has a different consistency and will spread differently.  For example, the blue polish spread really quickly but the silver was thicker and slower moving.

But you want to do it as fast as you can because once it starts to dry you won't be able to run your toothpick through it to get the marbling effect.  It basically becomes this dry nail polish film on top of the water which is basically useless.  Which happened to me a LOT.  But don't give up!  I could only make 2 the first night I tried and when I tried again the next day I cranked out the next 4 pretty quickly.

Oh, and to dip the pendants, I just used a little bit of clay, stuck it to the back and dipped.  You do want to dip at an angle to avoid air bubbles then I just gently dabbed the water droplets with a paper towel so it could dry.  

I think I will have to play around with this technique more...once you get the hang of it it's really fun to keep making them.  They could make really unique little charms for favors or gifts too. 

Linking up here. 

DIY Bunting Necklace

Have I mentioned lately how much I like shrinky dinks?  Or how much I like buntings?  Well I do, like them...a lot.  There's about a million different thing you can do with shrinky dinks and buntings just make me happy.  They're always so cheery. 

 

So I'm combining the two...into one awesome shrinky dink bunting necklace!   Sorry for the lack of 'before' photos it seems a bit weird to take photos of something that's clear...  But basically, cut out some triangles, punch holes, and bake as instructed. 

 Once they're cool, you can paint them with some fingernail polish and add your jump rings. 

You could even rearrange the triangles if you feel like something more tribal...  

And that's it!!  Linking up here. 

tutorial: color blocked bird pendant

did you play with shrinky dink as a kid?  the first time i used it, it was for a school project making some weird stained glass thingy.  but i remember it being sooo cool when i watched through the oven window as that piece of plastic curled and twisted like it was possessed and came out this cool little plastic pendant.  well i'd forgotten about it for a while but it seems to be coming back again-or maybe i'm just now noticing it again.  anyway, i love bird silhouettes so i'm combining that with the neon and color block trend i've been seeing everywhere!

first, obviously, decide on the design.  i went with a swallow silhouette from The Graphics Fairy.  i sized the image down to about 6 inches.  trace your design onto the shrinky dink and cut it out-don't forget to punch a hole for the jump ring.  

bake as per instructions and you should end up with a little mini swallow!

i used some coral fingernail polish to give it a sort of enameled look.  it's actually deceivingly difficult to get an even coat and since it's hawaii dry time is practically tripled.

once the base coat has dried, tape off parts for the second color.  paint your second color, let it dry and remove the tape.

 attach the jump ring and your little swallow is ready to go!

linking up with these craftastic blogs here
happy crafting!!