Designer shrink jewelry
Fiskars gave us an entire box of fun products to test out this month and we fell in love with their new nifty Intricate Shape Punches! The details in the patterns are amazing and they are super heavy duty. We knew they would work extremely well on paper, but we wanted to give them a whirl on plastic to make shrink jewelry because their designs would be so great to wear!
This is a great way to make affordable, custom jewelry that’s lightweight and easy to wear. You’ll want to save your plastic take out containers—clear ones are perfect. If takeout’s not your thing, simply purchase shrink plastic at your local craft store.
Now we have to be upfront about the process here and give a disclaimer:
We are known for using tools for things other than they are meant for and these punches are no exception. They are supposed to be used for card stock and not plastic and we have to admit that it is not exactly easy to get your shapes to come out.
Because of the heavy plastic and intricate detail–it took some elbow grease to press down hard and we had to tap on the details underneath the punch to get it to release the design. Luckily the punches are heavy duty and didn’t seem to mind our abuse. And the extra work is definitely worth it! What you are left with are polished and professional looking pieces that you can spray paint with whatever color you want to match your style. How fun is that?
- Fiskars Fancy Flier Intricate Shape Punch OR Fiskars Neutron Dance Intricate Shape Punch
- Fiskars Mixed Media Shears
- plastic takeout boxes or clear shrink plastic
- parchment paper
- needle nose pliers
- jump rings, chain
- spray paint suitable for plastic (optional)
- Preheat a toaster oven or regular oven to 350 degrees.
- Make cutouts using a Fiskars Intricate Shape Punch.
- Place cutouts on a parchment-lined baking sheet then bake approximately 1 minute or until they lay flat and become hard. It may take slightly longer if using a regular oven.
- Remove from oven and cool 15 seconds.
- Leave clear or apply 1 coat of spray paint and allow them to dry.
- Once dry, twist jump rings open with needle nose pliers and link finished cutouts together by inserting the jump rings through holes.
- Cut chain to desired length using Fiskars Mixed Media Shears, attach to finished cutouts then attach closing clasp and wear!
