Here's a fun project to share with your kids or your friends, and provide unique jewelry, package decorations or card embellishments for your holiday use. We have had fun creating earrings, pins, and glue-on embellishments for cards. The actual size of the finished shrunk piece will be 45% of the original stamp size.

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Holiday Pins made with Polyshrink

Dragonfly Earrings made with Polyshrink

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click for a large version of this card   Cards Embellished with Polyshrink Images

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Here are some tips for successful stamping with polyshrink:

• If you are going to color your image with chalk or watercolor pencils, sand the sheet first with sandpaper in a crosshatch pattern.

• Stamp the image onto the PolyShrink with Memories Black or Fabrico black ink. Heat set lightly with your heat tool (not enough to start the melting process, just enough to dry the ink so that it cannot be smeared while you are adding color).

• Color the image with chalk, markers, or watercolor pencils. Remember, in the shrinking process, the colors will deepen quite a bit, so use light and pastel shades.

• If you are not planning to color in a stamped image, sanding is not necessary. Simply stamp the image onto the PolyShrink with one or more colors of Memories ink. Also try coloring the rubber die of the stamp with several shades of pigmented markers and stamping it onto the PolyShrink.

• Cut out the image just beyond the outer design line.

• Punch holes in the image if desired for earrings or to add beads, etc. A 1/8" circle punch is perfect for a wire or thread opening. Remember, the size of the hole will shrink also.

• Place the piece onto a piece of wax paper, wood or glass. Unbend a paper clip and use it as a tool for holding the piece in place while heating. Place your holding tool in the center of the piece. Apply heat from your heat tool. Heat until the image curls up into a ball and then opens back out again

• Or...bake on a medium weight cardboard or teflon sheet. (Not on bare metal.) Bake in a regular or toaster oven at 300 to 350 degrees for approximately 3 minutes.

• Expect PolyShrink to curl and move during baking or heating. Occasionally a piece may stick to itself as it shrinks. To separate, allow the piece to cool, and pull gently. You will hear a tiny "snap" as the joint comes apart. You can now reheat the piece and finish shrinking. Baked PolyShrink is very pliable while hot. It can be smoothed flat using cardboard or shaped over a variety of objects.

• Add highlights with glitter glue, metallic rub-ons or pearl ex if desired.