“Enameled” Pinwheel Charms

I just dropped Kellie off at the airport.

**tear and sniff**

We had such a great weekend… sightseeing, shopping, eating, and… crafting.

Yes, I suckered her into a crafting session. I’ve missed having creative company! A visit from my bestie was the perfect crafting jumpstart that I needed.

I’ve had this idea floating in my head for a while and was waiting for the right time to give it a try – “enameled” Shrinky Dink pinwheel charms.

Isn’t it adorable?

I love pinwheels. I “pin” them as often as I see them. They are such happy little things!

We would both label this project a challenge and a success (and I have the burns to prove it!).

Here’s how we made our charms.

Start with a 2″ x 2″ square of Shrinky Dink material. Cut four slits from the exterior corners to the near-middle of the square.

Punch a hole in one corner.

Heat your oven and shrink per product directions.

Here’s where it gets tricky… and dangerous…

Right as your plastic lays flat, open the oven and begin to fold in the edges towards the center as shown below. You have to work very quickly or the plastic will become to hard to fold into shape.

I burned myself several times during our various trials – so, trust me, it’s dangerous work!

We made several attempts before figuring out the proper technique for working with the plastic.

File the tips of the pinwheel just a bit because the edges are very sharp.

Paint your piece with nail polish just as you would a manicure – several thin coats and a top coat. Allow each to dry thoroughly.

We inserted toothpicks into our punched hole to make painting all sides easier.

Add a jump ring and you’re done!

Now that we’ve worked through this project, I can think of 1,000 ways to make it even more creative with painting techniques. I’m thinking polka dots… glitter… stripes… ahhhhhh!!!! There is so much fun to be had!

I’m tempted to try more 3D Shrinky Dink projects after our success with this one. Any ideas? Send them my way, please!