I haven’t made much since, but I did try a few experiments of my own. Number 1 plastics will not work, they shrink a little but are way too flimsy. I also wondered what would happen if you tried to use the metallic permanent markers, it doesn’t work. When they shrink, it takes all of the metallic sheen out of it.

I also tried using the side of a box, the bumpy side, it will shrink flat, but you can’t use it for making matching sets, it shrinks very un-uniformily.(if that is a word…

I tried using a part of the box that had a strange shape… it just curled up on me, and never un curled.

So these are the things that I’ve learned in my experiments. And I am sure there will be more! I have plenty more plastic where that came from, (the salads and a couple of other things at work come in #6!! I tell all of the kids to give me their empty boxes after lunch!)

I tried to post pictures, but couldn’t get the link right… Oh well.

Thanks again for the instructions!!

Kristin
Reclaiming The Home

My kids made shrinky-dink decorations at a party in December, and we read about the #6 plastic at that time. So every now and then (when we have #6 plastic containers!) I mess around. I learned very quickly that you shouldn’t use washable markers – the color rubs right off (duh!). Since we’d used colored pencils at the party, I tried that, but as you pointed out, you first have to rough up the surface, and that’s such a pain. So I’m sticking to the Sharpies for now.

For what it’s worth, one of the coolest shrinks I’ve had is from a muffin box from our grocery store. I cut out the muffin “cup”. The side are fluted and there’s a neat ridge where the dome changes direction. It shrinks into a flat circle, and the side ridges look like rays around a center. Shrinking seems more uniform when I put it dome up, although both ways work.