So way back in 2008, one of the first big “experiments in craft” I did for Dabbled was what I called the Shrinky Dink Test Lab.  I had run across the idea for using #6 plastic to make homemade shrink plastic (aka ‘Shrinky Dinks’) at various places on the crafty webs, but I decided to delve a little deeper.  I started with a basic project (Doodle Charm Earrings), and that led to other questions.  What about coloring with other materials like colored pencils?  How do you seal your plastic afterwards so the marker doesn’t rub off?  And successes and failures in all this also led to interesting effects that could be achieved.

So flash forward to 2012.   Blogs are prettier and fancier now, and more professional looking.  We have Pinterest and Facebook and all kinds of visually focused sharing tools.  The technology is cooler now.  Dabbled gets a bunch more traffic than it did back then.  I ran across a really cute tutorial to make a shrinky bracelet and it made me look back  at  these old Shrinky Dink Test Lab posts and they just look so ….old.   Well, I’m not going to totally redo them or anything, but I did think that perhaps an index of them was in order, for better referencing in the future, and maybe some pretty graphics, too –in case you guys..um…I don’t know… wanna Pin this? ;)

Part 1: HOW TO- Doodle Charms – Jewelry from recycled plastic

This section is a good basic tutorial on how to make shrinky jewerly from old takeout containers, with just sharpies, scissors, a hole punch, and a bit of creativity.  Be sure to read the comments, there are extra tips there about how long to heat them, and whether there are issues with fumes, and some other good points.

Part 2: What would happen if..? (The Shrinky Dink Test Lab)

This section is the first of the experiments.  We cover several cool ideas, like drawing on the front and back of the plastic.  Also we tried several ways of sealing the charm, which produced different effects.  You could totally incorporate these effects into your design.  The comments include several good suggestions for other methods of sealing the shrinky.

Part 3: More experimentation in the Shrinky Dink Test Lab

The second day of odd experiments included what would happen if you sealed the shrinky PRIOR to shrinking, as well as a really neat effect using spraypaint.  We also shrink non-flat plastic (the side of a to-go box) and make a ring out of it.  And we combine several of the techniques to make a giant suncatcher, seeing just how big a shrinky we can make!  Finally, we use colored pencils, rather than Sharpies, to color our design.

Part 4 of the Shrinky Dink Test lab: Successful sealing.. maybe

This is the post where the commenters really come through.  Not only do we have the (mixed) results of my sealing using polyurethane, the commenter pipe up with a bunch of other solutions, and several do their own tests to really give us all the data.  If you’re interested in sealing, this is the post to read (including the comments).

Shrinky Dinkies – Special Edition : Make Wraparound Wine Glass Markers

This is not really part of the test lab, but was a fun project tutorial to make temporary wine glass markers.  Plus the idea of doing a shrinky making party with your friends!

Some Other Shrinky Projects:

• Eco-friendly Charm Bracelet
• Christmas Ornament Template and Tutorial

So here are a few of the most popular in the last 30 days (counting down the top 8- if I have time tomorrow I’ll do some more–I should be working on my Dalek cake right now, but I’m procrastinating…)

How to Make a Paper Graduation Cap

This one makes total sense, since it’s June and we’ve just had Graduation season going on.  This is a quick and easy cardboard ‘mortar board’ perfect for kids graduation ceremonies.

Tumblr as a Portfolio Platform (How to)

I believe this tutorial may be slightly out of date, but it remains quite popular.  I’ve moved on to WordPress myself!

The Homemade (#6 Plastic recycled) faux Shrinky Dinks project 

This was a four part series of experiments around making, coloring, and sealing items made out of #6 Plastic.  Remains quite popular (for some reason, page 4 shows up in the top 10, but I’m linking to the start of the series here, for ease of reading).  There are several other faux-shrinky projects around here too, including: HAPPY FOURTH! (SHRINKIE GLASS MARKERS & HOLIDAY LINK ROUNDUP) and HOW TO MAKE A LOVELY ECO-FRIENDLY DISC BRACELET

Fusing Plastic: Make disposal grocery bags into a cool crafting material

This was a great tutorial by the very talented Brooke, of So She Sews.  Dabbled has had some AWESOME guest bloggers. She take the ubiquitous thin tan plastic grocery bags and turns them into an interesting material that can be used to make all kinds of cool items.

Perry the Platypus Cake

This tutorial for The Boy’s birthday cake, two years ago, remains one of the most popular items on the site– and it’s one of my favorite cakes I’ve ever done.  And yep, right now I should be working on his Dalek Cake which is needed for this weekend’s party.  That’s coming soon, but I’m having some ‘fails’ with my prototyping!

How to make an Awesome Flower Pinata

This was another great guest post- by Joanne of Ready, Set, Craft!-, and since this pinata is perfect for Cinco de Mayo, that might have been why it was popular last month.   But really, it would be great for any summer party, or a little girl birthday.

The Phineas & Ferb Perry Cake, but made from Twinkies!

After I published my Perry Cake (above) several readers tried their hand at it… And this reader (Janelle) decided to modify it, to make it from storebought Twinkie snack cakes.  Inspired!