Monday, December 3, 2012

Dare to Make Homemade - Geometric Necklace

I like the idea of handmade gifts. Occassionally, I am even inspired to make one. Most of the time I start something and halfway through realize it's gonna suck, or at the very least take way more time than I've allowed myself. At a certain point, you have to ask yourself if your homemade gift is really worth the time and effort. Not because the recipient isn't totally worth it, but because you don't want to give them something you wouldn't love to get yourself just because you've wasted a ton of time and craft supplies energy making something that is meh.

Lucky for me (and you, should you make this for someone too), this gift took just a bit of time, a few supplies you might have on hand, and not too much skill! And it is still something I would give a friend without apology.



My inspiration for this project was these geometric necklaces.

1   /   2   /   3   /   4

I immediately thought this could be done with shrinky dinks. Lucky for me, I am an adult who has that sort of thing on hand!

Yeah, I play with shrinky dinks. I have an extensive assortment of play-doh in my home also. And legos. I like to think I'm a cool aunt who has fun things to play with when the nieces and nephews visit. In reality, I think I just never grew up. Don't judge.

Anyway, all you really need are these things, all of which I already had except the necklace chain.

shrinky dink sheets  /  necklace chain  /  Xacto knife  /  metallic spray paint

A couple things to note here. I intend to experiment with the white spray also, but did not actually use it in the making of the necklace seen in this post. I'll be sure to share a pic if I try that too!
  • I should have included a ruler because I certainly needed one. I made a ton of mistake lines in trying to draw out the pattern I wanted. You could also print a design from your computer directly onto the plastic. I tried this both ways, and it was, in fact, much easier than trying to draw it by hand. 

  • I recommend making your pattern twice the width and height you will want your finished piece to be. I thought I made mine comically big and it still looks smaller than I thought it would.

  • Use a sharp blade to cut this, but don't try to cut through on one pass. Put light pressure on the blade and go over the cut multiple times. You'll have more control and will be less likely to accidentally cut all the way through a part that isn't meant to be cut.

  • Use straight edged designs. Curves are hard to not mess up!

  • Don't forget to cut small holes for the necklace chain to attach to before shrinking.

  • Be sure to put your shrinky dink between two flat surfaces immediately after you remove it from the oven. This will help flatten it if it is a bit warped.


At this point, you may think this looks pretty crappy. Good thing shrinking is a form of magic that minimizes a lot of mistakes. See what I did there?


And whatever mistakes are still present can be masked with spray paint. If that doesn't work, just embrace the imperfections. Afterall, this is handmade!





Putting the chain on was a piece of cake and I actually think this is a pretty rad little necklace that I would wear myself. [edit: I also put a layer of clear coat nail polish over it. I figured it might help prevent the paint chipping or staining or poisoning or whatever spray paint might do to a person.]


This project was part of the Dare to DIY challenge hosted by Decor and the Dog, Maybe Matilda, Newly Woodwards, and Two Twenty One. Be sure to stop in and see what other ladies came up with!And, I also linked to the House of Hepworths Party.


HookingupwithHoH

19 comments:

  1. Wow, this is super cool! I haven't played with shrinky dink stuff since . . . okay, it's been a long time. But it looks so cool, and what an awesome idea in the first place. I actually love the little imperfections--they add character! You did an awesome job. Thanks for joining in with Dare to DIY!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This looks really awesome! You nailed it and it would be such a fun gift to give or get!

    Thanks so much for linking up to Dare to DIY!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Whoa. My mind is blown. This is awesome. Thanks for joining the Dare to DIY!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Woaah, and it looks like an open book!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, funny! I hadn't noticed, but you're right, it does!

      Delete
  5. This is SO neat!

    I clicked over from Newly Woodward's linky party. I would NEVER have guessed this was a shrinky dink. I thought it was metal. PS, I think the 'imperfections' are the most interesting part. It's a geometric design but it's a little organic looking with the slight curves. Reminds me a bit of a section of a feather.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for your comments! I like the feather connection. I could imagine making another one playing that up a bit more too.

      Delete
  6. Amazeballs. I must find this so called "shrinky dink". I'm actually a little embarrassed that I don't know what it is. Awesome, awesome project!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am totally doing this! I have a ton of leftover shrinky dink paper from a craft party that I did for my daughter and now I can use it for myself... errr I mean gifts.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nice! Gifts for ourselves are okay too!

    ReplyDelete
  9. adorable! i'm loving the geometric shapes on necklaces. i can't believe you have shrinkydinks on hand...hehe

    ReplyDelete
  10. So fantastic! Very inventive. I'll be trying this out soon for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is so cool! I just got into jewelry making and started implementing fancy-colored diamonds into my necklaces. I might try something like this next!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is the best use of shrinky dink ever! Adorable!

    ReplyDelete