I’ve always loved Shrinky Dinks and the mysterious way they shrink and thicken up when you bake them in the oven. So when I decided to do a pincushion project for this week’s “Take Five & Company” craft segment, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to incorporate Shrinky Dinks.

So I bought a 10-sheet pack in frosted white, got out my Sharpie markers and started drawing simple flowers that measured about 3/4″ on the sanded side of the plastic.

You can see a before and after baking flower comparison stuck into the yellow pincushion my friend Debbie made pictured at the top of this post.

Next, I cut them out and poked straight pins through the middle of each flower with the shiny sides facing up. Then I loaded them onto a cookie sheet and baked them for about a minute on 350 degrees. (When the plastic melts they will curl up, then straighten out. Remove the tray from oven as soon as this happens.)

It’s been a while since I’ve played with Shrinky Dinks, and I’m happy to report that they still rock!