Friday, August 5, 2011

Holy cow, what a challenge!

It's time for another challenge at Guylou's Inimitability, and what a challenge it is! Well, at least, it was a challenge for me. This time around, our wonderful shop owner and the creator behind Guylou's Inimitability digi stamps, Guylou herself, hosted our challenge. She likes to push the limits of creativity, I think. Rather than just doing a color challenge OR an "anything but a card" challenge, she decided to do them both at once. In other words, it's time for an Anything but a card color challenge! Whoa.

Here's the colors you get to play with:
For most people, I guess that wouldn't be an issue. The colors are beautiful, bright, happy and cool, all at the same time. However, I tend to create with more subdued colors, or maybe it's just that I'm in a vintage/shabby chic mood. Either way, this color palette really challenged me. To top it off, I wasn't allowed to make a card. Sheesh...talking about testing my imagination and creativity. I guess that's why they call it a "challenge."

I came up with this idea to make something using my shrinky dink plastic. At first, I attempted a magnet, but I used the wrong type of shrinky dink paper. The ink from my printer ran all over the place. Oops. So, I paid attention to what I was doing the next time around and grabbed the inkjet shrinky dink plastic. I intended to make a ring, but the image didn't shrink as much as I thought it would, so it became a pin instead. I used Ben. Check it out:

Here's how I did it:
Step 1. Crop the image and size it bigger than you need. The package says it will shrink to about a third of its size. I don't think it shrank that much. Then again, I suck at eyeballing these things.
Step 2. Print the image out on INKJET shrinky dink plastic. It is very important that you use the Inkjet kind, or the ink will run.
Step 3. Color with a stayfast medium, like copics. The colors will change slightly when they heat up. Mine got less vivid. I promise that I started out with the bright colors of the challenge.
Step 4. Cut around the image in the shape you want. This can't be done after you put the stuff in the oven, so do it now! If you want to make a charm, don't forget to hole punch the image at this point, too.
Step 5. Bake at 325 degrees for 1-3 minutes.
Step 6. Pull image from oven and hold wax paper flat over image for about 15 seconds, to flatten out any residual curling.
Step 7. Once image is cooled, add a pin back, ring, or other jewelry fastener/notion. This is also the time to add any embellishment, like the rhinestone I put on my pin. If you don't have a pin back, use some strong glue and attach a safety pin to the back.

It's quick, it's easy, and it's fun! Who doesn't want to head back to childhood and play with markers and shrinky dinks???

You have until August 18th at 10:00 p.m. EST to enter this challenge. Random draw will choose a winner to get a $5 gift card to G's store, as well as the opportunity to be a guest DT on a future challenge! Let's see how creative YOU can get!

7 comments:

Star said...

This is wonderful!! Great job! I never played with shrinky dinks as a kid, but my mom and I tried them to make some jewelry a couple of years ago. I still have my yellow rose earrings. LOL!

Sara I. said...

Absolutely amazing idea! Love the shape of the pin and how you just outlined Ben instead of coloring him in! The little piece of blue bling is the perfect touch! Momma wants some shrinky dinks ;)

Kim Kelley said...

Love it Gina. Absolutely adorable! Love how you colored it. I need to pull pit my shrinky dink paper and try it!HUGS

Two Dogs and a Book said...

Well... you surely did well on my challenge! I know it was pushing it, but I also knew you would come up with something wonderful and unique. This pin is totally awesome. Thanks for the instructions. I will be on the look out for the Shrinky Dink stuff; I don't know if my local craft stores (which are very limited as you know) carry it. There's always eBay! :)
Fab job!!!
Cheers!
G

Trina said...

I never would have thought to make a pin! So clever you are... Thanks for the tip about the Copic colors on Shrinky Dinks; colored pencil gets darker when you bake these sheets.

(These colors threw me, too!)

Trina said...

It was the "so clever you are" that got me going! But now I know where your title came from. Storing in my memory in case it ever comes up! :D

Brenda said...

I think this is fabulous!! Funny thing, I was just talking to Gene about trying this, this past week while we were away and low and behold you did it. Good to know I need to pick the right stuff! This is such a great project Gina. I love it!!!
Hugs~bren