Shrinky-Dink and Wood Paper Deer Silhouette Keychain

Hello! Happy New Year!  Well, Happy New-ish Year!

As always, it's been a busy few weeks since my last post... And instead of getting into all that's happened, lets just jump into a crafty beginning of 2014!!

As many of you crafters/DIY-ers know, CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) comes around twice a year, once in January and once in August... and, fortunately for me, the winter CHA is typically in So Cal, so I usually get it go!  Yay!  This year was no exception, I made some fun projects for the WeR/Lifestyle Crafts booth AND got to meet up with some members of the Studio Design Team, which kinda made me feel like a Big Deal because these ladies are all Big Deals!  Anyway, I got to play with the Letterpress, which had been tucked away for a ridiculous amount of time (I have no idea why, that sucker is A.MA.ZING), new die cuts, the Lifestyle Shape N' Tape and some fun and different media for die cutting... which I'm sharing today!!

If you know me, you know that I have a strange affinity for animals... which is odd since I'm deathly allergic to them!  I love the shape of them on a cookie jar, salt and pepper shakes (uh, hello, Target!), mug, on my sweater... you name it, I love me a good animal designed product!  So, when I saw the Deer Silhouette that's new to Lifestyle Crafts, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it!

Here's what you'll need to make one for yourself:
- Shrink Film **
- Barc Wood Paper
- Pattern Stamp
- StazOn Ink Pad (I used black)
- Sharpie (I used metallic bronze)
- Crop-a-dile
- Key chain fob, jump rings, leather tassel, pliers (I found all of these at Joann's in the Jewelry Department

** I used Shrink Film by Grafix with varying results.  My Deer Silhouette did well but my frame, rose and other die cuts didn't far as well... You might have better luck with ShrinkyDink Brand.

Okay - here's what you'll need to do!

Run your Barc Wood Paper through your Evolution using the Deer Silhouette Die.  You'll want 2 of these deer's because the Barc Wood Paper has a white, paper backing one the back side, which you'll want to cover up so that your Deer Silhouette Charm has wood on both sides.

Next, die cut another deer silhouette with your Shrink Film.  I had to use 2 pieces of paper as a shim and run it through twice, making sure that my die didn't shift in the process.  Once cut, go ahead and stamp your pattern on with StazOn ink (I used black but you can use whatever you'd like!).  Let it sit for a few minutes until it's dry.  Once you're sure it's dry, use your Sharpie to color the shape.  Dont' worry about your stamped image, you'll still be able to see it on the other side.  Once colored, punch a hole into your Deer using the Crop-a-Dile.  It's important to do this step before you place your shrinky dink in the oven!

Follow the baking instructions for your Shrink product.  My instructions told me to place my die cut piece on a lined cookie sheet in a preheated oven (300-350 Degrees) for 2-3 minutes until flat or shrinking has stopped.  I used a small, toaster oven and my design was shrinking within 10 seconds.  I watched it closely, I didn't want it to get too warped, which the instructions warned me about.  The deer did get a little distorted - nothing too bad... not like my rose that had so many curled edges it looked more like a bowl than a flower or my silhouette of Adam, which ended up looking like a ball of gunk.

Here's the backside of my deer - you can use an acrylic sealer after baking if your design gets handled often.  I didn't worry too much about it.

Now just put a jump ring through the holes in your deers and attach them to your key chain.  Viola!  I wanted my designs to hang from my key chain so I linked a few jump rings together before I laced them through my key chain, but you do it the way you liked it.  I also attached my leather tassel to the key ring, which added a nice, different element with the leather and silver hardware.

So that's that!  A fun, personalized key chain made exactly the way you want it!

You could do this with a variety of shapes and different types of media... tin?  Felt?  Leather?  Acrylic?  What about a silhouette of your child (human or animal!)?  You could die cut a fun shape from one of the many Lifestyle Crafts Nesting dies and then trace a photo of your child's profile with sharpie's - bake, watch it shrink and use it as a charm for a key chain, necklace, bracelet, backpack...

I'm feeling inspired again, better run back out to Joann's to grab ANOTHER pack of Shrink Film!  And are you loving that Barc Wood Paper?!  I know, me too!  If you're local, check out Collective Journey in Redlands, I saw some there the last time I visited those awesome ladies!  If the Deer Silhouette has become very dear to you, use the promo code: KUTZPAPER  for a discount at the ShopWeR store and get your very own!

Have a great day,
Andrea