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Shrinky Dinks Instructions

In 1973, the first Shrinky Dinks were sold in Brookfield, Wis. Thirteen years later, the famous color-and-bake toys had become a national phenomenon and a staple of virtually every cartoon merchandising campaign. While their mass appeal has subsided, Shrinky Dinks are still available and more versatile than ever. With new ink-jet-printable sheets, you can design your own shapes and prepare them in your oven.

Traditional Shrinky Dinks
- Sold under the "Frosted Ruff N' Ready" brand name, these acrylic sheets come with pre-printed designs that kids can decorate with colored pencil, crayon and acrylic paints. Once finished, the shapes should be cut out with scissors. and placed colored-side-up on a regular cookie sheet.
  
  Pre-heat your toaster oven or conventional oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut a brown grocery bag into a 8" by 11" rectangle. Fold the corner up into a 1" by 1" tab. Place the rectangle on a regular cookie sheet. Lay the cut-outs on the rectangle with the colored side facing up. Finally, put the entire sheet in the oven.
  
  Let the Shrinky Dinks bake for between 1 to 3 minutes. If any of the pieces start to fold over on themselves, open the door and gently press the curling edge down with a chopstick. Once the pieces have shrunk, let them cook for an additional minute before removing the cookie sheet and allowing it to cool.
Ink Jet Printable Shrinky Dinks
- Before you feed the blank 8.5" by 11" sheets into your computer printer, make sure the sheets are labeled specifically for ink jet printers. You can either print in full color or print an outline and color the design like a traditional Shrinky Dink.
  
  Otherwise, the baking process for these ink jet sheets is the exactly same as for "Frosted Ruff N' Ready" sheets.

Childrens Toys