Mother’s Day is right around the corner! Shrinky Dinks are a great way to make something personalized and can be easily sent in the mail for the special Moms and Grandmothers who may not live close by! We used my three year old daughter’s handprint to complete the Tulip and my seven month old daughter’s footprint to complete the Bee! These are super cute paired together if you have more than one child, or if you have one too little to use their handprint yet. 😉 I have also included the FREE printable for both cards (in multiple name options) to attach your keychain or ornament to as well!
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Materials needed:
- Shrinky Dinks clear paper – Michaels offers same day curbside pickup!
- Acrylic gloss craft paint – pink, white, green and yellow (you can also use a stamp pad)
- Hole punch – I use a standard 1/4 inch and a 1/8 inch hole punch (you can use standard for both purposes needed)
- 1 inch/25 mm split key chain rings
- 1/8 inch ribbon – pink and black (or color of your choice)
- Scissors
- Black Sharpie
- Foam brush
- Paint brush
- 6 by 9 inch bubble envelope – If you’re going to mail them
- Parchment paper
- Cookie sheet
- Cardstock paper
- Free printables – linked below
Tulip Directions:
Generously paint the bottom of one hand with pink paint.
Firmly press hand onto the Shrinky Dink paper and gently lift up. Make sure to leave enough room on the top of the paper to punch a hole.
Repeat as often as needed. Only do two handprints per sheet to allow room for flower stem.
Tip: If you mess up, take a wipe or damp paper towel, wipe clean and try again!
Let paint dry completely.
Paint thumb or fingerprint with white paint.
Firmly press finger down in the middle of the palm at an angle.
Repeat one more time forming a heart shape with the fingerprints.
Paint stems on the bottom of the hands using green paint.
Paint two leaves on each.
Bee Directions:
Paint the bottom of foot and firmly press down on the Shrinky Dink paper. Gently lift the foot. Let paint dry completely.
Use a black Sharpie to draw a face, stripes, antennas and wings. The Sharpie is permanent and will not erase once applied.
Everything is now ready to be cut!
Write name in Sharpie under the image or turn the paper over and write on the back if you don’t want it to show from the front. Cut out leaving a slight edge around the image and additional space on top for a hole.
Using a standard hole punch, punch a hole where desired on each image. Make sure to leave enough room around the hole for stability once it shrinks.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place images, colored side up, on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 1 – 3 minutes. Watch them closely as they curl and shrink. Once the pieces lay flat, allow an additional 30 seconds of baking time to complete the process.
Let them cool before removing. I only do a few at a time to ensure they don’t run into each other while curling and shrinking.
Attach a key chain to each Shrinky Dink. I had to use pliers to secure the ring tightly.
FREE printable cards:
Linked below are several different name options for the Mother’s Day card printables. Click the image of the one you would like to print! 🙂
Tulip
Bee
Putting Shrinky Dink on card:
Cut the paper in half.
Using a 1/8 inch hole punch, punch holes over the dots in the upper right corner. You can also use a standard hole punch.
Pull ribbon through the two holes from the back of the paper.
Place the keychain in the middle of the two holes and tie a knot with the ribbon.
Tie a bow.
Repeat the same steps for the Bee card.
Alternative method:
If you don’t have a keychain, you can always use ribbon to hang the Shrinky Dink on a gift bag, window, or plant! My Mom hung hers on a picture frame of the girls. ♥
Our daughter’s are very lucky to have three wonderful Grandmothers to celebrate on Mother’s Day! This is a sweet keepsake to send in the mail for them to open. It fits perfect in a 6 x 9 inch bubble envelope as well. It would also be great for teachers to make with their students for their Mom’s.
Being a Mommy is the best gift I have ever been given. It’s like watching your heart run around outside of your body. You’re happy when your children are happy, you feel their pain when they are sad, you want to protect them from everything in the world but also want them to be strong and independent. You look forward to them reaching new milestones but also feel a wave of sadness once the milestone passes. It’s true, they grow up so fast and we want to make sure to be strong mentors for them. I have a very close relationship with my Mom, and I can only hope that I have the same with my two daughter’s as they continue to grow!
I kept a keychain for a keepsake for me as well! Reach out to me on Instagram if you need an additional name that is not listed above for your printable! ♥
