How to Make Shrink Charms

Shrink charms are super easy to make and a fun activity for family and friends. It doesn’t matter if you’re artistic or not, making shrink charms gives everyone a chance to be creative!

All you need are…

1. Shrink plastic (we used semi-transparent shrink plastic here, you can get the white shrink plastic and transparent ones from our online store!)
2. Scissors
3. Printed line art (you can get any picture off the internet)
4. Colour pens, colour markers or sharpies
5. Hole puncher
6. Baking sheet
7. An oven
8. Charm straps
9. Tweezers
10. Varnish or gloss (you can find these at our online store too!)

Instructions:

1. (Optional) Cut the shrink plastic into smaller pieces.

2. Trace over your choice of printed line art (make sure it’s large enough or else it’ll shrink too much). We used a black sharpie for this as the colour comes out darker.

3. (Optional) Colour the tracing.

4. Punch a hole so you can connect the charm on a charm strap.

5. Cut around the art or you can cut according to the lines as well. Make sure to cut as close to the hole you punched so you can properly connect your charm strap!

6. Pre-heat your oven for about 10 minutes (make sure to line it with a baking sheet!). We set the temperature of ours to 140°C.

7. After pre-heating the oven, place your shrink charm onto the baking sheet. Make sure that the coloured side is facing up or else the colours might transfer to the baking sheet.

8. Set the timer to less than ten minutes. Get ready to watch the shrinking magic begin!

9. Once the timer runs out, wait for a few seconds before removing baking sheet. Allow it to cool for another few seconds before turning it over to the other side. Ensure that the side with the shrink charm is lying flat on a smooth surface.

10. Gently but quickly peel the baking sheet off the charm. Waiting too long might cause the baking sheet to adhere to it. Do not apply too much pressure on the charm as it might bend it too.

11. Once the charm cools, you can attach a charm strap to it. You can also apply a layer of varnish or gloss on the side where you drew/colored on to protect it from potential transfers, smudging and fading.

12. It’s now ready to use!

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Email us if you have any enquiries at enquiry@craftiviti.com or pop by Craftiviti Craft Store at 10 Boulevard, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

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How to Make ‘Cold’ Flower Infused Oil

Infused oils are simply carrier oils that have been permeated with herbs (that is, any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavouring, food, medicine, or perfume). (1) They are suitable alternatives for certain herbs that don’t have or don’t produce enough essential oils for extraction.

However, it should be noted that the ‘feel’ of infused oils depends on the carrier oil used. Infused oils also are not as concentrated as essential oils, and they—like carrier oils—can go rancid. (2) To know how long your infused oils will last, simply follow the expiration date of the carrier oil used to make it.

To make your own ‘cold’ flower infused oil, you will need the following ingredients:

1. Dried flowers (we used Calendula here, which you can purchase at our store)
2. Your choice of carrier oil (we used coconut oil, which you can also purchase at our store)
3. An air-tight, glass container

Instructions:

1. Ensure that the glass container is thoroughly clean.

2. Fill the glass container with dried flowers. You can fill up 3/4 way or until the container is full.

3. Fill the container with your choice of carrier oil. Try to pour in as much as you can before it overflows. This is to ensure that the flowers will be as entirely covered as possible with the carrier oil so that bacteria can be prevented from entering it.

4. Screw the lid onto the container afterwards. Make sure it’s tightly shut!

5. You can store the infused oil wherever you’d like (either exposed to sunlight or hidden away in a cool and dark cupboard) and leave it alone for 4 to 6 weeks. It is not necessary to swirl the infused oil every few days.

6. Once it’s ready, strain the flowers from the oil. Make sure that there are no petals whatsoever in the oil. Store the oil in a new and clean glass container. Store in a cool, dark cabinet until needed.

Some crafts in which you can use infused oils:

1. Soap making
2. Skincare products making (such as balms and lotions)
3. Other bath products (such as bath bombs and scrubs)

 Also, here’s a little extra information for you about some benefits of…

Calendula Flowers

• beneficial for dry skin, cracks, eczema, scrapes, minor burns and sunburns, rashes, chapped lips, and even bug bites (3)
•  helps to reduce inflammation and promotes wound healing (3)

Coconut Oil

• is high in antioxidants so it assists in repairing free radical damaged skin (4)
• also prevents further degeneration of the skin, a.k.a. skin aging (4)

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Email us if you have any enquiries at enquiry@craftiviti.com or pop by Craftiviti Craft Store at 10 Boulevard, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

If you found this post useful, please join us on Craftiviti Facebook or Instagram for more updates and demos!

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References:

1. Hornby, Albert Sydney, and Margaret Deuter, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Of Current English (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2015).
2. “What Are Infused Oils? | Aromaweb”, Aromaweb.Com<https://www.aromaweb.com/articles/whatinfu.asp> [Accessed 19 December 2018].
3. Ferment, Grow, “10 Ways To Use Calendula Infused Oil”, Grow Forage Cook Ferment <https://www.growforagecookferment.com/10-ways-to-use-calendula-infused-oil/> [Accessed 19 December 2018].
4. “5 Surprising Coconut Oil Uses For Your Health”, Medical Daily<https://www.medicaldaily.com/coconut-oil-uses-5-surprising-benefits-coconut-oil-your-health-310158> [Accessed 19 December 2018]

Pssst, we're also available at Craftiviti.com!