Shrink Film Fidget Pinners
Project Description: You’ve heard of fidget spinners… but have you ever wished you had something a little less distracting to fiddle with? These interactive pins are quiet and unobtrusive. Plus, they double as adorable accents on a sweater or bag.
Designed by: Maureen Wilson
Difficulty: Easy
Materials:
- Grafix Metallic Shrink Film
- Free Template
- Double-Sided Tape
- Scissors
- Standard Single Hole Punch
- Parchment Paper
- Cookie Sheet
- Mini Brads
- Hot Glue Gun -or- E6000 Adhesive
- Pin Backs
Steps to Make This:
- Begin by printing the free template by clicking on the link in the video description.
- Turn the paper face down and add double-sided tape to each of the pieces. (If you print on regular copy paper, you should be able to see the outlines well enough to do this.)
- Adhere the sheet of paper to a piece of Grafix Metallic Shrink Film. This film comes in both gold and silver options, and the finished items look pretty classy! Cut out the animal shapes along the solid lines.
- Use a standard hole punch to punch out the circle shapes on each piece. Then, peel off the paper and tape.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, and lay the shrink film pieces on top. Make sure the pieces aren’t touching. Put the second piece of parchment paper on top, sandwiching the pieces in between. (This prevents the pieces from curling in on themselves.)
- I like to bake mine at 325 degrees for 4 minutes, but ovens vary, so peek at yours frequently. They’re done baking once they’ve curled up, shrunk, and flattened again completely.
- Once the pieces have cooled, attach the pieces using mini brads. These are smaller than standard office supply brads, and you can find them in craft stores by the scrapbooking supplies.
- You have a few options for turning these animals into pins. You can use bar pin backs, which hold the pins very securely. Or you can use round pin backs or even earring backs, which allow the pin itself to turn in a circular motion. You can find both of these items in the jewelry making a section of most craft stores.
- Hot glue holds these fairly well, but for extra durability, use an adhesive like E-6000 to attach the pin backs.