Tutorial: Shrinky Dink Pendants (yes mine may be a Dauntless Train from Divergent)

Created On: January 11, 2013 | Updated: February 5, 2020 | 29 Comments

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I have been blown away by how many of my crafty friends that have never made shrinky dinks. For goodness sakes what kind of childhood did these people have?!! Are you one of them? Well if so shrinky dinks are super awesome sheets of special plastic that you draw on, cut out, and then bake in the oven (yes in the oven) and then they shrink before your eyes. Magic you say, I think so. What was a thin flimsy vellum like sheet gets transformed into hard plastic. It’s pretty cool. So fun to do with kids but that’s a whole other post altogether.

Today I want to share with you how to transform any image you like into a totally awesome pendant. Will it shock any one that I picked an image from Divergent one of my favorite YA book series to make into a pendant? I’ve gushed about this book series many, many times. But one images that is repeated throughout the books is that of the trains. The fearless members of the Dauntless faction jump on and off the moving trains as a part of every day life. (More on the book below.)

To make your own pendant first find (or make) an image you like. It will shrink to about 1/3 of the original size. If you want to make your own Dauntless train necklace, you can find the image I used here.
They do make shrinky dink paper that you can print on but I used the regular stuff and it printed fine (not perfect mind you but good enough for my liking). Draw or print onto the rough side of the shrinky dink paper.
Partially trim around your image leaving a large margin around the area where you want the pendant to hang from. Punch a hole then trim leaving a generous margin around the hole.
Bake in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with a brown paper bag at 325 F for about 3 minutes (I had to bake it a bit longer I could tell it was still shrinking). It will go all crazy on you and sometimes it looks like it’s going to fold onto itself but then somehow it uncurls and goes back to normal. Let cool for 30 secons and use a clean spatula to remove. If you want you can press your creation with a potholder or the spatula if it needs to be flattened.
After it’s completely cool paint a bit of mod podge to the back to seal the ink.
Add a jump ring, chain, and any other accessories (like ribbon) and you’re done.
Wear with pride!

how to make a shrink dink dauntless train

And if you’re curious about this Divergent book I keep on raving about here’s the description from goodreads. Seriously it’s one of my favorite books. If you liked The Hunger Games you definitely should check Divergent out.

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue–Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is–she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are–and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Shrinky Dink Pendant Necklace

How to transform any image you like into a totally awesome pendant. Use that pendant to create customized necklaces.

Instructions

To make your own pendant first find (or make) an image you like. It will shrink to about 1/3 of the original size. If you want to make your own Dauntless train necklace, you can find the image I used here.
They do make shrinky dink paper that you can print on but I used the regular stuff and it printed fine (not perfect mind you but good enough for my liking). Draw or print onto the rough side of the shrinky dink paper.
Partially trim around your image leaving a large margin around the area where you want the pendant to hang from. Punch a hole then trim leaving a generous margin around the hole.
Bake in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with a brown paper bag at 325 F for about 3 minutes (I had to bake it a bit longer I could tell it was still shrinking). It will go all crazy on you and sometimes it looks like it’s going to fold onto itself but then somehow it uncurls and goes back to normal. Let cool for 30 secons and use a clean spatula to remove. If you want you can press your creation with a potholder or the spatula if it needs to be flattened.
After it’s completely cool paint a bit of mod podge to the back to seal the ink.
Add a jump ring, chain, and any other accessories (like ribbon) and you’re done.
Wear with pride!

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