A Key Chain and a Dog Tag
I finally found my inkjet compatible shrinky dinks paper! I made the key chain I had wanted to make back in December, and I also made a cute dog tag for Murray. I’ve edited the photos of Murray’s tag to remove or blur our address and phone number, but the info is on there.
for my PO Box
Collar from Pattern & Paw. Enter ‘nicoleislovely’ to save 15%!
How To?
It’s a very easy project.
First, you’ll need to come up with a design. I know that not everybody is artistically inclined, so… I created a template for you! It’s the tag I used for Murray, cleaned up and simplified for widespread distribution. ;) You’ll need Photoshop to use the template, but I also included a plain jpeg version.
You’ll have to lighten your design at least 50% before printing. The 3″ circle will shrink down to about 1.25″ after baking, and the colors will be much more vivid. After printing, cut your design out and punch a hole now if you want one.
Keep an eye on the shrinky dinks while they’re baking. Mine only took three minutes.
before baking
fresh out of the oven
You can leave them as-is, but a clear topcoat is recommended. I just used clear nail polish.
I left the back of my key chain white, but I colored the back and sides of Murray’s dog tag with a brown Sharpie.
That’s it!
45 Responses to “A Key Chain and a Dog Tag”
I was going to use spray sealer, but I couldn’t find it (and didn’t want to make a trip to buy some). ;)
Nicole,
Thank you for sharing this pattern!
I can think of so many cool ideas to use it for. I love labels of all sorts.
The last picture of Murray is really precious.
I love sleepy doggie and kittie shots!
How have I never known about shrinky dinks!!! I swear we have NOTHING in Australia. :) Both the tags look absolutely fablous. :)
i love the collar tags you created, what a great idea!..i don’t want to step on toes but i make/sell collars and leashes and yummy dog treats too..so if your new puppy is in the market for some treats drop me a line! =)
Love the idea! I can’t wait to make my dog Crow a really cool one! Your blog rocks!
This is the cutest idea! I love playing with the shrinky dink stuff but never thought of this. My pets have Lindsay’s cute collars too so I can make them to match.
I read your blog all the time and think you have the most fabulous taste. I love checking in every few days to marvel at your new ideas, you are truly very talented!! You’ve really inspired me to tap into my own creative side, and it’s been a whole lot of fun working on things for my own home.
And where did you find printable Shrinky Dink paper!???
Great designs! I made some collar charms like this a couple of weeks ago to give out as prizes at our dog club event. Alas, my designs aren’t quite as nice as yours…
Murray is so precious! Love the Shrinky Dink tags. I must make a set for Lola & Bella. Take a peek at them guarding the house here:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2363/2279341131_4c5fbc5556_b.jpg
Love these!! I have a stash of shrinky dink paper waiting for me to play with, but I wanted the printable kind…now I am off to shop!! Thanks for the info!
is it crazy of me to want a dog now… just so i can shrinky dink it a collar tag? =)
i’ve got to get my hands on some of that goodness. the possiblities are endless!
thank you for sharing the template. i’m feeling greedy and wishing you’d posted the mailbox one as well. =)
Erica, so cute! They must be fierce protectors. ;)
I didn’t post the template for the other tag (1268) because that’s an original design of mine that I’m using for several items in the shop. Sorry! A few people have emailed me about it too, but I hope you all understand. If you’d like to try making your own tags, you can search istockphoto.com to find designs!
hi. just found your blog last week :)
i did shrink dink tags a few months ago - and they were no where near as fab as yours! thanks for the tips - makes me want to try again.
So cute!
Thanks for the template, too! I’ll download it when I get home after work.
Not that I have either a need for tags or even any Shrinky Dink paper, but you never know when it’ll come in handy! ^_~
What size hole punch did you use to make the hole before it shrank?
I can’t believe I hadn’t discovered your blog until now (I did via domino’s “inpiration from domino flickr group” gallery), your blog is amazing, and you are so talented! There is not a tiny bit I didn’t go “oooh” and “ahhh” about your posts. I featured you on my blog, I hope that’s ok.
xx
Alis
Thanks for the inspiration and your dog is sooo cute. I hope everything is a-ok with Murray health wise. What an absolute sweety.
This is just fantastic! Your blog is my new favorite thing in the world, BTW.
Thanks for the adorable template, my kitties will look so pretty wearing your design! :)
xo
What a brilliant idea!
It’s been almost a year since I moved and I have still yet to change my cat’s tags and this is simple, cheap and you can make it however you want…awesome!
p.s. i’m a new reader, hi!
Ohhh! Those are so cute! I have been making Shrinky Dink tags for my dogs for a few years now (although your patterns are soooo much nicer! Mine are all just made with sharpies, stamps & colored pencils.) I have a bunch of the ink jet plastic too so I am excited to try your templates.
The only thing you should beware of is that with dogs the tags do break off fairly easily (and often!) so you might want to have a sturdier one as Murray’s permanent (or back up) ID tag.
i mentioned this on my blog with credit and link to you, of course… i was so excited to remember shrinky dinks… i love these!
murray is such a cutie!
I want shrinkydinks, I have never heard of them before, I remember we used to shrink the old aluminium foil chip packets and thy did the same, I am trying to get some shiped to Australia, I hope I can!!!
Make sure you use a sealant…I made a tag for my dog a while ago and the first time he went outside in the snow the image ran all over his fur. So now I always use an acrylic spray to seal everything!
LUVLUVLUV IT!!
i just re-discovered shrinky dinks, and as a tattoo artist it is a wonderful medium to reprint and share my tattoo inspired paintings. conjurs up good convos and business has picked up! everyone wants to know who the artist is and where they can get their own. they love it when they find out they are talking to her!!
great job!!
i too use clear nail polish, i find when i put it on right out of the oven and the plastic is still warm the ploish just glides right on.
I am loving that shrinky dinks are making a comback. I haven’t played with them in years. I am going out to get some today!
BTW~ Love your cards too!
Hi there,
Thanks for this. I thought I should also tell you that when you open up the template there is one which shows your personal info on the dog tag. Thought you might want to delete it.
:-)
Very cool. I tried one of these recently, but I used a pic of the dog. For some reason, when I used the nail polish, it blurred the image. Maybe I didn’t let it cool enough. I still want to play around with it. I was thinking of doing two circles (one with a pic, one with the address) and gluing them back to back. I know if you color it (with pencils or something), sometimes it’s recommended to sand the plastic first so it all adheres better.
LOVE this!
I’ve been meaning to purchase some shrink paper and I think I finally got the little push to go get it!!!
Thanks for sharing this :)
*diane
[…] Nicole from Making It Lovely has written up her method for making these stylish little keychains (which you can also use as a tag for your pet’s collar). She even provides a handy downloadable template you can use with inkjet-compatible shrink film. Shrinky-Dink Keychains […]
[…] there of a poochie named Murry who is sporting one of Pattern and Paw’s collars plus a custom dog tag that his mom made for him. (Hint: That link is a tutorial!) I should get some collars for our […]
I love this project! My friends and I are going to have a shrinky dink party soon after seeing your post…
http://blackwhiteyellow.blogspot.com/2008/03/shrinky-dinks.html
[…] by Nicole at Making it Lovely, I ordered new collars for Stanley & Walter from Pattern & Paw. They arrived yesterday and […]
[…] missed the blog Making It Lovely for so long, but it pretty much rocks. Anyone who can use shrinky dinks to make chic accessories is #1 in my […]
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March 21, 2008 - 2:29 pm
Cute! Murray looks quite dapper in his new collar and tag.
The inkjet shrinky dinks I have are printable on both sides, so I put a patten on the back as well. And I use spray acrylic sealer to coat them.