Shrinky-Dink Hair Barrettes



Finished barrettes by Elizabeth and her friend





 Libba working on her flower barrette (in her princess dress-up gown).

 Yesterday we used Shrinky-Dinks to make hair barrettes.  Shrinky-Dinks are so much fun!  It's clear plastic that you can color on, and then put in the oven to shrink and thicken, just like when we were little (I remember doing Smurf ones), but now they have blank ones you can draw on yourself, frosted looking ones, and even ones you can put through the printer.  We used the clear kind that you draw on yourself.  I drew a butterfly and flowers, and then let the girls (nearly 4 and almost 5 years old) color them with markers (EEK - they have to be permanent).  After you draw the design, you have to turn the plastic over to the other side to color it, or else the drawing will smear.  Then you cut the shapes out, bake them in the oven for a few minutes, and when you take them out, they're like 1/3 of the size they were, but much thicker.  It's neat to watch them shrink, because they curl up and kind of writhe around, but unfortunately, my oven window is too dirty for the kids to see through.  

Libba's finished butterfly barrette and flower barrette in progress       



After that, I cut three pieces of 1/8 inch ribbon, tied a knot in the middle of the bundle, slid the knot onto an alligator hair clip, and attached the Shrinky-Dink shapes with hot glue.  Then I tied little knots at the ends of the ribbons, and they were done.  The girls loved wearing barrettes they helped make themselves!



The girls showing off their barrettes