Supplies
Needed:
- Black Shrink Plastic (PolyShrink™)
- This sample uses AAS plate PL105 Puzzlebilites
- Metallic or Pearlescent paints (this sample uses Pearlescent
Liquid Acrylics, but Lumieres and others also work)
- Make-up sponges
- Sharp scissors, x-acto knife
- 1/8" hole punch
- Chain necklace and 6mm and 8mm jump rings (available in our
Necklace Kit)
- 1 or 2 pliers with small jaws (flat-nose, needle-nose, etc),
if you have them
- Your favorite shrink plastic baking surface (I use a piece
of matboard)
- Scrap glossy paper, coated paper plate, scrap window plastic,
or other shiny, slick surface that you won't mind throwing away
when you are done.
- Wet wash cloth
Optional:
any color shrink plastic, alcohol-markers, any stamps that will
shrink down to a size you'd wear on a bracelet or necklace.
Directions:
The secret to this necklace is the beautiful look of the Pearlescent
Liquid Acrylics. They work wonderfully on the black shrink plastic,
and the end result is colorful and eye-catching.
How you apply the paint makes a big difference in the appearance.
You will avoid blobs and globs if you are careful.
-
Pour a small puddle on a paper plate.
-
Take a cosmetic sponge, dip it in the middle of the puddle,
than dab on a clean part of the plate. Do this a couple
of times to load the sponge, but not over-load it.
-
Dab the paint onto your stamp, dabbing off the excess paint
on the paper plate, then dabbing the stamp again.
-
Stamp off the ink onto a piece of scrap glossy paper, and
test how it looks. If it looks good, lightly dab on a little
more paint onto your stamp, then stamp the shrink plastic.
If it looks blobby, use the sponge to remove some of the paint.
 Click
on the picture (right) to see a 343 KB movie in MPEG format
that shows you this
technique.
Want to see it again from a little different angle? Click
HERE. This movie is also 343 KB in MPEG format.
One of the nicer things about this paint is that it dries very
quickly, and allows you to handle the stamped shrink plastic
without damaging the image.
Cut out your pieces using your x-acto knife and scissors. If
you make a deep enough score, the plastic will actually peel
along the score. This makes it easier to cut out the center
of the large puzzle piece. Cut all the straight sides, making
sure one of them goes all the way through.
Peel away the middle. Then go back and cut out the "pegs"
of the puzzle.
Here
is a movie (343 KB in MPEG format) to see this being done.
I find it easier to use scissors to cut around the pieces, saving
the x-acto knife for details. Punch holes in each piece so that
you can use jumprings to attach to the necklace.
After everything is cut out, put it on your shrink surface (such
as a piece of mat board), and shrink according to package directions.
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| Before Shrinking |
After Shrinking |
Use an 8mm jump ring to attach the large puzzle piece to the
center of the chain. Use 6mm jumprings to attach the pieces
along the chain. I spaced these so that there were 5 links between
each piece. Attach clasp (if one isn't already attached), and
you are done!
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