Wine Glass Charms

Recently I helped host a Christmas party where we needed wine glass charms.  Rather than buy charms, I decided to make them.  I pulled out my Shrink Plastic, StazOn pads, and Christmas stamps and got to work.

I made 30 different charms, but I didn't get a chance to take pictures of them before they were used.  Here's a basic tutorial on how to make them.

Step 1:  Stamp the image in StazOn ink on Shrink Plastic.

As you can see by the image on the left, be careful when stamping because the plastic is very slick and the image may smear.  Set it aside to dry completely.

Step 2:  Once the image is completely dry, punch the image out.  I used a 1 3/8" circle punch for this image.

Step 3:  Using a 1/8" circle punch, punch a hole at the top of the charm.

Step 4:  Take a pair of scissors and hold it barely above the image (see photo below) while you heat it with the Heat Tool.

The scissors do two things.  One, it helps keep the plastic from blowing away when air from the heat tool hits it.  Two, it helps keep the plastic from curling up on itself as it shrinks.

Step 5:  Once the image is completely shrunk and it's still hot, press it firmly with a stamp block to flatten it.  The plastic curls at it shrinks and this helps ensure that it's flat once it's done. 

Step 6:  Thread an earring hoop through the hole in the charm and put it on the stem of a wine glass. 

These are very simple to make and everybody at the party loved them.  If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know.  Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps:  Snow Swirled
Ink:  Blazing Red StazOn
Accessories:  Heat Tool, Scissors, Earring Hoops
Punches:  Circle (1 3/8", 1/8")

Comments

[Lois]

where do you get shrink plastic?

[April]

Hey Danni, thought I would mention that you can put them in a toaster oven at 425. It takes about 1.5-2 mintues, just pull them out once they finish uncurling. They should uncurl themselves once they reach their smallest. I made charms for a bracelet and someone mentioned the same to me. It lessens the chance of scorching the charm or burning yourself. Just a suggestion. Thanks for sharing your great ideas!

[Dannie Graves]

Lois--most craft stores will sell shrink plastic.