V and Co: making cute shrinky dinks

phew!
didn't mean to let so much time go by
well the last couple of weeks have gone in a flash. and honestly, if i can be so bold...i've enjoyed being lazy laid back this summer.  gosh i'm going to miss it. but the kids are anticipating school and...okay only 50% of my kids are super excited to go to school, and the other 50% wish that school was optional.
but whatever we're enjoying the last little bit of summer and when we get to first day of school there will be tears and they will be by me and that is enough to make all the kids want to get on that bus. :)
soooo...
last week we had a couple of times that we couldn't go to the pool. i know shocking, but by the end of the summer they do get a little tired of going to the pool every single day and we also had a sick kid. we stayed at home, so to keep myself sane, and the kids entertained we bought some shrinky dink making material.
and can i just say that shrinky dinks are just as fun if not funner as an adult than they were as kids? they really are.
seriously.
so much fun.
i think it ended up being more about me having fun than them. even when the kids were all done, and i was like "lets make this!" and "wouldn't this be cute!!!!" and "lets make it smaller and see how little it turns out!!!"

my kids were like "okay mom. put down the pencil and walk away from the shrinky dink."

we started off first by making our own drawings and the boys walked away with some really fun storm trooper helmets the oldest one drew for them...and then katie brought out a book and asked "can we do hello kitty?!" 

YES.WE.CAN. 

so we started to flip through the pages...

edited: for all of you asking:
i found my shrinky dink paper at Michael's (of course)
but here's the amazon link to the exact stuff i used:
Shrinky Dinks Shrinkable Plastic 

and of course there's a whole selection of pre drawn shrinky dinks as well.

so katie picked out some that she wanted to make herself and then i picked out some i wanted to make for myself for her. and then we went to town.

i thought this little croc was such a cutie.
on the package it says you can use color pencils, markers, and crayons, or pens. i tried markers...they kind of smear after they cook, so maybe if you use markers make sure you let them air dry for a little bit.
same thing with the crayons. they seem to stay a little melted for a while.
so i would say the colored pencils are you best bet.
but hey if you like smeary need to wait shrinky dinks...who am i to tell you what's best. :P

see how cute my croc is? i know right?! anyways katie did pretty sweet on her cake as well. 

she had me trace the cake and then she colored in the cake.

then i cut them all out. 

we made corn and hello kitties and grasshoppers, and puppies, and penguins, and stormtroopers, and spongebobs...man we made a lot of stuff.

any ways it was fun.

and now i have a ton of little shrinky dinks all strewn about my house.
but the memories are there. and i think we may have started something fun...only this time i'm the mom. :)
shrinky dinks rule.