They're Not Just For Kids Anymore!

In 1979, I was in the fourth grade. We had just moved home to Alexandria and I was making new friends. I joined the Girl Scouts troop at my elementary school and started attending the meetings. Mind you, I am NOT the outdoorsy type. I don't mind camping as long as I can shower, but sleep in a tent on the ground?! All new to me. The first campout was a little stressful.  Black mark #1. The troop leader made spaghetti over an open fire and used my brand new Girl Scout knife to cut the onions! I HATE onions! #2. I was assigned latrine duty. Pine Sol + an old broom to "clean" the outhouse. Are you kidding me?! That place was full of spiders and a garden snake! No way was I going to use THOSE facilities.  #3 The girl next to me wet the bed and cried all night and we heard an animal prowling around the tent most of the night. I went home hungry, tired and constipated!

Mom made me attend the next meeting and I wasn't happy about it. Until...they brought out the Shrinky Dinks (SD's) for crafts! Yeah! Now they were speaking my language! I think my dad still has the Snoopy and Woodstock keychain that I traced off of the cover of my Trapper Keeper! Girl Scouts wasn't my thing, but I had discovered crafting!

While I was perusing the aisles at Hobby Lobby over the weekend, I found the modern version of Shrinky Dinks. Yes, I bought all four kinds. This is what I made with them!



(Keep reading if you want details or click here to grab this cute stamp for yourself at Just for Fun Rubber Stamps!)

I used the "frosty" SD's and colored pencils. I stamped the Stitched Mouth Jack-o-Lantern with Staz On ink on the shiny side and colored with the colored pencils on the rough side.



After they were colored, I cut them out with detail scissors and punched little holes at the top with a 1/8 inch sized hole punch.





Then the magic happened, I put them in the oven and watched them shrink! When they were cool, I sprayed them with a coat of Mod Podge acrylic sealer so that the color wouldn't rub off. I added some jump rings and earring hooks and they were ready to wear!


I also made the little box to gift them in, even though I gifted them to myself!



I cut some panels to cover the sides and lid of the box and decorated them with the JFF Stamptangle Tall Pumpkin and gold embossing powder.







Ready to gift for Halloween, or put them on immediately! (I put them on immediately!)



Come visit the JFF blog to see more Fall/Halloween creations by the JFF Design team and get in the spirit by linking up your own spooky creations to the Just For Fun October Challenge - Halloween!!  You might just win a JFF gift certificate to buy these stamps for yourself!