buttons and paint...: ... and a Shrink Plastic Skeleton

Well, I've given in and decided to do a Halloween post... I'm not against it or anything, its just that its never really been a big deal in our house. But this post is being brought to you mainly because I've wanted to use shrink plastic for AGES but couldn't think of anything I wanted to try it out on. In a way I wish I hadn't tried it because it is so much fun, I think I could be hooked!

We don't normally decorate for Halloween but this year I found this skeleton (photo) and couldn't resist buying it. It measures 50cm and is made of wood. Straight away, my mind went to thinking I might be able to replicate it on a smaller scale.

Like any good crafter would(!) I first went onto Pinterest to see if it had been done before. And I found this great post by Crafty Lady Abby who was making them to replace a pair of earrings. I used this for guidance, but ended up making a few changes:

Materials:

Shrink Plastic (I used Shrinkles in opaque white)
Drawing Pens & Pencil
Scissors
Hole Punch
An oven (a heat gun works too but I haven't got one!!)
Jump Rings and Needle Nose Pliers

I found this image on Google Images and enlarged it to the size of the sheets (just smaller than A4).

After printing it out, I was able to trace the image through the plastic. I traced each section separately, taking care to ensure I had enough space to punch a hole at the joints. The shrink plastic I used has a rough and shiny side. The rough side takes pencil and ink well, and I could even rub out my pencil lines (which I needed to do lots!)

I punched holes in the places where I needed to attach the jump rings (see mistake later!!) and put the pieces in the oven, Gas Mark 3. If you've never used shrink plastic before its brilliant to watch. I found myself on the floor peering into the oven the whole time (Great British Bake Off style)!

After they had shrunk down and cooled I realised I had missed a hole in the torso. I also realised that there was NO way I would be able to put one in afterwards due to the size of the pieces, and their new thickness.

I had to draw out a new ribcage & pelvis, and put in the correct numbers of holes and luckily this allows me to show you the before and after sizes...

Finally I attached the parts together with jump rings so they could be dangly and jiggly! The final skeleton is 5cm and is perfect for a brooch, keyring, or ....??

The observant among you will notice that I realised MUCH later that I forgot to put a hanging hole at the top of his head. If I attach him to anything I will have do it from behind!