S'mores & Shrinky-Dinks...

S'mores & shrinky-dinks...two of my absolute favorite things!

And, when a fire is not available, use your stove-top! My girls & I enjoyed these all weekend! It was a regular carnival around here! I tried a new method-the microwave. Believe it or not, the microwave directions are printed on the graham cracker box. This technique makes the marshmallow a little more sticky & gives a slight rubberized texture. It's only slight though.

I was also able to try out some new shrinky dink paper I got at my local "Cartridge World" store. I was getting new inkjet cartridges for my printer & there were 2 walls filled with all sorts of interesting things such as transfer paper, puzzle paper, bake-n-shrink paper, photo paper, canvas pages, etc.
The shrinky dink paper is white & I hadn't ever used it in my printer before so I was excited. The sales lady showed me a biz card she had printed & shrunk--so cute! And, you could punch a hole, add a keyring &---*insert magic word*---you have a great advertising tool!
I printed 2 samples right away. My store URL, started out at 8 1/2" x 1 1/4" & shrunk to 3 11/16" x 1/2". The "I heart Etsy" started out at 8 1/2" x 2 5/16" & shrunk to 3 11/16" x 1 9/16". I have never shrunk that large of a piece before, or used this brand of shrink paper...

TIPS, TRICKS, & RESULTS:
-The sales lady told me to adjust my color on the computer & make it a bit lighter than I would want the "end" result to appear. When the dinks shrink, the color intensifies.
-Watch the little guys in the toaster oven at all times, don't even blink. The process happens quickly.
-When I shrunk them, there ended up being a slight "wave" here & there, the pieces are not completely flat on the edges. (Too large to start with maybe?)
-They will smear. The sales lady did tell me this. I touched the end of one with a wet finger. (OK, I slobbered all over my finger & touched it!) Indeed, it smeared.
-They came out with a "yellowish" tint, almost greenish looking. In other words, a real sick color. I sanded it a bit & that helped. Usually discoloration means you cooked 'em too long, but I'm pretty sure I was right on top of getting them out quickly once the shrinkage was complete.
-The sales lady did tell me I'd need to coat with a clear sealer. I sprayed some clear stuff on them, & that did the trick.
-Next time I think I'll print something a little less large.
-I think they'll look adorable with some bead or charm embellishments & a keychain!