Make a Scooby Doo Tag.

For Finn’s Scooby Doo Party, we made all of the kiddos tags, just like Scooby.  I had considered making them out of paper, but wanted something a little more sturdy.  My friend Holly at 504 Main had posted a project previously about using computer printed Shrinky Dink paper, so I thought I’d give it a go.  And since we were making them ourselves, we could customize them with their own initials.

It turned out better than I had imagined!  You can pick up the Shrinky Dink paper at Michaels.  It is a little pricey, so try to use a 40% off coupon if you can.

First, I designed the tags using Microsoft Word.  {The squares are 3.75” x 3.75” with rounded corners}  Then, using Word Art, I added in the initials.  {I used BadaBoom font}  You will need to make your colors 50% lighter than you would like them to turn out.  As the paper shrinks, it will condense and darken the colors. 

Then, print your tags on the Shrinky Dink paper and carefully cut out.  Try to hold the non-printed parts of the paper while cutting or lines can smudge slightly. 

 

After you cut out the tags, you will need to punch a hole in it.  The punched circle will shrink as well, so if you are using thicker string or ribbon, you may want to find a larger punch.  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. 

You can bake them on a brown paper bag or on parchment paper.

Then, pop them in the oven for five minutes and watch the Shrinky Dinky magic happen.

You’ll notice that they are still slightly wavy when they are done.  When you pull them out of the oven, you will turn them over and press down {I used a piece of cardboard and set something heavy on top} until they cool completely so they will be completely flat.

We strung ours with bakers twine.  The kiddos laced fruit loops on them and then had fun eating them like candy necklaces.