For Valentine’s Day I wanted to create a project that veered away from your typical hearts and flowers. Although this one still includes a heart, it’s of the anatomical variety, so hopefully it’s a bit more edgy than sweet. Plus, now you’ll always be prepared to wear your heart on your sleeve. Sorry, Valentine’s Day is all about terrible puns (and chocolate).

Materials:
Printable shrink plastic (I used Grafix Printable White Inkjet Sheets)
Pin backs – Like these
Scissors
Glue
Baking pan
Oven
Parchment paper/cardboard/vellum
Clear spray sealer

Methods:
1. Download and print the heart image (adapted from the vintage one here) onto a piece of shrink plastic. Cut it out, getting as close to the edges of the design as possible.

2. Shrink your heart in the oven according to the instructions of your shrink plastic. I cooked mine at 300 F for a couple of minutes, sandwiched between bits of parchment paper on a metal baking sheet. The instructions recommended a range of 300 to 350, but they also said you’d get less distortion and curling with a lower temperature. The paper on top also helps prevent curling, but if your design still curls as it’s shrinking, take it out of the oven and very quickly press it flat with an oven mitt or spatula, then put it back in the oven to continue shrinking and flattening.

Post-shrinking on the left, pre-shrinking on the right. You’ll notice that the colors darkened and intensified. The amount of color change may depend on your printer ink.

3. Allow to cool completely, then glue on a pinback.

4. While the glue is drying or after it’s dry, spray your heart with a clear sealer. Let dry.