Shrinkles Mini Packs come in a variety of designs and we’ve been trying out the Dinosaur World, Magical Unicorns and Playful Puppies. Although they’ve been around for many years they aren’t something I did as a child so I was excited to do them with my children and see what they thought about them.
Inside each mini pack are two sheets of pre drawn Shrinkles, a coloured and transparent piece of Shrinkle paper, a 4 pack of coloured pencils, some stands for the finished pieces and instructions.
It was then a case of colouring in the pre printed designs in the theme for each box. The children enjoyed this but didn’t quite understand the concept of how much they would shrink until we’d ‘baked’ our first batch.
I was a little worried when I saw the designs curling up in the oven but if you leave them a little longer, you will then see them flatten out again. At this point I removed them from the oven and left them to cool. The children couldn’t believe how much they had shrunk and also were impressed how they had become solid and hard, like a 2D plastic figurine. They then put them on stands ready to play with.
Then we had a go at making our own designs using the plain pieces of Shrinkles paper. My daughter carefully traced the outline of a front cover of a book she is reading which came out really well. They also tried some other designs and below you can see the best of what they made, I think they came out really well and are now sitting as trinkets on the shelves in their bedrooms.
Overall Shrinkles has been a success. It was something new to us that the children enjoyed trying out and had fun making. They loved watching them shrink through the glass in the oven door, which was novel and different, resulting in finished pieces that are sturdy and will last for a little play afterwards.
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write an honest review.
Without any hesitation, the children sat down and started making, colouring and sticking, they love these kits and it’s always a joy to see them engrossed in creating something we can enjoy to look at for the next few months.
I thought the Flower Suncatcher Decorations looked stunning strung across the kitchen windows catching the sun as it beams through. Everyone that has visited has admired these and they really brighten up the view.
Eager to start making decorations the children have been busy creating, loving every minute of putting these simple to use kits together. The scratch art caught both their eyes and they were engrossed in scratching the black overlay to reveal rainbow colours underneath.
The Santa and Elf foam sticky packs are really simple to assemble and kept the children occupied for ages creating all different combinations of glasses, hats, gloves etc. on the character templates. Again they look fabulous and I can’t wait to string them along my front room to add to the festive feel!
We were provided with a polystyrene wreath and the relevant colour Duck Tapes and couldn’t wait to get started. We had to cut just over sixty 6 inch strips of green tape which we folded and fringed with the scissors. This was Miss M’s job whilst I stuck the strips around the wreath. We used a whole roll of green tape up but fortunately I had a little green left on a roll in the garage so we were able to continue. 
The children got stuck in straightaway, they love crafts and they love the ease and effectiveness of the Baker Ross kits. They always look so impressive when finished and we love hanging them up around the house to enjoy.
My favourite has to be these Autumn leaves, in bright Autumnal colours. The children loved creating these using coloured sand to pour onto sticky templates. You simply peel off the section of leaf that you wish to colour in and then pour the sand on. It really is that simple and the result is a stunning, brightly coloured leaf. I was keen to show these off so have tied the ribbons along a length of cord and have it hanging across my back doors to my garden and it always gets admired at by visitors.
We started with the Haunted House Photo Frame Magnet Kits which are super easy to make and look really effective which keeps little ones occupied and they get to see a great result within a short amount of time. All the pieces are made of foam and there are lots of brightly Halloween coloured shapes with a sticky peel off back which allows you to build up the images around the frame.
The next Halloween craft from Baker Ross are the super cute Pom Pom Decoration Kits. I absolutely love these as do the children who did require some assistance making these but they were really intrigued to see the wool turn into a pom pom shape. 
These look fabulous, Mister B made the purple bat which he is really proud of and his sister Miss M made the green spider.
My children were delighted with the Halloween crafting range from Baker Ross this year and think that all the items look great and it has got them increasingly excited for Halloween this year. They are now planning their costumes and deciding what designs we should carve in our pumpkins this year.
Miss M had her friend round who also enjoys crafting with Duck Tape and they decided to make a storage box. I was a little sceptical as to how durable this would be, but her friend new the best way to tackle it and build up layers to create strong sides and a box that could be used.
They decided to create each side out of a different patterned tape and got to work. They also made a base and then carefully assembled it together using more Duck Tape. The result is a beautifully durable box which I was really impressed with as they made it all on their own. 
We then decided to make some bookmarks as with both of my children being avid readers they are forever looking for a bookmark to use. We simply used the wide tape and folded it over on itself several time to give it strength and there you have it, perfectly useable bookmarks. Miss M even made hers double sided with two different tapes whilst my youngest Mister B opted for a spooky ghost covered tape that has a special property of being glow in the dark! 
First up, my daughter had her eye on the Paracord Bracelet Kits, which we opened up and I helped her start one off. She was soon able to continue on her own, with a simple cross over and loop of the threads, a pattern soon emerged and it didn’t actually take that long to complete a bracelet. She was enjoying it so much, she sat and spent the afternoon creating all of the six bracelets in the pack. It kept her thoroghly entertained and she couldn’t wait to wear all of her creations!
Next up we tried the Sealife Spiral Notebook Kits, which I think look so cute once completed. They consist of a plain page spiral bound notebook with foam covers. There are sticky backed foam shapes with each one that turns into a different sealife creature on the front of each one.
The designs are simple and effective, even my 5yr old just got on with it and created the turtle all by himself. He even added some other effects to his finished design. I love these notepads and think they’d be great for a party activity, or something to do when you have friends over as it’s nice for them to take away an item that they can use after.
The Farmyard Stampers are fun for little ones. With familiar animals the set allows children to print out their own farm scenes. I put a large sheet of brown paper out in the garden and let Mister B stamp away for an afternoon over which he had great fun!
Both my children became completely engrossed in this activity, they really enjoyed it and I think their finished pictures look amazing. This is different from any craft they have done before and the results are so effective. We really loved doing this and is something they have already asked to do again.
The boxes looked bright and effective once complete and would make a great desk tidy or such like when given as a gift.
We also had a pack of Braiding cords, which I have to say I haven’t seen or done since my childhood. I couldn’t wait to show Miss M how they are done and completed this pink and purple one to show her. With so many colours in the pack you can really create any colour scheme you want to, and she is now working on a blue and white one for daddy which is about half way through. Great little activity to get little fingers to practice their fine motor skills on!
As usual we’ve loved the Baker Ross craft supplies and they have provided hours of fun for the children. Also some great kits that can be used for Father’s Day crafts too!
