Shrinky Dinks are on my list of the best inventions EVER.  Along with Mod Podge, glitter and Post-it Notes, I think Shrinky Dinks are a marvel.  So you shouldn’t be surprised why today’s pin caught my eye.  The tutorial linked over to Martha Stewart Crafts with instructions for a Pet ID Tag.  Originally I was going to use it for just that (Woody and Ellie’s tags are looking a little bit worse for wear), but on one of our walks, I came up with another idea.  Once again, another case of inspiration, not duplication!

I mentioned in a blog a couple of days ago that Woody and Ellie often have friends come over to visit and stay the night.  When there are that many leashes on the leash rack, I can lose track.  So I thought of modifying this craft to make name tag holders for the leash rack.  They still look like dog id tags, but are a little bigger and can hang on the hook along with the leash.  They are sturdy, can handle a bit of wear and tear and look super cute.  I experimented with two different sizes and will definitely be making the rest in the larger size.

Here’s how I made them.  Following the general instructions of the tutorial, I traced out a bone shape for each tag I wanted.  The Shrinky Dinks they used were the kind where you can print directly onto them, but I only had the original kind so I used my permanent markers.  I used a dog-bone shaped cookie cutter for my general bone shape and then hand wrote the names on each one.

I followed the instructions on the Shrinky Dink package and before you know it I had dog-name tags.  I tied the tags on with a bit of raffia and hung them on the hooks.  I couldn’t find my colored permanent markers, but will and next time my tags will have a pop of color.

UPDATE:  I promised you back on Day 6 of Pinterest 365 that I would share a photo of my family of pumpkins.  Here they are sitting very nicely on my mantel. 

“We saw you spending a lot of time around the leashes and wondered if Walk #2 of the day was in the works.  Dogs can dream too.”