Instagram Memories Wine Charms
Surprise your friends with a super special, one-of-a-kind gift when you present them with these handmade wine charms featuring their very own Instagram™ memories! Practical yet meaningful, these charming keepsakes will ignite conversations at dinner parties and holiday gatherings. Each time the recipient pulls out their wine charms, they’ll relive some of their happiest memories as they recount the stories around each one.
Supplies & Tools:
- Grafix Inkjet Shrink Film – White*
- Scissors
- 20mm wire hoops
- Flat nose pliers
- One-hole punch
- Clear spray paint
- Parchment paper or kraft paper
- Cardboard box or newspaper
- Inkjet printer
- Oven
- Photo editing software such as Adobe Photoshop or GIMP**
*We tried a couple brands of shrink film for this project and found that Grafix Printable Shrink Film works best. We do NOT recommend any other brand of printable shrink film because in our tests, the images became distorted during the baking process when we used brands besides Grafix.
**In a pinch, you could even edit photos in Microsoft PowerPoint. See here for more info.
Directions:
- Select the images you want to use and save them to your computer. The easiest way to save the images is to take screen captures by using the Snipping Tool (Windows) or Shift + Command + 4 (Mac). (Alternatively, if your friend also posts their Instagram photos to Facebook, you can download the images from Facebook by clicking on the photo, then clicking Options > Download.) When choosing images, pick ones that will look good when shrunk down. We recommend images that have high contrast, include one main subject, and are colorful.
- In your photo editing software, resize your images to 2" x 2" and set the opacity to 50%. We were able to fit 12 squares on one sheet of shrink film.
Note: The colors intensify when your images shrink in the oven, which is why you need to decrease the opacity here.
- Print using your inkjet printer.
- Cut out each image, then round off the corners. The plastic gets really hard once baked, and you don’t want anyone getting poked by a pointy corner.
- Punch a hole near the corner of each image.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or kraft paper. Place the photos on the baking sheet and bake per the manufacturer’s directions. When the film has stopped shrinking and is flat, it’s time to remove it from the oven.
Note: Sometimes the charms aren’t completely flat when they come out of the oven, so keep a glass with a flat bottom nearby. When you remove the pan from the oven, transfer the charms to the countertop (parchment paper and all) and flatten with the glass. - Arrange the shrunken wine charms on cardboard/newspaper and spray with clear spray paint to seal. Spray with a couple light coats of paint, allowing the charms to dry in between coats.
Note: Make sure you spray paint outdoors or in another well-ventilated area. You definitely do NOT want to spray paint in your home!
- Take a wire hoop and bend the wire so that it’ll fit into the eye.
- Slide a charm onto the wire, then close the hoop. Repeat for all charms.
- Wrap the charms in a cute gift box, and you’re ready to give this special gift to your friend!
Ideas from the Elves:
- Before baking your charms, jot down a short description and/or date on the back. Time flies so fast, we sometimes forget the exact date of past events. These notes will help provide a reference point and help jog the recipient’s memory when they recount their adventures. Use a fine tip permanent marker to write each picture’s details.
- Create charms featuring portraits of all the adults in your family to really easily know whose wine glass is whose. Make it extra fun by using yearbook photos or other old photos from back in the day.
- If your friends aren’t that into wine, you can use larger wire hoops to make the charms fit on water goblets or even brewskies.
- For your friend who is obsessed with their pets, make charms highlighting photos of their furbabies. We speak from experience that the recipient will be over-the-moon excited about their special charms!
