How To Make DIY Cufflinks from Your Child’s Artwork

There are many traditional gifts for Father’s Day, and cufflinks have been a dad gift-giving standard for decades! My daughter loves drawing, and I’m always looking for ways to creatively preserve her adorable artwork.

Here’s an incredibly easy way to make a gift that Dad will be treasuring for years to come! Keep reading to find out how to make these awesome DIY cufflinks from your child’s artwork.

Fathers_Day_DIY_cufflinks_6

Supplies:

  • InkJet printable shrink film
  • Cufflink blanks
  • 3600 epoxy
  • Mod-Podge Dimensional Magic
  • Parchment paper
  • Artwork from your child

Instructions:

Step 1: Find a piece of artwork that you’d like to use for your cufflinks. It could be a simple object (e.g., an alligator), an entire scene, or just scribbles. Be creative!

Fathers_Day_DIY_cufflinks_1

Step 2: Photograph or scan the artwork and resize it appropriately. You’ll want your artwork to be three times the size of the end result, as they will shrink to become a third of their original printed size. Therefore, if you’d like a design to be one inch wide, then resize it to be three inches for printing. You may also want to inverse one of the shapes to create mirror images for cufflinks. (TIP: Remember that you’ll need the art to be as tall as the diameter of your cuff link blank.)

Step 3: Print out your artwork on the shrink film. Use your best printer settings for maximum color. Cut out your design, leaving just a small amount of space around it.

Fathers_Day_DIY_cufflinks_2

Step 4: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut two sheets of parchment paper. Lay one on your baking tray, and then place your cut plastic on top. Place the other piece of parchment on top. Bake in the oven for three to four minutes until done shrinking.

Fathers_Day_DIY_cufflinks_5

Step 5: Let your pieces cool.

Fathers_Day_DIY_cufflinks_7

Step 6: Follow the directions on your epoxy to secure the back of the cufflink blank to the artwork. Wait for thirty minutes for it to be fully secure.

Fathers_Day_DIY_cufflinks_8

Fathers_Day_DIY_cufflinks_3  

Step 7: Punch holes in an egg carton or styrofoam to hold the cufflinks in place for the final step. Apply Dimensional Magic to each piece of artwork and allow it to dry for two hours.

Fathers_Day_DIY_cufflinks_4

Step 8: Try them out in Dad’s favorite shirt, and then find a small box or bag to wrap them in for your gift! 

More DIY Father’s Day Crafts:

X
monitoring_string = "b24acb040fb2d2813c89008839b3fd6a" monitoring_string = "886fac40cab09d6eb355eb6d60349d3c"