Postcards
Greeting cards + Scrapbooking
Sampler
cards-pages ...including "artist trading cards"
Bookmarks
Gift
tags
(Business cards)
Misc.
Websites
CARDS
gen. info.
acid free and lignin free . . .The
sculpey.com website says that . . ."“Polyform’s chemists have been conducting
tests on the clay for quite some time. All tests indicate that baked Premo!
Sculpey and Sculpey III are acid free” so it should be fine to use
in fine scrapbooking, etc. if properly and completely
cured. . .
http://www.sculpey.com/Scrapbook101.htm
...according
to info at trade shows, both polymer clay and acrylic craft paints are
safe for use in scrapbooks...regular acrylic paints will buckle
paper, though.
....and in order to attach the polymer piece
to the page, you have to use acid free glue (best I've found is Glue
Dots or Red line Tacky Tape. Laurie D'
many
more lessons on ways to use
flat and
low-relief polymer items
on cards
... scrapbook
covers ...
bookmarks ...etc.
http://www.sculpey.com/projects_scrapbooking.htm
Violette's
"book" pages and other sheets of fancy and embellished
clay... great card & postcard ideas though!
http://creaplastic.free.fr/10vio_06.htm
.......http://creaplastic.free.fr/10gal_vio.htm
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1340337&uid=477851(her
similar artist trading cards)
lots more ideas and inspiration for making cards in Books
Linda
Goff's fabulous polymer postcards ... collage... with stampings, cane slices,
backfill, etc., some in layers ...(abstract outline too)
http://www.lindagoff.com/postcards.html
Boo's
postcard with mokume gane background ...& white areas for addresses,
etc.
http://polymerclaycentral.com/chall_nov03.html
PCC
challenge, variety of polymer postcards
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/chall_july02.html
Jeanne
Rhea's various postcards using different techniques:
....thinned liquid
clay with mica powder or pigment inclusions, in starburst patterns
from being spun in a spin art machine
http://artfortheheart.blogspot.com/2005/08/polyclay-spinart-postcards.html
....clay shapes cut out from clay postcard, replaced with other
color (same size) cutouts; one on a Skinner blend; some onlays
http://artfortheheart.blogspot.com/2005/08/more-postcards-from-polymer-clay.html
...
various inks (alcohol-based and not) or various viscosities (some
thinned) dripped on top of each other (dry each layer to avoid mixing)
on baked clay
http://artfortheheart.blogspot.com/2007/05/polymer-clay-atcs-with-faux-watercolor.html
2
postcards...textured with various stamps/textures then highlighted with
various metallic powders...and one with textured onlay shape & surface
___
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1119822&uid=447002
(just past halfway down page)
2 postcards from Arizona guild...one stamped
on a multiple Skinner blend, then edges scallopped with toothed something
http://www.azpcg.org/documents/SwapOct2004.htm
Michelle
Ross' lesson on holiday (Christmas & Hannukah) 4”
by 5 1/2” postcards with cutter onlays, etc. (instr.for
red card not shown)
http://www.polymerclayplay.com/html/projects/holidaypostcards/holidaypostcards.htm
Michelle's
Ross' lesson on making similar Hannukah card & the Christmas
card above, on the Carol Duvall show (xmas card not shown)
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_occasions_december/article/0,1789,HGTV_3270_2392071,00.html
Kris Richards' lesson on making a mica shift postcard with stamps
(or could use texture sheet) (see more in Mica >Ghost
Images)
http://www.creationsbykris.com/Gold%20Holographic%20postcards.html
(gone?)
more
Linda Goff polymer postcards (click on meeting from
March 2000) http://www.nwpcg.org/meetings.shtml
(gone)
Karen’s
postcards (abstract-art-type w/ Premo, Pearlex & embossing powders)
http://hometown.aol.com/antkar/page10.html
(gone?)
Petra's postcard http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=1026926&a=7579435&p=25853854
polymer postcards . . . Tory Hughes (where?)
Some
suggestions for techniques to use on postcards:
Skinner blends;
faux techniques, stamping/carving, powders, cane slices, mokume gane, inclusions
or translucent-covered somethings, transfers, mosaic canes or grouted mosaics,
frames, drawing with inks/dusts/colored pencils, fancy edging scissors, punches
(filled or left holey), etc.
(Linda
Goff) Thanks everyone! ... making and mailing polymer clay postcards
is incredibly fun and it's even more fun to find one in your very own mailbox!
I received three this past week from a mini-swap - all very different but each
one was terrific in its own way.
...I usually start with a sheet of multi-colored
clay run through the pasta machine on the next to thickest setting,
then decorate like crazy with cane slices, mokume-gane, metallic leaf and
powders, copier or magazine transfers and tons of texture from carving, decorative
and text stamps and press-on texture like cloth. The etched image left behind
after doing a Gibson collage clay paper is a great base for a postcard too.
...After
baking you can antique all or parts... gently rub some acrylic paint
onto the textured areas and wipe off with damp paper towel so paint stays in depressed
areas and accentuates your textures.
As you can see, I tend to run wild
with decoration and sometimes end up with a nice enough postcard but absolutely
no space for an address or stamp, much less a message.
...So that's something to plan for as you're working - gotta have some
blank areas.
...Then comes the scary part - entrusting your new
work of art to the post office! ...mail it at the post office
instead of from a box, and go to the counter...be sure your postal clerk hand
cancels the stamp (just ask).
... Your postcard doesn't have
to be rectangular or symmetrical or a certain size for the
post office to take it (NOTE: this was written in
1998... see comments below from a higher up postal employee about whether this
is still true when the card is 1/4" thick or less).
....Believe it or not, all the (bare) postcards I've sent and received have survived
mailing intact and without a scratch.
more
from Linda Goff:
....I use all Premo clay for it's strength and
flexibility. ...And I've sold about 20 postcards so far at $14 each.
...Run a sheet of clay (any color or blend of colors) through your pasta machine
on the #3, or third thickest setting. You can use some
translucent but not alot - it is more brittle than other colors.
Then
cut your sheet into a square or organic shape about 5" by 5" and put it
onto a piece of wax paper or plain paper.
...Now comes the fun part - DECORATION!
This is pure clay fun at it's best:
....... You can add thin slices of canes,
mokume-gane, clay scraps. Add a copier transfer or magazine
transfer. Punch a few holes with your cutters. Use rubber stamps,
leather tools, metal door screen or knobby fabric for texture. Make
a leaf or branch imprint. Then rub some metallic powder on with
your finger to accentuate your textures.
... After you're finished with one
side, turn the card over and decorate the other side. . . but remember
to leave a section of smooth light-colored clay on one side for
the address and postage stamp.
....As you can tell, I
love to decorate every space available on my cards. Usually I don't bother to
leave much space for a message - the art is the message and my customers
just squeeze in a signature where they can.
...If your cards are made
from Premo, bake at 275 for 30 minutes. (For other clays, follow usual
baking instructions)
.....When your cards are addressed and ready to mail,
TAKE THEM TO THE POST OFFICE. This is very important - the stamp on your
card has to be hand-cancelled by a postal clerk (otherwise, they
will probably get mangled by the automated machinery
it would go through otherwise at the post office)... just ask them to hand cancel
when you're at the counter.
...And, stamps look alot nicer than those
white postage strips - both the lick and unlick stamps stick just fine
to the clay. Have fun! Linda
Your postal
guy was wrong (when he said he coulnd't send the polymer postcard because of size
or shape)!. The PO can send almost ANYTHING (I've seen painted coconuts
from Hawaii get stamped and sent!) through the mail, and a PC postcard is absolutely
no problem. (this applies only to "packages"?, though Linda's postcards
are not rectangular)....I sent several cards earlier this week and have already
received one back. It was the hand cancelled one.
. . . The clerk at the post
office did say there was an additional surcharge for
"irregular dimensions" because my card was under an ounce
(see below for rates)
...The ink from the stamp they used to
hand cancel stayed on fine, the clay came through without a scratch, and the
clerk I had was nothing but courteous (if a bit bemused.) :-) ...P.S. Sharpie
markers worked great for writing the address on the PC, but the metallic
paint pen is still a bit sticky after 5 days (I didn't think to re-bake
the postcards to set the ink before I sent them). Kimberly
P.O.
rules and rates for our postcards: ......(normal postcard rate is $0.23,
but we can't send our polymer cards as "postcards" because of
P.O. size and materials restrictions...we must send as
regular lst class mail "letters") ... all this info is as
of DEC. 03...
...dimensions required for
letters. . . . . minimum: 5" long.. 3-1/2"
high.. 0.007" thick . . . .. maximum: 11-1/2"
long.. 6-1/8" high ..1/4" thick
........for letters
weighing 1 oz or less, a non-machinable surcharge
(of 12 cents) also applies to our polymer cards because they are rigid
...(or if any of the following criteria apply:
..
is a square letter
..contains very rigid items such as
wood or metal
..contains items such as pens that cause the surface to be uneven
..has
clasps, string, buttons, or similar closure devices
..has an address parallel
to the shorter dimension of the letter The length divided by height is less than
1.3 or more than 2.5 )
.......I've also been told by a "mail piece design
analyst" (though previous senders haven't found this to be true!), that if
the thickness is 1/4" or less, the shape of the card
must be exactly rectangular with 90
degree corners . . . if the card is over 1/4",
the charge will be higher but the card can be any shape (...he says that
it must be over 1/4" thick --can't just pay an extra fee) ...to
make polymer over 1/4" thick would require two #1 sheets of clay plus
a little more (they slide them into a template to measure)
.....So,
for a rectangular polymer postcard (not in an envelope) which is less than
1 oz, the cost will probably be 37 + 12 = 49 cents (if hand cancelled)
.....for
a polymer postcard which is between 1 and 2 oz., the cost will probably
be 37 + 23 = 60 cents (if hand cancelled...no non-machineable chg.applies)
(and
also as long as the shape is rectangular.... if not, you'll need to make
it over 1/4" thick, and send at the "large envelope" rate???
--confused about this part:
............Linda Goff's postcards of 1998
were irregularly rectangular but not over 1/4" and they mailed fine
............Michelle's
lesson above uses clay shapes stacked on a sheet of clay and they may total
more than 1/4" but she says they can be made thinner & still mailed
............so
does this just depend on which postal employee you happen to interact with? have
the rules changed?)
(see also http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm/C100.htm#Rav36698
for regulation details)
Use Premo, it seems
to hold up well, go for about a 4 or 3 thickness on an atlas . . .. Weight
down while cooling. . . .Glaze with Future if you want ,
then use a Sharpie marker for the writing. . . use . 55 cent postage. .
. .People are really impressed! I made several using a Skinner blend in blue and
green, then rubber stamped some additional designs.Could be really cool in metallics!
Becky
Could not you make your card at say #5 and make a # 6 sheet of
white, then join (laminate) the white clay to the back of
the card by running the whole thing through at #1 or #2?
I realize that
when you do the lamanation that your work gets elongated, but if the work is without
a relitively dimensioned object then it wouln't matter. Of course after you 'laminate'
the white to the back, you could then add the stamps textures etc. (and/or trim)
...Sure, Lysle, you could do that. Sometimes I laminate an ultra-thin sheet of
translucent onto my card, too. The background shows through somewhat and
it can provide a flat surface for writing if you, ahem, forgot to leave
one! LOL!! Really, anything is possible.
...It would be nice if the cards
could be thinner than I've been making them - I'm just nervous about whether they'd
be damaged in mailing. Marie Segal sent me a wonderful card made from the new
Sculpey Flex clay which is actually thick AND floppy. It will almost bend
double - that clay could probably be used for thinner cards .....Postcards are
especially fun because they can be spontaneously creative -
magazine
transfer is the only method I've used to add images to postcards - so far.
. . .you'll need a mix of about 2/3 liquid sculpey and 1/3 Diluent.
Cut out your magazine image (National Geographic works great) and paint the front
of the image with a thick even coat of your sculpey/diluent. Then put the image
face down onto a smooth area of the unbaked postcard and press it down real tight.
...Then bake .... After the postcard is cool, put it under water to soak the magazine
paper and rub the paper off with your fingers - your image will be left there
on the card. Linda
...The results were very bright, colorful and transparent.
I think it depends on which magazine you use (I used Dutch magazines, and haven't
tried American ones yet), and also how thick a coating of TLS you put on.
Too thick, and the picture loses color and clarity,
too thin and the TLS can break. It probably even matters how long and how hot
you bake. When baked quite hot (300 degrees) there is a slight discoloration which
is not unpleasant. Baking longer seems to make it more transparent.
...see
more on all transfer methods in Transfers)
I wanna make postcards!! ....What a neat way to actually catch up with some correspondence!
Or
how about (Mike B's powdered leaf impressions as) postcards (see Powders)?
...or (instead of mailing it) just stick a bit of wire on the back
for a hanger, and hang it on the wall as is? Ann
GREETING Cards ...& SCRAPBOOKING
(for more ideas and inspiration, see other sub-categories on this page also)
re SCRAPBOOKING in particular:
....acid
free and lignin free . . .The sculpey.com website says
that “Polyform’s chemists have been conducting tests on the clay for quite some
time. All tests indicate that baked Premo! Sculpey and Sculpey III
are acid free” so it should be fine to use in fine scrapbooking,
etc. if properly and completely cured. . .
http://www.sculpey.com/Scrapbook101.htm
...according
to info at trade shows, both polymer clay and acrylic craft paints are
safe for use in scrapbooks...regular acrylic paints will buckle
paper, though. Laurie D'
(... for which inks are acid-free,
see Letters & Inks)
...however, in
order to attach the polymer piece to the page, you have to use acid
free glue (best I've found is Glue Dots or Red line Tacky Tape.
Laurie D'
...Linda H's scrapbook page with stamped letters, and other
slightly dimensional pieces glued onto page
http://www.pcpolyzine.com/2005winter/scrapping.html
Could create any kind of card . . . . for birthdays or Christmas or greeting, or get-well, to grandparents, make Valentine cards, etc.)
Any
clay that's made flat or fairly flat could probably be used for
scrapbooking or cards...
....... e.g., frames of any kind (solid, or
in several pieces), transfers of photos/graphics/handwriting, symbols
or plaques (could write on these: see
Letters-Inks > Inks for Writing on Clay), cane slices,
etc.
various
glues will work to attach baked polymer clay to cardstock:
....most white
glues should work well enough
.....silicone type glues like E-6000 and
Goop (ventilate) ... or 2-pt. epoxy
....Polyform
also recommends "dimensional clear adhesives" like
Diamond Glaze®, Aleene’s Paper Glaze®
........ Glue Dots®
work well for attaching clay pieces to cards and scrapbook pages ...even double-sided
clear tape or carpet tape.
cane
slices
*Petra's cane slices ...or
molded, mica powders, etc ...wonderful cards made by
her and others... mixed media including polymer , stamping, etc.
http://www.zigzag.co.nz/stamping.html
Tamara's lesson on making a rubberstamped
card, embellished with tiny cane slices (stamped image is colored
with pencils, markers, etc.) ... she uses "sticky dots" to attached
each slice, but could be glued on ... final background embellished with
glitter on snowy areas, etc.
http://www.designcanes.com/how%20to%20make%20cards.htm
(for purchasing premade canes --some also pre-baked-- to use for slices on cards and in scrapbooking, see Canes-Instr > Pre-Made Canes )
I used the (cane) "slice painting" method on top of the front
of a purchased greeting card (with flowers printed on it)
to add flower petal slices over the drawing of flowers on the card, and
ended up with dimensional flowers on the flat card
...... I first
coated the relevant areas with white glue, then placed on one petal at
a time --sometimes truncating or reshaping the canes or slices
......
after baking them on the card the cardstock was slightly non-flat, so now I'll
probably cut the front of the card off and glue it to a piece of cardstock etc.,
to create a new card
...next time, I might use a sheet of glass
over the card image for my guidelines for placing the slices... bake
them on the glass... then remove and glue onto the original card
(for
more info on "slice painting", see Canes-Instr.
> Overall Techniques > Slice Painting )
(for info on other ways
to make "paintings" with clay over glass (using guidelines underneath),
see Paint > Paintings )
flat
cutouts can be made from thin sheets of clay in several ways:
.....
sheets can be cut or cutout before baking using cookie or canape
cutters of some type... or with an Xacto or long pin around a template
or inside a stencil, or freehand
...........(sometimes good to create
sheet and make cuts on a tile so clay will "stick" while cutting
and stay flat while baking ....(to keep flat, can also bake between two smooth
tiles to have shiny sheets, or put piece of paper between tile and clay for non-shiny
sheets)
......or after baking with scissors (or pattern
scissors), punches, and maybe even die cutters ... may help to cut
the sheet when warm or to rewarm the sheet
... properaly baked clay is very tough and flexible when thin
(NOTE:
don't use Sculpey, S'Sculpey or Sculpey
III clays for this... they're too brittle in thin sheets and will
break)
(see
much more on all this re cutters and cutting in Cutters)
cutouts
....Michelle
Ross used one fish from her lesson on making cutout fish
on a cardstock invitation to a "swim party" (which
had been stamped for "water)..(fish has
disk shape as body, with added onlaid cutouts for fins,
tails, stripes, heart-shaped lips (or rope), and bubbles...plus
several wire loops for fins) .... she used
a die cutter and a laminator for the body, but could certainly use
all clay
Michelle Ross' lesson
& photos of various colorful fish (for mobile)
http://www.polymerclayplay.com/html/gallery.htm
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_clay/article/0,,HGTV_3236_3071209,00.html
Lisa Pavelka's lessons on a gingerbread
boy cutout for the front of a card.... and also a frame for a photo
for the front of a card
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_holidaycards.htm
fairly
flat polymer dragonfly + liquid clay wings (probably made on tile/glass,
then glued onto card front)
http://expressionartmagazine.com/04MJtoc.html
cutouts
& molds
I made greeting cards with cutouts as well as molded
clay shapes, all glued to the fronts
.... first I created a pasta machined
dragged-lines sheet (see Canes-Instr
> Marbled Paper)
... then used small cutters to cut out a
leaf, a disk, and a little donkey-type animal from it.....baked,
weighting the cut outs with a tile over a piece of paper because
they were so thin they might have curled when cooling
.......I also made a
separate molded embellishment for each card from dark purple clay (with
a mold I'd made from a fancy button).... then highlighted the molded
clay with Aztec Gold mica powder and baked ... put the little square molded piece
at the bottom of the leaf on one card (to suggest a container),
and on the back of the donkey or under the disk (resembling the
basket of a "hot air balloon") on the other two.
.......I sanded
the backs of my polymer pieces a bit, and glued them onto the card with
Goop, but white glue could be used.
.......since I sent these through
the mail, I had to protect the thicker molded part a bit
because it was sticking up too much, so I cut a hole in some corrugated
cardboard and put it over the card ...(NOTE: when an envelope is more than
1/4" thick, and under 1 oz., 12 cents extra postage needs to be added for hand
canceling....if I'd used it as a birthday card, I wouldn't have had that problem
. . .and next time I'll use a stamp on some flat clay, instead of a molded
piece, so the whole thing will be thinner!)
...(re the non-polymer parts
of the card:) . . .the black printed parts of the card surrounding
the cutouts and the words Thank You were made from two all-over
patterns I found in a book. I photocopied each one, then cut the darker
one smaller than the lighter one and placed it on top of it so I'd have a double
fram. To make the area in the middle white for the cutouts and Thank You, I put
a piece of white paper as a third layer on top of that. ...the "Thank You" is
text I found somewhere or printed from my computer fonts, then taped onto the
white area before photocopying the whole thing on white cardstock
(I have my own cardstock, the same thing can be ordered at a copy shop for only
a few cents more than usual). Diane B.
Polyzine's folded cards
made by covering the front of the cardstock card with a sheet of same-color
or complementary-color clay, then adding punched out clay shapes or shapes
cut with pattern scissors to the front, all with white glue. The author
(?) stresses that clay should be cut when warm.
http://pcpolyzine.com/january2002/tycard.html
Asian Fan Note Card lesson using clay "medallion" only
to embellish a card mostly made with cardstock ... copper
clay stamped with gold permanent ink as background design, then Asian woman with
black ink) ...Shapelet used to cut shape, black clay rope added as frame... beads
on black cording hung from clay medallion ...(cardstock spokes of "fan"
stamped)
http://tinyurl.com/5qk4u
Kris Richards' card made with black cardstock, but completely covered with intersecting long skinny triangles of black Premo, and Lumiere paints, with gold Gellyroll pens and gold Krylon leafing pen to add lines, squiggles, dots, etc. (at wdpstudio.com, gone)
lesson
on placing transfers on cards & scrapbooks,
etc., surrounded by frames
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/projectsheet?pid=23046
Garie's fun "movement" card,
with big fish eating small fish (via wire)
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/strings-wires.htm
Could also use polymer with other things like regular drawings or stampings or photos, etc.
BOOK:
Handmade Polymer Clay Greeting
Cards, a book by Candida Woolhouse
...This small book has many
cute and very well-executed designs for embellishing paper greeting cards with
polymer clay objects. Molded and modelled or cut with cookie
cutters or templates, the designs are easy to make. Instructions are
clear and well-written and there are adequate photos/diagrams to illustrate the
steps and some variations. Many themes included...... I would think this book
well-suited for a paper-arts enthusiast who wants
to add polymer elements to their pieces but doesn't know where to start, or for
any crafty person who is unfamiliar with polymer clay. Elizabeth
Sampler cards ....and/or "ARTIST TRADING CARDS" (ATC's)
(more ideas and inspiration also in other categories on this page)
Violette's
artist trading cards for a swap
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=vioiv&x=12&y=8
....also
Violette's (similar) fancy and embellished polymer sheets for a
book. . cover is all polymer too. . . cool!
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1340337&uid=477851
....
also Violette's "book" pages and other sheets of fancy
and embellished clay, also "covering" side of a bookcase...
great card & postcard ideas!
http://creaplastic.free.fr/10vio_06.htm
...http://creaplastic.free.fr/10vio_10.htm
Linda's
swap of many artist trading cards
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/atc_swap2.html
(click also on Page 2 )
sets
of artist trading cards for swap
http://photobucket.com/albums/c255/Nadja2002/Swaps
Lisa
P's artist trading cards and tags
http://www.heartinhandstudio.com/atc_&_tags.htm
info
and ideas re artist trading cards, and many links (at bottom)
http://www.cedarseed.com/air/atc.html
....many links for "artist trading cards" (Google results)
... http://tinyurl.com/43duj
Helen P's polmer clay artist trading
cards for a swap
....most "artist trading cards" are flat, but ours
will be a little different... they will be on a polymer base - 2 1/4"
x 3 1/2".
....embellish them as you like - mixed media is
welcome (beads, paints, inks, cabs, canes, charms - just have lots of fun)
few
things to do with any of these cards
as collection:
....put
in those plastic sheets with 9 pockets, available for baseball
cards, Pokemon cards, etc.
.......if cards were made smaller or
larger, could use pocketed plastic sheets intended for photographic slides
or for reg. photographs
....display on panels ...or inside
frames
....use as pages in handmade books
....or loose in
boxes to flip through, and/or to remove-inspect-feel individually (see Brigitte's
of both above)
....enclosed in various ways: envelopes (reg.or
handmade... or flat sheet of some kind could be folded over them and tied
or otherwise held closed)
individual cards:
....in plastic sleeve
intended for regular trading card, or for a hanging nametag badge
...
I've heard of people sewing a plastic pocket to their handbag
to display a different card every week
....business card" ...any
type.... or with a self-portrait on the front and a personal fact sheet on the
back... cedarseed
....some people seem to have used playing cards as
backs for ATC's
(see also the entire area of "mail
art" for inspiration:
..."'Mail artists' characteristically
exchange ephemera in the form of: ....illustrated letters, zines, rubberstamped,
decorated or illustrated envelopes, artist trading cards, postcards, 'artistamps',
mail-interviews and three-dimensional objects."
...many links for
mail art (Google results)... http://tinyurl.com/6y87f)
Toika's
cabochon molded bookmark (lesson)
http://www.geocities.com/polyzine/december2000/bookmarks.html
http://www.artcraftworld.com/index.htm
(photo of cabochon mold bookmark, but no longer for sale?)
many bookmarks
from Arizona guild swap
http://home.att.net/~reserved/bookmarks.htm
many
bookmarks from Tonja's swap (kids too?)
http://www.tonjastreasures.com/bookmarkswap/bookmarks.html
various
types of bookmarks at PCC's Claypen
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/claypen_bookmarks.html
(for more ideas and inspiration, see one of the categories above, but just use a strip of decorated clay for a bookmark)
DB: add ideas, websites for flat bookmarks here as well
(for more on flat and thong bookmarks, see Books-mini & covers)
Teri
S's 116 bookmarks with many techniques . . . mica shift, fauxs,
Natasha, stamping, PearlExing (leaves), mokume gane, chrysanthemum cane, Kellie's
funky wire impression designs, and "knotted" beads
.....It was
a great excuse for this newbie to try out lots of techniques...I used the pasta
machine at #4... I only sanded about half of them --a lot of them had PearlEx,
so I didn't bother--just Flecto'd (Varathaned) .///Some were supposed to be funky
(for the teens), and I left those alone
http://www.flickr.com/photos/p__tt/1416976885/in/set-72157602108131287
......for the two geometric mosaic ones (3x6-tile grids)
........ 3 diff. rectangular tiles (look like crackled leaf on black**, bits of
leaf in translucent, and gold leaf impressions on grayed black) ... laid vertically
in a 3 across, 6 down pattern...this formed a secondary diagonal pattern also
(123, 312, 231...and repeat) ... tiles for some bookmarks were separated a bit
and grouted with black, but some were just butted without grout.
{ **actually:
stamped on translucent with bamboo rubberstamp and gold pigment ink pad (Brilliance
Galaxy Gold),-faux ivory with gold-colored leaf (applied at setting 1, so the
leaf spread out a lot), -black with gold-colored leaf (applied at 3 or 4)... then
cut these into rectanglar tiles}
flat
bookmarks can also have dangles and/or tassels attached to one
end (often through a hole punched there)
....Diane Mayer's textured
& anrtiqued (with brown or white) flat bookmarks.... with
dangles &/or tassels attached with cording to a hole in
one end (so will dangle on outside of book when bookmark in place)
http://scratchart.com/gallery/gallery2.html
...Adria's flat rectangle bookmarks
with attached cording and dangling skull, bead, bat, etc.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/AdriaFilion/?action=view¤t=bookmarks.jpg
flat, sqiggled wire bookmark ...
hook at top with dangling beads at end of hook (hang outside of book)... (hammered
to be very flat)... they used a thick wire (22 g)
http://www.artbeads.com/fataboma.html
thong-type
bookmarks often have dangles at both ends (beads, charms, whatever)...
for the thong try to use something thin but strong and non-tangling like waxed
linen
....I just made a thong bookmark for my daughter with my late Mother's
buttons instead of beads I used buttons. Came out really neat. ...large ones
on one end and then small ones on the other. aggie
...could always combine
these with special polymer beads relating to her, or just coordinating
ones.
Clayfreak's lesson
on feather-ish pattern made by manipulating an unloved Kaleidoscope
cane? (hobbystage website gone)
Rob & Melissa's bookmarks, with impressed gold feather and cord
(website gone)
collage
tags (also good for bookmarks)
http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/naturaltags.html
Ann/Karen M's lesson on making a clay "fabric"
(flexible) bookmark using a Liquid Sculpey with silk organza
or polyester chiffon
...... they made an image transfer of an oil-pencil-colored-in
b&w copy image onto the fabric
http://www.hgtv.com/HGTV/project/0,1158,CRHO_project_20729,00.html
Hazel's
ribbon & paperclip bookmarks(website gone)
there
used to be a page showing the results of the minibook swap over at Polymer Clay
Central (now located at delphi.com), but don’t know if it’s there now (can’t find
it—DB--keep checking to see when/if they add it).
Premo
is great for bookmarks. I have one I made two years ago with transparent Premo
that I scented with anise seed inclusion , and it still has a nice, mild
scent, and is still very flexible..... Rolled at #3 or #4 on the pasta machine,
I think. It's been a long time
. . . cane slices are a good idea! LynnDel
Garie Sim made a number of very flexible bookmarks
from Sculpey's SuperFlex clay:
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/bookmark_content.htm
(click on each)
...many textured
...some made from joined pieces
.....fish "fossil", strip
of ladybugs, rainbow, cow jumping over the moon, Pokemon, snake, frog, dolphin,shark,
and various Halloween themes including a witch hand (for that, may want to "highlight"
the textured hand with brown acrylic paint rather than "scorching" the clay with
a heat gun)
I've made bookmarks using craft wire in-between sheets of clay. I wouldn't suggest using the thickest setting, perhaps medium on your pasta machine but it might be one other option, in addition to checking your clay to see if it's been completely cured....some have also found that the clay becomes stronger with longer baking times. Instead of the minimum 20-30 minutes, I've used 1 hour or longer. It won't burn, unless the temp is too high, and you can re-bake clay many times, if needed. Marcella
printable
bookmarks (these have words and country themes and backgrounds,
but may be good for inspiration)
http://www.grandmageorge.com/free/ggmsets/cbmark.html
(see also Cards > Postcards for more bookmark ideas, but just use a strip of decorated clay rather than a larger piece)
GIFT TAGS
simple gift tags made from 2
colors of clay back-to-back put through the pasta machine on # 5...
then use cutters to cut out shapes, and make a hole for attaching
...so after
baking you can just write on them with some gel pens or other pens/markers
--see Letters-Inks > Inks for Writing)
I'm going to have to try some gift tags adding molded shapes to the flat
PC tags
.... (the molded pieces could match
the themes and colors of the wrapping too)
...very
small candy molds (usually in a sheet mold) are often available for making
tiny shapes, figures, etc
.... these could also be highlighted or completely
covered with metallic powders, (or even painted) etc., to be hung on tiny
Christmas trees as ornaments, or glued onto gifts or as gift
tags, etc.
Lynn K's lesson on making to make Christmas
tags using stamping (sometimes over metallic leaf)
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_HolidayGiftTags.htm
(more
in Christmas?)
collage tags
(also good for bookmarks)
http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/naturaltags.html
BUSINESS CARDS
(see Business > Business Cards)
~magnet "sheets" have an adhesive back, so a layer of baked polymer clay can be adhered to them; other magnets may have to strength to hold on top of the clay as well? (could be used for small frames for the frig, gifts, postcards, games, etc.); available at crafts (?) or office supply stores (these do NOT go through your printer, but a printed sheet can be pressed to the back of the magnet sheet after the release paper is removed)
Post
It pads could be inserted into a slot cut into a flat
sheet of clay (figure or pattern, etc.) with magnet sheet
on back ... and then stuck to the front of the frig. etc.
http://boards.hgtv.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=1084078532&f=1004031632&m=706106483
template for folding a slip-type, partial
envelope for presenting cards (or flat shapes) of any size (part of the front
of the card will show)
http://www.bydonovan.com/CardHolder.GIF
Shala's
patterns for printable gift tags, envelope/cards with pop-ups inside,
"money" envelopes, etc. (some blank, some with graphics/color)
(use
*thin* cardstock if your printer allows it, or use spray adhesive to attach the
printed paper to cardstock before cutting and folding)
http://shala.addr.com/print/printables/index.html
Marie R's lesson on drizzling-drawing a shape
onto clay with LS, then covering with embossing powder (tamp off excess)
and baking (could be gift tag, card, bookmark, etc.)
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_TLSEmbossed.htm
Several ways to prevent curling of thin flat clay when baking. One is to place something heavy on top of the piece while baking. However, if the weight will harm the surface technique, then wait until the pieces comes out of the oven and while it is still somewhat hot, place heavy books on top of it until cool. . . . Or, while it is still hot but not so much so that you can't handle it, fill the sink with cold water and then lay the piece down on the bottom of the sink and hold it flat until it is cool. Dotty in CA
WEBSITES
Lisa's
card embellishments (could be ornaments later)--click on Handcr. Holiday Cards
& Orn's
http://www.sculpey.com/projects.htm
*MMonet's greeting cards & mixed media
http://members.aol.com/mm1ofakind/artcards.html
pc stamping on cards swap
http://www0.delphi.com/rubber/swapsculpy.html
(look at polymerclaycentral.com's Swaps??)
