Saturday, October 6, 2012

Tutorial: Polymer Clay Notebook Paper Ornament

 This polymer clay notebook paper ornament is SUPER easy to make and is the perfect way to display memories on your tree!  It would also make a really cute gift tag...especially on a teacher's gift!

Supplies: 
white polymer clay
playing card
x-acto knife or steel blade (like shown in the picture below)
small round cutter or straw
ultra fine point sharpies in blue and red

 Roll out the clay.
You can do this using a pasta machine
(I used the thickest setting)
or 
you can roll by hand with a rolling pin.
Just flatten the clay!
You do not want it to be too thin and fragile, so pick a thickness that feels sturdy.
 I used a playing card as a template for the paper shape and used an x-acto knife to cut it out.

 I also liked the rounded edges the playing card template gave.
 Use the small circle cutter or a straw to cut the three holes.
I centered the first hole, then placed the other two closer to the top and bottom edges.  Look at a real piece of notebook paper as a guide.
 Bake the clay piece according to the directions on the brand of clay you used.
You could probably use an air dry clay also, but just make sure to use a thickness that is not too fragile or breakable.
 Drawing the lines.
To do this, I looked at a piece of notebook paper as a reference.
I left a bigger space on top (about 5/8 inch) then, with a ruler, marked increments of 1/4 inch.  You want to have enough space to write, so don't put the lines too close together.
 I marked all of the lines with a pencil and ruler first, so I could erase mistakes.
 Mark the vertical line also, using the same technique.
 Using a straight edge or ruler, go over the horizontal lines with the blue ultra fine point sharpie.
 Yay!  It's looking more like notebook paper!
 Draw in the vertical line using a red ultra fine point sharpie.
 Finished!!!
How easy was that?
I think I will have my kids write their Christmas lists on them, so I can keep them forever...
and remember what their handwriting looked like!
 Lastly, I added some hemp string to hang it with, but you could use ribbon, yarn, or anything you think would look best.

 There are so many memories that could be saved on these ornaments!
They could be used as a baby's first Christmas ornament, listing name, birth date, weight, height, etc...
What about writing a love note?
Or the year's highlights...like, "Sienna lost her first tooth in September"?
You could also write your kids' teacher's name, their grade, and their favorite book or game this year...
Seriously!  So many uses!  I could go on...and on...

(for more notebook paper fun)

3 comments:

D said...

Brilliant! Simply brilliant! This is a grand idea as a keepsake of the kids wish lists. Gratitude for sharing your creative ideas.

Marjorie said...

Thanks! I'm so happy you like it!

Vicki Entrekin Designs said...

I just came across your blog. Awesome ideas! I just LOVE this clay notebook paper. How adorable and the uses..... unlimited! Thank you SO much for sharing.