Making embellishments

There are many ideas for making embellishments. You could cut out things you like in magazines, you can paint chipboard shapes, use buttons and laces, you can die-cut your own shapes, etc. You could use store clothing tags--have you noticed how great the graphics are on clothing tags that hang from the garments before you buy them in the store? They are really nice, and their size is perfect for turning them into card-making embellishments. Or try using the beautiful illustrations on herbal tea boxes by cutting them out.

Please see below some of the various ways for making embellishments:

Blank paper tags

Using blank, pre-made tags found either in craft stores, or sometimes found in office supply stores give you a base for drawing or stamping your own image onto it. In the example below, I rubber stamped a butterfly on a piece of card stock. I attached clear acrylic tag shape onto the top of the butterfly and trimmed the paper off around the edges. The two other round tags were bought in an office supply store. I liked the silver edging on them. I put a sticker on one and stamped a design on the other, then tied ribbons through the holes.

Try applying clear glaze to the design. It has to sit for at least an hour to completely dry, best to let it sit longer.

Silk flower embellishments

For an idea on making embellishments from silk flowers, try going to a dollar store to buy a bouquet of silk flowers. Take the center of the flowers out, remove the petals or the flower layers part, and you have a flat silk flower layer that you can add to your card. You could put either a button or a larger-size rhinestone in the center. I used a metal decorative snap cover in the center of the flower in the photo here.

And here is the card I made with red silk flowers from a dollar store as mentioned above:

Polymer clay

Polymer clay is one of the most versatile crafting substances on the market today. Some basics on making embellishments with it: Once you condition it and roll it out thinly, you can cut out shapes, bake it, and paint the shapes. Or you can use push-molds to make make your own embellishments in various shapes, as long as the molds give you a fairly flat design. Then glue onto the card. Using metallic acrylic paints or mica powders will give great effects on polymer clay pieces for an embellishment that shimmers and truly stands out.

Check out items in hardware stores

Another unique and cheap way for making embellishments is from items found in the hardware stores. For example, you can find the metal washers for use with bolts. They come in varying sizes. Try stamping one side of the washer with a colored or clear pigment ink. Put embossing powder on it. Using tweezers, slip the washer carefully onto a non-stick mat. Take a heat gun and melt the powder to give a shiny glazed look. And DO NOT touch it til it cools down!

More ideas:

Try using shrink plastic sheets. You can imprint a rubber stamp image on it, color it in, cut it out, and bake it so that it shrinks down to a small size, and use it as a card making embellishment.

Stamp a rubber stamp image onto cardstock, color it in, or don't, and cut it out.

Or cut out the many shapes found in decorative papers and glue to the card. Die cutters and hole punches are great for making embellishments. You can die-cut a shape out of a patterned or plain paper, or hole-punch it, and glue it on as an embellishment.