Video #257: “I absolutely love the jewelry display cards! Will you please share your tips for making them?” ~Jo-B
When making handmade jewelry, sooner or later you will need to package it up in some way… either for presents, or for selling in your Etsy store… at a craft fair… or in a gift shop somewhere.
The RV park here in Fort Bragg wants some of the beach wraps (stones found on the beach, hand polished and wire wrapped) as well as some of my clay and also other wire art for their gift shop. I’ll be here all week and we’ll be working out what they want and I’ll be making as much beach wrap as possible. I’m pretty sure they are going to take some of my lentil beads and some of the faux dichroic as well. I’m really stoked!!!! ~Carolyn-F
I don’t sell a lot of my jewelry because I don’t think it is good enough, but the Museum of Art thought it was and wanted 15 sets for their store. I know I would not have gotten this far without Cindy’s wonderful videos. I am so grateful I finally bit the bullet and decided to join this group. ~DixieAnn-S
One way to give your pieces a professional look that is very unique, is to design your own display cards. These cards not only help to brand your work, but they also give you a place to put your pricing and business contact information.
Depending on what you want your cards to tell your customers, you can add whatever information you want… like company name, artist name, Website, phone number etc. Since these cards have quite a bit of space on them (inside and out), you can also add information such as materials used or special jewelry care instructions, that are specific to your product.
I am hoping to add a bead section to my Etsy shop, I have added a couple canes so far! My designs are now being sold at TWO stores in my town, a gift shop and a beauty salon! Also, a couple of businesses have requested business cards to hand out! One of them is the person to call in my area for clothing alterations (she is really busy right now with formal dresses for high school dances) and the other owns the banquet hall where I’m having my wedding! Hopefully I’ll get some custom wedding jewelry orders there! Thanks for all your help Cindy, I do believe you played a big part in my success! ~Carrie-W
What’s particularly great about the design I am going to show you (IMO ;-), is that I’ve figured out a way for the same card to either hang on a rack… or stand freely on its own. The stand-up approach works wonderfully at craft fairs and in retail display cases where racks man not be the best way to show your designs.
Now you may think that all earring cards and jewelry display cards are created equal. But they’re not, especially when it comes to showcasing larger jewelry pieces such as the Dogwood Flower Pendant or a pair of Iris Flower Earrings. Cards for these bulkier pieces require special engineering to hold up the extra weight.
You can take the basic engineering principals that I teach, and make it your own by choosing papers, shapes and embellishments to suit your jewelry line perfectly. In fact I am excited about seeing how you guys adapt this tutorial to work with your own personalities. It will be fun to see how different all the cards turn out!
By the way… you can make these tags using a die cutting machine, which does speed up the process significantly. But if you don’t have a die cutter, a simple pair of scissors will work too.
I absolutely love the jewelry display cards! Will you please share your tips for making them? I am participating in my first craft fair at my church in July and have been trying to think of a creative, yet inexpensive, way to display some of my pieces. I bought a tall CD rack at the Goodwill to hang my earrings on and it is awesome but I really like your cards for pendants. The cards provide a nice way to hand over the jewelry when someone buys it and, I would think, would help preserve your pieces from rough handling by shoppers. Really enjoy your videos! Thanks. ~Jo-B
Hi Cindy!!! I have used die cutting machines for lots of metal type crafts and leather! The one big WOW that I saw on this tut was the earring cards you made with the die cutters!!!! Those are beautiful!! It’s funny what captures each person’s interest when watching your fabulous tuts, huh!!! ~Denise-P
Love your earring tags, made using your cool new die-cut machine. And the little ribbon bows just set them off beautifully. It would have taken ages to cut those shapes out by hand, what a time saver, plus the fact they look so stunning, and really set off your lovely creations. What a cool tool. ~Elaine-F
I have just bought a cuttlebug (thanks to the member who said her cuttlebug was as good as the bigkick) as it is the easy accessible diecutter to buy here in New Zealand, and am so looking foward to playing with it. I also love your jewelry display cards. I have been wondering for ages how I can make my own (I love figuring out how I can do things without having to buy stuff), but it never occured to me to use a die cutter. ~Sandra-J
So… without any more chit chat, coming up tomorrow (Friday, May 25, 2012) in the Vol-048-4 members video at the Polymer Clay Tutor Library, I will be teaching all of you how to make your own custom Jewelry Display Cards to bring the professionalism of your handmade jewelry to a whole new level, whether you are selling it or just giving it away for gifts.
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… Please Note: A general prerequisite for all of my weekly tutorials is that you have a good understanding of the polymer clay basics, including: conditioning clay, using a pasta machine, clay blade and other simple tools, making Skinner Blends or Teardrop Blends, baking clay, as well as sanding and finishing. If you need help in these areas, my Polymer Clay Beginners Course will get you up to speed quickly. There is also plenty of free information on this blog. Use the search box at the top of the page to find articles on specific topics.
Supplies & Tools: Video-048-4 Jewelry Display Cards:
- Card Stock in the color and design of your choice. I used 12″ x 12″ double sided cardstock found in a large pad, in the scrapbooking department of my local craft store. Choose a paper design that suits your personality and compliments your jewelry line. It can be plain or fancy, quiet or bold, but it should be consistent with your brand and who you are as an artist. There are millions of design choices out there. Have fun and don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd!
- Die cutting Machine and Dies (optional) I used:
> Sizzix Big Kick Machine, Perwinkle
> Sizzix Bigz BIGkick/Big Shot Die, Tags No.3
- Paper Cutter (optional).
- Scissors. These cards can be cut by hand if you prefer not to purchase a die cutting machine. A die cutter will do the job quickly and consistently, but it is not necessary. You’ll see when you watch the video.
- Ruler. I like the Tim Holtz Design Ruler
because it has a metal edge and easy centering grid, so scoring and marking hole placement is fast and accurate. Any ruler will do for this though.
- Bone Folder
or other scoring tool. A small ball stylus or an old pen with no ink would also work if need be.
- Scrapbooking Adhesive
. Glue stick, tape runner, double sided tape, glue runner, etc. Anything that holds paper together well.
- Ink Pads
- Hole Punches. It is nice to have a small one for the earring holes (so they don’t fall out too easily) and a larger one for punching the hanging hole at the top if the die doesn’t already do that.
- Ribbon (optional).
By the way, many of the “shopping” links I provide for the various tools and supplies used in my tutorials, are “affiliate” resources. That means companies like Amazon and the other suppliers I refer, pay me a small commission if you click on the links and end up making a purchase at their site. It’s not a lot, but every little bit helps in keeping the cost of my tutorials so low… at only $3.32 per month. And, the prices for products that you may purchase through my links, are exactly the same as what you would normally pay. So please do feel free to click away whenever you need to pick up a few things for your studio. Thanks so much for supporting this site :-)
Here’s a sneak peak of this week’s tutorial…
The full version of the “Jewelry Display Cards” preview video shown above, is now available for purchase at the Polymer Clay Library in the Vol-048 Back Issue Package.
Customer Feedback About Membership Value:
Hi Cindy: Your tutorials are so inspirational to me. They are so informative, gently written for any learning level – well worth anyone’s time and effort! You must be so proud of your students in tow! LOL. You have taught so many things to so many people. You and Doug are a gift to the Polymer Clay World. ~Pauline-D
Dear Cindy – Just wanted to let you know that I think your polymer clay video tutorials are just great! The instructions are very clear. I’m sure any beginner in clay would benefit from watching them. Thanks for the time and care you put into your teaching. ~Sara-T
Cindy, I love your library!! Joining was the best thing I could have done as a newbie at polymer clay. ~Becki-S
The following topics are included in this week’s Polymer Clay Tutor Library, Jewelry DisplayCards video tutorial:
- See examples of Polymer Bead earrings, pendants and charms, being displayed on this unique Jewelry Display Cards design.
- Learn the reasons why using the right materials and engineering techniques will make or break your display card design.
- Find a cool way to make your jewelry designs stand out from the crowd, with your own personalized custom jewelry cards.
- Plus, with some creativity and ingenuity, there are many ways to come up with other unique designs of your own.
The full version of the “Jewelry Display Cards” preview video shown above, is now available for purchase at the Polymer Clay Library in the Vol-048 Back Issue Package.
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What a beautiful finish to the jewelry – your own tags ! Professionally finished – makes a good impression to buyers. You are NOT just here to sell -but display. Gives a warm feeling to you work. How much fun this will be. Can’t wait til tomorrow…………TY in advance Cindy !
Thanks for this great idea Cindy. I have always admired your Jewelry Display Cards. Before rushing out to buy this Tags Die #2 or #3 I will borrow my scrapbooking friend Diana’s. She seems to have every Sizzix die available, including a couple for box dies that fit my pill boxes and bag holders.
That’s a great idea, Lawrence. I have always thought that a sort of co-op sharing program could work for those lucky enough to have a local guild or interested group of clayers. You could buy pricier equipment in common that is not used as frequently and develop a lending library. Some of you must be doing that already. I’d love to hear your experience!
Diana is a long-time friend who lives nearby and doesn’t mind sharing her dies with me.
Our Guild has a lending library and since we cannot afford to buy the ever changing list of good books and videos some of our members share these. Our volunteer Guild librarian compiles a list of owners of books and videos and we either contact her or the owner and arrange for delivery, usually at the next meeting. Rarely is there much of a waiting list as our local public library also has a good collection of up to date polymer books and some videos.
Our Canadian Guild, Clayamies, used to do the same thing but shipping, even within Canada, made that prohibitive.
I am a member of the IPCA (International Polymer Clay Association) based in the US and as far as I know they still have their lending library for members only, but have never used it and am not sure how it works for International members.
That is great information, Lawrence. Similar to how our local Quilt Guild handles its lending library. I agree, shipping books between regional members has an unreasonable cost especially in rural areas.
waaaaaaaaaaw!!!!!!!!
i was waitting this tutorial for a long time
thank u cindy
Excellent tutorial Cindy!
I love this tutorial Cindy. A huge thank you from one of your fans!
Over the years I have used all manner of display methods including picture frames with velvet insets, cork pieces used in floristry etc. etc. But your idea of indivdual (A boards) is by way the best.So pretty and easy to store.
I made my first ten using a luggage lable as a template and cutting them with a craft knife from plain cardstock then painting and stamping on a pretty design.
Now I know this took quite a time but using your special tips and tricks I will take them out the box and CINDY them !! Adding your finishing techniques to make them look so different and special. Then I think I will have to spend my birthday money on some of the equipment you suggest in your tutorial. Any piece of equipment or tools that makes life easy and saves time is worth the initial outlay. So now really looking forward to the two day event next month, the first this year for me. I also love the fact that these can be hung up, saving space on my craft stall.
…………………..cheers xx………………………….
A wealth of info on this tute. Thanks, Cindy!!!
I also loved this tutorial Cindy. Wonderful information and yours are SO pretty! I’m off to buy a Sizzix. And great timing too as I have a coupon! LOL
This site is just a wealth of information and inspiration. Go Team Lietz and thanks so much! The information you share with us is invaluable!
What a unique tute! You showed so many shapes and ways to make YOUR OWN tags. No where else could all this be learned for Just $3.32 a month !! You are so generous with all you have learned -and pass down to all of us. This is the Greatest site ever !!! I am so glad I joined…………
Those of you out there – COME join us. You will learn so much ! Just $9.95 every three months for- tutorials, color recipes and so much more. You will never regret it…….
Thanks guys! I think you are really going to enjoy giving your personal touch to displaying your jewelry pieces.
It was brought to my attention that the Scallop Tag #2 die may have been discontinued. (That is always the way with design products. Things are always changing.) That is no problem however. Like I said in the tutorial, the idea is to use any style of die, just move the paper down like I showed you.
That goes for the paper too. Don’t just feel like you need the same style of paper I used. The point is to make it your own. Each of us has a different personality, so our jewelry and packaging should reflect that as well.
It is a great tag shape though, so if you want something similar, just do a quick search on Google Images for ‘tag dies’. You will see that there are absolutely tons of suitable tag dies available out there by several companies. The great thing about the Big Kick (or the Cuttlebug) die cutters is that most if not all, other companies’ dies are compatible with them. Which makes the possibilities endless really.
Have fun! Can’t wait to see your Jewelry Display Cards!
Cindy I found the tags online (combo # 2) but they had a heart on one and some design and words on the other two. Are they the same tag dies or do you get them plain? It says sizzix original die tags large scallop combo 2. They measure 4¾-inches x 5 ½-inches x 5/8-inch. Do you have the item # for them.
http://images.michaels.com/dw/staging/michaels-catalog/large/sb1463.jpg
Those are indeed the same ones Cherie. They just put those designs on them to show what could be done with them. Honestly I think they shouldn’t do that. I was confused by it too.
Hi Cindy
I haven’t had any luck finding the dies to make the tags online. I’m going to go the hand cut route. Could you tell me the dimensions of your scalloped gift tags, I could try to gauge it from the video, but I hoped you could save me the trouble. Thank you, thank you, thank you :)
Karen
Cindy,
I am very excited about these videos. Your beautiful voice is very easy to listen to and your instructions simple to understand.
Sylvia
PS Is there a place on your website where members post some of their creations?
Hi Sylvia,
Here is the link to where you can view and post photos…
https://www.facebook.com/polymerclay/photos
.
That was an excellent tutorial. Cindy I really liked the fact that you used cardstock that had a pattern on both sides. I dug around my scrapbooking papers and found one sided cardstock and one sided paper. I glued the paper to the cardstock with rubber cement and it looked terrific and It cut out the tags just great. You do use a lot of rubber cement this way but it’s a whole lot cheaper and I can match up some pretty designs for both sides.
Excellent tutorial, Cindy! I have an electronic scrapbook cutting machine that lets me create my own designs, so now you really have me thinking about how I can make custom cards using your tips. I didn’t know about two-sided card stock or the edging paints. So many fun toys and tools! Of all the tutorial sites I visit, yours is my favorite.
OT – Just a little info ! If you are looking for Pantone Bell Flower color. We already have it – in 28-1B. I have fiddled with this color and it is dead on. Try it……….teehee
This was great Cindy, thank you. I like that I can still do this and use the great tips even though I don’t have the cutting machine. ;o)
Whoo Hoo! I did good. I think I got the last BigKick in town (really!) and with a 40% coupon got it for $60. I told myself if I couldn’t get it for $60 or under I would buy it online. But I didn’t want to wait!! Michael’s was sold out, Joann’s was sold out, and there was ONE left at Hobby Lobby. And while I was there I picked up the Tags #3 die. Then, going back to Michael’s, I found Tags #2 and had a 50% off COUPON, so got #2 for $8.00. I had already picked up some beautiful card stock on my lunch hour on Friday. Been working on mica shift lately, but now I can make beautiful display cards to hang them on. Cindy, thanks so much for the inspiration!
Coupons, ladies and gents, I’m a convert. LOL
Happy holiday weekend to all!
This is fantastic, and offers so many possibilities and styles. I don’t have the die cutting machine, but will play with paper strips and see how the scrapbooking scissors with “fancy” scalloped edgings can work on corners and/or bottom edges. The end result looks so polished and just adds something really special to a beautiful handmade piece. Gorgeous jewelry too, as always Cindy!
Love this tute, Cindy, bought my BIGKick today at Michaell’s with the 50% coupon. At Joann’s I found the Tag Scallop Combo #2 and double sided paper that was also on sale. The paper comes in so many different varieties I had a difficult time deciding. It is going to be such fun to
get into this. I think the hardest part is already done…removing the BIGKick from the packaging,LOL. Tomorrow I will enjoy the freedom of doing this craft because so many others
have made sacrifices in the past and continue to do so. So with a greatful heart I will enjoy the day and hope everyone else will as well. Thanks Cindy, Doug and family.
Hi Cindy and all.
Lovely tute Cindy, considering, I have bought myself the Big Kick. Just love it, altho not many dyes yet. I was so thrilled to get it, as I thought it was out of my reach, but got $30.00 off and found it in a most unlikely place, so feel I was meant to have it.
Love how you have all your lovely work on the cards.
I will be getting into that too.
So a big thanks for a nice tutorial. We need to know all these aside things as well as the Poly clay things
Yours
Elizabeth K.
SUPER NEAT – I love these cards and I will be making some this week. I have been looking in books and on line for jewelry display cards to purchase and wa la it is like you were doing this tute just for me. As always filming is perfect and Cindy you have given us a wide range of options. Every tute you do is left for us to express ourselves the way we want and not the way you did it. You show us how to build something and leave the decorating to us. What a brilliant teacher you are. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all I have learned from you and everyone in your family. What a rewarding career you have made for yourself. Hard work and dedication pays off. Not near in the amount you deserve but that again is because you love your students and where your priorities have lead your heart.
Thank you Cindy and many Uuuuggggs to all.
Hi Cindy and Doug, I’ve been away from your wonderful site for a couple of months, still getting my weekly videos, but just not having time to watch them. Now I’m ready to catch up. It’s kind of exciting to have all these videos to watch and not having to wait until next week for a new one!
These display cards are wonderful and the video, as usual, is great. Now I have another item to add to my wish list.
Decided I definitely need my own Sizzix Scallop die set #2 but found it is discontinued by Sizzix. This week the Sizzix site had some on Clearance for $3.47, yes that’s right $3.47 but don’t do International orders – US customers only ;-( I found mine after making the rounds of three Michaels stores that had two sets on sale (buy one die set and get the second at 50% off).
Michaels also have a punch with the same size tag if you wanted to improvise.
The Michaels here in Mississauga, Ontario does not carry all those items. Lucky you! However, I purchased the sizzix tag #2 on ebay for $7.99.
Hi Cindy
How did you know that I was trying to figure out how to show my stuff — I was tired of using little plastic bags…this is much more professional.. I called up my local ACMoore and they carry the Sizziz Big Kick for $49 and do take their 50% off coupon..boy is that going to be a steal when I buy it tomorrow..I had looked when the video first came out but decided to hold off…but tomorrow it will be a done deal…now I just have to find out were to get the #3 die tag…. someone had mentioned the Cutter bug..that one seems to come with a lot of stuff…does the Big kick come with anything….
Once again thank you for all your great videos…I tell everyone about them..you are a guiding angel for us in the polymer clay world
just want to let people know that the Big Kick was a REd and White model…and I was told that it does not take the tag die that Cindy used….
I do have a slew of scrapebooking scissors so I might just try to make some with that and the cardstock that I bought..just to practice and see what they look like…Anymore info on the Red andWhite Sizzix would be appreciated
Natalie
Hi everyone
I went to AC Moore with the intention of buying the Sizziz big lock with
Y 50 percent off but when they brought it out .. The color was Red and White…is this an older
Model…it semsto have plates with tabs and on another web site it. Allied this one a clearance item….does it do the same thing as the periwinkle model … It was$49.99 and with the coupon it would he$25 … It sounds too good to be true..does amy one have morexido on that one….I hate to buy one that does not do what. Cindy has showed us in her totorials .. All help is appreciated
Natalie Herbin aka safit
The BigKick does seem to do everything as Cindy mentioned, and some of the other Sissix products don’t let you emboss or have a smaller surface plate.
I’d check their site: Sissix.com for specifics.
Lots of you have gotten some great deals, congrats! I’ m still waiting for lower pricing on the totally electronic Tim Holz model.
Natalie I went to Michaels and bought this one, red and white, and had to take it back as the dies Cindy is using don’t fit because of the bed. If you compare the pictures of the red and white with the blue one you will note the big difference. The red and white one is also all plastic, lighter in weight than the blue one. I went back to Michaels and exchanged the red and white one for the blue one at the same price with my 50% coupon which brought the price to a little over $50 with the tax. Hope this is helpful.
I’ve been struggling to find a tag die that I liked anywhere – I tried a million craft sites, eBay, etc. I set my heart on the scalloped shape but I was prepared to compromise and eventually bought an Ellison Thick Cuts die with the traditional “pointy” tag shapes. Excitedly unwrapped it and rushed over to my machine – only to find that it’s just a tiny bit too wide to fit my original Sizzix big red. Oops! Because I’m an idiot and forgot to check compatibility before I bought it. :/
Anyway I found several scalloped tags on eBay, got outbid on them all because it’s a rare die now and everyone seems to want it and there’s no way I was paying more than about £10 for it (they went for over £15 which is more expensive than a brand new unused die). So I decided to think laterally – there’s a “scallop pocket die” which is designed to fold together to make a cute little pocket tag, and the back section is a very similar shape to the scallop tag that Cindy used (the one I bought is ebay.co.uk/itm/200767360231, it’s much easier to show than to explain) so I can use it in exactly the same way, just by cutting off the unwanted front section along the fold mark. And I got it WAY cheaper than the tag die. Yay!
So just to let you know, there are other options available if you can’t find the exact die you want.
I found mine for $7.99 on ebay
Just a thought…I’ve gotten used equipment and traded with folks on several craft boards. Some folks impulse buy, and you can get it in the package, lol. If you ask if someone has a BigKick model, they just might contact you. Then, you can unload the smaller version in the same way.
The deals always seem to be better sourced there whether by barter or what have you because you are an established member. Though I still troll eBay and Amazon, lol!
Be nice if we could do that here.
LOL! Wouldn’t it be great if due to demand they reissued that die with a slight modification? If Cindy and Doug had a piece of that action it might be amazing. Due to word of mouth on this tute….
Hi Silverleaf
I’m new to the board & was hoping you could help me out with a question. You mentioned in the comment above that the first die you bought didn’t fit because it was a little too wide. Is the material the dies are made out of impossible to cut to fit? I’m wondering because I am thinking of buying a Die cutter machine like Cindy recommended but the dies for the tags are discontinued. Even on Ebay, that Purveyor of All Things. Thanks hon!
Karen
Hi Karen, am going to jump in here, The tag die for the Big Kick Sizziks machine is still available at our Michaels store and has been for the last couple of years. Everytime I go in there I check and they keep selling it. I also checked online and it said it was discontinued but they are still selling it. I don’t know where you live but if you check your local Michaels and they don’t have it, they might be able to order it for you. Just a thought. Good Luck.
Hello Dixie Ann!
I live in the Cayman Islands and unfortunately we don’t have a Michaels here. I am hoping someone will chime in w/ the dimensions of the tag so I can hand cut my own. I did find some beautiful papers on Amazon so I am almost ready to rock :). Thanks for your input anyway :D. I love this community.
Karen, overall dimensions of the tag are 4″ Long x 2-15/16″ Wide. The 1st Scallop starts at the 3″ length and the 2nd Scallop starts at 3-3/4″ So start with a rectangle and make your scallops on each side at the above lengths. Hope this helps. Good Luck
I just joined and purchased this month because I was intrigued with the jewelry tags. It gave me some great thoughts on changing my “brand.” I do a lot of glass work (lampwork beads) and am anxious to try it. I did buy, however, a Cuttlebug. It looked like it would do what I need.
I scored the #2 scalloped tags combo on eBay for about $12.
I bought the Cuttlebug as part of an HSN promotion w/ other embossing folders, etc. The entire set w/ many extras was $99 — and as a first-time buyer, I got 15% off. Now I’m anxiously awaiting its arrival. My plan is to cut/emboss the tags on plain colored card stock (at first). That was $12.99 at Michaels, and I used a 50% off coupon — for 200 sheets.
:)
Kelly
Welcome Kelly, so nice to have you join our group.
We are just a real big family here and really enjoy sharing and trying new things. Cindy is a great teacher and Doug does awesome video’s. Folks here are from all over the world and we really get a lot of feedback from each other. So don’t be afraid to jump right in and enjoy the blog.
Thank you so much, Dixie Ann! I am so happy to be here.
Thanks for the tag dimensions, Dixie Ann. You are a Jewel :) !
Nice to have you, indeed, Kelly! I have been a member for only about six months and I noticed right away that everyone’s opinion is valued and respected. This is a special place. I enjoy reading many blogs but this is one of my favorites. It’s great to see artists in many different media here. Cindy’s tutorials have a wide appeal. I couldn’t resist linking to your website to check out your lampwork; it is truly lovely, Kelly!
Thank you, Monique! I really love glass and have been making lampwork beads for about 12 years. I’ve recently taken a little break from it, though. Last fall a friend of mine gifted me with her PC stuff – from the oven to the pasta machine and stuff in between. I really started getting into it a couple months ago when I had the bug to make cuff bracelets. It’s just led me all over the place, most recently to this site! :)
I have been looking for a die or even a svg file of a good tag. I might have to design a tag so that I can cut it on my Cricut. I was inspired and I purchased a Bigkick with a Michael’s coupon. Now I was looking for a cute die to use with baked clay. When I purchased the Bigkick there were embossing plates to use with metal shapes. I thought that would be cool when making multimedia jewelry. Also embossing cardstock for boxes, cards, and tags looks like another option for my Bigkick. Hey gang let me know if you come up with other applications for the Bigkick let me know.
Boy if anyone can find die tag links to tags like Cindy’s please links to them here. Think Sissix should take that one out of retirement, it’s perfect for so many applications. Tim Holtz has a set of tags, but they are much smaller. Arggh!!!
I think I was on the Sissix site and left an inquiry about that die. So if enough of us do they might bring it back.
Hi doll, found a sizzix die tag for you.
ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_nkw=SIZZIX-RED-DIE-tag-scallop-pocket-
This gal has a whole page of different dies. This one is listed for $12.49 if you want it. Click on the link or copy and paste into your browser. Hope this helps. ;)
Thanks for the help. The link didn’t work so I did a search. I have never purchased anything from ebay. I think I found a use die for 6.00 and 3.50 for shipping. How does that sound?
That sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Sorry about the ebay link. Sometimes they just don’t work. I googled Sizzix Scallop Tag die #2
and her listing came up about halfway down the page. You don’t have to bid. You can just buy it for the listed price. (future info)
I am glad you were able to find one though. Good luck and have fun!
I got lucky today. I found a Sizzix tag die for 15 buck. In a way I got it for free – read about it on my blog.
Your blog is awesome, spent some time there, lots of great links, thanks doll.
Hi Guys…. I was just at Michaels this weekend and saw that they had these tag dies in a new package. (I know for sure it is the same die in new packaging because they had one old package left hanging right behind it.) The new package has a different photo on it and was being called a Sizzix Originals. My guess is that they discontinued the design (the old packaging made it look like there was a design on the tag as well) but they brought it back because it was popular. Kind of a Coke Classic kind of thing. Just a guess but I have been watching companies do things for years and it seems like it would be the kind of thing they would do.
Also on another note… since filming this video, dies have become even more popular and the options for tag dies is crazy! You don’t have to use this particular die… there are so many options that would work. Just do a search for Tag Dies and you’ll see what I mean.
Hey Cindy
Thanks for clearing that up. I didn’t want to invest in the die cutter yet. I actually find cutting out the cards by hand kind of zen and relaxing. I do it when I’m not focussed enough to deal with a more demanding type technique.
By the way, is there a way to private message others on the board? I figured there must be because I’ve never seen a message exchanging e-mails & I know that people on the board have met and become friends thru our shared love of all thing polymer.
Anyone, feel free to chime in :D
Karen
Hi Karen… we don’t have any functionality set up for private messaging at this time. I’m looking into adding something like that into the new members library site.
Okay, thanks Doug. That’s good to know :)
In case anyone is still looking for tag dies, there’s a really nice Sizzix Set Here. You’ll need a solo shim adapter for thin dies (or a piece of cardboard of the right thickness!) but it works great! You have a bunch of sizes to pick from and little tags that you can stamp names onto and thread it along with the ribbon on top.
That looks like an excellent set Krithika! The little ones would make great price tags to attach to jewelry, where a large tag might get in the way. Thanks for letting us know about it!
Hi Cindy,
Is this the same die tag used…. plz confirm ….thanx
Yes Roshin, that is exactly the same one I used.
Well I just made up 3 of these by hand as I am getting ready for the day job but will be doing some serious cutting on my silhouette or cricut for these. They just made some sort of odd looking earrings look fantastic!!! I
That’s cute Linda! I agree that the right packaging makes all the difference when it comes to elevating any design. It makes it look like the piece is something worth showcasing. I have seen beautiful pieces with bad looking tags or hung on ugly business cards poked with a sharp pencil or thrown in a pile on a table at a craft fair and the person wonders why they aren’t getting any sales. Then I have seen a more average piece as far as design goes, that has a really nice finish and lovely packaging, fly off the shelf! It’s largely about presentation. Although I don’t have a Cricut myself (yet) you should be able to cut some really great custom packaging with it. I would love to see pictures when you get them done.
I usually avoid tutorials that are business-related, but you even make those interesting!
I sell at a farmer’s market and this look would be perfect there.
All summer I’ve been telling people the jewelry is polymer clay. People say, “So you paint it after you bake it?” I explain that it’s not painted but different colors of clay blended together. They always seem baffled. Finally this weekend I found out why when a lady said, “But you must have gotten this blue somewhere.” My daughter explained this was synthetic clay. Then the light bulb went on. To the farmer’s market crowd this had to be natural clay no matter how many times I said polymer. Now the question is how to describe polymer clay to a crunchy crowd without using any of the bad buzzwords: chemical, lab, plasticizer, pvc, synthetic, man-made, etc. Any ideas?
Hi Lynn, just continue to call it polymer clay and don’t worry about explaining it too much unless they must know. If your pieces are organic in style they should like it on looks alone. But if the materials are important to them, call it a man-made colored clay and have some blocks of raw clay there to show it’s original state. It is plastic though, so if plastic is a bad word for them, it may never appeal to the ‘crunchy’ crowd.
As far as that goes too, the peole that show up to your market may just ‘look’ the part and actually not care that much whether the piece is truly organic or not… for a lack of a better term, I see it as a Hipsters vs. Hippies kind of thing. A true ‘Hippie’ will only want their rocks to BE real rocks and a ‘Hipster’ may just want their rocks to LOOK real. Selling polymer clay at a venue that caters only to the true ‘Hippie’ may not be the right fit… but if they are ‘Hipsters’ it may be perfect!
What I am trying to say is that you should try and figure out who your target market is and where to find them. If you have to spend a lot of effort ‘selling’ your product and explaining it a way that ‘convinces’ them to buy it, then your trying to sell it to the wrong people. Your products should be priced and set up, in an appealing way, to exactly the right type of people, without the need for a lot of explaination. They are trinkets… not electronics.
Basically people should walk by your booth and see your products and say “Oooo pretty! I want that!” Then they may ask a couple of basic questions about how it was made and that’s it. If someone is buying a painting or a bowl, they might come into a booth because they were drawn to it and then ask a couple of questions like… “Is that oil or acrylic?” or “Is the bowl ceramic or porcelaine?” They don’t care about which brush strokes were used or what type of glaze was used on the pottery.
They just care whether they like it, what it’s made of in general and if it is worth trading their hard earned money for. If they are confused by how you got the color on it, that is fine. They don’t really have to know how it is done. That is your job. Keep those things in mind whenever you are selling things and you should do well.
Dear Cindy,
You’re so wise! It’s probably of more interest to me than to the customers that so many different looks can be produced from polymer clay.
I will emphasize instead that all the pieces are handmade, artisan, locally made, etc.–a whole different bunch of buzzwords that should appeal to farmer’s market shoppers regardless of how “crunchy” they are!
Thanks so much!
Lynn
Excellent points Lynn! I think you would be very wise to re-direct the focus like you mentioned. Good thinking!