Name tags aren't just for class reunions and business events.You can craft name tags for your plants or your guests from stained glass or polymer clay. Consider these craft ideas the next time you need a name tag for personal identification, a seating arrangement or your rosemary.
Stamped Name Tags
Create individual name tags with card stock, stamps and colorful ink. Select a stamp with room for the attendee to write his name. You can find stamps sized to fit in the plastic name tag holders available in bulk quantities from paper suppliers. Cutting the card stock is quick and easy with paper trimmers and other scrapbook cutting tools. Find a stamp appropriate for your event, like a whale for a class trip to the aquarium or a floral border for a garden club event. You can stamp the image using multicolored ink for added design interest or you can opt for the simplicity of one color. Another really simple option is to stamp peel-and-stick name tags. The stamps you need to make these tags may be smaller than for the card stock tags, so make sure to measure the open space before you go stamp shopping.
Clay Name Tags
Create name tags for your plants with polymer clay, craft wire and letter stamps or a knitting needle. Soften the clay with your hands and then flatten it out on your work surface. If you prefer a smooth surface for your name tags, run the clay through a pasta machine. Hand-pressed clay has more dimensions than rolled clay and creates a more rustic-looking name tag for your herb garden. You can cut whatever size plaque you need for your plants from the flattened clay. Make sure the clay is thick enough for you to stamp letters into it or to write them with a knitting needle. After you make the tags, you can insert the end of a length of wire into the bottom lip of your name tag to make a stake before you bake it. You can also make a hole in the top with a knitting needle so you can hang it on a stand in your garden. Finish your clay name tag with a coat of Future floor polish for protection.
Stained Glass Name Tags
Set an elegant table with name tags made from stained glass. Scoring, or cutting, stained glass is easy with a glass cutter and snapping it apart is a cinch with running pliers. Beginners can create small rectangular name tags with easy, straightforward cuts, and experienced glass cutters can make something more elaborate like a circle or a flower shape. The cut edges of the glass may be jagged or rough, so it's a good idea to go over them with a diamond file before you wrap them with copper tape. The tape adds a finished edge to your name tag. You can find it at your local hobby store or at online retailers. Write your guests' names with a colorful grease pencil that you can easily remove with rubbing alcohol and a soft cloth. For permanent stained glass name tags, write the names with a paint pen. Lay the finished name tags flat on the top plate of your table setting.
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