Friendly Plastic

Friendly Plastic is a great medium for 3-dimentional works. It is very versatile as there are many different ways in which you can use it. It can be heated in water, on a hotplate or with a heat gun. You can make jewelry as well as some very unusual card toppers. The plastic comes in strips (3.½ x 17.½ cm) but is easy to cut with scissors or join if you require a bigger piece. Nothing is wasted as even little pieces make an interesting design when joined together.

To make a simple card topper, first take a piece of friendly plastic the size required to fit your stamp. A bold stamp makes the best image. Work on a non-stick craft sheet and protect your table from the heat with a special mat or a wooden board. Ink the stamp with Versamark ink to help it release and heat the plastic with a heat gun until it is soft. DO NOT TOUCH IT WITH FINGERS at this point as it will be very hot. Next quickly press the stamp into the plastic. The stamp will stick until the plastic cools, but whilst the plastic is still hot, if you work quickly, you can make a pattern on the side. I used a ball tool (dipped in a little olive oil so that it didn’t stick to the hot plastic) and just pushed it into the plastic and pulled out to the side. Once you have finished your piece it is easily stuck onto card with silicone glue. Then just mount the image and finish the card to your own design.

We run an introductory course in using Friendly Plastic on which you will learn and try for yourself the techniques involved to produce fascinating pieces.