There are several ways to use polymer clay when creating bookmarks, but a very simple way to create a cute clay bookmark is to attach a clay design to a paperclip and use this as a bookmark!

In this blog I’ll show you how to create your own paperclip bookmark with polymer clay.

What You Need To Create a Paperclip Bookmark

To create a polymer clay paperclip bookmark you will need the following tools,

• Polymer clay (Sculpey Souffle is my favorite)
• Tile for baking polymer clay - Large Tile - Small Tile
• (optional) Polymer clay cutters
• Super glue
• Paperclips - I used these gold paperclips from Target

Create Clay Charm for Paperclip Bookmark

What’s great about creating a paperclip bookmark with polymer clay is there are so many options for the clay charm that you create. You can use polymer clay cutters (you may already have!), sculpt your favorite character, or go with a basic shape.

 

Here is an example of how I created the Harry Potter Sorting Hat with polymer clay.

And here are more Harry Potter characters that I created for my clay paperclip bookmarks.

The style of how you attach your paperclip to the clay to create a paperclip bookmark, will determine the style of clay you need. You can create a flat back clay charm, very similar to what you would create for polymer clay earrings, or you can create a 3D sculpted polymer clay piece.

Flat-back Polymer Clay Charms for Paperclip Bookmarks

If you don’t care about making the paperclip bookmark reversible, using a flat back polymer clay charm is soooo easy and you can make a clay paperclip bookmark out of any piece of clay.

For example, I could turn these smiley face emojis into paperclips OR earrings! 

Here are other ideas of how to create a flat clay piece for a bookmark:

1. Use a polymer clay cutter (I would suggest using 30mm or larger)
2. Sculpt your polymer clay into your favorite character (like I did with Harry Potter!)
3. Create a geometric shape of clay, and add a phrase with stamped letters
4. Create a geometric shape, and add cut vinyl from a Cricut
5. Create a polymer clay charm with resin

Really… you need to use your imagination and decide what kind of paperclip bookmark you want! Then use any of those techniques to see it come to life.

2 Ways To Attach a Paperclip to the Clay Bookmark

Attach the Paperclip to the Clay Bookmark: Before Baking

If you created a thick or 3D sculpted polymer clay piece, and are using metal paper clips, you can bake your polymer clay with the paperclip attached.

Insert the paperclip inside of the polymer clay piece, and bake your polymer clay as normal.

If you find the paperclip is not secure after baking, there are a few things you can do to ensure your paperclip stays secure in the clay,

1. Use oven bake liquid polymer clay to bond the paperclip to the clay while in the oven
2. Or, when your piece is done baking, pull out the paperclip. Take a new paperclip, dip the end that will go back into the clay piece in super glue, and insert the paperclip into the clay again. Let this dry for 1 minute before setting aside. (This may require a new paperclip)

The advantage of baking your clay piece with the paperclip is when the bookmark is complete, it is an entire 3D paperclip front and back. There is not exposing of raw edges or glued paperclips, so this gives the paperclip bookmark a more polished look and makes the paperclip bookmark reversible!

Attach the PaperClip to the Clay Bookmark: After Baking

Even though baking the paperclip with the clay piece results in a more polished looking paperclip bookmark, I like the simplicity and versatility of attaching the paperclip after baking my clay piece.

When the polymer clay piece is done baking and cooled, it’s time to attach the paperclip the clay charm. To attach the paperclip to the clay charm to create the bookmark,

1. Add superglue to one side of the paperclip (you don’t need much!)
2. Add the polymer clay charm onto the paperclip
3. Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute
4. Set aside and let dry for a few hours to ensure the glue is fully dry

  

Note: If you are inserting the paperclip into the clay bookmark, some paperclips are not suitable for baking with the clay. For example, these paperclips from Target, have a plastic coating that can’t be baked with the clay, which is why I like attaching to the back of the flat piece of polymer clay.

Baking Your Polymer Clay Charm

Now that you have your clay charm for the paperclip bookmark designed, it’s time to bake! You can bake the clay bookmark charm to the directions of your clay. If you are using Sculpey Souffle, it’s usually 275 degrees for 30 minutes.

I like to bake my bookmark charm right on the ceramic tile, and then let the clay cool completely before lifting off the tile. Because you are baking the clay on a flat tile surface, the clay will have  a flat back for attaching the paperclip to create the bookmark.

 

Once the clay cools, use a dremel tool or sandpaper to sand the edges if needed. If you are sculpting the clay, you usually don’t need to do this step! After sanding, lightly rinse off the dust of the clay charm and dry with a paper towel.

Clay Paperclip Bookmark Ideas

Here are some ideas of my favorite clay paperclip bookmarks…

Polymer Clay Book Paperclip Bookmark + Tutorial (by WooJr.com)

Harry Potter Polymer Clay Paperclip Bookmark (by Me)

 

Starbucks coffee Paperclip Bookmarks (by Kellen Petersen on Pinterest)

Helpful Tools for Polymer Clay Makers

I hope this blog provided the framework you needed to be creative and create your own paperclip bookmarks with polymer clay! It’s nice to expand your creativity with the same tools you already have! My shop has several polymer clay cutters made for polymer clay makers and to help further your creativity with polymer clay.

Here are some of the products mentioned in this post:

• Polymer Clay Smiley Face Emoji Stamps