DIY Dog ID Tags

DIY dog ID tags made of card stock and Mod Podge Dimensional Magic and clay.

We recently welcomed Mamon, our Chowchow puppy, to the family. He is now almost three months old. You can read all about our bouncy little ball of fur here. 

We went shopping for his needs and got to take a look at pet ID tags sold at Pet Express. They look nice and durable, made from imported anodized aluminum and there are colors and shapes you can choose from. They have a free engraving service so you can have your pet's name engraved on the tag and even have your phone number on the back so you can be contacted when your pet accidentally got lost. They have two sizes, I didn't get the dimensions though, one costs Php 450 and the bigger one is Php 500 (a little over $10). I liked the blue bone shape tag and was already about to get it for Mamon then I thought to myself, why not make one? It's not gonna be as durable as the aluminum one but it's definitely gonna be cheaper, well, I won't even spend anymore as the materials of the design I was thinking then were already in my craft stash. If I'm not happy with my finished work, I'll just go back and buy Mamon that cute little tag from Pet Express.

This post will have two parts because I decided to make two different kinds of tags, the first one is made from clay and the other one made with card stock and Mod Podge Dimensional Magic. I'm just gonna call them dog ID tags as they're for our dog and I've chosen the bone shape but you can make this for any pet you have in any shape you want.

Part I - Clay Dog ID Tag

Cut out a template of the shape you want or prepare your clay mold or cutter if you have it in the shape that you want your pet tag to be.

Get your roller or pasta maker and flatten the clay. Just make it into how thick you want it, mine was about 2mm thick. I was afraid that it would crack if I made it too thin as I was only using air dry clay and it cracks sometimes when it dries. If you're using the oven-cured polymer clay, that's good, even better as you can skip painting, you can just choose the color of the clay you'll use. My clay needs painting because it's just plain white, there are only a few brands that make air dry clay in different colors, most just have it in white and terra cotta.

Now, again for this part, you can just use your mold or clay cutter if you have one or use a template like I did and cut out the clay according to the shape. I used a craft knife and a few clay tools to cut and smoothen the clay.

Here, as you can see I tried a few shapes.

Then, using your clay sculpting tools, carve the name of your pet and make a hole just big enough for a jump ring to fit into. I'm still not good at this, I guess the names look a bit sloppy, haha. The heart one is for a necklace pendant for my little girl. 

If you're using air drying clay, just leave it in open air until it's completely dry and hard. For polymer clay, don't bake it just yet, skip this part and the next.

Paint the hardened clay, I used acrylic paint on this but I've used water color before and it worked as well.

Let it dry, it usually just takes a few minutes.

I mixed Pearl Ex Pigments with acrylic paint to add shimmer and used the mixture to paint over the carved part. I needed to mix the powder with paint so it won't just rub off from the dry clay.

For polymer clay, you can apply the Pearl Ex Pigment or your other mica powder brand directly on the carved names without the acrylic paint, the powder will stay on the raw clay. When you're done with applying color and shimmer to the name, you can now bake your clay according to the instruction on the packaging.

Apply glaze on the surface and let it dry. I used Mod Podge Sparkle. 

Then, just put some jump rings and it's ready to be attached to your pet's collar. 

Now, onto the next dog ID tag I made.

Part II - Cardboard and Mod Podge Dimensional Magic Dog ID Tag

Create a template, the front and back part, and print it out. This was done using Photoshop but you can probably use other apps or softwares. I asked my husband to do it because I'm not good with PS. You can choose other prints for your background or even just a plain one and just make the name of your pet and other details you want to put on the tag clear and visible.

Cut the print out carefully. If your tag has an irregular shape, you can also use a craft knife like I did on the corners of this bone shape.

Get a cardboard that is stiff enough for a dog tag. I used two card stocks glued together, just one sheet was a bit flimsy for this project. Adhere the cut out template on the cardboard. I used my favorite decoupage medium, Mod Podge, but white glue will do, just make sure that it adheres completely on the cardboard and there are no wrinkles. 

Cut the cardboard along the shape of your template.

Then, adhere the back part of the template on the other side of the cardboard.

I applied a thin coat of Mod Podge on both sides. This is just to prepare the surface for the next step though may not be really necessary because I've seen a few projects using Mod Podge Dimensional Magic applied to other surfaces without glaze or sealant first.

This is the Mod Podge Dimensional Magic I was talking about. It gives a clear raised surface like a glass. It's my first time to use this and I find it easy to use.

Fill the surface with Dimensional Magic, it doesn't run so you can apply it up to the very edge. If bubbles appear, just pop them with a pin.

Let it dry for at least three hours. I left it overnight because I really put in a lot so I could have a thick finish. It looks cloudy at first but it clears up as it dries.

Do the same on the other side. When it's completely dry, attach some jump rings,  and connect it to your pet's collar.

Viola! Our fluffy Mamon wearing the dog ID tag I made for him. My husband chose this one over the clay tag. It's been more than a week and it still looks good and when it's already broken and I need to make a new one, I'll be delighted to do so. I'm so happy I decided to make it myself rather than buy. 

Cheers to all pets and pet lovers out there! Bye.