When I saw altered poker chips for the first time, I fell in love with them but was a bit wary of trying to create any myself due to the size of the “canvas” (nobody ever accused me of having dainty hands). 

Being a tried and true bargain shopper, that all changed when I saw a poker set at my local Big Lots for $3.99.  The set included poker chips, two decks of cards, dice and it came bundled up nicely in a tin.  How could I pass up the chance to try these for myself when absolutely everything in the set could be altered or used in altered projects!!! 

The first things that I made with the chips were magnets but then the ideas on their uses kept on coming.  You could make a bit of wearable art such as a pin or mount them on a flat barrette for your hair, use them as embellishments to an altered book or tin, or even as a tag for a gift.
 

3. Once your chips are glued down, flip your paper over and, using your finger, press out any excess glue and/or air bubbles. 

4. Using detail or small scissors, cut the chips from the paper and then trim around the edges carefully.

5. Repeating the steps above, cover the back side of your chip using either scrapbooking paper or a page from an old book (I like to save my pages from books that I’ve altered for just this purpose).

6. Take your image cut-out and your golden star and play around with the layout of your finished chip making sure that your background image is right side up.

7. Once the layout is determined, use the Diamond Glaze/Crystal Lacquer to glue down your Gold Star and then your image-cut out.

8. Embellish your collage using words cut from a dictionary or book.  I find it easier to handle these small items with tweezers rather than my fingers.

9. Sign and date the back of your magnet around the circumference of the chip.

10. Using a direct to paper technique lightly run the fluid chalk or other ink pad around the edges, front and back to age it a bit.

11. Coat with a layer of Diamond Glaze/Crystal Lacquer to seal your work.  (I like to use my finger to spread the sealer around).

To turn your altered poker chip into a magnet, glue a magnet to the back of your chip using E6000 Adhesive.  Allow the glue to dry for 24 hours.

To turn your altered poker chip into a pin, measure out an adequate length of ball chain to go around the outside of the chip and glue on using either your Diamond Glaze or Crystal Lacquer.  I found it easiest to work a bit at a time, lying it flat to dry before moving on. When dry, glue the Pendant and Pin Back Combo to the back of your chip using E6000 Adhesive and allow it to dry for 24 hours.
 

Please feel free to print these instructions for easy reference. (Use Landscape Layout when printing this page).