MY OBAMA BUTTON
MY OBAMA PIN

Supplies

Template
8 ½ x 11 copy paper in assorted colors (available free at Kinkos, Staples, Office Max)
white glue (Elmer’s washable)
glitter – assorted colors (gold, silver, copper, pink, ect.)
laminating pouches – 5m (Office supply store or order online at Identification Products.com)
scissors
1/16” hole punch (or 1/8”)
coil-less safety pins – order online at Manhattan Wardrobe Supply
sequins – assorted sizes and colors
seed beads
craft beads (plastic pearls, gems, old necklaces, charms, baubles of all sorts)

Making Obama

  1. Download the pdf template and print it out on your printer. You will need to center the file on your printed page so that both sides line up.
  2. From the pdf, make a double-sided photocopy: Obama photo on one side, lettering on the back. The template can be customized, just cover with Obama ovals of your own design.
  3. Place a photocopy on a sheet of newspaper. Glue a thin line around the inner border of the Obama-photo side. I find turning the paper so Obama faces sideways, then gluing counterclockwise from right to left works best. Practice a few times, even drawing ovals and gluing on lines.
  4. Pour glitter over glue, shake off, and put sheet aside to dry. This process works best with two people, one to glue, one to apply glitter, doing 15 – 100 sheets per session. Be sure to tip excess glitter back into container.
  5. Let dry for at least 30 minutes to 6 hours.
  6. When sheet is completely dry, place sheet in laminating pouch and carrier. Laminate on high.
  7. Cut laminated sheet into sets of two Obamas.
  8. Carefully cut out each oval, avoiding cutting into the glitter, but trimming black border to about 1/8” – 1/4”
  9. Punch top of oval above Obama’s head with 1/16” hole punch

To Assemble Buttons/Pins

  1. Open up the safety pin and place decorations smallest to largest, then add Obama, face-side first. Check by trying to pin on. It’s really easy to reverse this order, so be sure to check to make sure you can wear the safety pin with Obam’s photo facing out.
  2. Order of assembly:

Seed bead
Small sequin
Larger sequin, and so on

OBAMA (!), image side first

Also see and download instructions as a pdf here!