Could old gift cards be turned into a tail?

[PearlieMae]

I'll bet you can get four out of a card if you place them right! Congrats!

[Seatan]

Veeeery cool!!! Cannot wait to see this on a larger scale! No pun intended.

[Mermaid Fenicia]

If you turn the punch upside down, you can see where you are punching

[Seraphina Suds]

That's exactly what I did, Fenicia c; and I was able to squeeze in 5!

[Fun123joker]

i actually love that idea. tell me how it goes because im intrested

[MermaidAine]

Could you use a drill or dremel to create the holes? I really cant wait to see this!

[ShyMer]

When I worked at Chik-fil-a, we would take used gift cards and stick them in very hot water. We could mold them into fun shapes for a short time until they cooled.

The reason I'm bringing this up is you may find that curving your scales slightly may help them sit better on your body. I'm thinking specifically on very curved places like your sides that flat scales may not sit quite right.

So there's a thought to experiment with

[Mermaid Sirenia]

I'm really excited to see how this turns out!

[Seraphina Suds]

I think I'll try out the drill to see if it'd work, but I'm considering gluing instead of sewing at the moment. I have to look into it more before I decide.

[Seraphina Suds]

When I worked at Chik-fil-a, we would take used gift cards and stick them in very hot water. We could mold them into fun shapes for a short time until they cooled.

The reason I'm bringing this up is you may find that curving your scales slightly may help them sit better on your body. I'm thinking specifically on very curved places like your sides that flat scales may not sit quite right.

So there's a thought to experiment with

Oh, neat! I'll try that at work tomorrow!

[Ashe]

The first set of scales with the floral designs were so pretty! I was iffy at first but I'm totally rooting for this tail.

And think what a great message it sends! A mermaid with a tail made of reused materials - love it

[Seraphina Suds]

I'm nervous about the colors and design myself lol. Once I have all the cards cut, I'll lay them out and see what I can come up with.

Recycled tail all the way! I'm gonna go with the Mahina Merfin since it is made of recycled material. Even better if I can get one used. I haven't decided if I'm using spandex or neoprene yet, but I'd like that to be reclaimed as well. C:

[Ashe]

If you use spandex (I recommend over neoprene in the case of this tail) be sure to make a duct tape dummy of your legs and put the spandex base over that when applying your scales. Otherwise when the spandex stretches over your own legs the scales will separate out and you will be left with gaps in between the scales. By the way, how are you planning on applying the scales, glue or sew? I may have missed that in the thread...

And if you are going for a more realistic look, be wary of the scales with writing and numbers. They were very prominent in some, maybe you can paint these ones? If you don't mind it then nothing to worry about though

[Seraphina Suds]

Totally forgot to try the hot water trick lol. Tomorrow!

Kalani, I'm deff doing a duct tape dummy for this tail either way! Why do you suggest spandex over neoprene? I'm thinking of gluing. It seems like the better option for now unless I can successfully drill tiny holes into the scales for stitching. I looked at other threads where people glued sequins and the issue seems to be a lack of stretch after the glue dries. But if I have it pre stretched on the dummy, it hopefully won't be an issue... I'll do some tests when the time comes.

As for the scales, here's what I have so far

I don't want to paint them, so I might just eliminate any that are too noticeably gift cards lol. But I don't mind the patterns, that's half the appeal! I still have ~200 more cards to punch.

[Sabrina the Selkie]

Using the hot water trick might help to distort the images a little, particularly in the wordy bits so they would be less gift-cardy, but the general patterns would still be there. You're right that's half the appeal.

[Rett]

Neoprene typically lasts longer than spandex for sequin tales. And I actually like the idea of being able to tell that they are giftcards. You could tell kids your tail was formed from all the bad trash humans threw into the ocean

[Sabrina the Selkie]

True point, RisingMermaid. Either way, it's gonna be a gorgeous tail.

[Seraphina Suds]

Tried the hot water! Worked great!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Cool!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ShyMer]

Cool is really easy to mold it back too, so you can always fix it if you change your mind.
I look forward to seeing your project develop, it's a fun idea <3