Super Badge-It – Chinese Lucky Cat Pin Badges

I have to confess that I always buy any boxed Bandai Badge Makers if ever I see them in a charity shop, especially when they are usually priced at around £1.99 or less.

It’s not the machine itself I want,  I already have a Super Badge-It (no longer made by Bandai), which makes three different shapes/size badges plus the standard sized one, which makes 30mm circle badge, it’s really the badge bits, pins, and plastic covers I’m after, because they cost stupid money online, and that’s if you can find them! 

There is one company currently selling a compatible set on Amazon, but not at £17.99 for 30 badges!  I guess one day I will run out of spares completely, but it will have been a good run while it’s lasted, ten years at least.

I don’t really want to invest in a “proper” badge making machine, because badge making is usually a once/twice sort of thing per year for me, but still nice to have amongst my tools.

Anyway, this idea follows on from Bertie’s fridge magnets of last week, using the cheap Lucky Cat stickers I found in Home Bargains (sorry, I can’t remember the price, but less than £1 I think). With the end of the school year not being that far off, I wondered if I could incorporate Bertie’s obsession with all things Chinese into making badges to go towards his end of term thank you gifts, so I dug out all the larger circle badge parts out.

Attaching a sticker directly onto the badge front,, something I’ve never done before, trimming the excess bottom of sticker away and then adding a few stars and dots using a fine tipped white Posca pen. I loved the look!

I decided to still put a plastic covering on the badge as I wasn’t sure how durable the Posca pen would be when the badge was worn for a while.

I love the effect, with no spoilt badges, which I put down to the reduced bulk on the badge front.  Usually you cut a disc of paper and decorate it before adding the cover. So I will certainly be looking for similar, very thin, foil stickers again, already thinking of Halloween, Christmas and birthdays.

The completed badges were then attached to a small, handwritten card with a foam pad ……..

……. and then into a cellophane bag to make them look that bit more professional.