Recently I've started making several magical talismans/tools out of clay, which can be purchased here:
http://www.bigceramicstore.com/Supplies/Clay/ovencraft.htmThis stuff you shape and work like regular clay, let it dry for 24 hours, and then pop in the oven for an hour and *poof* durable, ready to elaborate magickal talismans.
As most of us know, it's the symbolism that's most important - if you're a stickler for the specifics than maybe this isn't for you - so far I've used this method of talisman construction (creating the seal in clay, scratching the sigil in the top of a square, circle, or star, dry, bake, paint...) to root my group's servitor, performed two evocations, and create one spell tablet, all have worked fabulously well - not that my magick is normally ineffective anymore, but often i'll be asked by a spirit to create a material seal, and crafting one from 'earth' as man was said to have been crafted by many cultures, seems to create a very solid connection for manifesting.
the cheapest lump of clay these people sell is the ovencraft stuff, for only 9$ and minimal shipping, and it has been enough for me to craft 10 5"x5"x1/2" tablets, two decent sized sacrificial bowls, one purely ceremonial dagger, and a decent sized spell matrix tablet set for the aforementioned servitor. Once the last peices are baked, i'll take some pics.
The more personal creativity and direct will goes into a magickal object, most would agree, the more of a connection you have to that object. Using clay is akin to have stone tools, which is what most of the oldest cultures. A little high gloss paint, and you can barely tell they're made of clay.
peace