Friesen starts with a few clay basics (more are at the back of the book), then jumps right into the mixed media tips. I really like that she lists which items you can use before and after baking. Her list included a few things I might not have considered — things like hemp, raffia, and paintbrush bristles. It also seems like a handy list to help brainstorm your own additions. She's very good about encouraging experimentation: if you have some other material you want to add, try it (with the proper precautions) and see if it will work.

Right after her section on what materials to use is a section on how to use them. Her suggestion for how to attach porous fibers to polymer clay was new to me and very handy. I believe she's covered wiring beads (vs. gluing them) in her previous books, but it's also a worthwhile tip — one I certainly could have used in my earlier clay days.

The Projects

After her brief intro, Friesen jumps into the projects. Now let me say first that Lisa's right. The project photos on this book's cover don't help sell them. The largest photo has an out-of-focus section that is poorly cut out. It bugs me every time I look at it. The other photos are too small to show much detail.

Thankfully the photos inside are much better. Her many step-by-step photos are clear and helpful. And the projects themselves are a lot of fun. Some of my favorites:

• Thistle Pin featuring paintbrush bristles
• Grapevine Wreath featuring raffia
• Porcupine using a broom for quills (ah... so that's what brooms are good for?!) :-)
• Dragon frame using a fork for a spine
• Cracked acrylic paint background
• Assorted face hearts

I honestly wasn't prepared for how much fun I'd have creating these projects, even though they're not in my typical style. And I think some of the projects grew on me. Even though I'm not a caner, I am really eager to try the cane-covered turtle and starfish projects. The fact that the projects are pretty quick and easy makes them fun to try, even if they aren't your normal style. And of course, Friesen's humorous writing style adds to the fun. I mean, what's not to like about step-by-step instructions that tell you to take a chocolate break?

She has some neat extras too. Her eyelid chart may be my favorite part of this book: it demonstrates how the placement of the eyelids can completely change a sculpture's expression. It's a handy guide for those times when your sculpture ends up with a frightened expression and you want to know how to fix it.

I think die-hard fans of hers will like that many of these projects are complementary to those in her CF Sculpture Series. If you liked Dragons, you'll enjoy adding this book's "Thor's Dragon-Serpent" to your collection. There are also several projects with jungle and sea-life themes to match her Welcome to the Jungle and Under the Sea books. Fans of Friesen's will also like that this books is 160 pages long — more than 3 times longer than those in her CF Sculpture Series.

That "more of the same" aspect that her fans will love is my main complaint, though. While she does have a few really clever ideas (like the forks and broom straws), many of the projects seem very similar to her other work. She's always used lots of beads and precious stones in her work, and this book seems to focus heavily on those techniques too. It makes the "together at last" portion of the title seem a bit overstated.

Since I first read about this book in a post about Friesen's steampunk work, I was disappointed it didn't include any steampunk projects. There are a few metal projects mixed in (like using the forks), but it wasn't to the extent I'd hoped. (She does have a free steampunk heart tutorial on her site if you're interested.) Nor did I feel like there was much focus on found or recycled objects.

Still, it's a fun read with lots of clever ideas. There's a decent range of mixed media, and the projects are really enjoyable to do. I love that Friesen encourages trial and error, experimenting and improvising. She shares basic ideas, then lays the groundwork for the reader to do more projects on their own.

Summary

• Title: Polymer Clay and Mixed Media— Together at Last: Incorporating Craft Materials and Found Objects in Clay Figures
• Price: $14 plus shipping
• Pros:
  • Fun read. Quick and easy projects. Great step-by-step photos.
  • Good information on incorporating various mixed media items into polymer clay.

• Cons:
  • A little heavy on the bead and precious stones projects (Friesen's usual style) and light on the metal and found objects projects. If you're hoping to create the cool steampunk stuff like Friesen's doing now, you won't find those instructions in this book.

• Who It's Good For:
  • These projects are easy and well-illustrated, so polymer clay beginners should be able to jump in and have good results.
  • Folks looking to start including other media in their polymer clay work will find good tips here.
  • And any CF fans will, of course, enjoy this latest addition to the collection.