It's finally here! Polymer Clay 101 is now in stock at various bookstores online (more on where to buy it below). I co-wrote Polymer Clay 101 with Kim Otterbein: she wrote the basics chapter and the first 11 projects, while I did the last 10 projects and "starred" in the accompanying DVD.

Book-writing is so much more solitary than blog-posting — there's a lot of hours of work and a lot of waiting without feedback. So I'm excited that I finally get to show you what I've been up to & see what you think!

Book Overview

Polymer Clay 101 would be great for a polymer clay beginner. The first 33 pages cover all the basics — tools, techniques, color mixing, mold making, sanding & polishing, etc. After that, 21 projects demonstrate major polymer clay techniques. We show how to do important things like Skinner blends and caning... but we also show some more unusual techniques like using an extruder for a filigree look, and carving baked clay. The 45-minute DVD shows each of these techniques in action — great for visual learners!

My Review

Continue reading "Polymer Clay 101" »

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If you've ever gone down the deodorant aisle searching for the same one you bought last time, you've experienced it: manufacturers' incessant focus on new and better. It seems like a product's packaging hardly ever looks the same from one purchase to the next.

Pen manufacturers are no different, so the pens that were "proven" oven-safe a few years ago — like my previous favorite Papermate Flexgrip Ultra — may no longer be available. And while new and better options may be out there, who has the time and money to test every new brand of pen to see if it's oven-safe?

Luckily, Surfingcat did the hard work for us in her post about melting pens. She tried eleven pens in the oven and came up with a list of six that survived at polymer clay temperatures.

I decided to expand on her post a bit, to give a little more info about four of those pens that are readily available here in the U.S.:

• PaperMate Comfortmate ball point pen
• Bic Round Stic ball pen
• PaperMate FlexGrip Elite
• Bic SoftFeel Retractable ball pen

I made a polymer clay pen with each of these brands to get a feel for how easy they are to take apart and put back together. (Read the basics on covering pens here.) I'm including "finished" shots so you can get a feel for the aesthetic of each completed pen. My samples use cane slices since I'm practicing getting comfortable with canes (as you can tell, I have a long way to go!). But of course, you're not limited to canes. In fact, the options are pretty much endless. (For some extreme examples, take a look at Linda Peterson's PolyPens book about making pen sets.) For each pen, I've also included photos of the packaging (so you know what to look for on the shelves... well, at least until they change that packaging!), the un-covered pen, and the pen after it's been taken apart. (Click any photo for a larger version.)

The Pens

Continue reading "Covering Pens with Polymer Clay: New Oven-Safe Pens" »

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I love the idea of gardening. I want to snip fresh herbs to toss with pasta. Or make fresh salsa with homegrown tomatoes and peppers.

Unfortunately, my biological gardening clock (if there is such a thing) is a bit off. It's usually around Memorial Day weekend that it occurs to me to plant something. By this time, even the pre-started plants at the nurseries are on clearance, because (I'm guessing) everybody except me understands that it's too late to plant stuff. This does not deter me. I see an abandoned plant in a clearance bin, and I go into rescue mode. How could I just let that poor thing sit there and die, alone and unloved? So I bring home plants I shouldn't and do my best to save them from the coming blazing-hot summer days. Eventually the Oklahoma sun and dry winds win, and I give up on the poor wilted plants. But by Memorial Day of the next year, I'm ready to give it another shot.

A few years back, I (unintentionally) did something smart. I got some perennial herbs, oregano and sage, that have made a happy life for themselves despite my lack of gardening expertise. Both of the past two years, these herbs have come back without a bit of effort on my part. Since these plants make me so happy, I decided to make them a little gift in return.

These polymer clay plant markers are simple to make and they're a great way to identify your favorite plants... whether you're the type who starts them from seedlings, or — like me — just feel fortunate that the plants have chosen to grace you with their presence one more year. I'm showing you how to make two slightly different styles of plant markers. The first is a more sculpted look, and it's great for flowering plants, fruits, or veggies. The second is a more natural look, well-suited for an herb garden. Both projects start and end the same way — it's the step in the middle that make the difference.

Plant Marker Instructions

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I'm not a huge jewelry person... but when I do wear jewelry, I'm hopelessly matchy-matchy. I love to have earrings that match the necklace. Bonus if there's a matching bracelet, too. It affects me to the point that, even if I absolutely love a necklace in my jewelry box, if I don't have the perfect earrings for it, I find myself not wearing it.

I'm guessing Isabelle Ceramy-Debray, author of Polymer Clay Beaded Jewellery, is the same way. Her new 48-page page book has instructions for creating several matching pieces for each technique — necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and more. This is a nice touch for beginners who want matching jewelry but who need extra guidance to make each specific piece. There are several things, in fact, that make this book best suited for beginners. But there are also a couple of reasons I'd prefer beginners pick up a different book instead...

The Book

Continue reading "Review: Polymer Clay Beaded Jewellery by Isabelle Ceramy-Debray" »

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Have you guys played with the little bottles of colored flock that are now available in craft stores' paper crafting aisle? I'm not sure how paper crafters use it (I guess glued onto a project like glitter?), but it's a lot of fun to use with polymer clay.

Sold under various names (Fuzzy Fun Flock, Crushed Velvet Flock, Flocking Powder), flock is basically tiny colored fibers. (Think dryer lint, but without all the cat fur.) You can use flock a few different ways with polymer clay:

• Pour a small amount and mix it thoroughly into your clay for a muted mottled effect.
• Brush a tiny bit onto the top of the unbaked clay with your finger, much as you would Pearl Ex or chalks. This gives the clay a fuzzy, fabric-like sheen.
• Apply liquid clay to specific areas where you want a more pronounced effect. Either pour the flock over your the liquid clay like you would embossing powder, or use a paintbrush to dab the flock onto the areas you want to emphasize. You can even do this after your first baking if you want to protect other clay sections from attracting the fibers.

I have tried several colors with each of the above methods. The fibers seem well-adhered after baking, and I haven't noticed any color change from the heat. I love that it gives the clay a softer, more fabric-like look. It's perfect for Christmas-time projects (stockings, Santa's suit, snow), or any other time you want a softer look.

Have you used flock? If so, I'd love to hear about your experiences!

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I'll be honest with you. I've had a packet of Peridot-colored Pardo Jewellery Clay sitting on my desk ever since the IPCA Retreat in July, just waiting for me to dig in and try it. Actually it sat on my desk a few weeks, then got demoted to my desk drawer, then to my storage cabinet. I usually enjoy trying out new clays, so even I was surprised when my guild members asked me about it, and I remembered I hadn't even opened the package.

My reluctance to review it here stemmed from two things. First, the cost. The Pardo clay is significantly more expensive than the brands we've already got. Second, I felt that the manufacturer was doing a really poor job with their distribution of the clay. They initially listed a contact person at one U.S. company, but I never got a response despite sending multiple emails. The primary U.S. supplier seemed to be having a hard time getting shipments in to fill her orders. So I didn't feel like it was important to review a product that was overly expensive and difficult for the average clayer to get their hands on.

BUT when I saw that my local Hobby Lobby was now offering it alongside their other polymer clays, I figured I ought to give it a try.

Pardo Clay Overview

Cost

Continue reading "Review: Pardo Jewellery Clay" »

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Ever heard of National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo)? It's a yearly event where people sign up to write a 50,000-word novel in one month. It's exhilarating. It's crazy. And everybody should do it at least once. (When you do, read NanoWriMo founder Chris Baty's No Plot? No Problem! first to get in the right frame of mind.)

While I'm sure Ronna Sarvas Weltman didn't write Ancient Modern: Polymer Clay + Wire Jewelry in a month, there's still something about it that reminds me of NaNoWriMo. But more on that in a minute.

The Book

Continue reading "Review: Ancient Modern by Ronna Sarvas Weltman" »

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I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I'm a bit of a supply junkie. In theory, I like that all you need for polymer clay is your fingers. But in reality, I'm always tempted by the newest gadget, tool, or supply. I'll find some excuse to justify getting it — but then, more often than I like to admit, that thing will sit for months or even years unused in my craft closet. I feel guilty about it. But it doesn't stop me from doing it again the next time a really interesting-sounding product comes out.

I suspect it's a pretty common situation for crafters. I've known scrapbookers with stacks and stacks of patterned papers (none of which they wanted to actually use) and rubber stampers with literally thousands of stamps. As long as you're actually using those things, it's really not a problem. But collecting supplies you never use can weigh you down — and you don't want anything weighing down your creativity!

Shirley Rufener's Polymer Clay Mixed Media Jewelry is just the book for supply junkies. This book's projects incorporate some of those supplies you might have bought but never gotten around to using: things like chalks, alcohol inks, metal leaf, embossing powders, custom stamp-making kits, precious metal clay, resin, and more.

There are a couple of things that really set this book apart. First, it has an excellent introduction. At 22 pages, it's longer than normal, but it includes instructions for using polymer clay and precious metal clay, plus the basics of jewelry assembly. I especially liked the examples of matching end cap and closures made from polymer clay. I also found the introduction to precious metal clay helpful (that's one of those supplies I've had in my closet and have been afraid to use). Rufener has instructions for working with it and firing it, plus step-by-step instructions for making your own metal clay bails. She also has a nice picture showing the different effects you can achieve using liver of sulfur patina.

Continue reading "Review: Polymer Clay Mixed Media Jewelry by Shirley Rufener" »

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Steampunk. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

That's what kept going through my head as I opened the package containing Christi Friesen's new book, Birds of a Feather.

You may remember how disappointed I was to realize Friesen's Polymer Clay and Mixed Media book didn't have any of her latest steampunk stuff. Well, this is the book that has it. I've been eager to try my hand at a steampunk-style project, and I admit I skipped right to that chapter when I got the book. I wasn't disappointed, either. But more about that later...

The Book

Birds of a Feather

Continue reading "Review: Birds of a Feather by Christi Friesen" »

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A few posts back, I talked about using the cookie cutter method to accurately measure polymer clay. While that's a quick way to do it, sometimes one of these methods might work better for a particular task:

1. Use a polymer clay template. Polymer clay templates are clear plastic sheets with holes for measuring balls of polymer clay. They also include diagrams showing Fimo, Sculpey, Premo & Cernit clay bars, so you can determine clay amounts for 1/4 block, 1/16 block, etc. About.com's Miniatures site has an article with more info about polymer clay templates.
   • What it's good for: including standardized measurements in project instructions for someone else to use; giving measurements based on package sizes; determining how much of a package of clay a project uses (to help you determine costs).
2. Use a Marxit. A Marxit tool (also called a Polyruler) has equally-spaced indentations along each of its 6 sides, with increments ranging from 3 mm to 20 mm. If you're a seamstress and don't want to make an extra purchase, you could also use your sewing guage. [Sewing guage tip via Katherine Dewey's Creating Life-Like Animals in Polymer Clay, reviewed here.]
   • What it's good for: getting equal-sized slices of canes; cutting even strips from a sheet of clay; cutting lots of same-sized pieces from an extruded snake
3. Slice & dice. The simplest methods are sometimes the best. As Sue commented on my previous post, cutting a ball in half is a good low-tech way to get equal amounts. If you don't trust yourself to cut a ball right down the middle, try rolling it into a log and using a ruler to find the halfway point.
   • What it's good for: making measurements when you don't have (or don't want to bother with) special tools; making same-sized body parts for a sculpture

Any other suggestions?

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Sometimes, when you need two pieces of about the same amount of clay, you can eyeball it and get close enough. But sometimes you want to be a little more exact. For example:

• Making same-sized parts: Earrings look best if they're both the same size (unless you're trying for that uneven look!). Same goes for strands of beads.
• Color-mixing recipes: If you're mixing 3 parts yellow and 1 part orange to get the perfect color, it's nice to have a defined size for each "part."
• Re-creating previous projects: For products I sell, I like to keep detailed instructions so I can re-create an item. Knowing measurements means it's much easier to make this pair of earrings the same size as the last pair the customer ordered.

Here's an easy way to accurately measure polymer clay:

1. Roll out a sheet of clay to any thickness you like on your pasta machine. (If you're writing instructions for later, make a note of the thickness you chose.)
2. Use a cookie cutter to cut out a circle of clay.
   • For color-mixing, each circle of clay is a "part" — so the cutter's size and shape don't really matter.
   • Otherwise, make a note of which size of cookie cutter you used. I use a Sharpie to number my cookie cutters, starting with 1 as the smallest, so I can just make a note of which number cutter I used.

Got your own favorite way to measure polymer clay? I'd love to hear it — just leave me a comment!

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Need one more thing to make your Halloween decor complete? Try this quick and easy project! Polymer clay eyeballs float in a jar of colored water to make a delightfully weird conversation piece for your home or office.

Materials

• Polymer Clay: White Ultralight Sculpey plus tiny amounts of black. red. and any color of your choice
• Jar
• Food Coloring
• Water
• Optional: Alcohol Inks, Pasta Machine, Clay Extruder, Small Round Cookie Cutter, Kato Clear Liquid Medium

Instructions

Continue reading "Halloween Tutorial: Eyeballs in a Jar" »

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A few weeks back, I talked about how to avoid burning polymer clay. Several of you shared great comments with your own tips. And as part of that, folks made several suggestions for baking surfaces. I thought I'd do a separate post here talking about some of my favorite baking surfaces, as well as highlighting some of your suggestions.

My Favorite Baking Surface

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Mickey was making compacts with polymer clay on top, and she e-mailed me to ask which glues work best:

"They say E6000 pops off easily and Crafter's Pick Ultimate Glue also pops off. Any suggestions?"

As the good folks over at This to That will tell you, glue choices depend a lot on what you're gluing together. Not every glue works well for every surface. But here are a few of my favorite glues to use with polymer clay:

Continue reading "Quick Tip: Which Glues Work Best with Polymer Clay?" »

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In my previous post, I talked about some of the basic techniques for stamping on polymer clay. Today we're going one step beyond the basics and talking about "masking." Masking is a technique frequently used in rubber stamping, where you cut out a stamped image and use it to block (or "mask") the finish you're applying to the surrounding area. (Here's a nice masking tutorial if you're not familiar with the idea.) For today's project, we'll use a bird mask and chalks to create a coaster from polymer clay.

Materials

Continue reading "How to Make a Rubber Stamped Coaster" »

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So you've stocked up on all the right supplies for stamping on polymer clay... Now what? Not all of the basic rubber stamping rules for paper apply to polymer clay. Plus there are some options for stamping polymer clay that you just don't have with paper — like using your stamp as a texture tool. Here's an overview of some different ways you can use stamps with polymer clay.

Stamping On Unbaked Clay

Continue reading "Rubber Stamp Techniques for Polymer Clay" »

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Rubber stamps are handy tools to use with polymer clay. They're easy to find in a wide variety of styles and designs. And there are all sorts of ways to use them with clay, whether you're wanting texture, surface decoration, or some other effect.

Still, all the different types of stamps and inks can be a little overwhelming for folks who are new to stamping. And even if you're an old pro at using rubber stamps with paper, there are a few things you have to keep in mind when you're using them with polymer clay. So I'm starting a series of posts on using rubber stamps with polymer clay. Today we'll talk about the basics, including which inks and stamps to use, tips on release agents, and suggestions for cleaning your stamps.

Inks, Inks Everywhere... But Which Kinds Can I Use?

Continue reading "Rubber Stamping Basics for Polymer Clay" »

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All too often, the first question I hear from polymer clay newbies is how to keep their clay from burning.

I hate that question. Not because it's a difficult question to answer — but because I know the heartbreak reflected in having to ask it. I've had my share of burned pieces over the years, and some of them were just devastating. I'm not usually overly emotional, but I've definitely shed some tears over ruined work. And I know that kind of disappointment can be enough to keep a new clayer from ever touching the stuff again.

Plus, maybe it's like the Murphy's Law of Polymer Clay, but it seems to me that more work you put into a project, the more likely you are to run into problems baking it. One clay artist calls those burned pieces her "sacrifice to the clay gods." (The quote stuck with me, but not the name of the artist I got it from — please leave a comment if you know.)

In the interest of keeping those sacrifices to a minimum, here's a few tips on keeping your polymer clay pieces from burning:

Continue reading "Polymer Clay: The Burning Question" »

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Don't you just hate air bubbles? Your polymer clay piece may look perfect when you put it in the oven, but then those air bubbles appear during baking and ruin the look. There are various ways to prevent bubbles, such as conditioning the clay properly (don't trap air inside clay folds as you run it through your pasta machine), or looking for and popping air bubbles trapped when you're covering something with clay.

But my tip today is specifically for the air bubbles that are created when you're baking a flat sheet of clay — the sort of sheet you might use for stamping or scrapbooking punches or for Artist Trading Cards. I've found that, especially if I work on the same surface I'm baking on, the clay may stick to the baking surface in places. It's easy to trap air in the places where it's not stuck, in which case the sheet may end up as a bubbly and not-so-flat sheet after baking.

Here's how to prevent those air bubbles. Put a light dusting of cornstarch all over your baking tile. The cornstarch will prevent the polymer clay from sticking to the tile, which helps prevent the bubbles.

If you're working and baking on the same tile, try lifting the polymer clay sheet up before baking to make sure it's not stuck. Dust with cornstarch before you replace the polymer clay sheet.

Once you've baked the clay, you'll want to wash and sand off any extra cornstarch, at least if the back of your clay sheet will be visible in your project. That may mean an extra step if you're not normally a sander. Still, I find this is much easier than trying to sand down the air bubbles that would otherwise appear on the project's surface!

I've been dusting my baking tiles with cornstarch for a while now and have noticed a definite improvement. Give it a try & let me know if it works for you!

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A couple of years back, I bought one of those generic wood-handled sculpting tool kits at Michael's. While I had no idea what most of the tools were for (& still don't for some of them!), I quickly came to rely on its needle tool. I used it for all sorts of things -- poking, cutting and otherwise. It didn't dawn on me for quite some time that I could have easily made my own needle tool. Furthermore, it wasn't til I was working through Katherine Dewey's Creating Life-Like Animals in Polymer Clay that I saw the benefit of having different-sized needles for different jobs.

I stepped out of my comfort zone and visited the sewing section at the store, stocking up on half a dozen tapestry, sewing & knitting needles to work through Dewey's book. And for the last several weeks, I've had these needles sitting casually on my craft desk... the same desk from which things often mysteriously disappear and which cats have been known to raid.

So I was thrilled when I saw this tin can pincushion project by Design*Sponge. Said cats generate more than their share of kitty food cans to use for the project, and of course I like the recycling aspect. I decided to try making a polymer-clay covered pincushion to store my sculpting needles, so they'd be in a slightly safer environment.

Here's how I made mine:

Materials

Continue reading "Polymer Clay Pincushion" »

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I've already shared some ideas for things you can re-use and recycle with polymer clay — things like tin can lids and cardboard. But today I'd like to talk about "recycling" the clay itself.

One of the nice things about clay is its built-in reusability. Nothing's permanent til it's baked. So if you decide halfway through your project that there's no hope, you can just wad up your clay up and start again. (Or if you're like me, carefully pick apart the separate colors first. Course, I was also the kid who didn't let different foods touch each other on my dinner plate. Maybe this is the grown-up version of that?) Not every medium is forgiving enough to let you start over mid-way without any waste... Aren't we lucky?

Here's a few more ways you can reuse & recycle your polymer clay:

Continue reading "More Recycling Tips for Polymer Clay" »

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If you do much of your shopping online, you've probably built up quite a collection of cardboard shipping boxes. And, at least around here, cardboard boxes aren't part of the city's recycling program. So what to do with all that cardboard? Cover it with polymer clay, of course!

What Cardboard Is Good For

Continue reading "Tips for Covering Cardboard with Polymer Clay" »

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Finally, a crafty answer to that age-old question: Are the dishes in the dishwasher clean or dirty? This project takes a recycled can lid and turns it into a dishwasher magnet with a reversible Clean/Dirty indicator.

Supplies

Continue reading "How to Make a Polymer Clay Magnet from a Recycled Can Lid" »

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One of my favorite things about polymer clay is its ability to "be" just about anything else. I especially like the way it can mimic natural materials -- such as these stones. Today I'm going to show you three different materials you can mix into polymer clay to make "faux" rocks -- which you can then use for jewelry, for desktop rock-gardens, or for stamping with your own custom message.

Continue reading "3 Ways to Create Faux Polymer Clay Rocks" »

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Polymer Clay Central just posted a great tutorial by Kathy Canuel on making custom word stamps with polymer clay. If you've ever wanted to customize a gift by stamping the recipient's name, or add your own custom mark to a finished piece, or just save money on word stamps for polymer clay, her tutorial's definitely worth checking out.

To start, Kathy has you carve your word, mirror-image, into the clay, then follow that outline with extruded polymer clay. If you're like me & not crazy about your own handwriting (or if you have trouble writing in mirror image!), you could start with an image transfer instead.

Be sure to print your word/image normally (not mirror image like you'd do for most image transfers), since you want the stamp to be reversed. The transfer doesn't need to be perfect since you're just using it for a guide. Following the same method I used in my extruded clay texture mold video, I baked the clay sheet before continuing (to make it a little easier to work with), then added a layer of liquid clay. The honey-like consistency of the liquid clay catches the extruded clay pieces and keeps them in place, making it easy to follow the image transfer lines with extruded clay. Once you're happy with the word (check it with a mirror if you're having trouble visualizing it), follow Kathy's instructions to add a cute custom handle & bake it.

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I was a primarily a paper crafter before I fell in love with polymer clay -- and I still enjoy stamping and making handmade cards. As expensive as craft supplies can be, it's wonderful when you can re-use tools for a different medium. So while these tools may be less "unconventional" than an herb mincer or a pumice stone, I wanted to share them with others of you who have a paper crafting background.

Here are five common scrapbooking supplies that you can also use with polymer clay:

Continue reading "Five Scrapbooking Supplies to Use with Polymer Clay" »

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Materials

Continue reading "Say I LUV U with Polymer Clay Candy Hearts" »

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Today I'd like to talk about silicone mold putties in general, and Amazing Mold Putty in particular.

But first, a story...

Years ago, within months of using polymer clay for the first time, I took part in my first craft fair. It was a one-day show, part of a convention we were attending. I made some "pet rocks" out of polymer clay, added some googly eyes, & printed the name of the organization on an attached slip of paper. Viola! An inexpensive craft fair item.

Continue reading "Review: Amazing Mold Putty" »

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Polyform has announced that their new clay, Studio by Sculpey, is now available. Thanks to a wonderful giveaway by the gals over at Polymer Clay Productions, I got an early chance to try out a block of Peacock-colored Studio by Sculpey clay, and I have to say I'm impressed.

To give you an idea of what I'm basing my comparisons on, here's my clay preference history in a nutshell. I've used Polyform products for most of my claying life, starting with Sculpey III in the early days, then switching to Premo as I learned about the difference in strength. In the past year or so, my "preferred clay" has been a Premo/UltraLight blend (approx. 2:1) because I like UltraLight's texture but find it hard to use by itself.

Here are my thoughts on using the new Studio by Sculpey clay:

Continue reading "Studio by Sculpey Clay Review" »

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Polymer clay artists are likely to think of something completely different when someone mentions putting the turkey in the oven! This polymer clay turkey would be a fun addition to any Thanksgiving festivities -- even more fun when you come up with creative ideas for your own personalized signs. Here's how I made my turkey -- no basting required!

Materials

• Polymer clay: tan, orange, yellow, white, red, black
• Tools:
  • Pasta machine
  • Clay knife, toothpick, and/or other clay sculpting tools
  • Translucent Sculpey (TLS)

Instructions

Continue reading "It's Turkey Time!" »

Posted in: Polymer Clay , Project Instructions

Candy corns are one of those candies -- like marshmallow eggs or candy canes -- that are definitely seasonal. Around here, it just doesn't seem like autumn til we've bought that first bag of candy corns. It's a yearly tradition.

Another yearly tradition is when I take a few of those candy corns up to my craft room to use as a model for my yearly batch of polymer clay candy corns. These are easy & fun to make -- and they can be turned into any number of things (earrings, thumbtacks, etc.). Course the best thing about the polymer clay version is they're not sticky & they won't ruin your diet!

Here's a quick tutorial on how to make your own batch of candy corns out of polymer clay:

Materials

• Polymer clay: orange, yellow, white
• Tools (optional): pasta machine, round cookie cutters

Instructions

Continue reading "How to Make Polymer Clay Candy Corns" »

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• Pumpkin Faces: Looking for ideas or patterns for carving your pumpkin's face? Check out Adam Kalsey's list of free pumpkin carving patterns. These are great to use for inspiration -- or you can try shrinking them down to use as an image transfer or stencil.
• Stems. Curled green wire works great for pumpkin stems. Or for a natural touch, try using a small twig.
• Personalizing your Pumpkin Patch. If you're making a patch full of pumpkins, consider making a sign to stake your claim (or if you've got little ones, they'll really love seeing their names on the sign!). It's easy to do...

  Continue reading "The Great Pumpkin Wrap-Up" »

  Posted in: Polymer Clay , Project Instructions

Your kids will love switching out the interchangeable eyes, nose & mouth on this refrigerator magnet jack-o-lantern -- but I'm betting you'll have just as much fun making it as they will playing with it!

Materials

• Polymer Clay: Orange (< 1/4 pkg) for pumpkin, plus assorted other colors for facial features. I strongly recommend not using "Sculpey" clays for this, since the all handling & poking may cause it to tear. I prefer Premo, but other strong brands like Fimo or Kato would work too.
• Tools:
  • Pasta machine or brayer
  • Straw for punching holes
  • Super glue (I like Loctite brand)
  • Texture sheet (optional). I used ShadeTex's "Linen" texture
• 1-2 magnet(s)
• 10-20 brads

Continue reading "Meet Mr. Pumpkin Head" »

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Making polymer clay pumpkins is simple -- and they make for a quick & easy Halloween decoration. This week, I'm going to give you a few tips on creating your own pumpkins, starting with the basics:

Making a Simple Polymer Clay Pumpkin

Materials

• Polymer Clay: (I prefer Premo brand)
  • Orange & green (required)
  • Brown & white (optional)
• Tools:
  • Toothpick or other pointy-stick tool
  • Clay gun (optional)

Instructions

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There are things I love about my house -- it's comfy, it's spacious, it's got a nice big backyard. And then there's the things I'm not so crazy about. Like the tiny kitchen and its stuck-in-the-70's vibe. And while the red brick walls in my kitchen & family room fit more in the not-so-crazy-about realm, there's so many more important things to do that I know I'll be living with them for a good while longer.

One thing that always bothered me more than the bricks themselves was the gap in the bricks. When we moved in, there was an ancient avocado green metal GTE Starlite phone hanging on the kitchen wall. We replaced it fairly quickly -- but when we took it down, we found that the bricks had actually been set around the phone... so not only did we have an ugly old silver phone jack cover, we also had big gaps around the phone jack.

The Phone Jack Cover

Continue reading "Making Faux Bricks with Polymer Clay" »

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We've "covered" the basics of pen-covering... now let's take it to the next level.

Pen making kits are more expensive and involve a little more work than your more basic pens, but the nicer results may make it worthwhile. Traditionally used in wood-turning, these kits basically consist of hollow tubes that you cover then assemble. There are several places online to buy these, with a wide variety of pen types available. While you can buy a pen assembly press for around $40 to assemble these, you can usually hammer them together with a rubber mallet and a little patience. (Upper-body strength doesn't hurt either!)

Of course, if you're interested in that slightly nicer, cross pen-style look -- but not interested in all the work -- you might like the Amazing Twist Pen. These are still harder to assemble than a Papermate -- but they're much easier than pounding with a rubber mallet. And while there's just the one style, they do look really classy.

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With all the craziness, I forgot to mention it here -- but I taught this month’s lesson at Central Oklahoma's Polymer Clay Guild. Our topic was covering pens with polymer clay, and while I've put a few notes on the guild's site, I thought I'd go a little more in-depth here...

I really enjoy covering pens with polymer clay. It's fast, it's easy, and it's practical. It was one of the first polymer clay projects I did where I was actually happy with the results!

In this series of posts, I'd like to share some of the mechanics of covering pens. I'll start today with how to cover some basic pens with polymer clay -- including Papermate's Flexgrip Elite and Bic's Round Stic. Next, I'll discuss some of the more advanced options -- like using pen blanks and bamboo skewers. Even if you've never covered a pen before, I hope this series will show you that you too can cover a pen and be happy with your results!

Note: Since this tutorial's main goal is to talk about the mechanics of covering these pens, I've used a very simple one-color design. As with any polymer clay project, the possibilities for colors, textures, and design are practically limitless.

The Basics

Find An Oven-Safe Pen

• Papermate FlexGrip Elite. I get mine at Office Depot and they cost about $0.75 each. If you can find them, the Papermate Flexgrip Ultras work great, too.

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Removing pasta machine streaks isn't the only thing rubbing alcohol is good for. Here are a few other handy ways to use isopropyl alcohol with polymer clay:

• Use rubbing alcohol to clean your work surface and clay tools -- including pasta machines, clay molds, and paint brushes (after using liquid clay).
• Spread rubbing alcohol over the back of your paper for a better image transfer.
• Smooth alcohol lightly over clay before baking to help get rid of fingerprints.
• Use baby wipes soaked in rubbing alcohol to clean clay residue (especially that pesky red!) off hands.
• When making mosaics from baked tiles, use a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol to scrub liquid clay "grout" off the tiles before baking again.
• Clean any greasy residue off baked clay before applying a glaze finish.

Sounds like rubbing alcohol has earned its spot on the craft room shelf... Can you think of other ways you've used rubbing alcohol with polymer clay?

Posted in: Polymer Clay , Supplies & Tools , Tips & Techniques

When I signed up for my first polymer clay Artist Trading Card (ATC) swap last month, I thought to myself, This won't be like all the other things I sign up for... I won't wait til the last minute this time.

Ever the optimist.

This morning -- with whole hours to spare before the mailing deadline -- I put the finishing touches on my 4 fall-themed ATCs. For the most part, I was pretty happy with the results. I used a leaf to make the impression, then filled the veins with undiluted Ranger alcohol inks for a dark outline. I used Kato PolyClay Clear Medium mixed with the alcohol inks to paint some glossy autumn colors on the leaf. I transferred "fall" (MigraineSerif font) onto a beige clay plaque, then painted it with more Kato medium/alcohol ink mixture. Then I punched a hole and added the eyelet.

Two notes:

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