It seems like such a long time ago that I reviewed my first Christi Friesen book. That was before I met her. That was before I became one of those folks who wouldn't pass up an opportunity to take a class — any class — from her. Christi is probably the best teacher-of-adults I've seen. She manages a classroom full of creatives amazingly. She's generous and encouraging. And her classes are just plain fun.

And because I've gotten to take some of her classes, Christi's latest book was especially enjoyable to me. It's got a mouthful of a title: Flourish: Projects, Techniques, and Creative Nudgings for Polymer Clay and Mixed Media: Book One: Flora: Leaf, Flower and Plant Designs. But you could shorten that title to A Christi Friesen Class in a Book, because that's what it felt like reading it. Her conversational tone in the book meant I could just about hear her chatting away. The pictures of her, sprinkled throughout the book, made it feel like she was right there guiding me as I learned.

Of course, if you've taken any of Christi's classes, you're probably as big a fan as I am. So you've already bought all of her books, including this one. This book review is not for you. This book review is for those of you who are wondering whether this book is worth adding to your library. And here's what I think about that...

The Book

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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

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I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. As the treasurer for my local polymer clay guild, I am responsible for ordering the books we select for our library. I am not, however, the librarian... so theoretically I'm supposed to order the books and have them shipped to the librarian. And that's usually what happens.

But occasionally, I'll have the books take a little detour. If it's a book I'm eager to get my hands on, I'll have it shipped to my house for a quick review, then I'll deliver it to the librarian.

That's what I intended to do with Polymer Clay Color Inspirations by Lindly Haunani and Maggie Maggio. Little did I know...

When the book arrived, I eagerly jumped in, starting with the foreword by Cynthia Tinapple. "You may think you'll never 'get' color the way Lindly and Maggie do," it starts, "but don't let the weight and complexity of this book fool you."

It was at that moment that I first took a look at the weight and complexity of the book. I began to realize what I was in for. This was not a book I could read through in a couple of days, cherry-pick a few exercises to do, and write a quick review. This was a textbook that would require in-depth study and intensive lab work. And it was a book I'd probably want to keep for reference. The next day I ordered my own copy and started my first long read through the book.

The Book

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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

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Occasionally (usually by accident) I'll read a craft book that focuses on the artist's process. These books are always full of beautiful photos of the artist's work, with the artist sharing what inspired them and why they made the choices they did. While it can be worthwhile to read about another artist's process, I'm usually disappointed with these books... often because of a misleading title. For example, I read Secrets of Rusty Things: Transforming Found Objects into Art a couple of months ago. I went into the book thinking I was going to learn how to make art with rusty old found objects. It made me sad when I found out it was just about one particular artist and a few of the specific art pieces he made.

So when I heard about Robert Dancik's new book, Amulets and Talismans: Simple Techniques for Creating Meaningful Jewelry, I was cautiously excited. I worried this was going to be another misleading title, that I really wouldn't learn about making meaningful jewelry.

Happily I was wrong. This book's step-by-step instructions are used alongside the author's artwork and stories to help capture both the techniques and the spirit behind the art.

The Book

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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

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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.

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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

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I occasionally watch decorator shows on HGTV, with the hope that one of these days I'll apply their lessons and spruce up my surroundings. One of the shows Tivo faithfully records for me is Sensible Chic, where they take a high-end designer room and recreate it "at a fraction of the cost."

That's kind of what Cris Dupouy's Creating Your Own Jewelry: Taking Inspiration from Museum Masterpieces does. Dupouy gives instructions for re-creating 35 museum-inspired jewelry pieces, using polymer clay, semi-precious stones, acrylic paint, and a few jewelry findings.

The Inspiration Pieces

Drawing her inspiration from as far back as the 7th century B.C., Dupouy uses both actual jewelry pieces and jewelry shown in paintings. Each of the projects starts with a photo and the history of the original piece. This is a nice touch, and would make the book enjoyable for art history buffs. (Art lovers would also enjoy Sue Heaser's Polymer Clay Mosaics, reviewed here, for the same reason.) It made me realize how little I've paid attention to the jewelry in artwork — even the paintings I was familiar with, I hadn't noticed their jewelry. There's a lot of possibilities for inspiration there, far beyond the museum pieces that are in this book.

The Projects

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It's hard to believe it's been almost 10 years since I stumbled upon polymer clay. Hubby and I were on vacation, and I saw the Klutz books Incredible Clay Book and Create Anything With Clay in a toy store. I quickly realized polymer clay wasn't just for kids and fell in love with it. But when I went looking online for more information, I didn't find much. Polymer Clay Central was about it back then. So I spent hours working through various of their tutorials, trying to figure out what to do with this new and amazing material. And I clearly remember one of those tutorials was Dinko Tilov's How to Make a Bird with Teeth.

Dinko Tilov is still working with clay, and after a successful first book, he has teamed up with his brother Boris to write another. Their new book, Sculpting Mythical Creatures out of Polymer Clay (Quarry Books 2009), includes instructions for making 13 different creatures.

Overview

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Christi Friesen has built up quite a following. If you hang around polymer clayers for long, you're bound to meet some of her die-hard fans. Ya know, the ones who have all her books, take her classes, frequent her website, AND participate in her Yahoo group.

I'm not one of those people.

I like Friesen's humorous writing style. And I love her attitude towards making and selling things inspired by her works — one of the most generous artists in polymer clay from that standpoint.

But I'm just not that into her artwork. Mixing beads and jewels into clay sculpture doesn't really appeal to me, and that's what most of her books have focused on. To each her own — beauty is a very subjective thing. But for that reason,
Polymer Clay and Mixed Media— Together at Last is the first of Friesen's books I've really read.

And the reason I was drawn to this one? I like incorporating mixed media items, especially found objects, into my art. So when Polymer Clay Daily mentioned this book together with Friesen's steampunk work, I got curious. Looking around Friesen's site, I really enjoyed her recent works — steampunk-style pieces that incorporated things like metallic gears. In fact, these were the first of Friesen's pieces that I really, really liked. And that's the reason I picked up the latest book. (A poor reason as it turns out, but more on that in a minute...)

Mixed Media Techniques

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Sue Heaser is one of my favorite polymer clay authors. Her books are always full of interesting techniques and projects, and they're well-illustrated with helpful photos. On top of that, I love the way she suggests related ideas — helping the readers take the next step and brainstorm a project of their own. I usually finish her books inspired, with a whole list of new things to try.

Her books aren't always the easiest to find, though. Heaser is from England, so most of her books were published originally there. (There may even be a few that were published only there.) Many of her books are out of print and can be expensive if you do find them secondhand.

So I was excited to see that Heaser had a new book, The Encyclopedia of Polymer Clay Techniques. I was also intrigued when someone commented it combined and updated some of her older works (I wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing). I finally had a chance over the holidays to sit down with her latest book, and wanted to share my impressions...

Encyclopedic Knowledge

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Shiny metallic and glasslike finishes all have their place. But sometimes you want an older, more weathered look. I recently experimented with using the Rust Antiquing Set by Sophisticated Finishes on polymer clay, and I wanted to share my experiences.

About the Rust Antiquing Set

How To Use It

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I was pleasantly surprised the other day when I found out my local Hobby Lobby has started carrying Studio by Sculpey products. Since I no longer have to order online and pay shipping, it seemed like a good time to give their Super Slicer blades a try. I've only ever had the one rigid clay blade, and it's gotten pretty dull with years of use, so I wanted to replace it. Plus, since I've never had a flexible, wavy or ripple blade before, I was looking forward to trying those out.

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After reviewing Laurie Mika's Mixed-Media Mosaics, I decided to look into what other polymer clay mosaic books were out there. Turns out there are two good ones with the same name: Polymer Clay Mosaics by Krista Wells and, well, Polymer Clay Mosaics by Sue Heaser. While both books are out of print, they're easy to find used. I got my hands on them and wanted to let you know my thoughts.

Polymer Clay Mosaics by Krista Wells

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I'm really drawn to mosaics, but I've often felt they were overwhelmingly time-consuming. Not only do you have to create lots and lots of identical clay tiles, but you then have to line them up perfectly and adhere them to your background surface. And don't get me started on the mess grout can be! Still, I love the look — and when I'm in a certain kind of mood, it's worth all the time involved.

But when I got Laurie Mika's Mixed-Media Mosaics book, I realized mosaics don't have to be so time-consuming. I read her book cover-to-cover as soon as I got it (it's one of those craft books that's actually interesting to read!). I was immediately attracted to some of Mika's time-savers, like the fact that she uses a variety of tile sizes and that (gasp!) she doesn't use grout. Now that I've had a chance to try out some of her projects, I wanted to share my thoughts.

About The Book

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Katherine Dewey's Creating Life-Like Animals in Polymer Clay book has been on my wish list for a while, so I was thrilled when my sister gifted it to me. I was even more excited when my sister, who's still new to claying and all its possibilities, hinted that she'd peeked inside and was extremely impressed. She started asking about armatures and baking time, and I thought, "Aha! A good book for converting new clay enthusiasts!"

After bringing the book home and trying a couple of its projects, I too am extremely impressed with it. But I'm not so sure it's a good book for new clay-ers.

About the Book

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After last week's Polymer Clay Pincushion post, I got a friendly email from Susanna. She asked,

"I just wanted to know if you had any advice on extruding clay using a clay extruder. I have so much trouble pushing the clay out and then cleaning it afterwards! Do you have any tips on how to make it easier?"

Ugh. I knew almost without asking that Susanna was using the old silver plunger-style extruder. I knew that because I lived with my plunger-style extruder for years, and so I recognized her frustration.

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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.

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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:

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Ahhh... the holidays. When despite all the hundreds of other things I have to do, what I want to do is create. Something about the holiday spirit just inspires me... whether it's to create something yummy in the kitchen (pumpkin gingerbread & snickerdoodles) or to create something artistic in the craft room (Christmas cards & polymer clay gifts).

If you're similarly inspired & are looking to make some polymer clay Christmas ornaments, you might want to check out Maria Maestri's "Simply Ornaments and More: 1002 Designs in Polymer Clay" CD. Available for $19.95 (including shipping), this CD has step-by-step instructions for almost 300 polymer clay Christmas ornaments, plus pictures of hundreds more to use as inspiration.

This CD has a nice range of ornaments, including angels, snowmen, Santas, and more (check out the Table of Contents). It also has a generous policy allowing you to sell the items you create based on these instructions. In fact, it includes a lot of good information for folks selling their work -- things like how to work production-style, how to personalize your items & make items that appeal to different customers, and how to create your own designs.

Since the policy specifically mentions craft fairs and the like, I sent an email to the author asking if online sales were also acceptable.

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