"Chatty Charms" Tutorial

("Chatty Charms?" you say. "Really?" Yes, really. I have a penchant for cutesy names. I'd like to say I've struggled with it, but that wouldn't be true. I've merely given in to it-- alliterated myself into oblivion. Oh well. We all have our faults.)

Today, I added a tutorial for "Chatty Charms" to Polymer Clay Web.

You may, perhaps, be wondering what on earth a "chatty charm" is.
Here's an explanation:

Do you have something to say to the world? Feel the need to express yourself? "Chatty Charms" can help you spread the word, leaving your mouth free for other, more engrossing pursuits, such as eating ice cream, smooching, or playing the harmonica. (These are of course only suggestions. If you'd rather whistle, stick out your tongue, or savor some chocolate instead, I won't tell.)

Ideal for beginners, this project relies upon a couple of very basic but versatile techniques. Stamping and antiquing are useful in a variety of other applications, and this is a fun way to familiarize yourself with them both.

Put your monogram on a pendant— create handy label-style keychains— engrave favorite quotations on fridge magnets! Choose words of inspiration, pile on the sarcasm, or opt for something completely off the wall! It's such a simple yet rewarding technique, you'll find it hard to stop.

So as you can see, this probably won't be anything new to people who've been claying a while. It's more geared toward those who are still new to polymer clay. That said, I did try out a couple of new (to me) things, in the process of making the tutorial.

First, I sanded some of the antiqued pendants. In the past, I've always just wiped the paint away before it dried completely. I think both techniques have their merits, but I've gotta say, right now I'm really loving the sanding. Wiping away the paint with a paper towel frequently leads to a vicious circle of wiping too much-- having to reapply the paint-- wiping too much again-- and so on. Since you wait for the paint to dry completely before you sand it, it seems a little easier to remove just as much as you want. (On the other hand, with sand paper you run the risk of scratching/removing some of the texture of the piece.)

Second, I tried using a thin coat of translucent liquid clay over an antiqued pendant to serve as a protection and to increase the sheen. I was very happy with the results-- much nicer (in my opinion) than a regular acrylic finish. I prefer the way the liquid clay feels, and there's no mess with brushes or streaky brush marks. Of course, we'll have to see how well it holds up, but I don't foresee any problems.

Well, that's it for me for today!
Happy claying!

Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Polyform Clay ;o)

Well, maybe not quite everything, but Angela's (aka CraftyGoat's) most recent blog entry does bring up some interesting points. She shares her notes from a Q&A session Polyform offered at the IPCA retreat, so this is very fresh information. I highly recommend giving it a look, if you haven't already-- especially if you regularly use any of the Polyform clays (SculpeyIII, Premo, Studio by Sculpey, etc.).

I was surprised to read that Premo no longer contains phthalates. I'd heard that Kato Clay had made the switch, but nothing about (most of) Polyform's lines of clay. I'm not sure how I feel about that. If the phthalates really were a significant health risk, then of course it's good to avoid them, but I always wonder how much things of this nature may be blown out of proportion. I also wonder how much of a reduction in shelf life we should expect, now that so many brands are going phthalate-free... (This makes buying in bulk and/or stocking up during clay sales seem a bit more risky. Better get busy using up some of my more recently stock-piled clay, huh? (g))

It was also interesting to read that the recommended temperature is a little bit lower than what you need for optimum strength. (Apparently the manufacturers prefer to err on the safe side. Can't really blame them there, but it's good to have the facts.) I guess people knew what they were talking about, all these years, when they've said you're ok if you don't go over 300 degrees. I know I often find my oven's temperature tends to creep up higher than 275, but I've only scorched something once, and that was because it was too close to the heating element.

Anyway... Good stuff to know! Thanks for sharing the info, Angela!

Curing in Stages

As I was working on something at my clay table, recently, it occurred to me how much of my work is cured in stages. I can't recall how long it took me to give multiple curings a try, but it has proven to be nearly essential for what I do.

Even if you're fairly new to polymer clay, you've probably read that it's possible to cure things in stages-- to adhere raw clay to cured (baked) clay and put the piece back into the oven-- but you may not see why you'd ever want to do that. After all, it takes time to cure and wait for a piece to cool, and we're all about instant gratification, these days. For many projects, a single curing is all you need. However, there are times when curing in stages is very much worth the extra time and effort involved.

Here are a handful of reasons to consider curing polymer clay pieces in stages:

• Ease of Handling. Keeping clay free of fingerprints, nail marks, and other undesired textures can be a challenge-- even when wearing latex gloves (which can themselves leave textures and marks). Pre-curing a portion of your project-- a base, for example-- gives you a firm handle by which to hold and rotate the piece while you work on the remainder of it.
• Preventing Dust. As long as clay is "open"-- that is, uncured or raw-- it seems to act like a dust magnet. Even if you're careful about covering uncured pieces between claying sessions, it's common to find stray bits of dust, fluff, and so on that have somehow landed on your project. Removing them can be tedious. Whenever possible, you can prevent dust from ruining your work "so far" by partially curing it. Dust may still settle on cured pieces, but it's easy to wipe away when you're ready to recommence work (or play).
  
• Setting the Plasticizers. One of the reasons we condition polymer clay before sculpting it is to be sure that the plasticizers (the chemicals that make the clay malleable) are evenly distributed through the clay. You may have read (or noticed on your own) that even after clay has been conditioned, it can return to its original (right out of the wrapper) firmer state after it's been sitting around for a while. This is because the clay has cooled and the plasticizers have settled. It's a simple matter to recondition a ball or slab of clay-- just roll it through the pasta machine or scrunch and roll it between your hands. However, it's not such a simple matter to recondition clay that has been formed into a special shape and left to sit for weeks or months. You may cure such a piece and never have a problem, but some suggest that, if the plasticizers settle to the bottom of the clay, the strength of the clay may be reduced. Particularly if you plan to sell or give your work as gifts, you want to be certain that it is as strong and durable as possible. For this reason, I personally prefer to "set" the plasticizers in place by curing sooner rather than later. (When I've neglected to pre-cure, I've even scrapped partially constructed pieces-- putting the clay back to the recondition step-- rather than risk a weaker finished product.) Once cured, pieces can wait weeks, months, or even years for you to get around to the next step in your process.
• Ease of Cleaning/Working on a Solid Surface. For some techniques, I find that a solid surface (cured clay) is easier to work with than a soft one (uncured clay). For instance, when I make faux ceramics, I prefer pre-curing the textured "base" before applying the tinted liquid clay. This makes it easier for me to handle without fear of leaving fingerprints. It also means I can more easily wipe away the liquid clay, should I change my mind after applying it.
  

If you do decide to try curing in stages, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

First, you'll have to decide, on a case by case basis, whether you trust the adhesion between the raw and cured clay to be sufficient. In many cases, it will be. However, when adding larger pieces-- or when the raw and cured clay share only a small surface connection-- you'll probably want to give the connection a little boost. You can use a dab of liquid clay (translucent, usually, but not necessarily) between the raw and cured clay. (Once cured, the liquid clay strengthens the bond between pieces.) You could also add a mechanical joint, such as a twisted piece of wire cured into the first piece and embedded into the second. Another option is curing the second (or third, or fourth) piece of clay separately and attaching it later (after everything has cooled to room temperature) with a cyanoacrylate glue (super glue).

Second, depending on your project and your plans, you can choose either partial curing (curing just long enough to firm up the clay and prevent it from taking fingerprints or dust) or complete curing (curing to the full length of time recommended by the manufacturers for the size of the piece). Partial curing is of course faster, and if you're going to finish the project and re-cure quickly, it's a perfectly good option. Also, there is less risk of color shifting than if you cure the "base" twice the required length of time. (You can reduce color shifting by using an aluminum foil "tent" over your pieces when you cure them and by mixing a little white or other opaque color of clay into colors that tend to shift.) On the other hand, complete curing makes the piece stronger-- less likely to break during any stresses it may encounter prior to final curing. If you plan to leave the piece for a very long time before returning to complete it, it may be wise to cure it completely. I've read horror stories about (accidentally) partially cured clay eventually crumbling (supposedly under the "attack" of unset plasticizers). It's up to you to decide which option is best for your particular set of circumstances.

- - - - - - -

I think that covers the basics. If you've never tried curing in stages, maybe it's time!

Back From a Long Absence

I'm not sure if anyone still visits this blog, these days. (g) Still, I guess it's never too late to try to get back in the habit of occasionally blogging about polymer clay.

Just as I haven't been blogging clay, neither have I been keeping close tabs on all the latest clay news. However, I have taken a peek, now and again.

I was surprised to hear about Pardo-- another brand of polymer clay that is new to the American market-- and then Sculpey's new Bake Shop Oven-Bake Clay, which is a kid-friendly clay designed especially for children. (Angela Mabray-- aka CraftyGoat-- recently posted a review of Bake Shop.) I'm all for new clays (even though I still haven't even tried that formerly new brand, Studio by Sculpey), but I do hope "the powers that be" won't mess around too much (more than they already have) with the established brands.

I've never done much caning, but for a while I've kept it in the back of my mind as a "maybe someday". "Maybe someday I'll really dive into canework, instead of just feebly dabbling." Well, I've noticed a lot of chatter on clay blogs about a new technique that might make my (potential) future as a canework convert that much more interesting. I assume that most readers will already have seen this, but for those who haven't (and for my own future reference), here's a demonstrative video from PolyClayPlay:



This technique was developed by Idit Zoota. Essentially, the idea is that, instead of packing an irregularly shaped cane (like a flower) with translucent clay to aid in reduction, you can pack it with simple Play-Doh (or another water-soluble modeling material). Reduce as usual, then pull away the Play-Doh. Because it doesn't adhere to the polymer clay-- or at least not nearly as strongly as polymer clay sticks to itself-- you should be able to remove most of it easily. Stubborn bits can be soaked in water and gently brushed away with a soft brush.

Pretty neat, huh?
See, this is the kind of thing I've been missing out on! ;o)

Valentine's Day? Already?!

Ok, it's not quite February 14th, but it'll be here in the blink of an eye. If you're planning to craft a polymer clay token of your affection for someone special, it's time to make your plans. Here are a few links that might help get you on your way to Valentine crafting bliss:

• Last year, I compiled a list of ten Valentine project links from around the Internet. (Number 4 from that list is no longer working, but the others are still available.)
  
• Also last year, I posted ten Valentine color schemes (courtesy of COLOURLovers.com).
• Angela (aka CraftyGoat) hosts a tutorial for realistic conversation (candy) hearts.
• Christi Friesen offers a free download of her Steampunk Clockwork Hearts tutorial.

I'm only a *few* years behind the times. . .

A couple of days ago, I finally made my very first "retro cane". Yeah, I'm right on top of all the latest, hottest trends. ;o)


I've been interested in this technique for a while-- another of those things I just hadn't gotten around to trying. If you're one of the other two or three claying people out there who haven't given this a try, yet-- ;o) -- you should really go for it! It was fun and so easy, assuming you have a decent clay extruder. Speaking of which. . .

For a while, I was put off the idea of extruding by the fact that it hurts to push clay through one of the old syringe-style extruders. Then my husband made a bellows-type press for my extruder (using a hinge and two scraps of lumber with strategically placed holes), which worked very well. However, I must've put too much pressure on the poor thing, because one day I noticed that the part that presses the clay through the tube had bent, rendering the whole thing useless.

Fortunately, my Christmas wishlist entry of a new clay extruder (this one by Makin's Clay) didn't go unheeded. ;o) I've only used it a few times so far, but I'm very impressed and can't reccommend it enough. It's much easier to operate than my old one was.

I'm looking forward to using this technique again, soon. So many color combinations to try!

ETA: Of course, you can also make a retro cane without any extruder at all, just by combining several different bull's-eye canes worked in coordinating colors. It's a lot more work than the extruder method, but it's certainly possible.

No Time Like the Present

There's no time like *right now* to get back to blogging here, even if I don't have much in particular to say. ;o)

I see that when I wrote my last post, I was in the middle of my pre-Christmas flurry of gift-crafting activity-- trying to put into action all the great plans I'd been making months in advance. Yes, I honestly had been making plans for months, but true to form, I didn't put many of them into action until the last minute (or the last week).

As you might expect, I didn't manage even half of what I'd "planned" (i.e. thought "now, that's an idea for ____, and I think _____ might like one of those"), but I guess I got enough done. Maybe if I get my act together, I can put my plans into action earlier this year, rather than putting them off until the last minute. (Maybe...)

Anyway, moving on!

Just as I haven't been blogging much in a long while, neither have I been keeping up with my blogroll. (I know. Shame on me!) Possibly everyone's already seen this (and talked it to death), but I recently happened upon a polymer clay "how-to" book that's due out in June: Ancient Modern: Polymer Clay + Wire Jewelry, by Ronna Sarvas Weltman. If you follow that link, it'll take you to a pretty nice little peek into the book on Scribd. I have to admit that I probably won't be saving my pennies for this one (some of it's just not my style, and I think I know the techniques to achieve the parts of that look that I do like), but I'm always glad to see more polymer clay-related books.

After chancing to find that one, I decided it was time to do a quick search, and it looks like there are a few more clay-related books coming our way by this summer. There are of course the usual handful that mention polymer clay in passing, but there are also titles that seem more focused on our beloved material: Polymer Clay Mixed Media Jewelry by Shirley Rufener (due out in March), the latest in Christi Friesen's sculpture series-- Birds of a Feather (April), Sculpting Mythical Creatures out of Polymer Clay by Dinko and Boris Tilov (May), Clay So Cute!: 25 Polymer Clay Projects for Cool Charms, Itty-Bitty Animals, and Tiny Treasures by Sherri Haab (July), and Polymer Clay Color Inspirations by Lindly Haunani and Maggie Maggio (August). There are no preview photos or detailed descriptions for those last two titles, yet, so I guess we'll just have to wait to get a better idea about them. . .

I'm getting ahead of myself, though. I still haven't really sat down to enjoy my latest clay-related book purchase-- Donna Kato's book on millefiori. One thing at a time, Michael! ;o)

Tutorial: Gingerbread Cookies

As usual, I'm running late, but there's a new holiday-themed tutorial available on Polymer Clay Web. It's our version of gingerbread:


Ever since I made "gingerbread cookie" ornaments and pins for some family members, last Christmas, I've been meaning to fix up a tutorial for this holiday season. Well, I guess that I did. Technically. (g) At least it's there for next year, right? And who says you can only make gingerbread in December? Seriously, these go together pretty fast, and I bet they'd be lots of fun to make with the kids or grandkids.


Now, back to the clay room. I have some gifts to finish by Wednesday! (Can she do it? Will she have to stay up until the wee hours to accomplish her gift-giving goals? Stay tuned to find out! ;o)) I hope you're all enjoying the holidays and not stressing out too much!

Use Up Those Spare Beads!

Note: Yes, I'm finally back on my polymer clay blog again (!), and I hope to manage to pop in at least once a week for a while before my next unannounced months-long disappearance. ;o) Sorry to have been gone so long, but you know how it is. After you've been quiet a few weeks, it's hard to get back in the habit of blogging. Anyway, on with the clay talk!

If you're anything like me, you've probably amassed quite a collection of polymer clay beads over the years. Many of these are leftovers from old projects and early clay obsessions. (For me, it was crackled paint.) What can you do with all those beads when you have just one like this and only three like that? Plenty! Here are a few ideas to get you started!

• Make earrings. If you have matching pairs of beads, this is an obvious solution to using up extra beads.
  
• Set them off with metal and glass (or plastic). Mixing beads made of other materials in with your polymer clay beads stretches them. Also, this helps use up some of your store-bought stash!
• Make crazy, wild jewelry. (The craziness and/or wildness of your jewelry will depend on the craziness and/or wildness of your beads.) Mix and match beads for an eye-catching necklace. Combine beads with a similar trait (all faux naturals/organics, all from the same color family, all the same shape, etc.)-- choose a focal and pick beads that coordinate with it-- or go truly wild and put a little of everything together into one zany piece. (Maybe make a game of it. Pour all the beads into a bowl and pick them at random. Do you dare?)
• Turn the spotlight on them. Give them another look. Are any of them especially nice on their own? Even one solitary bead can make a striking accessory. One beautiful bead as a pendant or strung directly onto a leather thong makes a simple but powerful fashion statement.
  
• Turn a single bead into a ring with wire-wrapping. (Be warned: This can lead you into a whole new artistic obsession!)
• Make beaded bookmarks (a.k.a. book thongs). All you need to make several unique book marks is a selection of (preferably large-holed) beads and some thin ribbon. Cut the ribbon to the desired length. (One and a half to two feet is a common length. Adjust to suit the size of books you wish to use the book mark in.) Apply Fray Check (or plain old white glue, in a pinch) to the cut ends and let dry. Knot one end of the ribbon (double knot, if needed) and string on your chosen beads. (Usually two or three per end will do, but it's a matter of personal preference.) Knot the other end. If desired, knot the ribbon again just inside the strung beads, to prevent them from all sliding to one end of the ribbon.

If all else fails you can always make more beads to match or coordinate with the ones you have left. Sure, you may end up with even more beads rolling around your house, but you're sure to have fun in the process!

Handmade Texture Tools

As I wrote yesterday, playing around with texture wheels got me in the mood to finally turn some odds and ends I'd collected into real texture tools with polymer clay handles.

Here are the results:


Though you can't really tell in this photo, most of them are double-ended. I have to admit that I have yet to try them out in their finished form. I was just too eager to post about them. (g) (See? I really am getting back into this blogging thing.)

I know people have been turning bits and pieces into texture tools for years. There's nothing cutting edge about it. Still, I have a feeling that there are many others like me who've heard or read about it, thought about it, maybe even gathered promising random bits of metal-- but never actually done it. For anyone interested in what I learned along the way, I've put up a brief tutorial on Polymer Clay Web: Handmade Texture Tools.

Some people enjoy making their tools pretty, and when I made polymer clay handles for my linoleum cutters, I did put a little effort into making them attractive. However, this time I enjoyed not having to worry about that for an afternoon. It's a little vacation from thinking about fingerprints, color combos, and aesthetics in general. Functionality was the only thing on my mind when I made these. Ah, so freeing to use the ugliest "mud" imaginable and not care that it was hideous! ;o)

Latest "Stuff"

Um, I did say-- a couple of weeks ago, was it?-- that I was going to post more regularly, didn't I?
Ha ha ha! Silly you for believing me! ;o)

No, seriously, I am going to get back into the swing of things. Starting right now!

Though I've been quiet here on this blog, I have put in some time at the clay table. For instance, I've been trying out some new ideas with buttons, such as these "jumbo-sized" buttons:


There's nothing for scale in the photo, but trust me-- they're bigger than my usual buttons. (g) If I remember correctly (not guaranteed, especially when it comes to measurements and numbers in general), the hearts are about 1.25 inches "tall".

I've also been working on some cupcakes:



It's always satisfying to get a group of things done at once. A handful of beads, cupcakes, whatever looks so much more impressive than one-- and they're fun to photograph this way, too. ;o)

Then I got the latest issue of Polymer Cafe and read Irene Semanchuk Dean's interesting article about homemade texture wheels. I decided to give it a try, and she's right-- you will want to make more than one. I'm going to have to make another batch, sometime soon. . .


This little adventure got me in the mood to finally turn various bits and pieces I've been collecting into full-fledged polymer clay tools. I baked several of them this morning and am looking forward to trying them out.

I hope you've all enjoyed a pleasant weekend (a long holiday one, for those of us in the U.S.)! :o)

Couple of Button Photos

Posted a couple of button photos over the weekend. . .





Otherwise, I haven't taken many clay photos, lately.

I have a couple of custom orders that I'll try to finish up today. (They're mostly re-dos of things you'll already have seen-- a hot dog and sugar cookies.) Meanwhile, I need to get back in the habit of photographing and listing things regularly. I was doing alright for a while, but I've slacked off for the past week or two. (Got busy with other things. Was also sidetracked by a foray into crochet. Beginning to suspect that crochet might bring on carpal tunnel syndrome, so may not do much of that!)

I do have more finished buttons to photograph-- and many in-progress buttons. There are also plans for a larger production of cupcakes and some other miniatures.

I think I'm "sounding" as blah as I feel, this morning. (g) Sorry about that. I've just walked up to the mailbox and back, and I haven't fully recovered yet. ;o)

In the mail this morning:

• A package of beads headed for the Beads of Courage program.
  
• Five buttons to be photographed for possible inclusion in an up-coming magazine. (We'll see what happens. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, in case they decide not to use them. Besides, it's flattering just to be considered.)

I'm feeling sleepy this morning. . . Probably time to get out of the computer chair and move around a while!

Hope you all had a pleasant weekend. :o)

Testing the Waters. . . ;o)

It's been a while since I posted regularly here at my "mostly polymer clay" blog. Maybe it's time to stick a toe in the water and ease my way back into the blogging groove.

So to start things off, how about a couple of links?

I'm finally resigned to the fact that I can't keep up with all the great blogs out there. I'll try to read them as often as possible, but I'm sure to miss lots of things. Anyway, today I was catching up on a few blogs, when I came across Paula Pindroh's "documentary" of the sculpture of an unusual breed of dog-- the Chinese Crested. You can see more of her adorable dog sculptures in her Etsy shop.

I'm a dog lover, so how about another dog-related link? Here's another one from Etsy. IttyBittiesForYou (Jennifer) offers "Your Dog as a Superhero"-- a cute little sculpture of a masked, caped canine made in the likeness of your own pup. What a fun idea! (g)

Hee hee. That reminds me of "Bark Kent"-- a stuffed dog my youngest sister had. He was sewn in a lying-down position that was well suited to "flight", and well, you can guess the rest. ;o)

Well, I think this has helped get me back in the clay-postin' mood. I'm feeling hopeful, at least! :o)

Hobby Snobbery

Donald and I were talking over the weekend about how funny it is that no matter what "subject" or hobby you choose-- no matter how obscure it may seem-- you always seem to find that there's already a "community" in place. Somewhere out there is a group of people with very strong opinions about the hobby, whatever it may be. And for some of these fanatics (for whom the flugelhorn or the knitting of leg warmers for dogs is serious business) it goes beyond strong opinion right into snobbery. (What?! You use acrylic novelty yarn to knit your canine leg warmers?! Disgusting! I use only the finest alpaca wool. Anything less makes me shudder just to think of touching. And besides, Fifi refuses to wear it if it's not $$$ Brand. She has such superior tastes-- even by poodle standards!)

Some people!
Give them anything and they'll find a way to make a competition-- a hierarchy-- an "if you don't do it like we do it, you're not cool" clique.

Thank goodness for us sane ones, right? ;o)

Hand-Carving Stamps

Strictly speaking, this post isn't about clay, but it involves something you can definitely use with clay-- hand-carved stamps!

I once thought carving stamps would be difficult, but it's actually very do-able. (Not to say that I'm now an expert, but I've been able to carve stamps that I'm happy to use.) It's also quite a bit of fun!

Here are a few quick pointers:

• Invest in the right tools. (This is especially true if you think you'll want to be carving on a regular basis.) As with so many other things, having the correct tools makes stamp-carving much more enjoyable. Some people can carve detailed stamps with nothing more than a craft knife, but most of us have better control with linoleum cutters. (You can also use them to carve cured polymer clay!)
  
• Remember: 1) It is recommended that you carve with the sharp end pointed away from you. 2) Go slowly. It's easy to go back and remove more later, but if you carve too much, the damage is done. 3) Most people prefer moving the material that's being carved rather than moving the carving tool. Hold the tool more or less "still" and maneuver the carving block underneath it.
  
• Keep the sharp tools away from kids and pets. This probably isn't the best craft for kids. Unless they're old enough to chop vegetables and peel fruit, they probably shouldn't be trusted with linoleum cutters. However, you could always let the kids draw the design, then have an adult carve it for them.
  
• Find a quality carving material. There are a variety of products out there made especially for carving-- as well as erasers, which can also be carved-- but they're not all created equal. I've only tried a couple, so far. Speedy-Cut (which is a pale cream/beige) carves very easily, but it is crumbly, which means that your finished stamps will also be prone to crumbling. After you put all that time into making a stamp, you probably want it to last, so it's worth paying a little more for something better. I've just started working with Speedy-Stamp ("the pink stuff"), which has a better reputation than Speedy-Cut. So far, it does seem better. Maybe a tiny bit firmer, but still pretty soft-- and much less crumbly.
  
• Set reasonable expectations. As a beginner, it's best if you don't start out with a huge, complicated pattern. Instead, let a simple shape be your first project, then go from there. If you like a slightly "rough-hewn", rustic, even "primitive" style, you'll probably love this craft immediately. If you want detailed stamps with smooth, thin lines, you'll need more patience (and practice).
  

It's a fairly simple process, carving a stamp. It requires more patience than anything else. I'm sure there are plenty of great resources out there, online. Here are just a handful of tutorials to help you get started:

• Geninne Zlatkis' Tutorial
• Stamp Carving Tutorials from Atlas Quest (a letterboxing resource, but good for any stamp carver)
• Thread on Craftster
• Speedball Tutorial (how to use photos as stamp patterns)

Good luck, and have fun! :o)

Button Bakery

All buttoned up. . . ;o)

Ever since I started experimenting with buttons-- mainly for the benefit of a few family members who were interested in making their own polymer clay buttons to use in quilts-- I've been more or less hooked on buttons.

I spend more time thinking about making buttons than jewelry, lately. This is probably partially a "honeymoon period" type thing, but I fully expect to come back to buttons every so often-- just like I do with my other pet projects (mokume gane, mini food, etc.).

I've even opened a second Etsy shop-- The Mossy Owls Button Bakery-- where I'll be offering some of my buttons and other sewing-related creations. I have no idea what kind of market there is for handmade buttons, and I'm still feeling things out, but it can't hurt to try. :o)

If you'd like to see more button-y photos, you can check out the shop (linked above) or the button set on my Flickr. :o)

P.S. I don't know why it is, but Blogger seems to think I'm in a different time zone than I actually am. When I try to publish entries with a time stamp that's several minutes old, it still thinks the entry is "post-dated", and tells me it will publish it later! Pretty annoying, especially since I've checked the time zone setting, and it appears to be right. . .

Faux Leather Tags

I wanted to make some faux leather bookmarks for gifts, earlier this month, so I played around with a few things and came up with a "recipe" that I liked.

I thought the resultant bookmarks looked and felt like real leather. The recipients thought they were leather-- or at least acted like they did. (Maybe they were trying to give me an ego boost. ;o)) If the faux leather only smelled like the real thing, they'd be perfect. (g)

After making a few bookmarks, I had the idea to make a faux leather tag. I think it was some stamps that I had that got me started thinking about tags. I have some stamps meant to be used with "journaling" or captions in scrapbooks, and they were just the perfect size to be fancy borders for tags.

So I stamped a sheet of the textured clay, put in a few initials, cut out a tag shape, went through the rest of the process-- and I have to admit, I was smitten. I don't think I really need lots of tags around the house, but I'm probably going to be making them anyway. ;o)

(Here are some of the tags I've made so far. That first one's not here. It was a gift, and because I was working right up until the last minute-- shame on me!-- I didn't have time to get a photo before I gave it away. . .)

I love things that look like they've been around forever, so this is right up my alley!

Here's a link to the project on Polymer Clay Web: Faux Leather Tag

I wrote it for tags, but of course you can adapt it to whatever you'd like-- bookmarks, jewelry components (embossed faux leather cuffs?), boxes, photo frames. . . I think I've even seen someone make a faux leather book cover from polymer clay. (I need to learn how to bind my own books. I once made a book cover out of a butter box, but that's been my limit, so far. (g))

I think the style of the stamps you use might be a key to success with this technique. I may be wrong, but I get the feeling that if the stamp (or whatever you use for texture) looks like something you typically see in real leather, it's more believable. You could use actual leatherworking tools, if you have them.

[Hm. Google "leatherworking" and you get lots of links about World of Warcraft and related things. I know nothing about that game, but there certainly seems to be a huge Internet community devoted to it. Makes sense, I guess. . . given that it's the Internet. ;o)]

Well, enough of that. Now I need to go find an excuse to make some tags. . . (g)

Sticky clay!

I had trouble with too-soft clay, today.

The clay started out a bit on the soft side, right out of the package, but the warmer weather is making it even worse. I'm resorting to leaching, which I hardly ever do. I suppose I could try switching to a firmer brand of clay, but I'm stubborn and prefer to buy my clay at sale prices. . . I may have to start refrigerating projects between "steps".

I'm playing around with the faux leather technique, combining instructions from Carol Blackburn's beautiful bead book and Irene Semanchuk Dean's lovely faux surfaces book-- then putting a little of my own twist on things. Nothing anywhere near done, yet. I'm having fun with it, but it'd be nicer if the clay wasn't a goopy mess. :oP Well, I've been leaching away, so I hope to see some improvement.

Crayons in clay!

One of the techniques I've played around with over the past month or two is using crayon shavings as inclusions in translucent polymer clay. It's lots of fun and extremely easy-- a great project to share with kids (though you'll want to chop the crayons for them, if they're very young).

I first read about this technique on Lindly Haunani's website. Here's a link: Altering Polymer Clay with Inclusions. She discusses a variety of other inclusions, too, so it's a good read if you're new to the idea.

Here are a few things I noticed and/or did when I made my crayon-inclusion beads:

• As Lindly points out, some of the colors can be unpredictable. They may not come out of the oven exactly the same as they went in. Some intensify; others seem to fade. This isn't a problem if you're just having fun, but if you require specific results, you'll want to bake some test chips.
  
• I used very cheap "off-brand" crayons bought on sale. They're pretty worthless as crayons-- very poor performance in coloring books, etc.-- but they still make good inclusions. So if you have a box of poor quality crayons, you might consider trying this technique with them.
  
• I took shavings from the crayons, then chopped those into small bits before mixing into the clay. I then used a craft knife to further chop any larger pieces of crayon in the clay mix. It's not always necessary to chop the crayons that much, but it is the look I prefer. However, all that chopping can be time-consuming and tedious. I don't know how well a food processor would work with crayons (seems a bit messy), but it's an idea, if you need a lot of crayon chopped finely.
  
• I added some embossing powder into my mix for a different look. The beads in the photo above have seafoam white embossing powder as an inclusion in addition to the crayon shavings.
  
• Maybe it was just a lucky chance-- a good batch of clay, cool/dry weather, a fortuitous alignment of the stars ;o)-- but it seemed to me that these mixes of clay were slower to take fingerprints than regular ("inclusionless") clay. Adding certain inclusions (especially powders) does seem to "dry" the clay out a little, which makes it easier to avoid fingerprints-- and the slightly uneven surface resulting from these types of inclusions may make it less obvious if there are prints.
  

If you haven't tried combining crayons with clay, maybe now's the time. Those tantalizing boxes of color are perfect for getting you in the mood for the approaching summer-- and you probably have everything you need already on hand.

Cupcakes Galore!

There are cupcakes galore in my clay room, right now! Vanilla, strawberry, chocolate-- purple, green, and pink-- glittered, "confettied" and candy-sprinkled!


And these are just the ones that are done. I have probably twice as many cupcake bases waiting for the cake, icing, and decorations. Waiting for me to get back into a cupcakey mood. (I must be due for one soon, it's been so long since the last one came and went.)

I've had these finished cupcakes sitting around for months. I thought about taking a photo of them now and then, but it was always a bad time-- insufficient lighting, usually, and me too lazy to set up some decent artificial light. So of course now that I finally decided to snap a photo, it didn't turn out that great, anyway. (g) Oh well. That'll give me more incentive to take some good photos soon.

. . . Maybe? ;o)