Working With Polymer Clay

This project is for persons 18 years old and older!

If you remember your kindergarten days, you might re-call several occasions in which you mashed and poked away at that vivid and doughy sculpting clay called Plasticine. This stuff would entertain me for hours, and I always loved it more than Playdough because it would never dry up. Whenever something looked all wrong, you could just ball it in your hands and roll it around some more to create something entirely different.

Polymer clay is quite similar to Plasticine. Both of these clays are somewhat solid when you buy them, but are softer from the heat of your hands. They both have an "oily" feel to them that leaves that residue on your hands, and they do not harden in the air. Plasticine is one of those clays that does not solidify at all, unlike Polymer Clay which, when baked, turns hard as a rock. So, if you intend to create a figurine, piece of jewelry, or some dollhouse miniatures that you would like to last forever, than Polymer Clay would be your best bet.

But Polymer Clay is a clay in name only. It is actually PVC based, and is more of a moldable and sculptable plastic than anything. It doesn't actually contain any Earth clay at all. Polymer Clay doesn't require any curing in a kiln, but it does require you to bake it in a conventional oven, ranging from 265* F to 275* F for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the object you are baking. Afterwards, you may choose to sand buff it to create a surface sheen, file down any imperfections, and than leave it as-is or gloss it with a water-based finish.

Polymer Clay isn't a new concept. In fact, it has been on store shelves for almost 40 years as a sculpting material, and even longer for other purposes. So, it's no surprise that there are a vast array of clay brands and colours to choose from.

The most popular and well-known brands of Polymer Clay are Fimo Soft and Sculpey III. Through the years, these companies have come out with different formulas for their clays, so the texture and feeling of the raw clay in your hands has changed tremendously overtime. For a beginner, I would suggest that working with either Fimo Soft or Sculpey III would be your best bet, namely because they are easy to handle and easy to find. You can easily find other brands as well online, such as Premo or Kato Polyclay, and they can also be found in your local hobby or arts & crafts store.

Polymer Clay generally comes in small 2oz packs of one particular colour, although many brands also offer boxes of 24 or 32 small packets of various colours to get you started. This may be your cheapest option if you have never worked with clay before. If you wish to create something with just a few colours, than you might be better off just purchasing the small amount of colours that you need. You may want to go ahead and buy just one block of each brand just so you can get a feel for their qualities and decide which brand works best for you.

One of the most favourable aspects of working with Polymer Clay is that it comes in so many colours. There is basic colours, fluorescent, metallic, pearl, glow in the dark, translucent, glittery, and even textured clays. Unlike sculpting materials like Terra Cotta, you don't have to spend all the work painting your creations afterwards. The option is always there if you would like to add details after your goodies have been baked with paint such as acrylics.

The great thing about colourful Polymer Clay is that it does not shrink or alter shape after baking, and most of the colours only change hues a very small bit and are quite unnoticeable. The downside of so many colours to choose from is trying to keep them separate. If you have several packages of opened clay, you may want to invest in some zipper-top baggies and an airtight container. If you have too much clay to handle, invest in one of those plastic organizers with the different compartments. Grab some sticker labels, write down the colours, and stick them on the matching compartments. This will keep your colours separate and clean. A good idea is to keep opened clay in one place and un-opened clay in another place to avoid opening several packages of the same colour when you already have some opened.

Cleanliness is another huge factor in Polymer Clay sculpting. Light colours such as White and Yellow just love to pick up specks of dirt and dust from the air and your hands. Even when your hands appear clean, these specks somehow seem to find their way onto your clay. Here are a 3 steps to keeping your clay nice and clean.

1) Keep a smooth and clear work surface. An ideal surface would be a big chunk of ceramic tile or glass. Clean thoroughly with soapy water, baby wipes, or some rubbing alcohol. After the surface starts to get tacky or oily again, keep paper towels and alchohol to give your surface a wipe down.

2) Keep your hands clean. I find that washing up with dishwashing liquid and letting your hands air dry works the best. Cotton towels are monsters for little specks of dust, so avoid them. Also avoid wiping your hands on anything or touching anything. A good hard wipe with a paper towel on your hands does wonders in getting off any dust. Keep a scrap piece of clay to roll between your hands to get off any spare dust that the paper towel didn't pick up.

3) Work with dark colours last. Dark colours leave dark residue on your work surface, and when you are rolling light colours on the same area, you are going to pick this residue up and your colours can get very muddy. Also, red seems to be a bad culprit in bleeding into other colours, so consider this a "dark" colour.

Another addition to Polymer Clay is the very useful "Liquid Clay" usually sold under the names "TLS - Translucent Liquid Sculpey" under the Sculpey brand, or "Fimo Decorating Gel" under the Fimo brand. Use liquid clay on your wire when you insert it into the clay before baking. This keeps it from slipping or falling out eventually, and acts as a very good adhesive or glue. When you attach pieces of clay to each other before baking, try adding a bit of Liquid Clay to the joint before sticking it on, as this will ensure a strong grip onto the clay base. Liquid Clay can make very attractive garnishes, such as frosting, icing, syrup, and glaze. If you add some colour, either by Oil Paint or by shaving in some hard coloured pastel, you can make yourself some glaze or syrup. If you add solid clay to the liquid clay, you can stir it constantly to a smooth consistency and make some very tasty looking frosting or icing for some clay cupcakes. Liquid clay can be baked with the rest of your clay at the same temperature and the same time, so they can be combined effortlessly.

Polymer Clay can be rolled out and cut out with cookie cutters, it can be pushed through a clay "extruder" to create strands in all different sizes and shapes, it can be sculpted with an unlimited amount of tools such as toothpicks and Popsicle sticks, and it can be rolled into different shapes and stuck on itself. Experiment! If you look up "Polymer Clay Tutorials" on the internet or in a bookstore, you will get many helpful resources to get you started as well if you do not know where to begin.

You can do a lot with clay. It doesn't just have to sit on a shelf and collect dust. You can wrap pens in it, create picture frames and light switch panels, or you could do what I do - make some jewellery! Before baking, try sticking some wire loops or eye pins in the clay so that it can be hung on things like jumprings and earring loops. Polymer Clay makes very attractive necklace pendants, rings, keychains, and all sorts of accessories that anyone can enjoy.

Sculpting with Polymer Clay is an entirely different world where you are free to create all that your imagination conjures up. What I have explained will get you started, but if you are ever curious to know more about the art, there is a wonderful Polymer Clay encyclopedia on GlassAttic.com. The creator is a Polymer Clay guru, and she is always happy to explain anything you need to know about the wonderful art of Polymer Clay. Experiment and enjoy!

Original Source: Crafts: Working With Polymer Clay

My Website: http://www.MonsterKookies.com

My Etsy Shop: http://www.MonsterKookies.etsy.com

My Blog: http://MonsterKookies.blogspot.com

My Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/monsterkookies

Featured Artisan: boutiquepillows

I have been quilting for over 8 years now and sewing for much longer. My quilting has lead to creating custom pillows, some are fully quilted. I began designing and creating my pillows professionally about two years ago and have not stopped since. I enjoy the uniqueness and the special quality that is shown in each creation. I seldom make two alike. I also sell ready to make sachets, which also make great bridal shower favors. I will be adding more exquisite sachet styles shortly.

Many of my pillows become family heirlooms that will forever be treasured. Each one is personalized and customized to the person receiving the item. I make them for any ocassion. My most popular are my wedding pillows which can be given as a gift on the bride and grooms wedding day or ordered in advance to be used as the Ring Bearer pillow. I also design pillows and quilted wall hangings for birth announcements, first name personalization, monograms or to read a special sentiment.

My pillows are sold on my etsy shop http://www.boutiquepillows.etsy.com and I started a new store recently to showcase my quilts, http://www.patchworkbabyquilts.com .

I also sell on my website http://www.quiltsgaloreandmore.com where you will find my complete line. I am always adding inventory and always welcome new custom orders.

Featured Artist: JohnToftBasketry

I trade as JohnToftBasketry My Etsy Shop: http://www.JohnToftBasketry.etsy.com because my imagination could not come up with a catchy name. The trade name combines my name with what I do, make baskets. I needed a unique name when I obtained my business licence several years ago, and have stayed with that prosaic decision ever since.

https://twitter.com/JohnToftBaskets is my twitter site. It's a variation on JohnToftBasketry only because Twitter could not handle all the letters in the longer name.

My blog shows the same imaginative choice of words as http://johntoftbasketryatetsy.blogspot.com/. That blog is a combination of everything you could possible want to know about basket-making as well as a few stories on the trials and tribulations of raising an autistic person to adulthood, plus other topics that caught my interest.

My baskets are where my imagination and love of colour and design are allowed to be free. My baskets combine English and North American basket-making techniques in beautiful and whimsical manners that produce goods that are a joy to behold and own. The baskets combine three kinds of natural materials: willow and grapevine grown in my garden in suburban Ottawa, and rattan cane imported from China and Indonesia.

I specialize in three main types of baskets: sewing baskets (English style), rib baskets and market baskets (North American style). My blog of June 9th has an eight-step tutorial that shows how to make a tray with basket edging from kits I have put together. This is an easy introduction to basket-making for beginners.

I was introduced to basket-making over 50 years ago as a child at elementary school in England in craft classes. There my twin brother and I so enjoyed basket-making, and got so caught up in competing with each other to exceed each other, that the school almost ran out of supplies. About a dozen years ago I told the story of this basket-making odyssey to my wife Anne, and a basket-making book appeared as a Christmas gift. So began my saga as a basket-maker.

Liquid Clay 101

These Projects are for persons 18 years old and older!

Liquid Clay comes in many forms, but many of us just refer to all brands as TLS, which actually stands for "Translucent Liquid Sculpey". In actuality, Sculpey certainly isn't the only one who makes Liquid Clay. Fimo makes a Liquid Clay called "Fimo Decorating Gel", and Kato makes a Liquid Clay called "Clear Liquid Polyclay".

From my experience, you can use a WIDE variety of things with your Liquid Clay. If you want it to be Translucent though, I suggest using Fimo Decorating Gel. It is EXTREMELY translucent and makes the BEST sauces and syrups and anything else that needs to be coloured but still still transparent. TLS will leave you with an opaque mixture, so it's good for things that don't need to be see-through like chocolate sauce, slime, blood, icing, etc.

For colouring, things like Oil Paints, shaved Oil Pastels, Chalk Pastel/Charcoal, Kneaded Polymer Clay, Eyeshadow, Metallic Powders, Alcohol-Based Ink, Dry Pigment Powder, etc...

DON'T use Acrylic Paint. It does BAD things when baked, and turns out like crap!

I can't tell you how many times I have been questioned on how to use liquid clay, though. How do you make icing? How do you make chocolate sauce? All sorts of things can be made from it, so here is a little list that I have compiled!

Blood Hah, figures I start out with something morbid, huh? A good thick red blood is a combination of TLS and red oil paint. Just squeeze a dab into the TLS, mix it up, and than drizzle or squeeze this liquid onto the object of your choice. Here is an example of BLOOD: [link]

Slime Like blood, slime is just compiled of TLS and a mixture of a bright or royal blue and bright yellow oil paint. Just mix and use! Here is an example of SLIME: [link]

Frosting/Icing When I make icing, it is generally a mix of TLS and Kneaded Polymer Clay. If you add Polymer Clay to TLS, it gives the mixture a very spreadable texture, and is much more thicker than using something like Oil Paint. Just take a ball of the colour of polymer clay you want your icing to be, and knead/warm it in your hands. When it is nice and warm, tear it into pieces and throw it onto a ceramic tile or into a container.

With the back of a spoon or a solid mixing object, add TLS and mix and mash it until it becomes smooth. A lot of people get discouraged because it is chunky at first, but trust me... just KEEP mixing. If it is too thick, add more TLS... if it is too thin, add more clay. After it is nice and smooth, spread it onto your cakes, cupcakes, and cookies with a stirring stick or something that spreads well! Here is an example of FROSTING/ICING: [link]

Syrup & Sauces A great way to make syrup is with TLS or Fimo Decorating Gel and shaved chalk pastels. If you want a VERY clear syrup, I suggest using Fimo Decorating Gel. Take a brown chalk pastel, and swipe it across a nail file or piece of very fine sand and put it into a little baggie. Add a little bit of Liquid Clay and squish it around with your fingers until it is mixed. This will make Maple Syrup! If you want something like a strawberry syrup, just use red chalk pastel! If you don't have any Fimo Decorating Gel, mixing the chalk pastel with some gloss also works well. Now you just pour it on top of Pancakes, Waffles, Cheesecake and such!

Here is an example done with Fimo Decorating Gel: [link]
Here is an example done with TLS, see how much more opaque the syrup is? [link]

Peanut Butter Whether you like it crunchy or smooth, all you need is TLS and some kneaded brown (peanut butter coloured) clay! Just knea the clay, add the TLS and mix mix MIX! The more you mix, the more smooth your peanut butter will be. If you don't mix it all the way, you have chunky peanut butter!

Whipped Cream Like Frosting/Icing, Whipped Cream is also made with a mixture of TLS and Kneaded Polymer Clay. Just add slightly more TLS. If you want that "piped" look, just scoop some into a baggie, cut the corner, and squeeze it out! You can also use Cake Decorating bags and tips, as well! Just make sure to keep ones just for using with your clay - don't use them for cake decorating once you use them with clay! Sometimes I like to add a tiny bit of Vanilla Scent to my whipped cream just for fun! Here is an example of Whipped Cream: [link]

Here is an example of how whipped cream or frosting can be PIPED to make it look really pretty: [link]

Chocolate Sauce: Is made the same was as blood and slime (Gross, huh?) except with Brown oil paint!

Drizzle: Great for finishing off baked goodies like cinnamon rolls and donuts! Just mix some TLS with some white oil paint (for Vanilla Drizzle) or any colour you want, stick it in a small baggie and make a TINY cut in the corner! Drizzle across your piece, and bake! Here is an example of Drizzle: [link]

Have anymore suggestions? Go ahead and make a comment!

Website: http://www.MonsterKookies.com

Etsy Shop: http://www.MonsterKookies.etsy.com

Blog: http://MonsterKookies.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/monsterkookies

How to Green your Shipping Operations

Most Etsy sellers are probably ecstatic when they stumble across a nice shoebox or a small corrugated box they can reuse in their own shop – it’s like finding gold! But are you doing everything you can to keep your shipping practices green? Here are some ideas to consider:

Reduce:

Try and reduce the amount of packaging you are using. It's important to keep a variety of boxes and envelopes on hand so you don't have to put a small item in an oversized box. Also, consider a refillable packing tape dispenser and buy replacement tape rolls in bulk, rather than buying packing tape with a new dispenser each time (P.s. - those cardboard tape rolls make excellent bead or knick-knack dividers when a cardboard circle is glued to the bottom!)

Avoid double and triple packing items – for instance, a necklace in a mini zip bag, in a gift box, in a bag, wrapped in tissue, in a shipping box.... you get the idea!

Reuse:

Don't be shy - see some great boxes sitting outside a business or at your work? See if you can take them to reuse. Trophy shops, gift stores and even restaurants often have oodles of boxes. See if you can find a local business to partner with and offer to take all that "waste" off their hands!

Fill material is important for many Etsy sellers sending fragile items. Plastic bubble wrap and peanuts have their place, but you probably have things around your house that will work just as well! Popcorn is an excellent replacement for foam peanuts (encourage buyers to throw it in their yard for the squirrels!) Newspapers, magazine pages, and junk mail make excellent fill material when crumpled. Save the tissue paper from new purses or shoes to reuse. Many department stores put colored tissue paper inside shopping bags - reuse it! If you have a paper shredder to shred your bills, save those shreds for padding!

If you print your own shipping labels, why not print them on the back of scrap paper? Grab a few sheets out of the recycle bin at your office and print on the back. As long as the paper isn't too transparent, this works great and gets another use out of a sheet of paper before it goes to the recycle bin. Recycling is great, but it takes a lot of energy to recycle paper and plastic, so it’s most efficient to get as many uses out of an item as possible before it is recycled.

Extra fabric cut into strips makes for charming ribbon and ties. During the holiday season, if your yard is covered in pinecones, try using some as a festive fill material! Packing materials are everywhere…

If you are wary of how using reused materials might affect your business image, just consider it a marketing challenge. You could buy a rubber stamp that proudly announces you have reused packaging. Or consider an announcement in your shop that tells customers they can expect their package to arrive in eco-friendly upcycled packaging. Additionally, consider wrapping your main item in lovely printed tissue paper to make it stand out from your mishmash of upcycled fill material.

If you need to use new packing materials, consider eco-friendly products such as cornstarch peanuts or 100% recycled bubble wrap.

Recycle:

Be sure recycling is part of your shipping process. Scraps, packing material or other goods that cannot be reused or upcycled should be sent to the recycle bin. Avoid buying packing supplies that come with extraneous packing or waste.

Part of the recycle mantra that sometimes gets forgotten is to also BUY recycled. In the United States, its easy to buy recycled if you ship Priority Mail, because all of their packaging is Cradle to Cradle certified! Check to see if your favorite shipping supply vendor offers products made from 100% recycled content, or with a high post-consumer content percentage. Uline.com offers several products that are made from recycled content: http://www.uline.com/CustomerService/ULINE_FAQ_Ans.aspx?FAQ_ID=147&searchedkeywords=recycled

Additionally, recycled labels can be found at: http://www.theallgreenstore.com/green-office-supplies/mailroom-supplies.html

If your favorite supplier doesn't offer supplies made from recycled materials, ask! Show them there is a demand for these products.

If you have unique packing needs, try searching the Internet for greener options by using a search engine like http://green.thefind.com or http://www.earthmoment.com/.

Transit:

How far have your mailing supplies traveled to get to you? Are you driving to the post office twice a week to pick up boxes or to mail items? Are you ordering packing supplies once a month? Driving back and forth to the post office or having goods delivered to you more frequently than needed wastes energy.

Printing your own postage labels at home will save you time and gas - in the United States, you can log in to USPS.com to arrange for packages to be picked up by your postal carrier. This is more efficient because they are already making the rounds through your neighborhood! Keep in mind, the USPS will also drop off packing supplies to you - order them for free online at USPS.com.

And while it may be painful on your wallet in the short-term, consider ordering your packing supplies in large enough quantities to last a year. You will usually find a lower per-piece price for buying in bulk, and you are saving energy by minimizing the number of deliveries you get (less truck trips to your house saves gas!)

Don’t forget to keep your packages light, especially if you need to use Air Mail. Tissue paper, newspaper, popcorn and paper shreds make for good padding and lightweight packages and help save fuel.

Complete the circle:

Lastly, urge your customers to recycle and reuse the packaging you've invested in!

Wrap items in ribbon or fabric that can be upcycled again and again. Provide your customers with information on how to recycle their packaging and/or what parts of your package are recyclable, and where they can find recycling outlets (http://earth911.com is a good site). This is information that makes great fodder for your newsletters or Message to Buyers.

If you're still not sure you are being as green as possible, you could offset your shipping operations by purchasing carbon credits from a broker such as Terrapass (http://www.terrapass.com/). Carbon offsets are not without controversy, but you will be funding green energy projects.

What do you do to keep shipping green?

by Amanda of: http://www.primitivesoaps.com

My Etsy Shop: http://www.primitiveearth.etsy.com

Featured Artisan: FreshlySkweezed

I've never met a piece of paper I didn't like! I like paper so much, I work at a library just to be around it. Sometimes, I even read! I'm a former (radio) disc jockey who decided to make the switch from working with my mouth to working with my hands. It's a happier choice because my hands have much more to say!

GREAT GIFT IDEA ---> Personalized stationery sets for under $20, including shipping!!! It's fun to do...Just match the color/design to the personality!
Perfect for BRIDESMAID gifts, TEACHERS, HOSTESS gifts, GRADUATES...

More Gocco Screenprints on the way!...... Letterpress in the coming months!

My personalized stationery sets have been popular with brides-to-be.

Hey! My shop's been featured in Brides.com. Come see!
http://www.brides.com/blog/weddedbits/102/2009/05/7288/for_your_maids.html

My Etsy Shop:

http://www.FreshlySkweezed.etsy.com

My Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/freshlyskweezed

Newbies. Here's why you're not selling yet

When you're new to Etsy, you're desperate to make that first sale (I know I was!) and I remember that it seems to take forever.

I know plenty of you think it's your store, your prices, Etsy customers etc, but here's one set of events that applies to every new seller.

It's all about connections and connections take time.

It could go a little something like this:

♥ Day 1 ♥
When you first open your store, nobody can find you. You may as well have opened on Pluto. You will not sell anything.
Connections - 0*

♥ Day 2 ♥
Then you list a product. It appears first in the Time Machine and puts your shop at the top of the Seller list. But it will quickly move down that list. If you're lucky a couple of people may stumble across you in these places. You probably still won't sell anything!
Connections - 4*

♥ Week 1 ♥
You list more products (hopefully over a period of days). More opportunities for different buyers/sellers to visit your store. Maybe some of them will 'heart' your store. If so, you'll appear in their favourites list.
Connections - 20*

♥ Week 2 ♥
You start making forum posts. Now you're building relationships with other buyers and sellers. Hopefully they're starting to visit you.

As you build up these relationships, you'll find more and more people put you in their favourites lists. The more favourite lists you appear in, the more likely it is that people who visit another sellers store will wind up in yours.
Connections - 80*

♥ Week 3 ♥
Now you've built up a decent number of connections on Etsy.

Maybe someone will pop you in a treasury (more connections), you're now hearting people (they check their hearts and bingo! more connetions), you're regularly posting in the forums (connections), and you're listing regularly (you guessed it - connections).
Connections - 300*

♥ Week 4 ♥
Finally all these connections and links to your store pay off. Someone buys something. Now your store also appears in the 'Sold' Time Machine and in 'feedback'. Plus the buyer will start talking about what he or she bought from you - so now you're also getting word of mouth outside of Etsy.
Connections - 1200*

You can see where this is heading. The connections build up exponentially, which explains why nothing happens for 4 weeks or 8 weeks or 12 weeks and then all of a sudden you're rushed off your feet!


So if you're new, don't panic.

Just build up as many connections (on and OFF Etsy) as you can.

xxx scarlett



* number of connections example only and based on nothing more than my fertile imagination.

My Shop:
http://www.scarlettcat.etsy.com

My Blog:
http://scarlettcat.blogspot.com

My Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/people/scarlettcat