Cindy has very recently done 2 videos which review my products. 🙂 The first shows you how to do the Sutton Slice technique with one of my clear stamps called Round Design Patterns #2 .
The newest video shows how to silk screen using dry ingredients like Pearl-Ex and pastel chalks. The look it creates is wonderful ! This is a list of the silk screen names that Cindy uses in this video 🙂 – Tribal Dance, Microbial Doodles, Retro Circuit Board, Stonewalled, Tapestry Flowers, Tile Mosaic #1, Mehndi Doodle.
Please check out Cindy’s site Polymer Clay Tutor ! She has so many wonderful video lessons and you can sign up for her monthly club which provided new lessons each month that will keep you creating and having fun.
A few months back I get a message asking if I could help someone find copies of Mike Buesseler’s old polymer VHS videos. They haven’t been in production for MANY years and have become impossible to find. I have felt for a long time that it was a crime to just let all Mike’s amazing talent and teaching ability fade into the past. The new generation of polymer clay users would never know what they were missing !!!
I sort of took it upon myself to find out who holds the copyright to the videos now. After much Googling and asking around the polymer clay community, it turned out that person was Tory Hughes. 😀 After some emails back and forth, it was decided to take the old videos and create digital copies that could easily be distributed. Next was trying to find a place to host the videos. I tried a couple file sharing websites, but that was not working. Luckily the IPCA (International Polymer Clay Association) stepped up and was able to use their verified YouTube account to upload the huge video files. They videos are FREE for everyone to enjoy. They will always be free of charge.
leafing pens made by Krylon (available in Silver, Copper and Gold)
The oldest dullest clay blade I own. 🙂 A dull blade will trim excess clay from the mold nicely without cutting into the soft silicone mold. Plus a way to drill a hole (I prefer a push drill like the one pictured below). I don’t recommend trying to put holes in the raw Ultralight clay. It is very soft and likes to squish easily.
Condition a small ball of Ultralight and press it into the mold. I like to shape it to fit so I can see what I need to trim, but that’s just me. 🙂 I’m not going to go into deep detail on “How to use molds” because there are a bunch of tutorials & YouTube videos already available on the internet. Trim away the excess clay with your dull blade.
Slowly bend the mold to pop out the clay.
I ended up with 27 stars from one pack of Ultralight with just that tiny ball of clay left over. Now bake your stars according to package instruction.
Once baked and cooled you will need to drill a hole. The drill bit goes through very easily. FYI: did you know Ultralight clay floats? 🙂
Now pick your favorite color leafing pen and have some fun coloring. Drag the tip of the pen along the raised areas of the Filigree Star design. The paint dries quite quickly. Add a string to hang in on your tree and enjoy !
Here are all 3 colors – Silver, Gold and Copper. I think my favorite is the Copper. 🙂
Sometime I make a really great pendant and then realize I did not think about how I was going to hang it on a cord. I am going to supply you with some quick and easy ideas on how to add a bail to your polymer clay pendant.
First are the non clay solutions:
Add a jump ring and run the cord through it.
Or a jump ring with a bail added.
Here is a wire wrapped bail I made.
Or you can add a screw eye to the clay before or after it’s baked.
Sometimes you can find interesting filigree findings and connectors that can be folded in half to create a bail. They can add a really nice design element. It will need to be glued in place for it to be permanent.
Then there are pinch bails. They come is different colors and designs.
Glue on bails can be handy too.
Here are some ideas if you want to add a bail made of polymer clay:
You can make a tube of clay ( I wrap clay around a knitting needle and bake. Remove the clay while it’s still warm) and attach it with liquid clay, which will obviously need to be baked again to be permanent.
A fold over clay bail can be fun, too.
I extruded a flat strip of black clay and looped it through the holes I cut in this domed pendant.
In a recent post I listed several free tutorials you just had to try. One of those tutorials was Bettina’s Pixelated Retro Blend Cane. It’s one of those technique that just screams “Try Me !!” Even I was enticed into making a couple canes and turning it into some jewelry. It seems the tutorial has gone viral in the polymer clay community. It’s a world wide phenomenon. Just Goggle the title and you will get many links, plus there is now a group on Flickr specifically for the technique.
I found a few special pictures I wanted to share in this post that really highlight the beauty of this canes possibilities.
I have found myself in a creative slump in my jewelry making, so I began surfing the internet for some images to inspire me. I didn’t need to look very far to find some pictures of bright, colorful, inspirational polymer clay designs.
First on my list was Bettina Welker’s cane she calls “Pixelated Retro Blend Cane”. It’s a twist on the extruded retro “Klimt” cane that has become so popular. Here is what I made using her tutorial.
Techniques I really Want To Try – if I can figure out how they did it 🙂
The first technique on my list is Lisa Pavelka’s faux batik.
Second is Sarah Shrivers reverse inlay veneers.
And the third has me very intrigued. Sylvie Peraud’s faux denim which can be learned over at Craftedu.com
There is also a crackle technique I have seen around that looks different than the one I have done in the past using a crackle medium that was brushed on the clay. I have a tutorial at Polkadot Creations showing how I did it. This newer technique has a lot of depth and I love it. While searching for a picture example to share I found this tutorial 🙂 https://www.cottagefever.com/Crackled%20Polymer%20Clay.pdf A heat gun is the key !!!!
You can also do a really nice crackle effect using paints and inks that are brushed onto a raw sheet of clay, left to dry and then stretched to make the paint or ink crack.
I am so jealous of all the people who are in a position to attend a workshop with one of the soooo many wonderful polymer clay teachers that are out there. I see pictures and I can not help but drool. If I’m drooling (and dreaming) then I choose to have you doing the same thing. LOL
Look at the student photos from this Kathleen Dustin Workshop that just happened on May 19 & 22, 2011 in Schaan. That’s in Germany I think.
This next photo is of the cuff bracelets students made during a class with Bettina Welker in Linz Austria.
And another of Bettina’s classes making Etched Pendants.
These pendants and mosaic boxes were created in classes taught by Anke Humpert
Tiles bracelets stamped with chalk taught by Jana Lehmann
Canes made in Leigh Ross’ Millennium Garden workshop
And what they made with the canes 🙂
A Kaleidoscope Cane workshop with Kerstin Ruprecht
Canework from a Sandra McCaw intricate caning class.
Lovely beads made in a Donna Kato class
Student’s mokume gane projects from a Julie Picarello classes.
I seriously need a clay time fix now. How about you ?
Happy Claying !!!
Polymer clay is listed in “Creating Keepsakes” magazine’s approved list of products, which means it has been tested by archival experts and is acid free. Good news for all you scrapbooking addicts. 😉 You can make one of a kind frames, tags and embellishments for you scrapbook pages when you can’t find exactly the right color or design you need in a retail shop. It just take a little imagination and an oven. 🙂
I have found a list of great links you might like to check out. (click each picture)
Silkscreens By Tonja's Treasures 