Polymer clay stuff
I haven’t played with polymer clay in quite a few years. So long, in fact, that nearly all my clay was hardened up and no good any more.
Then, I couldn’t find my clay pasta machine. Whole box with it, tiles, toaster oven and a few odds and ends just gone. It should have been where I’d left it, but I remember my mom thinking that box belonged to someone else. I guess she let someone else take it.
Anyhow. My friend and rubber Sis Jambalaya sent me a pasta machine. She had extras. So, I’m back in business with a machine. I sent my husband to Lowes to pick me up a couple ceramic floor tiles to work on, and he did good.
Then I found a craft supply company online that seemed to have great prices. I’m sure their prices would be even better if I had a business and could get real wholesale prices. But they are reasonable compared to other online companies, and certainly better than buying at HL! I decided that since I was starting from scratch in the clay department that I’d get the different variety packs and a big block of translucent. Forgot to ask them to ship USPS, though, and yikes, the UPS fee was 1/2 of my clay order! I’ll try and remember next time, hah!
That first weekend I had the clay I did a chrysanthemum cane. It came out horrible, seriously. I forgot that using gold in something like that would be akin to using peanut butter color. So, that is all scrap clay now. Sort of. If you mix a chunk really well it comes out sort of tan, which is an acceptable color as you will see.
So, for a second project I decided to try imprint layers. I got a book at the holidays with projects and all. Seemed simple to try. I cut a chunk of the chrys cane off and started mixing it, running it through the pasta machine. It came out a nice golden tan.
For a second color I decided to go with a bone color… ecru, pearl and translucent mixed.
Turquoise pearl got mixed with a bit of white pearl, and so did Purple pearl. Just to lighten them both up a bit, they are both very saturated colors.
One of the most important lessons I picked up out of this book is layering light/dark/light and so on. No wonder so many of my canes came out looking like crap! I used lots of saturated colors together and didn’t have enough contrast.
So, you make a stack of repeating colors, imprint with things like cutters, straws, screwdriver bits, etc. Then you slice layers off the stack. Oh my gosh! It’s amazing… and easy. A lot easier than it sounds.
Of course I always have trouble deciding what to do with stuff like this, so I went with some big abstract shapes to make into pins or focal beads.. and some smaller cut outs, too. Tried to make sure I wasn’t leaving fingerprints on everything… those are a lot of trouble to sand off.
The piece in the second picture turned out looking a lot like a domino… so I decided to drill it like one, too. Only.. by hand, twisting the drill bit round and round. I’m not all that great at making jewelry as you can see. :) Funny, because that seems to be the most popular thing to do with polymer clay and I don’t even wear jewelry. Maybe I’ll make all new switch plates for this house, lol! Those are always fun and easy.
Well, I just wanted to share my revisit to an old hobby. Look! I don’t even have a polymer clay category! Yet! I always did want to do some of my classes over again, with photos, so maybe I will do that this time around.
hugs,
Vyx
Would love to have seen some pictures of the process you used. I have clay. I take it out every couple of years to make something. (I like to make itty bitty roses.)
Well, next thing I do, I’ll document all the steps. This was fairly easy and steps were all in a book that Sarah got me. I have more books at my house with more projects and instructions, a lot of which I’ve tried.
Don’t forget covering handles for your tools (the metal ones or wooden ones) and pens (test one first to make sure it doesn’t melt in the oven and of course remove the ink part), and how about a cool mousepad next to your computer or covering containers for your tools and supplies? I even remember seeing someone make a light shade cover from polyclay cut very thin and then glued on the shade frame when done.
My exacto knife is covered with clay already… My friend Jambalaya did that for me. I used to do pens, but haven’t in a while because I prefer a retractable pen myself. I guess I could do pens to give away.
The lampshade thing… that reminds me of doing little candle jars. Those actually come out pretty nice if you take the time. They don’t last forever, though… My glow in the dark lace cane is cracking off of the big glass globe jar I did a while back. Heck, it’s all yellowed and ugly looking, but I’m not throwing it away. :)
I’m thinking picture frames might cover well, too. I think I did one once, only I didn’t have a frame so just made a shape I thought I’d glue to the frame. But if I had an actual frame in hand…. lol!
Oh, and I’m out of pin backs. I was lucky to find ONE, gotta rem to pick up more.