CraftyGoat's Notes: February 2008 Archives

Studio by Sculpey Clay Revisited

Posted by Angela Mabray on February 27, 2008 at 9:33 AM

You know that sample of Studio by Sculpey clay I won from Polymer Clay Productions? The one I said all those nice things about? Well, I liked it so much I decided to buy a whole bunch of the stuff.... and boy am I regretting it now!

How I Came to Own Every Color in the Studio by Sculpey Line

I'm not usually an impulse buyer. I carry things around the store, trying to decide whether I really want to spend my money on them. Or I price-check every possible website to make sure I'm getting the absolute best deal once shipping's factored in. My momma taught me well.

But after weeks of not finding any Studio by Sculpey clay in my local stores, I decided to check eBay. And what do you know...? There was a huge lot of Studio by Sculpey clay -- one with every clay color, some antiquing medium, & all the texture sheets. I decided to watch the auction, do some cost calculations, & obsess about it a bit.

Except I forgot. On the day the auction ended, I was out running around all day. In fact, I got back to my computer something like 2 minutes before the auction ended. I panicked and did all the dumb things eBay likes you to do -- and with just seconds to spare, I placed a winning bid to become the proud owner of a whole bunch of Studio by Sculpey clay.

Well, maybe not proud. I was a bit ashamed to tell my husband, actually. But he was happy for me, knowing how much I'd liked that sample. And it wasn't a bad price per package -- more than the $0.99 sale price I normally pay for clay, but far less than the retail price on the new stuff. And, as he helped me rationalize, I'd definitely use it. (I like it when he helps me make excuses!)

Fast forward to last week. I got my clay and finally had a chance to sit down & dig my fingers into it. And guess what I found...?

It's Useless!

The new packages I purchased are too soft to work with. They distort with the tiniest nudge. They're impossible to work with!

The first time this happened, I thought I had over-conditioned it. So I tried conditioning it less -- for only a minute, then only 30 seconds, then only 15 seconds. Even when I only conditioned it for 15 seconds, it was too soft to use in my molds without major distortion.

Molds were one of the things I tested my old sample with -- and it worked great before. In fact, I pulled out that old sample pack again and it still works beautifully in the very same molds that don't work with the newer Studio packages.

So What's The Deal?

I wish I knew. It's possible that they changed the formula after they sent out the sample pack that I got via last summer's CHA. If so, they really messed things up in the process.

I'm hoping that's not the case, though. I'm hoping it's an age thing.

My older packages of Premo (we're talking several years old) are much harder to condition now than they were originally. They're usually crumbly (a drop of mineral oil helps cure that), and they make the new packages of Premo I buy feel incredibly soft by comparison. When I pulled out my "old" Studio by Sculpey sample pack to test it again, I noticed it had already started getting crumbly. I've only had it about 5 months -- though I have no way of knowing how old it was when I got it. I'm wondering if perhaps this clay goes very quickly (faster than other brands?) through these consistency changes -- from extremely soft to crumbly.

If that's the case, maybe this too-soft stuff will be perfect in a couple of months. Here's hoping.

What I Still Like

The news isn't all bad. It still doesn't stick to itself & it runs through the pasta machine nicely. I think it'll be good for thin sheets -- allowing for the fact that when you cut it, it's likely to distort.

And of course, I love the finish. The Polyform folks are calling it suede-like, and I think that's very accurate. It looks (& feels) gorgeous without any sort of glaze.

In Other News, Strength

I was surprised to read on some of the forums that folks found their baked pieces became brittle -- not immediately, but after a couple of weeks. This was not my experience at all. I have several thin (4-5 on my Atlas pasta machine) ATC-sized (2.5" × 3.5") sheets I baked in September, and they are still as strong as they were originally. They're flexible like paper -- much more flexible than the Premo sheets I baked at the same time. They're certainly not brittle. In fact, they're more likely to tear (like paper) than break.

But those sheets were from my sample pack, so I can't say whether those results are consistent with the new off-the-shelf stuff. I've baked a new batch and will report back in a couple of weeks with a new comparison of their strength.

My Recommendation, Revisited

It appears this clay is a little unstable in its aging process -- or else Polyform may be running into variations in their production batches. Either way, it's probably a good "wait & see" clay for now. If you're wondering about buying some of the clay to try out, I'd say go ahead... but do so in moderation. :-)

More Thoughts from the Clay World

Here's a few more thoughts on the Studio by Sculpey clay from the claying community...

The Philadelphia Area Polymer Clay Guild reports problems with Studio by Sculpey's strength.
Kraphti-Dez tries Mokume Gane with Studio by Sculpey.
Polymer Clay Zen and PC by Susan share their results from caning with the new clay. (And in case you missed the link in my last post's comments, Jenny of Craft Test Dummies also has a review that includes caning.)

Course, I always love to hear your thoughts. Got anything to add...?

Update: My Studio by Sculpey Strength Test results are now available.

Posted in: Polymer Clay , Reviews | Comments (13) | TrackBacks (1)

Five Scrapbooking Supplies to Use with Polymer Clay

Posted by Angela Mabray on February 22, 2008 at 2:07 AM

I was a primarily a paper crafter before I fell in love with polymer clay -- and I still enjoy stamping and making handmade cards. As expensive as craft supplies can be, it's wonderful when you can re-use tools for a different medium. So while these tools may be less "unconventional" than an herb mincer or a pumice stone, I wanted to share them with others of you who have a paper crafting background.

Here are five common scrapbooking supplies that you can also use with polymer clay:

Punches & Scissors: Decorative paper punches create tiny polymer clay shapes that are useful for mosaic pieces and more. Start by rolling out a thin sheet of clay to at least the 4th- or 5th-thickest setting on your pasta machine. Texture it and embellish it if you want, then bake it. Once it's cooled, use your punches just like you would with paper. Rounded corner punches and decorative scissors also work wonderfully... Just think of the Artist Trading Card possibilities!
Rubber Stamps: Stamping can be an expensive hobby -- but lucky for us, there are all sorts of ways to use stamps with polymer clay.
- Before baking: If you have deeply-carved stamps, use them with unbaked clay to create a stamped image with a lot of texture. Try spritzing the stamp with water (which acts as a release) if you only want the texture. Brush Pearl Ex powders onto the stamp for a release agent that also has some shine. There are several techniques -- such as mica shift and Sutton slice -- that achieve beautiful results using rubber stamps on unbaked clay.
- After baking: Go for a simple effect with a single stamped image -- or try alternating stamped images with thin sheets of liquid polymer clay for a beautifully elaborate layered effect. Either way, the ink type is very important when you're stamping on baked polymer clay. I recommend a solvent ink such as StazOn. If you're new to this ink type, let me warn you that it can be permanent on your stamps too -- so be sure to buy & use a good stamp cleaner.
You can use either rubber stamps (which are oven-safe, BTW) or clear stamps (which are simple to use since they're see-through). Anytime you stamp on unbaked clay, it's a good idea to clean the stamps with stamp cleaner -- even if you don't use ink. Otherwise the clay can leave an oily residue on the stamps, making it difficult to get good results the next time you stamp on paper.
Heat Gun: As my fellow guild member, April, shared with us last meeting, liquid clay and a heat gun can provide a wonderful alternative to sanding and buffing polymer clay beads. Bake your beads as usual, then put them on a wire. Apply a thin layer of Kato Clear Medium liquid clay, then use your heat gun to set it. Be sure to keep the heat gun an inch or two away and keep it constantly moving -- otherwise you could burn the clay. It takes a couple of minutes, but you'll end up with a beautiful shine. (See April's samples here.)
Eyelets: Check out our article for 5+ ways to use eyelets with polymer clay.
Chalks & Powders. Embossing powders, Pearl Ex powders, and chalks all work wonderfully with un-baked polymer clay. Chalks are great for subtle effects -- like blushing cheeks on a clay sculpture. Pearl Ex powders and embossing powders can be mixed in or applied to the surface of the clay, creating an effect as subtle or bold as you want. Try B-muse's tutorial for making buttons with translucent clay and embossing powder. Or try one of Glass Attic's many faux recipes using embossing powders.

I hope this'll help some of you find new uses for tools that are already on your shelves. And the rest of you? I suppose I've given you a reason to check out the scrapbooking section the next time you're at the craft store!

I'd love to hear about your favorite scrapbook-turned-clay tools in the comments below....

Posted in: Polymer Clay , Supplies & Tools | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (1)

Unconventional Polymer Clay Tools 2: The Herb Mincer

Posted by Angela Mabray on February 18, 2008 at 1:32 PM

Last time I shared how I use a pumice stone with polymer clay. Today I'd like to introduce you to another of my repurposed favorites...

The Herb Mincer

Need strips of clay for your project? The Makin's Clay Extruder ships with a couple of different "ribbon" discs, but you're limited to those widths & thicknesses. Of course you can roll out a sheet of any thickness in your pasta machine, and just use your clay knife. But it can be tricky to get straight cuts that are all the same width. This is where the rolling herb mincer comes in handy.

What It's Good For: Its original purpose is cutting up leafy herbs, but I think it works even better for slicing fixed-width strips of polymer clay.
How to Use It:
1. Use your pasta machine to roll out a long, thin sheet of clay at whatever thickness you like.
2. Lay the clay sheet on a work surface you can also put in the oven -- i.e., card stock, parchment paper, wax paper, etc. Use an acrylic brayer to press the clay into the work surface. This will prevent the clay from sticking to the rollers as you cut.
3. Roll the herb mincer across the clay to create thin strips. You can even run it across twice -- once horizontally and once vertically -- to create a perfect grid of polymer clay squares.
  
  If you need straight lines, it may help to set up a barrier (such as a thick book) on one side, then keep one edge of the herb mincer pressed against the barrier as you roll.
4. Depending on what you're doing, you can use these as is -- just peel off a strip and use it. Or you can transport your work surface to the oven and bake the strips to avoid distorting those perfect lines. If you find that you didn't cut all the way through the clay before baking, it's okay. Your clay will be scored -- after baking, you can easily snap it apart or follow the scored lines with a craft knife to cut it.
Where to Find It: Department & kitchen stores. Amazon.

If you can find them, styles like mine with removable spacers/blades are nice because they allow you to adjust the width of your clay strips. Also be sure to look for the the rolling-style herb mincers -- not herb mills. The latter works by crushing the herbs in an internal wheel -- & while that works well for herbs, I suspect it'd be a gunked-up mess with polymer clay.
Similar Ideas: I haven't tried these similar tools with polymer clay yet -- but they look like they'd each work well, providing different effects. If you do try them, I'd love to hear how they work for you!
- Atlas Pasta Bike: Same idea as the herb mincer, and also has adjustable space between the wheels. Plus it's for pasta -- and we all know how well pasta tools work with polymer clay!
- Roller Docker: Looks ideal for making evenly spaced dots on a sheet of polymer clay.
- Lattice Pie Top Cutter: Need a latticework fence for an outdoor scene? Do it the easy way with this tool!

Got your own unconventional, re-purposed, or handmade polymer clay tools? Tell us about it here and/or on Lisa's original post.

Posted in: Polymer Clay , Supplies & Tools | Comments (4)

Unconventional Polymer Clay Tools 1: The Pumice Stone

Posted by Angela Mabray on February 15, 2008 at 12:13 PM

A few days back, Lisa at Polka Dot Creations invited us to explore her polymer clay toolbox. She showed several of her handmade tools and asked for folks to share their own ideas.

Mine are less handmade than creatively repurposed from their original uses. (Which is my nice way of saying I've stolen them from whatever part of the house they were originally intended for. Hubby thinks this is rather bird-like of me, stashing away shiny things for my craft "nest.") Still, I thought I'd share them with you & see if you had any of your own creative tool tips to add...

First, allow me to introduce my...

Pumice Stone

What It's Good For: Original use? Smoothing skin. Polymer clay use? Adding texture. The organic look and random patterns of the pumice stone make it wonderful for texturing polymer clay.
How to Use It: Use the pumice stone on an uncured sheet of polymer clay. Press into clay to create a rough texture that's ideal for nature-inspired pieces and certain baked goods.
Where to Find It: Your bathroom. Inexpensive gift sets on after-Christmas sale. Beauty supply stores. Amazon.
Similar Ideas: Pumice is just a type of volcanic rock, so if you have lava rocks in your flower garden, give those a try. You could also use a Loofah sponge, since it has a similarly organic pattern.

Next time I'll show you another re-purposed tool, this time from the kitchen. Til then, be sure to check out the comments on Lisa's posts for links to other crafty tool ideas.

Posted in: Polymer Clay , Supplies & Tools | Comments (3)

More Fun with Polymer Clay Hearts

Posted by Angela Mabray on February 12, 2008 at 11:02 PM

Still looking for a last-minute Valentine's Day idea or two? Here are some polymer clay heart ideas to get you on your creative way:

Crafting with Candy Hearts: If you're wondering what to do with all those polymer clay candy hearts you've been making, check out the Craft Test Dummies list of crafting ideas for candy hearts. While these projects were made with real candy hearts, they'd work just as well (if not better!) with the polymer clay version.
More Polymer Clay Hearts: MossyOwls featured a list of 10 polymer clay Valentine's Day projects. My faves? This E-Z Heart Lesson showing a simple way to form your own hearts, and this Valentine's Day Heart Cane that reminds me of an old-fashioned doily heart.
Heart Cards: Speaking of old-fashioned Valentines, check out these Vintage Valentine's Day cards [via]. Try printing one these vintage cards, then attaching a matching polymer clay heart to make a modernized, 3-D version for your sweetie.

Another idea is to attach your polymer clay heart to a simple Valentine's Day card like these from The Purl Bee. Your handmade heart will really be the star of the show.
Polymer Clay Heart Challenge: Got another unique idea for polymer clay hearts? Polymer Clay Central's February 2008 Challenge theme is Hearts -- send your entry in by February 15th for a chance at one of 3 prizes.
I (Heart) Polymer Clay: Don't have a Valentine this year? Get into the spirit of the holiday by writing an ode to another "love of your life" -- polymer clay. This Valentine poem about polymer clay is my favorite -- but you'll definitely want to check out the rest of the Polymer Clay Guild of Etsy members' poems!
I made a bunny
he really looks funny
I smashed him flat
now he is a hat.

- by beetreebyme

Happy Heart Day, everybody!

Posted in: Polymer Clay

And the Winner Is...

Posted by Angela Mabray on February 11, 2008 at 2:47 PM

I used an online random number generator to select the winner for the mold putty giveaway. (Speaking of random.org, their coin-flipper has been a life-saver in helping me & hubby decide what to eat for dinner! But I digress.)

The winner of the mold putty project pack is Vicky. Vicky, I've sent you an email to get your address info, so I can send the goodies your way.

Thanks to everyone who shared their ideas for using molds!

Posted in: Blog News | Comments (3)

Say I LUV U with Polymer Clay Candy Hearts

Posted by Angela Mabray on February 10, 2008 at 5:08 PM

Looking for the perfect candy heart saying for your sweetheart this Valentine's Day? Don't waste time searching through candy bags! Instead, use polymer clay and image transfers to make your own customized conversation hearts.

Materials

Polymer Clay: Small amounts of several pastel colors. Here's the formulas I used to match the colors of the Necco brand candy hearts. (White refers to a 2:1 mix of Premo white and UltraLight; all other colors are by Premo.)
- Yellow heart: 1 part Cadmium Yellow; 4 parts white
- Orange heart: 1 part Orange; 7 parts white
- Green heart: 1 part Green; 7 parts white
- Pink heart: 1 part Fuchsia; 1/4 part Cadmium Yellow; 5 parts white
- Purple heart: 1 part Purple; 1/2 part UltraMarine Blue; 6 parts white
Tools: Scissors, needle tool or toothpick, stiff-bristled paintbrush, clay knife
Color laser printer or color copier
Rubbing alcohol
Corn starch or baby powder
Candy heart (optional)
Amazing Mold Putty (optional)

Instructions

If you have one of the real candies, you can use this to make a mold (follow my button mold instructions). Note: Mold the blank side of the heart, unless you actually want to copy the texture from the words. Allow the mold to set.
To use the mold, press a 1/4 teaspoon ball of clay into the mold. Use a scraper tool or a clay knife to remove excess clay from the back. Pop the heart out and correct any molding flaws.
Don't want to make a mold? You can easily hand-form the heart based on a real candy heart (or a photo of one).

Use a color laser printer or color copier to print the words you'll transfer onto the hearts. Cut the transfer as close to the letters as possible. Here's a few phrases you can use for your hearts [PDF, JPG].
If you're creating your own transfers, I recommend using the "Stamp Act" font, 8 pt size, with kerning set to 1.5 pt — you can get this font free from Harold's Fonts. Be sure to select mirror image if you're printing your own.

Lightly press the transfer sheet, printed side down, onto the clay. Don't press down too hard as this will cause a line at the paper's edge.

Use a soft paintbrush to paint a small amount of rubbing alcohol onto the back of the paper. Be careful not to move the paper, since this can cause smudging. Let the alcohol dry completely (til you can no longer see the letters through the paper), then repeat this step twice.
If you prefer, you can leave the transfer sitting overnight instead of using rubbing alcohol.

With the transfer still in place, load a stiff-bristled paintbrush with corn starch or baby powder. Use a pouncing motion to tap the front (around the transfer) and on the sides and back. This leaves a light chalky residue, similar to that on the real candy hearts.

Brush the transfer lightly with rubbing alcohol once more. You should be able to see the letters through the paper. Use a toothpick or needle tool to trace the letters, creating an indentation in the clay. This step often makes it easier to remove the paper as well: as you're tracing the letters, you may see an edge start to stick up. Once you're done tracing, use tweezers or a needle tool to coax the paper up the rest of the way. Your message should be transferred onto the clay.
Be careful not to touch the transferred letters, as the ink is still wet and will easily smear. If you're not in a big hurry, I'd encourage you to let this sit a few hours til the ink dries. That'll help prevent smearing. But if you're in a hurry, continue on and just be really careful not to touch the ink.

There may be a ridge where the edge of the paper was. Decide how much this bothers you. You can use the rounded end of a paintbrush (or a variety of other tools) to help smooth this out — but be careful not to smear the ink. You can also add some texture and baby powder to this area if it needs it — but it's much easier to do this if you let the ink dry first.

Once you're happy with the heart, cure it in the oven according to the manufacturer's recommended time and temperature. If desired, use Loctite Super Glue Control Gel to attach earring backs after the clay has cooled.

More Candy Hearts Info

Use these links to find out more about the candy hearts & their history — plus find sayings to use for your own hearts.

NECCO Sweehearts: Official site from the candy's maker.
History of Candy Hearts: Includes info on how new phrases are selected, plus the new phrase lists for the past few years.

Polymer clay candy hearts are fun & easy to make. Not only that, but the polymer clay version is much more durable than the candies themselves — perhaps as durable as your love!

Posted in: Polymer Clay , Project Instructions | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (1)

Mold Putty Wrap-Up & Giveaway

Posted by Angela Mabray on February 6, 2008 at 11:04 PM

To conclude this mold putty series, I wanted to share a few additional mold putty tips & tricks. Plus, I'm giving away a project pack that includes everything you need to try your hand at molding.

More Mold Putty Tips & Tricks

How much putty to use: When you're new to molding, it's hard to know how much putty to use. What I like to do is picture how much clay I'd use to make the item I'm molding, then use 2-3 times that much putty. In other words, if the button I'm molding would take about 1 teaspoon of clay to make, I'll probably use 2-3 teaspoons (combined) of the mold putty mixture. Of course, you may like thicker molds, so as always, play around and figure out what works for you.
- What to do if you mix too much putty: Once you've mixed the two mold putty parts together, you have to use it (no putting it back in the container). To avoid wasting putty, keep a few extra buttons handy, and mold those with any leftover mixture.
- What to do if you didn't mix enough putty: If you've worked quickly and still have some time before the putty gets too firm to take an impression, measure out some more putty and add it in. Apply extra pressure as you're rolling it into a ball, and beware of creases. If the putty's already starting to firm up, it's probably best to go ahead and let it set. Then use more mold putty to "patch" the weak or incomplete areas, letting the whole thing set again before using it.
Mold-baking fun: I mentioned previously that Amazing Mold Putty is oven-safe. While I haven't found that to be a huge advantage for normal clay use, it does create some interesting options for liquid clay. Try tinting some liquid clay with alcohol inks and putting a small amount in the mold's impressions. Fill the rest with "normal" clay for a neat effect.
More mold putty uses: Amazing Mold Putty is FDA compliant, so you could also use it for things like candy & jello molds -- keeping your polymer clay molds separate from your food molds, of course. Granted, you're the folks who use your pasta machines for clay instead of for pasta, so maybe you find food uses irrelevant! :-)

Additional Resources

Button Tips

Glass Attic's Buttons page has lots of useful advice for creating your own buttons.
Sarajane's Polymer Clay Buttons page includes more button info, plus links to photos of buttons that have been washed and dried many times. (The trick is using a strong brand of clay!)

Texture Ideas

Planning to make your own texture sheets? Michael at MossyOwls shares a list of ten places to find textures -- most of them in your own home!
Dystini also shares some ideas for finding textures.

Now Available: Mold Putty Project Pack

For those of you who are interested in trying Amazing Mold Putty -- but aren't ready to invest in the large package at the craft store -- I've put together a Mold Putty Project Pack that includes the supplies you'll need to get started:

1 oz Amazing Mold Putty (enough to make 5-10 small/medium-sized button molds)
A variety of buttons to mold
Jump rings to use as button shanks
A sheet of cork, perfect for practicing your texture sheet technique
Project instructions and high-quality videos on CD, including the articles and videos in this series PLUS a bonus list of 100 texture ideas.

If you've wanted to try molding, this set should give you everything you need to try the techniques in my videos. Buy it here.

Project Pack Giveaway

I'm giving away one of my Mold Putty Project Packs, plus I'm also throwing in some extra basket-weave & button molds I made during my videos. (Authentic movie props. Ooh-la-la!)

To enter, just leave a comment below by 11:59 P.M. CST on Sunday, February 10th, 2008. One entry per person, please. You can either share a molding tip of your own, or you tell us what you'd like to make a mold of. I'll randomly select a commenter and announce the winner on Monday. Update: This contest is now closed. Find out the winner here.

Course, if you'd like to go ahead & buy the project pack now, that's fine too. Go ahead & leave a comment -- if I pick your name, I'll refund your money.

Good luck to everyone!

Other posts in this series: