Polymer Clay Workshop

How to make polymer clay crochet hooks that look like peppermint sticks!

Posted on November 22, 2013 by polymerclayworkshop

Step 1: Choose which colors you would like in your peppermint sticks. (Use both pearl and white clay for a realistic candy effect)

Step 2: Mix all the colors together so that the clay looks like marble. No matter how you mix the clay, it will eventually make stripes that are much more interesting then if you were to measure them out perfectly.

peppermint crochet hook1

Step 3: Roll the ball of clay into a snake and fold it over. Roll the clay smooth again and repeat until there are lines in the clay. Two or three times should be enough.

Step 4: Flatten the snake into a strip.

Step 5: Coat the crochet hook with translucent liquid sculpey.

Step 6: Wrap the strip of clay around the crochet hook. Bake according to package directions.

polymer clay peppermint crochet hooks

Please like my Facebook page, or visit my etsy shop, for more ideas and inspiration!

Posted in Free Tutorials | Tagged christmas, christmas gift, craft, crochet, DIY, polymer clay, tutorial | Leave a comment

DIY Gum Ball Machine Ornament Tutorial

Posted on October 23, 2013 by polymerclayworkshop

Materials:

-Glass ball ornament – If you want to add real candy or gum balls, make sure the opening is large enough (this one is large: 3 and 1/2 inches in diameter)

-Candy, mimi gum balls, beads or clay balls to look like gum balls

-Red and Black polymer clay

-Knife or blade

-Rolling pin

-Ball point pen

-Toilet paper roll and scissors

-Super glue (I would suggest rhino glue)

Form the clay onto the paper roll. The cardboard can be baked along with the clay!

Make sure the ornament sits nicely on the base. Then remove the ornament and bake the base separately.

Use a ball point pen, or any other tool, to make a pattern on the black clay. Even the simplest dots and squiggles look really cool!

Be very careful when dropping the candy into the opening! The glass breaks easily!!!

If you don’t want it to be an ornament, you can put the ball on upside down.

After the base is baked, use super glue to attach the ornament.

Please like the PolymerClayWorkshop facebook page and check out this other adorable ornament tutorial in my etsy shop.

Posted in Free Tutorials | Tagged candy, christmas, craft, DIY, fimo, gum ball machine, ornament, polymer clay, tutorial | 1 Comment

Polymer Clay Acorn Buttons

Posted on October 9, 2013 by polymerclayworkshop

Polymer clay is perfect for making custom buttons. These acorn buttons can be made from just two colors of polymer clay bought at your local craft shop or online craft store. Just make sure to hand-wash your garments.

For more tutorials, please come visit my facebook page, PolymerClayWorkshop, and my etsy shop! Thanks!

Posted in Free Tutorials | Tagged Button, craft, crochet, DIY, knitting, polymer clay, PolymerClayWorkshop, sewing, tutorial | 1 Comment

DIY Costume Dragon Claws

Posted on October 4, 2013 by polymerclayworkshop

Imagine how much fun your little dragon, lizard, bird of prey or dinosaur will have this year, running around with custom-fit, polymer clay claws! I even used glow-in-the-dark fimo clay for the talons! I have lots of unique new projects coming in the next weeks and months, so be sure to like my facebook page PolymerClayWorkshop. I also have over 30 tutorials in my etsy shop, so please stop by!

These claws are easy to make. Here are a few tips.

1) Use firm clay. If the clay is too soft and squishy, roll out a sheet and press it between two sheets of paper for a little while.

2) When forming the claws to your fingers, dust your finger with corn starch so that the clay doesn’t stick.

3) Bake the initial clay mold first. Clay can be baked over and over. This way the clay won’t squish when you add the details.

4) And finally, and important tip from a reader. Thanks Monique!

Make sure the baked surface is free of dirt or dust and apply a little liquid clay before adding fresh clay.

Posted in Free Tutorials | Tagged claws, costume, craft, dinosaur, DIY, dragon, holloween, polymer clay, tutorial | 5 Comments

Flow and Creativity

Posted on September 30, 2013 by polymerclayworkshop

I like to say “my favorite technique is the one I haven’t discovered yet”. This past weekend was a eureka moment for me when I stumbled upon a new canework technique. If it’s been done like this before, for this kind of cane, my deepest apologies.

It all started when I picked my parents up from the airport late Thursday night. I figured I wouldn’t sleep well, so I had absolutely no expectations of myself for Friday. That is the key to flow and creativity. No expectations. Friday morning I slept in, and spent a leisurely breakfast playing around with colors for fall leaves. My brain was looking for something that I didn’t know existed. I kept trying one thing after another not even knowing why. I pushed back my shower for an hour or two, tried to leave my project, and half-way down the hall, I would have to try just one more thing. Mid afternoon, I had my first color-changing leaf cane. Saturday I tried the technique for a glowing Jack-O-Lantern, and this morning, although I was extremely excited to send out the tutorial, I decided to try it one more time with spider webs. Here are the results. I guess what I like best, is how simple and fun they are. The tutorial is available from my etsy shop. I’ll also be sending it out for free to all my Cane Builder subscribers during the month of October.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged autumn, Clay, creatvity, DIY, Eureka effect, fall, flow, halloween, leaves, millefiori, october, polymer clay cane, Spider web | 9 Comments

Polymer Clay Nesting Boxes

Posted on September 26, 2013 by polymerclayworkshop

Canework is perfect for making nesting boxes! I love the way the pattern reduces down to the tiniest box! I’ve wanted to make nesting boxes for years, but if I covered pre-made boxes, then they didn’t fit together anymore. One day a reader told me that cardstock boxes can be soaked out with water after baking. Here was the solution to my problem! I can make boxes any size and shape I want. Not only that, but these boxes would be made of pure clay! I found that most of the cardstock could be pulled out of the box without even soaking it. I used these templates, but they did have to be adjusted a little to make the top fit. With a little ingenuity, I’m sure you could figure out your own.

You could use any cane. These were made with canes from the October 2013 issue of Cane Builder (available starting Sept 25).

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged boxes, Card stock, craft, DIY, nesting boxes, polymer clay, Polymer clay canes | Leave a comment

Student work

Posted on September 17, 2013 by polymerclayworkshop

Today I received a wonderful surprise! One of my “students” (a lady whom I’ve never met but who works with my tutorials) sent me pictures of her creations. I was absolutely delighted to see how well they turned out. It’s funny to see someone do a better job with the patterns than I can myself! These came from Sherry Lewis. She gave me the idea of starting a “Student Work” album for my facebook page.

If you buy tutorials from my etsy shop, or subscribe to Cane Builder, feel free to send pictures to me at creatorsjoy@gmail.com. I may even be able to promote your shop or blog.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Crafts, polymer clay, polymer clay cane, tutorial | 1 Comment

Polymer Clay Moravian Star Ornament

Posted on September 10, 2013 by polymerclayworkshop

Last Friday I woke up and stopped into Polymer Clay Daily as I do most week days. Cynthia had featured a hollow bead trick using a paper armature. Oh no! I had to change my plans for the whole day! This was amazing. I’ve always loved paper craft, but hadn’t thought about how I could use it to support polymer. Can you imagine the possibilities! I found this amazing web site for free 3D shape templates. After making my own however, I ordered some paper mache Moravian stars from this web site. I’ll let you know how they turn out.

I used TLS to “paint” the card stock before I stuck the clay on.

Posted in Free Tutorials | Tagged art, christams, Clay, craft, Modeling Compounds, ornament, polymer clay, tutorial | 2 Comments

Hidden Millefiori Canework Wine Glass

Posted on September 7, 2013 by polymerclayworkshop

When I cover glass with cane slices, the inside of the glass looks perfect and beautiful. Getting the outside to be even and smooth takes a little more work. Since I love surprises, I thought about how cool it would be if the canework was hidden behind sculpting on the outside of the glass. The outside of this glass has leaves, but when the drink is gone, a beautiful millefiori pattern will be revealed! Can you think of all the possibilities? Tutorials for cane patterns you could use can be found in my etsy shop. An example of how to from canework to a contoured surface can be found in this other wine glass post.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Arts, Crafts, DIY, glass, millefiori, polymer clay, wine, wine glass | 5 Comments

Polymer Clay Custom Shank Buttons

Posted on September 6, 2013 by polymerclayworkshop

Polymer clay is perfect for buttons! I like to use cane slices because you automatically end up with multiple matching buttons. The easiest way is to cut a generous slice and form holes with a tooth pick. These are from my snowflake tutorial.

However, if you want shank buttons, you can always add those little rings that you find in the jewelry section of the craft store. You wouldn’t think they would hold so strong, but as long as you add or spread the clay to seal the ring in, it won’t come out. Well, mine haven’t so far! The only problem was that when I squished the ring in, the pattern from the cane got distorted. I decided to make and bake the blank buttons first. After the blanks were baked, I added a thin slice from a cane and baked it again.