Conditioning Hard and Crumbly Polymer Clay

Have you ever sliced into a block of polymer clay only to have it crumble in your hands? This has happened to me many times already most likely because I’ve stumbled upon some very old clay. But I am not the sort of person to throw anything out, so I’ve had to come up with strategies on how to condition my hard and crumbly clay.

I’m sure other clay crafters will also have their own preferred way, but for today, I’m sharing my personal favorite ways of “reviving” my hard and crumbly clay.

The first is the classic way which is just to use my own fingers’ warmth and then pass the clay through the pasta roller. I normally set my roller into the thinnest setting just to really press the crumbs together. My test to see if the clay is already conditioned enough is to roll it into a ball or into a log. The pro of doing this method is you’re not actually adding anything to your clay. The con is that it will take a bit of time as well as some effort.

The second way that I like to do is to add a bit of soft translucent clay. This will make it easier for the dry, crumbly clay to stick together. Run it through the pasta machine again until the clay doesn’t come apart. Note that there will be a very slight color difference when we add translucent clay. The pro of using this method is that it takes less time to condition the clay. The con is if you are very specific in color, you might not like the subtle change in color. Another con may be that the clay may turn too soft. If this is the case, simply put it into the fridge for a bit so that the clay can be easier to handle.

The third way, and my current favorite method of softening clay is by hitting it with a hammer or a mallet. I have a small craft hammer, and I use this whenever I work with super hard clay. I cut my clay up, put it inside a plastic bag to keep all the crumbs together and then I just pound on my clay until they stick together. The pro of using this method is that again it takes less time to condition your clay, which is ideal for someone like me who has wrist problems. The con is that you have to get a small hammer, and you also have to have a surface that you can hit repeatedly.

And the last way is to hit the clay with the hammer, but also to add a little bit of liquid Sculpey. As I hit the clay with the hammer, I fold in the clay with the liquid sculpey. This just speeds up the process of softening the clay. The con is that some of you may not have liquid Sculpey, so it’s another material that you need to have on hand. Another con is similar to adding translucent clay, you may find that there is a slight deviation in color. The pro is the time that it takes to condition the clay is cut down.

I hope that this inspires you to keep even your oldest clay. Happy crafting!

Stamping on Polymer Clay

Hi Weekend Crafter!

It’s Anj here and for this tutorial, I want to share with you how I’ve repurposed my stamps to use on polymer clay. During my scrapbook phase, I had acquired a lot of ink pads and clear stamps to use for my crafting. But when I started devoting more of my time to polymer clay, scrapbooking took a back seat and so did the tools. That is why I’m so happy I found another use for these stamps.

So today, let me show you how I made bag tags, bookmarks and plant markers.

For materials, you will need polymer clay, alphabet stamps and ink pads. I used both a chalk ink pad and a pigment ink pad and both worked pretty well. You will also need a tag stamp, a clear mini block, a rectangle corrugated cutter and a small circular cutter, a clay blade and a clay roller. FYI, I actually tried out a lot of different methods of putting color on the stamps. I used permanent markers and mica powder. But using the ink pads was actually the easiest way of putting color on the clay. Plus, once the items were completely baked, the colors become permanent.

First, bring out your polymer clay and roll it out into the number 3 setting. Then, choose your stamp and place that on the clear block. Ink the stamp by pressing it lightly on the ink pad and then gently stamp it on the clay, applying enough pressure for the stamp to get embedded on the clay. Neaten out the edges and bake the clay using the instructions on the packaging.

I hope that you enjoy making these very simple, but quite useful crafts. If you haven’t yet, do comment, like and subscribe to the Craft Time Studio. I love answering your questions, and helping you in your polymer clay journey. I’m also on IG @crafttime.ph. Have a crafty weekend!

Painting on Clay Jars

Hi guys! I’ve got another DIY Decor tutorial to share with you. I found these jars that were used for school projects that were due to be thrown out. I really wanted to save them and make them fit the vibe of my home so I decided to paint them using different design inspirations.

As these pots have all been previously painted on, the first thing that I needed to do was to cover everything with a base coat of white acrylic paint. Once every jar had been painted white, I set these aside to dry completely.

Boho Chic-So, for the first project, I wanted to do a boho chic design. To achieve this look, I decided to cover the center with natural burlap. I measured about two inches from the center and measured the same width on the burlap. Then I cut off the excess. The next thing that I did was I mixed a dark shade of green with white to make mint green. Once the entire jar had been coated, I set it aside to dry completely.

When the paint had dried, I got some glue and attached the burlap fabric to the center of the jar. Finally, I coated the entire jar, including the burlap fabric with Mod Podge and let it dry completely.

Industrial-The second jar’s inspiration are the concrete décor that I see so often on pinterest. This was actually a difficult redesign because the jar was painted black and I suspect that the paint originally used on it was poster paint because every time it stuck to something, the paint would chip or leach on to my white base coat. The plan was to paint everything gray and then dry brush it with black. I had to keep going back to it because of the chipped paint, but eventually, it did get to a point where everything was covered. I quickly brushed the jar with mod podge and that did the trick to seal everything.

Farmhouse-The third jar’s inspiration is another popular design theme—farmhouse. For this craft, you will need a bit of polymer clay. I wanted the jar to have this milk jug vibe so I fashioned handles for it using polymer clay. Once I created the shape of the handles, I baked the clay following the instructions on the packaging. Once the clay handles had been baked, I attach it to the sides of the jar with glue. Then, when it had dried, I painted everything white. Then, I dry brushed the entire jar with gray.

Pastel-And finally, I decided to do something pastel. Of the four, I have to say that this is my least favorite and only because the glue gun did not cooperate with me, and I couldn’t make straight, neat lines. I decided that I wanted to have some texture in this jar, and I thought that making the lines with the glue gun would work. In fairness, I still think that it would have worked, but I think that it would have looked better if I let my lines run along the entire jar.

And these are my four upcycled and redesigned jars. I hope you got some ideas on how to decorate your own clay pots.

Summer Clay Color Recipes

Since time flies by so fast, might as well get ready for summer. Sharing with you today 4 summer colors–pale pink, watermelon pink, mint chip and Niagra blue.

For pale pink, mix 3 parts white, 1 part Fimo flesh and a sliver of Premo Accents in peacock pink.

For watermelon pink, use the same pale pink recipe and add 1/8th part Premo Accents in peacock pink and 1/8th part Sculpey III in Red Hot Red.

For mint chip green, mix 7/8th white clay with 1/8th Fimo peppermint. Then add a sliver of Fimo Effects in glitter green. Finally, I add gray granite to give a textured look.

For Niagra blue, combine the white clay and Fimo peppermint clay in the same proportion as the mint chip green. Then, add about a fourth of Fimo Effects in sapphire blue.

Tip: Remember to condition the clay until the colors are fully blended before adding a new color. This has helped me make fewer errors in matching colors.

6 Basic Tools for Making Polymer Clay Earrings

It’s an exciting time for polymer clay. While many have just discovered this hobby, and are eager to splurge on what supplies they might need, I suggest checking out these 6 basic tools to start with when making clay earrings.

MAT

Being the owner of many craft-stained tables, I have come to realize the importance of using mats to protect my work surface.

While I myself now use a glass mat mounted on carboard, I began with just using a stiff plastic folder to roll my clay onto. Aside from glass mats, there are also silicon mats made specifically for clay. Whatever is available to you, know that the important thing is to prepare for a clean space where you can roll out your clay so that you don’t mix it with dirt, lint and other undesirables.

ROLLER

For a beginner, I wouldn’t necessarily suggest immediately buying a metal clay roller because good ones can cost a lot. When I started out, I used any plastic tube that I could find, and just made sure that I topped it with parchment paper. You can also use popsicle sticks to level the clay evenly.

BASIC CUTTERS

If you are jus starting, I recommend using basic metal cutters—they cut very cleanly and when combined, they can also make unique shapes.

DETAIL NEEDLE

Needles are a great way to add texture to your clay. I also use them to put holes on where my metal findings will go.

CLAY EXTRUDER

For this tool, I think there is no alternative, and you will need to buy one especially if you are still practicing making logs. While making snakes or logs can be done by hand evenly, it will take years of practice to actually master this.

PLIERS, CUTTERS, Etc.

And of course, if you are making earrings, you will need to attach your earring findings using pliers and cutters.

I hope that beginners will find something useful in this. Happy crafting!

Spring Clay Color Recipes!

Spring is upon us and as the flowers bloom, we get to experience the beauty of color.

Today, I’m sharing with you some of my own spring colors to use for your next polymer clay project. I am going to share with you how to make saffron, orange peel, denim blue and coral pink.

For saffron, you will need to mix: 1 part Sculpey white, 2 parts Fimo Sunflower and 1 part Fimo Soft Cognac.

For orange peel, you will need to mix: 1 part Sculpey white, 2 parts Fimo Sunflower, 1 part Fimo Soft Cognac and a sliver of Sculpey III Red Hot Red.

For denim blue, you will need to mix: 1 part Sculpey white, 2 parts Premo Turquoise and 1 part Sculpey III violet.

For coral pink, you will need to mix: 2 parts white, 2 parts Fimo Flesh and a sliver of Premo Effects Peacock Pearl.

I hope you have fun mixing your spring colors! For more polymer clay ideas, do check out my IG @crafttime.ph.

Happy crafting!

DIY Christmas Decor

It’s been a while since I last shared a craft tutorial. Well, since it’s Christmas and I know a lot of us are trying to get smarter with our money because of this pandemic, I thought that for this year, I would only being making my own decor. In this tutorial, I want to share some very easy DIY projects with you.

This first one is just something that you can put around the house, on shelves, on coffee tables, basically, anywhere that can use a touch of Christmas.

Christmas Tin Can

You will need the following: a used and washed can (this one is from a canned good), Christmas ribbon (recycled, preferably), twine, burlap holly, plastic figs (from an old wreath perhaps), glue gun and plier.

The first thing that you need to do is to remove any label from the can. Then, bend the sides of the can so that the edges don’t cut you. I also glued some paper twine around the opening for extra protection.
I got the ribbon and glued this around the can. I glued a second ribbon for contrast (note that you can switch up the colors to suit your overall Christmas theme).
I then cut a small piece of burlap, about an inch, to hide where the ends of my ribbon were glued.
Then, I tightly would up some paper twine to glue at the base of then can. This will hold my figs upright.
I decorated my twigs with a bit of holly first before I stuck them to the bottom of the can.
Optional: You can add some tulle, or green fruits bags and fashion them as leaves.
Optional: You can use a white marker to put touches of white on the ends of the fig to make them look like they’ve been snowed on.

I hope that you learned something from this tutorial! For the full tutorial, do head on to the Craft Time Studio – https://youtu.be/0A3n9SoLlh0

Clay Slab Tutorial

I’ve been claying on weekends and so far have been really obsessed with making clay slabs. It’s a really simple way to make a lot of fun and funky earrings.

For this tutorial, I will teach you how to make a clay slab in bold colors.

For this slab, you will need:

polymer clay in glitter black, gray, turquoise, periwinkle and pink

mountain-shaped clay cutters

detail needles

clay blade

clay roller

What to do: 1. Flatten your main slab (black) into the number 3 setting on your clay roller.

2. Flatten your accent slab in the number 7 setting.

3. Get your clay cutters and punch out the shapes.

4. Arrange the shapes on the main slab and flatten using the number 2 setting.

5. Add texture by using a detail needle.

6. Cut into earrings, and then bake the clay following the instructions on the packaging.

I hope you enjoy making these super simple clay slabs!

Cookie Squishy from Used Makeup Sponges

My daughter and I love watching this Youtube craft channel, Moriah Elizabeth. One of her most popular series is her squishy makeovers.

We tried it out using my old makeup sponges and I’m happy to report that it actually works!

To make these cookie squishies, you will need:

3 pcs 3D Paint

Acrylic Paint

Paint brush

Popsicle sticks

Fabric glue

Scissors

Mod Podge (Optional)

What to Do:

1. Get one makeup sponge. Cut about ¼ inch around the sponge.

2. Slather a thin layer of fabric glue on top of the makeup sponge. Get another makeup sponge and put it on top of the sponge with glue.

3. Do the same on the other side so that the smaller sponge gets “sandwiched” between the two bigger sponges. Set aside to dry.

4. Once the fabric glue dries, coat the entire sponge sandwich with 3D paint. Set aside to dry.

5. Once the 3D paint dries, coat the entire sponge sandwich with acrylic paint.

You can decorate your cookie squishy any way you prefer. Optional: You can also coat the squishy with a layer of Mod Podge.

P.S. Moriah Elizabeth did discourage the use of acrylic paint because they tend to crack . I just wanted to be honest and let you know that I used acrylic paint because I didn’t have a wide color choice from my 3D paint. The paint on the squishy did eventually crack, but it took a long while, probably because I did do a first coat of 3D paint.

Eco-Friendly Dish Washing Net Cloths

I love finding ways of recycling everyday items, so when I watched how I can reuse my fruit nets and turn them into dish washing net cloths, I immediately had to try it out!

What You’ll Need

Fruit nets (about 6 pcs)

Elastic

Scrap ribbon