Attach Earring Posts to Polymer Clay Studs

Hello weekend crafter! Today, I’m sharing with you some of my favorite ways of attaching earring posts to my earring studs.

One of my favorite ways of attaching earring posts is using super glue. In the States, a popular brand is Loctite. Another way that you can attach posts is by using liquid Sculpey.

So let’s start with using earring posts with an extended peg. This is actually my go-to post because the peg gives the earrings something extra to hold on to. The way that I attach this is that before I bake my stud, I already press down the earing post so that the peg leaves a hole on the back of the earrings. You can bake it with or without the post, but I prefer to bake it with the post in.

Some reminders though on using the extended peg. First, you can’t roll out your slab too thinly. The peg itself is about 2 mm, so you have to roll out your clay a little bit thicker. If I used a thinner slab, pushing the peg in will cause it to have an indent on the top of the earring. So I recommend rolling out a slab that is about 3 mm in thickness.

Before I glue the post, I use my electric nail file and roughen out the surface of the post. Then, I also roughen out the surface of the back of my earrings. This helps to better adhere my post to the earrings. Then, I just put the glue around the post and make sure the hole lines up with the peg.

Another common way of attaching earring posts is with the use of liquid Sculpey. One way of doing it is by putting a bit of liquid Sculpey on the flat side of the earring post and then covering the entire backside of the earrings with liquid Sculpey. When this bakes, it will be more or less clear, and if the post is completely covered, it’s pretty hard to pull out.

Yet another way of attaching the post is by sandwiching it between clay. So, what I do first is to place the post on the stud. And then, roll out a thinner piece of clay and place a hole on its center. Then, I cover the post with liquid Sculpey and use the thinner piece to cover the entire back.

As you can see, the posts are then hidden, which looks really neat. But, the trade off is that you will end up with shorter posts. Comparing the covered posts with the exposed posts, I actually lost about 1-2 mm in length on the covered posts. This might be ok on some earlobes, but if your client’s earlobes are on the thick side, this might be a concern for them as the earrings might end up too tight.

Finally, for attaching the plastic posts, of course since this is plastic, I can’t attach it to unbaked clay. I simply sand off the top of the post with my electric nail file and attach it to the earrings with super glue. By the way, if you put too much super glue on the posts, the backs of your earrings might end up with a white residue around the post. To remove this, simply put some acetone on a cotton bud and go around the area gently.

So, my conclusion is that all of these methods work, some ways are just more convenient than others.

I hope that you learned something from this tutorial. If you want to know what I’ve been up to during the week, do visit my IG, @ crafttime.ph.

Thanks for stopping by!

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!

Warm Pastel Color Recipes

Hi weekend crafter! Is the sun inspiring you on making your summer collection earrings? Well, I hope to inspire you more with these warm pastels.

For this tutorial, I want to share with you my color recipes for creamy yellow, summer yellow, lettuce green and light mocha.

For creamy yellow, you will need: 4 parts white + a sliver of yellow orange

For summer yellow, you will need: 3 parts white + 1 part yellow orange

For lettuce green, you will need: 4 parts white + a sliver of glitter green + a sliver of burnt umber

For light mocha, you will need: 3 parts white + 1 part burnt umber

I hope you have fun recreating these colors! Happy crafting!

Monogrammed Keychains

Hi weekend crafter!

I’m always on the hunt for making something useful with polymer clay and so for this weekend, I wanted to show you how I make monogrammed keychains. Personalized items are quite popular, with people wanting to have their initials on their things. I myself am an owner of a lot of personalized things, and I’ve gotten a lot of use from them.

To make these keychains, you want to start out with making a floral slab. To make a floral slab, you will need clay, a few silicon molds of leaves and flowers, flower-shaped cutters, a clay blade and a detail needle.

Speaking of floral slabs, I want to share with you that I’ve partnered with Creative Fabrica to teach you how to make beautiful polymer clay slabs. Creative Fabrica recently launched different craft classes that you can enroll in, and one of those classes is about working with polymer clay. In this 6-part class, I show you the basics of working with polymer clay to make them into slabs. You will learn texturing, color-mixing and even assembling your pieces until you are able to make your very own accessories with polymer clay. So if you’re ever wanting to learn something new for the summer, do check out the link that I’m sharing – https://www.creativefabrica.com/classes/ref/1130715/ .

Going back to the keychain, once you’re done with making a slab, the next thing that you need to do is to assemble your keychain. First, use a circular cutter to mark off the area of your keychain. Then, use an alphabet cutter to cut your letters out. Finally, go back to the circular cutter to cut it through. Make a hole on top for where your findings will go.

Once this is baked, use jump rings to attach the keychain findings to your clay. And that is it! When done correctly, this will result into a very beautiful and personalized keychain, perfect for gifting!

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!

Craft Tutorial: Rainbow Polymer Clay Earrings

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a clay craft. But because of this quarantine, I’ve had more time to go back to clay-making. Here’s a simple tutorial on rainbow earrings that you can teach your kids how to make.

For materials, you will need:

polymer clay in rainbow colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet)
clay blade
earring findings
detail needle

What to Do:

Roll out your rainbow clay into thin snakes.
Starting from the violet clay, carefully bend the clay snake into a U-shape.
Bend the successive colors, following the violet one, until all the colors have been placed.
Use your clay blade to cut the excess clay.
Get your detail needle and poke a hole at the topmost color.
Bake the polymer clay following the instructions on the packaging.
Attach the earring findings.

There you have it, a simple craft to make with your kids! You can also switch the colors up, using bolder colors, or lighter colors, depending on your mood.

Wash your hands and stay safe!

Craft Weekend: Cable Organizer

It’s been a very long time since I’ve posted a craft! And it’s not at all because I’ve stopped crafting. It’s really because I don’t have a decent place to take pictures of what I make. So, before I proceed, let me just apologize for the quality of my pictures.

Now, to my craft! I’ve always been interested in giving new life to disposable stuff. For this craft, I used bread clips. My friend gave me the idea of recycling these clips into cable organizers! Since then, I’ve been saving these clips to experiment on a design!

I used polymer clay to do my owl designs and then I super glued it to the bread clip. Voila! Very cute cable organizers! Hope you have a craft-filled weekend!

Tiny Stories and (even tinier) Crafts

Tag Archives: polymer clay