A Little Bird Told Me – Crafty Links

Suspended Flight Necklace by SingingSky

Join me each Sunday for a crafty link round up from some very talented designers.Â I’ll also feature a favorite polymer clay creation from Etsy or Flickr, like the beautiful bird above.

Aileen’s Musings
The Fairies have landed at Aileen’s Musings! Check out her Mini Fairy Birdhouse tutorial and maybe you too can capture a fairy or two!Â
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Craftside- A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
This week at Craftside there are a bunch of great patterns and how-to’s including a clip on cell phone case, jewelry with words, 2 winged embroidery templates used on a spa mask and cold pack cozy, a crocheted flower pattern and altered images and techniques.Â
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Crafty Princess Diaries
Love books and beads? Then you’ll love this call for entries from Interweave Press.

Â Cross Stitch Bracelet
Stitch up quick Cross Stitch bling using floss and plastic canvas.

Layers Upon Layers
The year-long Bead Journal Project is winding down, and Cyndi is thrilled to be finished!!

Polymer Clay @ CraftGossip
Here’s the scoop on making your own polymer clay buttons.

Stefanie Girard’s Sweater Surgery
Over at Sweater Surgery there are a bunch of cross stitch sayings and note cards made from photos of the sayings.

The Impatient Blogger
Join The Impatient Crafter Margot Potter in this cheeky video tutorial on making UTEE glittered skull jewelry. It’s magically craftlicious!

[tags]polymer clay, crafts, projects, inspiration, tutorials [/tags]

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Etsy Feature – 20 Printable Pottery Templates for Ceramics

There are some craft projects that feel like they belong on a rainy afternoon kitchen table, and this Milk Mache Molding Compound is exactly one of them. It is part craft, part science experiment, and part “wait… did we just turn milk into something solid?”

This clever little project from CraftBits shows you how to make a simple homemade molding compound using just milk and vinegar. The idea is wonderfully old-school: when the vinegar reacts with the milk, it separates into curds and liquid, leaving you with a soft mixture that can be pressed, shaped, and dried into a hard, stone-like material.

It’s a lovely one to try with kids, especially if you enjoy hands-on STEM-style crafts that do not require a trolley full of supplies. You can use the finished compound to make small charms, beads, ornaments, rustic tags, or simple molded shapes. Just keep the pieces small and thin, as this is not really the sort of compound you would use for large sculptures or anything that needs to be perfectly smooth.

What I like most about this project is how accessible it is. Most of us already have milk, vinegar, a bowl, and paper towel in the kitchen, which makes it a brilliant last-minute craft activity. It also has that slightly magical quality children love — one minute it is liquid, the next it is turning into a moldable material.

A couple of tips before you try it: use whole milk if you can, as it tends to give a better result than skim or semi-skimmed milk. White vinegar is also the best choice, as darker vinegars may affect the colour and texture. And don’t rush the draining stage. If the mixture is too wet, it will be soggy and hard to shape; if it is too dry, it may crumble.

This would be a fun companion activity for our other kids craft ideas, especially if you are looking for something simple, inexpensive, and a little bit educational. It also fits nicely with home crafts and handmade gift embellishments if you want to turn your dried shapes into tags or decorations.

Would I call this a polished, professional clay substitute? No. Would I call it a wonderfully curious, messy, memorable craft experiment? Absolutely.

If you enjoy homemade craft supplies, kitchen-table experiments, or easy projects that make children ask “how did that happen?”, this Milk Mache Molding Compound is well worth a try.

You can find the full project instructions here: Milk Mache Molding Compound

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