Polymer Clay

Fimo and clay tips and tutorials

Cruisin’ with Polymer Clay

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bc3.JPGNever have enough time for your favorite hobby?  Need a vacation?  Why not mix both on a crafting cruise!

Check out the following:

Polymer Paradise with Lisa Pavelka, sails next April with classes from Christie Friesen, Desiree McCrorey and Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg.

Clay Carnival Ahoy ’08 with Donna Kato and Carnival Clay instructors Leslie Blackford, Kim Cavender, Cathy Johnston, Sue Kelsey, Jacqueline Lee.  Their adventure is planned for late October 2008.

Both of these cruises have some of the top instructors in the field of polymer clay.  Lisa and Donna have both taught on the Carol Duvall Craft Cruise and have put together dream vacations for polymer clay enthusiasts.

Love beads as much as your clay, why not mix both? Visit Bead Cruise 2008.  This will be my third annual event as the organizer of the official Bead Cruise. Joining me are Marcia DeCoster, Eni Oken, Rachel Nelson-Smith and Beverly Herman.  We take our beads to the high seas early March.  While beads are the focus of this cruise, there are still a few spaces open in my polymer clay beadmaking class.  There will be beadmaking demos in the evenings along with dedicated space for our polymer clay addicts!

No matter which cruise appeals to you, crafting and cruising make a perfect vacation.  Along with the classes and making wonderful new friends, you are treated like royalty on the ships.  And did I mention there is food 24 hours a day and tropical islands involved?  What could be more perfect?

[tags]polymer clay, cruises, crafting, polymer clay classes, polymer clay instructors, bead cruise[/tags]

Next Polymer Clay Idea:

Have you read?

How To Make A Milk Mache Molding Compound

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