Polymer Clay

Fimo and clay tips and tutorials

Have You Joined Yet?

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Have you joined the International Polymer Clay Association yet?  Prompted by their survey, I finally purchased a family membership yesterday.  This is the organization that used to be know as the National Polymer Clay Guild, but has changed its name in response to the international nature of the polymer clay community.  In addition to supporting the polymer clay art form, benefits of membership include (taken directly from the IPCA website:)

-monthly e-mail newsleter, the International Polymer Clay News*

-ability to add classes to the Event Calendar

-ability to submit articles and class announcements to the Web site

-access to member’s only content on the Web site.

-entry in the quarterly Membership Appreciation Drawing **,

-ability to participate in the annual Progress & Possibilities competition and exhibition

-ability to participate in the ACREs of Opportunity program

-discounts to classes, workshops and conferences (when applicable).

-inclusion in the Membership Directory and the Web Link Directory

-option to have your work featured in the page banner on our web site

-borrow from our library of books and videos

-rent our educational slide show for presentations

-acesss to the online POLYinforMER, a newsletter devoted to increasing the knowledge of IPCA members

There are individual as well as family memberships available, in addition to junior memberships if you have a polymer clay artist under the age of seventeen.  We opted for a one year family membership, because everyone in this household regularly raids Mom’s clay stash.   The direct link to membership information is here.

[tags]ipca, polymer clay groups[/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