Polymer Clay

Fimo and clay tips and tutorials

Introducing Myself

by

Mix and Match necklace

I was in such a rush to get the week going that I forgot to formally introduce myself!

Hi, I’m Elaine! I live in southwest Saskatchewan, Canada. Currently, it’s very snowy where I am and that is certainly lending to my frame of mind when picking clay tidbits to share out. I have an 11yo daughter and live with my partner, another creative type who is also into computers. He’d frown and say he’s not creative but he is a serious DIYer.

I’ve been doing polymer clay for 13 years and participating out on the net for a while. I joined up at PCC when I needed help with my polymer clay back in 2002 and never looked back! I teach, sell and write about polymer clay pretty much every day and days when I’m not making something are sad. My favourite techniques are caning or millefiori and making beads and jewellery that showcase it. You can see my work in my ArtFire or Etsy Shops, on my blog or on Facebook. I twitter as Tooaquarius. And you can take a look through the last few years of polymer clay and craft show pictures in my Flickr.

If you’d like me to post about you, your work, your news, your organization, your plans or if you have questions PLEASE email me! I’m looking to crank up the posts on this blog and I’d be happy to do a little promo for you while I’m at it. If you decide to send me tidbits I ask that you make them interesting and tell me what makes them cool, include a link to your blog, shop or source, and attach or point me at a picture that I may use.

Show me your best work! Pass along your favourite tutorials! Introduce me to your guild or forum. Please avoid sending me pages of sales info or repetitive commercial information, I’m allergic to spam. A little shout out for your new shop, big promotion or seasonal event = awesome. Dozens of links about what you offer every week? Not cool.

Next Polymer Clay Idea:

Comments

  1. Elaine,
    I’m so excited for you and for the claying community. I can’t wait to see what interesting things you’ll be posting.
    Wishing you tons of fun with this new adventure.
    Alice

  2. Thanks for your lovely post. I am excited to see what you will be finding and posting for us. I am just starting out in PC and where I live there are no classes, no guild to join and zero hope of finding anyone who knows about it or cares. Thank goodness for the internet! I hope you enjoy yourself!

    Heidi

  5. Yay, I kinda thought it might be Elaine. They couldn’t have made a better choice. Excellent to have you posting here.

  7. he he! You’ll probably even find yourself profiled at some point as someone who uses clay beads in her work sometimes. The more the merrier!

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