Polymer Clay

Fimo and clay tips and tutorials

Tutorial: Heart Cutout Tea Light Holders

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Tea-light-holders-made-with-microwave-drying-clay-

I haven’t tried Fimo Air yet – or I haven’t tried microwaving it – but I guess it makes sense that you could. It’s not plastic-y polymer clay that would burn badly and I’ve dried paper pulp in the microwave. This tutorial uses a simple cutout sheet, microwaved quickly to dry it, to make a luminary. Tuck your tealight or LED in it and voila, adorable lit-up hearts. As Jen, from the Mad House, says in her tutorial – it sure cuts down on drying time and impatient kiddo issues!

You could, absolutely, do this with oven bake clays. A sheet this thick probably wouldn’t even need the former to support it during baking although I probably would. With oven-bake clay, you could use translucent or translucent white fimo  for added effect.

Looking for air-drying clay? We highly recommend Das Air dry clay, we have been using this product for over 30 years. Check out their Das White Air drying clay and their Terracotta Air drying clay version for a natural pottery feel. For larger crafts we recommend buying your air drying clay in bulk

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Have you read?

Book Review Wednesday: Air-Dry Clay Making Handbook

This week’s Book Review Wednesday pick is Air-Dry Clay Making Handbook by Jacalyn K. Myron, and this is another one of those crossover craft books that could easily live in more than one corner of CraftGossip.

It is not strictly a jewelry making book, but the cover does mention jewelry projects, and air-dry clay is a lovely material for making lightweight pendants, charms, ring dishes, earrings, beads, and little decorative pieces. So I’m letting it sneak into the Jewelry Making series because, honestly, half the fun of handmade jewelry is experimenting with materials that were not necessarily “jewelry supplies” to begin with.

Air-dry clay is especially appealing for beginners because you do not need an oven, kiln, torch, or specialist setup. You can shape it, texture it, let it dry, sand it, paint it, seal it, and turn it into something sweet and useful. It is very approachable, which makes it a nice option for crafters who want to try clay jewelry without jumping straight into polymer clay baking or resin mixing.

This book looks like a practical beginner guide covering air-dry clay techniques, tools, tips, and projects, including jewelry, home décor, animals, figurines, and small sculptures. I like that mix because it gives makers room to play. You might start with a simple ring dish or pendant and then wander off into little bowls, ornaments, charms, or handmade gifts.

For jewelry makers, I’d see this as a gentle introduction to clay-based accessories. Think handmade pendants, textured earrings, little clay charms, or small dishes for storing rings and earrings. It would also pair nicely with our Jewelry Making projects and the more clay-focused ideas here.

My Shellie-style take? Air-Dry Clay Making Handbook looks like a calm, beginner-friendly craft book for anyone who wants to try clay without too much fuss. It may lean more general craft than pure jewelry, but there is enough jewelry potential here to make it useful for makers who enjoy handmade accessories, gift projects, and pretty little things made by hand.

You can find the book here: Air-Dry Clay Making Handbook.