Polymer Clay

Fimo and clay tips and tutorials

Tutorial: Penguine Charms

by

penguins

Jolene has a great charm to show us – adorable penguins! As Jolene mentions, these are useful as pendants, charms for dust plugs… anywhere that needs a fun little dangle. The larger version of these would just like holiday ornaments I make… these guys would be perfect for matchy earrings.

The step out photo of the in progress penguins would be balls of penguin colour, smaller balls of penguin colour for the wings, and white for the face. Then tiny amounts of orange for the feet and beak and tiny tiny amounts for the eyes. The eye for the charm is an inserted pin in Jolene’s project – I would probably insert the eye end of an eyepin for the clay to have more to grab and back it up with liquid clay. I’m paranoid. Bake and finish with a gloss coat.

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Comments

  2. Ah, I will reword. Not a tutorial so much as a an example and in progress step shown. Sorry, I’m so used to making stuff it’s a quick jump for me and I forget some people appreciate more details!

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