Diluted Acrylic as Alcohol Ink - KnittingandThings

Dollar Store Mylar or Paper Backed Foil - PolymerClayTV

Foil paper, or foil sheeting, is a thin coating of shiny mylar on a paper or clear plastic backing. It resembles gold and silver leaf but it is more durable and much less expensive. In addition, there are far more colors of foil paper than just gold or silver. Some foil paper is washable, meaning that it can be used on clothing. Other surfaces suitable for foil paper are polymer clay, paper, leather, wood, glass, plastic and ceramics. Different types of adhesives can be used for applying foil paper, and some surfaces do not require adhesive at all. Uncured Polymer Clay needs no adhesive.

1 Prepare the item to be foiled. Make sure it is clean and can take the application of the adhesive you are using. Some surfaces, such as polymer clay, will not need an adhesive.

2 Apply the adhesive to the surface. Use liquid glue or double-sided tape and make sure the adhesive is recommended by the foil paper maker. Glue can be wet or dry for the application of the foil. (Skip adhesive step for polymer clay).

 3 Place the foil paper foil side down on the adhesive.

4 Burnish the foil with your fingertip with firm pressure. Do not move the sheet of foil. Make sure to burnish every part of the surface that the foil will cover.

5 Peel the foil sheet away from the surface with a quick, smooth motion, leaving the foil on the surface. If you have blank areas where the foil did not adhere, repeat the previous two steps on the blank areas with a different part of the foil sheet.

Homemade Alcohol Ink Blending Solution - ThePaperBoutique

Homemade Injet Waterslide Decal - HeroArts

Polymer Clay Washer Pendant - Anna Boyd

White glue is TLS - liquid clay. Brush used is called a clay sculpting brush. I got mine at dickblick.
http://www.annaboydcreations.blogspot.com

Home Made Extruded Molds + Projects - PolymerClay TV

Would make an Awesome keychain to clip on purse strap or mans belt loop!

EZ Skinner Blend Kaleidoscope + Variations - 80Pulcione

Textured Folded Beads - Helen Breil

Homemade Economical Silicone Mold - Papio8046

Flower Millefiori + Project - Rach0113

Lazy River Mokume + Project - Julie Picarello

How to Make a Texture Sheet - Katers Acres

Oomoo Silicone Mold + Resin Project - SmoothOn Inc

Mixing Texture & Techniques - Le Bruit Des Vagues

Le bruit des vagues_Miroir2013_V2 by Le_bruit_des_vagues

Hidden Magic Texture Technique - Natalija Pap

Natasha Cane + Bracelet - PolyformProducts

Silicone Mold Release Agents - SmoothOn.com

http://www.smooth-on.com/faq_display.php?faq_id=19&cID=1

*The writer of this site uses a homemade silicon & the below mentioned Krylon Acrylic spray (ie: for fabric & porous non edible applications) or the diluted Vaseline when more practical Am considering trying the below mentioned SuperSeal™.

Although silicone mold rubber (Mold Max®, OOMOO® and Smooth-Sil®) won’t stick to much and has the best release properties of the most common mold making materials used today, it may stick to surfaces with open pores (open grain wood, very dry plaster, concrete, etc.). It will also bond to glass, surfaces coated with shellac and itself (which is an advantage if you need to add new silicone to an already cured silicone mold.

 Some tips for sealing a Model Prior to Applying Silicone  

• Use an acrylic spray such as Krylon Crystal Clear®.

• Use petroleum jelly thinned with mineral spirits (be careful not to leave brush strokes – rubber will pick them up and they’ll show on the mold surface.

• Use a wax such as Sonite Wax™ (from Smooth-On) or Butcher’s Wax (Home Depot). Again, be careful not to leave brush strokes on the model.  

• Use SuperSeal™ (from Smooth-On). Advantage: It is a soap blend that doesn’t interfere with surface detail and can be completely removed from the model surface with warm water after use.

• Ease Release® 200 is also effective for releasing silicone rubber from various surfaces.

• Don’t wipe model down with alcohol prior to applying silicone rubber.

• Don’t Use Shellac! – shellac contains alcohol and the rubber will bond to the model.

• Don’t use a release agent that contains silicone (Universal® Mold Release). These types of release agents may act as a bonding primer for silicone rubber. Use only Ease Release® 200.

And, As Always – Don’t Risk It. If you have doubts about the compatibility of a sealer and/or release agent with a rubber, do a small test first on a non-critical piece

How to Release Silicone from Silicone:

To release silicone rubber from silicone rubber, use a release agent that does not contain a significant amount of silicone oil.

Mann’s Ease Release® 200 was made especially for releasing silicone rubber from silicone rubber and other surfaces. It goes on as a light mist coating and will not interfere with surface detail.

Option: you can also use petroleum jelly thinned with a solvent such as mineral spirits. Make sure you don’t leave brush strokes on the cured rubber’s surface as they will be reflected in the mold

NOTE: Uncured polymer is PVA based - cured Polymer must use release agent

 Why didn't my mold rubber cure?
 A: This is called "cure inhibition"  Cure inhibition occurs when a surface contaminate prevents a material from curing as expected.
 
Experiencing Inhibition When Making A Mold – When making a mold, cure inhibition occurs when contaminants on a model surface prevent the liquid mold rubber from properly curing. While the cured rubber mold may look fine, you will discover that inhibition occurred at the interface between the rubber and the model’s surface. The rubber will be sticky and not fully cured.

For example, applying latex, urethane or silicone rubber directly over a model made of clay containing sulfur will result in cure inhibition. The sulfur in the clay is preventing the rubber from curing. The rubber may appear fine on the outside, but anywhere the rubber touched the clay, it is sticky and will never cure.
Remedy: Apply a suitable sealer.

Not Allowing A Sealing Agent To Dry or time to “flash off” prior to applying release agent or mixing and applying mold rubber over your model.
 
Remedy: After applying the required number of coats, let your sealing agent dry thoroughly (30 minutes should be enough) before applying release agent (if necessary) or mold rubber.
Be aware; Humidity will affect the evaporation rate of solvents. The more humid the environment, the longer a sealer or sealer / release combination will take to dry. In more humid environments (80% RH), these solvents can take a couple of days to dry or may never dry depending on the solvent.
Also, if you use a solvent based sealer such as shellac or acrylic and then use a liquid release agent over the top of that, the solvent in the liquid release may "re-liquify" the shellac or acrylic and additional time is necessary to let everything dry.

Applying Rubber Into/Over Rubber - Some mold rubbers are not compatible with others. For example, condensation cure silicones will not cure when applied against an addition cure silicone, and vice-versa.

Minimizing Cure Inhibition – Read the technical data sheet for the products you are using. It should tell you under what circumstances inhibition would occur and what you can do to prevent it. For example, applying a sealing agent to a sulfur clay model before applying mold rubber will prevent cure inhibition in most cases.

Perfect Lace Mold or Texture Sheet: Pt 1 - MakeYourOwnMolds.com

Photo Light Tent Box - Darren Rowse

Photo Light Tent Box - Darren Rowse
From:   http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent

Materials Needed:

1.) A Box – It could be any size you want as long as you can light it! I prefer it to be as square as can be. You can find boxes anywhere for free. I got mine from work in which they throw out anyway. You can also find boxes in the back of strip malls, grocery stores, appliance stores or basically any place that makes or sells products. Thicker the better! (Free)

2.) Fabric ‘ This again could be any type. In my box I used white muslin fabric that is found at your local arts and craft store. Buy enough to cover the entire box. (4.00$ US or 1.99$ a yard) People suggested other fabrics like White Nylon and white fleece. If your extremely cheap and have some white under shirts laying around. Cut up the sides to where you have two halves of the shirt. If you use multiple shirts, be sure that the color matches or your end result may not turn out as you like it

3.) Tape ‘ I use tape to secure the fabric to the sides of the box. Reason being is that In-case you want to try out different fabrics. I use regular masking tape. (1.00$ US A Roll)

4.) Glue ‘ You can use a “Glue Stick” (1.00$ US a Stick) or spray adhesive (5.00$ US per Can) to stick the lining in the box.

5.) White Bristol board ‘ This will line the inside of the box and will also serve as your back round (.50 a sheet X2). I would suggest to buy 2 or 3 sheets as you will be cutting up two to line your box (Could be more depending on the size of your box) and one for the back round. Bristol board is a heavyweight paper (.006″ Thick) that is used in drawing/art. The name came from where it was originated, Bristol England. If you wanted a different back round you can also pick up different colors.

6.) Lights ‘ You will need to light this box and this could be the most expensive part of the box unless you already have the lights. In my opinion lighting is the most important part of this box. Without it you will not get the picture you desire. I went to my local hardware store and picked up some “Daylight” Bulbs. Using regular light bulbs will cast a yellow light and should be avoided. I purchased “n:vision” 90 watt equivalent compact florescent bulbs ($7.00 US). Basically any “Full Spectrum” light bulbs will do.
Also suggest a lighting fixture. If you have a one of those desk work lamps, It will work fine. If you don’t I suggest getting a “Clamp On Work Light”. At my local home depot they only had two kinds, A smaller reflector dish (5″) for 5.99$ (US) or the 10.5″ reflector for 11.99$ (US).

7.) Miscellaneous Tools ‘ Tape ruler, Ruler or any straight edge, scissors and knife

Now that you have the Materials I will show you out to make a light tent step by step. When your done you can take nice clean and crisp product shots.

Step By Step Process:

A) Take your box with a tape ruler and marker and measure in 2″ from the side of the box marking multiple points with your marker. When your done you will see your border, connect the points using your straight edge to where you should have a nice looking square/rectangle in the middle of the box with a 2″ border around it. Leave the top and bottom of the box alone as you will not need to mark it

B) Cut out the boxes you’ve drawn. Repeat that to the sides of the box where you have drawn the boxes. When you’re done, cut off the top of the box or remove the flaps on the top of the box. LEAVE THE BOTTOM INTACT!

C) Now take your Bristol board and make lines with your marker for every two inches 16 times. Then proceed to cut out 16 strips with your scissors.

D) Glue the paper strips into the box. Make sure the side with marker goes against the cardboard so it can not be seen.

E) Take another piece of Bristol board and cut is so the width is the same as the inside of the box and the length is much longer then the box.  
F) Place the long piece of Bristol board into the box to where the piece curves to the bottom. Avoid creasing as it will show up in your photo. Cut off excess paper that is sticking out the top.

G) Cut your fabric to where it will cover the holes. Then cut a big piece to where it will cover the top of the box.

H) Tape the fabric to cover the holes in the box except the one that is facing your background. Then tape the top piece on.

YOU’RE DONE!
Now all you got to do is light the top of the box and start snapping away!

There are many variations you can do to get the photo you want. If you’re having a shadow problem I suggest lighting the other sides of the box. If you’re getting vignetting I suggest a lens hood or moving the lens more into the box. Photoshop could be a handy tool also! Since my lens and camera are not the cleanest I tend photoshop the dust that is sitting on or in my camera. I also adjust the levels so it’s brighter.

Pepperoni and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts - Facebook Finds

♥Pepperoni and mozzarella stuffed chicken breasts♥

INGREDIENTS COST
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts $1.98
2 oz. mozzarella cheese $0.40
1.25 oz. (approx. 16 slices) pepperoni $0.54
1 large egg $0.15
1/2 cup all purpose flour $0.14
1/2 cup bread crumbs $0.18
6 Tbsps vegetable oil $0.22
to taste salt and pepper $0.05
TOTAL $3.66

STEP 1: Trim the chicken breasts of any large clumps of fat that may be still attached. Slice each breast in half diagonally to create two diamond-like shaped pieces. Using a small, sharp knife, cut a pocket into the side of each breast piece. This can be slightly tricky on thinner pieces so be careful. Be sure not to cut all the way through the meat but rather just into one side so that the fillings will stay in. See photos below.

STEP 2: Stuff each piece of chicken with 1/2 oz. of cheese and about 4 slices of pepperoni. Lightly season each piece with salt and pepper. Set the stuffed chicken aside.

STEP 3: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Begin to heat a large skillet with 6 Tbsp of vegetable oil over medium/high heat. Collect three shallow dishes and put the flour in one, the egg in another and the bread crumbs in the third. Beat the egg until it is an even consistency (adding a 1/2 tsp of water helps break it up).

STEP 4: One by one, coat each piece of chicken in the flour, then the egg then the bread crumbs. Use your hands so that you can keep the open side of the pocket pinched closed and keep the fillings in. The flour helps the egg adhere and the egg keeps the bread crumbs in place. This is a basic bread coating.

STEP 5: Test the oil in the skillet to see if it is hot enough by dropping a small pinch of bread crumbs in. The bread crumbs should sizzle and dance A LOT. It is very important that the oil is hot enough or else the breading will soak up a lot of oil and you’ll end up with some really greasy chicken!. Place all four pieces of chicken in the skillet and cook until it is golden brown and crispy on each side. This should take no more than 2-3 minutes.

STEP 6: When you remove the chicken pieces from the skillet, transfer them to the baking sheet and place it in the oven. Finish baking the chicken (to cook the inside) for about 25 minutes (longer if you have larger pieces). Remove from the oven (check to make sure the chicken is cooked through) and serve immediately! 

Homemade Air Freshener Gel - Facebook Find

 

These would make cute gifts for the holiday! I have a website that you can print labels off for the jars. I'll post that soon

I wanted to share my experience with making these easy and useful Air Freshener Gels. A relatively low cost Do-It-Yourself room air freshener, you may have all the ingredients already!

I keep one in each vehicle and at my desk at work.

The total time it takes to make is about five to six (5-6) minutes and then twenty-four (24) hours to solidify.

Materials & Equipment:
• Three (3) to four (4) jars, capable of holding 1/2-cup of fluid each. I used four (4) clean and recycled baby food jars, and each jar holds 1/2-cup of mixture.
• Food Coloring
• Essential Oil or Room Fragrance drops (Can be purchased at a craft store, but I found one on sale for $2 at Wal-mart.)
• Two (2) cups of water, divided into two 1-cup amounts
• Four (4) envelopes unflavored gelatine (one 1-oz box)
• One (1) tablespoon of salt
• Kitchen equipment such as a whisk, a pan to boil the water and spoons (plastic or metal) to mix the concoction

Prepare:
• Pour a few drops of food coloring of your choice into each jar.
• Next, pour one (1) teaspoon (minimum) of essential oil into each jar. You may want to add more if you desire a stronger scent emanating from the end result. I did not use more than two teaspoons and was pleased with the one teaspoon result.

Boil and Mix: • Bring one (1) cup of water to a boil.
• Add all four (4) envelopes of gelatine to the boiling water and whisk until dissolved. (I estimate it dissolved in about a minute.)
• After the gelatine dissolves, add the remaining cup of water and then the salt.
• After the salt dissolves, remove the pan from the heat and pour into the prepared jars. Try pouring the mixture into the jars within a few minutes of removing the pan off of the heat.
• NOTE: Please be careful as the mixture will be very hot! My husband held the pot with a steady hand for the photo. However the second time I did this by myself, I made a mess everywhere and spilled the gelatine mixture on the counter. You may want to use a funnel to put the gelatine mixture in the jars.
• I used a broken clothespin to stir the gelatinous combination, but suggest using plastic spoons. Use them quickly as the heat from the water could make them melt slightly.
Let the now fragrant gel mix solidify at room temperature for at least 24-hours.
Can you believe that's it?

The scent and solid mixture will disintegrate over time. The one in my car has lasted over a month. The one in my bathroom has lasted over a month but probably will be ready to clean out in another week. I estimate that one jar would last from four to six (4-6) good weeks of scent dispersion. Make sure the lid is off the container to enjoy!

Thanks for reading and I hope you post pictures of your gels.
The original Pinterest pin for this is here: DIY Air Fresheners..

Custom Dog Bed - Facebook Find

Celtic Wedding Kaleidoscope Cane - Ikandi Clay

Polymer Cane Covered Eggs - Dora's Explorations

Calla Lilly Sculpture + Earrings - Miss Poly Clay

Butterfly Wing Cane & Necklace

The Butterfly Wing Beads are delicate, yet easy to create. Each bead is a little different making the finished necklace have great interest. Special thanks to Desiree McCrorey who devised the Butterfly Wing Beads technique.

Premo! Sculpey: White - 2 oz -- 2 blocks

Premo! Sculpey: Black - 2 oz -- 1 block

Premo! Accents: Pearl - 2 oz -- 1 block

Premo! Sculpey: Cadmium Red - 2 oz -- 1 block

Premo! Sculpey: Cadmium Yellow - 2 oz -- 1 block

STEP 1

Mix Black and Pearl to create a Gray Metallic. Create large bullseye cane: Using the White (3 ounces) create a log about 2 ¼“ long. With the Clay Con ditioning Machine on setting #1 create a sheet of the Gray Metallic clay. Wrap the White log with this sheet of Black clay creating the bullseye.

STEP 2

Create a light Yellow color by mixing White and Some of the Cadmium Yellow. Create a Skinner blend of the Cadmium Yellow, the Light Yellow and the Cadmium Red.

STEP 3

Take the finished Skinner Blend, fold the top and bottom to the middle forming a rectangle. With the Clay Conditioning Machine on setting #3 put the blend through the long way.

STEP 4

Reduce the bullseye cane to about 3/16“ diameter. Cut the reduced cane so that the pieces fit accross the blend. Leave as little space between the cane pieces as possible.

STEP 5

Roll up the sheet with the cane pieces creating a new complex cane. Reduce it carefully trying to avoid air between the layers. The diameter of the reduced cane should be about 1“. Trim the ends.

STEP 6

Cut the new cane into 2“ segments. Take the round cane pieces and press them to rectangles, using the acrylic roller and your hands.

STEP 7

Use the Super Slicer flexible blade to cut the beads. Holding the blade in both hands bend the blade to an arch the length of the rectangular cane piece. Cut down.

STEP 8 Turn the bead around and cut the other side the same way.

STEP 9 Leave the most recent cut in place and turn the cane ¼ turn and cut again. Cut the other side of the bead in the same manner. Be careful to have the cuts meet evenly so the bead is as even as possible.

STEP 10 Pierce the beads end to end with the needle tool.

STEP 11 Use the scrap to create round beads in a couple of different sizes. Cover the beads with left over slices of the butterfly wing beads. Smooth in the palm of your hands. Pierce holes with the needle tool.

STEP 12 Bake the beads as directed above and allow to cool. Bake the beads on fiberfill to avoid shiny spots. Sand and buff if desired.

STEP 13 Put a long eye pin in each of the butterfly wing beads. Trim the ends and create a small loop that matches the other end. Put a shorter eye pin in the round beads and follow the same procedure as with the larger beads.

STEP 14 Use a short eye pin and fill with some of the White farfalle beads. Trim eye pin as needed and form loop to match other end.

STEP 15 Create a pleasing arrangement and connect beads with the jump rings. Add toggle clasp with jump rings.

Advanced - Creating Perfect Wrapped Beads - Polymere Veesuel

Brilliant - Creates beads with NO seams or distortion!

Beginners, Creating Wrapped Round Beads - Polymere Veesuel

Bridal Cane and Champaign Flutes – PolyForm

PolyForm Website:   http://www.sculpey.com/
Also have lots of How-To videos on U tube

CLAYS:

Silver - 2 oz -- 4 blocks

Black - 2 oz -- 4 blocks

White - 2 oz -- 4 blocks

Pink - 2 oz -- 4 blocks

THE ROUND CANE -

STEP 1

Using one half package of each of White and Candy Pink, create a Skinner blend.  Create the blend on the widest Clay Conditioning Machine setting.  Once the blend is complete, fold the length into a size that will fit in the pasta machine at a 90 degree rotation and thin the sheet to a medium thickness.

STEP 2

Roll the blend into a spiral with the White end of the blend in the center.  Wrap a very thin sheet of Black around the blend.

STEP 3

Roll sheets of Black and White clay on the thickest setting of the Clay Conditioning Machine.  Make the sheets equal in length to the length of the first spiral blend cane.  Stack the sheets four layers thick.  Slice ¼” wide strips from the stack and apply them around the circumference of the spiral blend cane, butting the cut edges around the Black layer to create a stripe border.

STEP 4

Roll sheets of Silver clay on the thickest setting of the Clay Conditioning Machine. Wrap the cane with two layers of Silver, blend at seams.

STEP 5

Repeat steps 1 and 2 but reverse the direction of the spiral, beginning the center of the spiral on the solid Candy Pink end of the sheet. Reduce the second spiral blend until it is 5 times the length of the center cane.  Divide this cane into 5 pieces, and cut each piece lengthwise into half-circle canes.

STEP 6

Roll snakes of Silver clay about the diameter of a pencil and as long as the center cane.  Pinch each into a triangle. Arrange the triangles of Silver and the half circle pieces around the central cane in a radial pattern.  Adjust spacing and size of the Silver between the half circles if necessary to create a petal pattern around the center cane.

STEP 7

Continue wrapping Sliver, Black, White and Candy Pink around the cane in layers to create border as desired.  The example uses layers of thin Black, thick Silver, thin Black and double thick Candy Pink to complete the cane.

STEP 8

Reduce the cane to about 1” diameter and set aside to rest for use on the champagne flutes.

THE FLAT CANE

STEP 1

Roll out thin sheets of Black and a thick sheet of Candy Pink about 2” by 4”.  Stack these sheets Black, Candy Pink and Black.

STEP 2

Use the remaining Black and White stripe from step 3 of the Round Cane and create a stripe along the width of the Candy Pink and Black slab.

STEP 3

Complete this slab with thin layer of Black on top of the Black and White stripe.

CREATING THE FLUTES

STEP 1

On the bottom of the foot of the champagne glasses, apply (unbaked) slices of the flat cane, creating a border around the edge. Gently shape them to the curve of the base. Bake as directed above.

STEP 2

Reduce a piece of the round cane to about ½” diameter.  Cut slices of the round cane and press them into the base, pressing against the baked border and filling all space under the foot of the glass. Bake as directed

Birds with Teeth - Angry Birds Sculpture

Retro Pixelated Cane - Bettina Welker

http://www.beadworx.de

Mix at least 5 different shades of a color.
I used light green and blue with 3 mixes  of both in between.

Roll the sheets out on the thickest setting (#1) of your PM and
punch out 4 circles of each color with a cookie cutter that matches
the diameter of the extruder barrel.

Roll out black and white (#1) clay and punch out
6 circles of white and 5 circles of black

Arrange the circles like shown, compress it a little and
feed it (dark side first) into the barrel of your extruder.

Insert the small circle die (2.5mm) and extrude a long snake.

Then lay out the snake like shown in the picture, starting with the light color

Using this amount of clay my snake was around 5 meters long.
With the diameter of the snake being 2.5 mm I now can calculate
the number and the length of the lines I need to build a sheet for the cane.

I needed a cane height of 60 mm for my bracelet tiles.
Again, with the snake being 2.5 mm thick my calculation is:
60mm : 2.5 = 24 lines.  …..  Well I made 25 ;)

To determine the required length of the lines I divided the
5 meters (5000mm) by 25 lines which gave me a length of 20 cm (200mm) for each line.

Makes sense? Are you still with me?

When the clay sheet is done, roll over it with a brayer or
an acrylic roller to adhere the lines to each other.

Then use the blade to lift the sheet up, cut the sheet in half and stack.
Do that at least 2 more times – the resulting cane should be at least 6  sheets high.

I needed to repeat the whole process (cutting out circles, extruding,
laying out, cut, stack) to have a cane big enough to cover my bracelet tiles.

Now reduce the cane a bit, cut it in slices and arrange them on a thin sheet of clay
(I rolled mine out on a #4 stetting on my atlas).

Lay the decorated sheet between two sheets of deli or baking paper
and rub over it with your acrylic roller to close all the seams.
DON’T ROLL but RUB, in order to not stretch out the clay.

Your veneer is done. Now you can decorate whatever piece you like with it.

Bears & Stars - Sara Janel

Celtic Basket Weave Cane

Feather Cane, Kaleidoscope + Projects - Polymer Clay Central

 Exceptional Website & Tutorials: http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/feather1printer.html

3 Color Twisted Christmas Treats Ornaments - Meg Newberg

I LOVE Megs wonderful magazine tutorial subscription!
http://megnewberg.blogspot.com/

Easy Bargello Rope Tutorial - Awesome

I wish I knew who did this tutorial... Exceptional job!

Bargello Cane - Kathi

Barb's Faux Opal - Barbara Reider

Materials for Faux Opals:

• 1/4 block of Premo Translucent 006
• Kidney Bean sized ball of Sculpey Bright Green
• Kidney Bean sized ball of Sculpey Bright Turquoise
• Reddish/salmon colored glitter (make sure glitter is heat resistant)
• Wet sandpaper in 250, 400 & 600
• Tissue blade or other razor sharp knife
• Pasta machine (this is necessary to get the thinnest of clays)
• Flat glass pane or ceramic tile for baking
• Ice water
• Water based finish like Flecto Varathane or Future acrylic floor finish

Instructions for Faux Opals:

1. Condition all the clay pieces. To condition, warm in hands, rolling around until the clay is pliable.
   
2. Take half of the Premo translucent Polymer Clay and put through the pasta machine on the lowest (thickest) setting, creating a slab of translucent clay.
   
3. Chop the green and turquoise Sculpey Polymer Clay into tiny bits and spread the bits out on your work surface.
   
4. Take the slab of translucent Polymer Clay and press into the bits of green and turquoise Polymer Clay. Turn over and press the other side into the colored Polymer Clay. Remember that "LESS IS MORE" when adding the colored clay. Do not overdo as the colors should not mix too much with the translucent.
   
5. Roll into a snake.
   
6. Cut into small sections, each the size of a large pea, and make a coiled snake from each section of Polymer Clay. Each "pea" should be slightly smaller than you need, as the finished cabochon will have a bit more clay added to it.
7. Roll the Polymer Clay into a round ball. At this point you can add more colored Polymer Clay if you have too much translucent, but you must then repeat Step 5 to mix the colors.
   
8. Decide which part of the pattern is going to be seen. For best results, use a side with some translucent and some colored swirls showing.
   
9. Dip the good side of the Polymer Clay ball into the glitter, so that the glitter adheres in spots. Remember that "LESS IS MORE" when adding the glitter. For best results, do not make the glitter very thick, as the variation in color and sparkle are a part of an Opal. Additionally, the color should be asymetrically dispersed, as is the color of real Opals.
   
10. Take the rest of the translucent Premo and put through the pasta machine at the highest (thinnest) setting, making a very thin sheet of translucent Polymer Clay. I used the #7 setting.
    
11. Carefully cover the good side of the Polymer Clay ball with a single layer of the thin sheet of translucent Polymer Clay. This should cover the entire Polymer Clay ball. Trim away any excess. Roll the ball in your hands to bind the thin sheet of translucent Polymer Clay to the ball of Polymer Clay.
    
12. Press the bad side of the sphere into the glass pane. Shape the good side into an oval to make a cabochon bead.
    
13. Bake at the recommended temperature and time.
    
14. Immerse Polymer Clay beads in ice water immediately after taking out of the oven. This enhances the translucence of the Polymer Clay.
    
15. Sand each Polymer Clay bead using the wet sandpaper, starting at about 250, then 400 and 600 grit. It is important to go to a higher number in order. If you like sanding, there is no reason not to go further.
    
16. Coat with at least 2 thin coats of acrylic finish (Future or Flecto). Use a good soft brush to minimize bubbles. Dry between coats.
    

Your Opals are ready to be used for jewelry or as embellishments for other projects!

Ancient Images Faux Fossils - PolyformProducts

Polyform.com 

STEP 1

Condition a small piece of clay and roll into a sheet just a little thicker than 1/8”. Cut two circles with the circle cutter. Cut about 1/3 of the circle away to create a rounded half circle. Repeat with the second piece of clay.

STEP 2

With the needle tool, pierce the clay piece vertically along the center axis. Bake according to the manufacturer’s instructions on the package.

STEP 3

With the clay blade, trim the edges lightly around the shapes. Carve some gouges and scratches randomly into the surface on both sides.

STEP 4

Apply two or more colors of paint on the surface and wipe excess away with a paper towel or tissue. Rub the paint thoroughly into the scratches and gouges in the surface as these areas will take the color much more deeply. Allow acrylic paint to dry, or if using oil paints, the drying can be sped up by returning the clay pieces to the oven for 10 minutes.

STEP 5

Draw with a permanent marker lines, shapes, or any desired image or pattern. Form a spiral at one end of a 3” piece of wire. Add accent beads and the clay bead. Form a wrapped loop at the top and attach the earring hook. Repeat for the second earring.

5 Color Beads - Silas Stone

SilasStone.com

STEP #1 Roll balls of clay in different color. I use Gold will be use for accent color only because it is so soft.

Step #2 With pasta machine, roll a sheet of Black, cut it in half. Roll a sheet of White, then put it between 2 sheets of Black, press down lightly. Cut thin slides from the stack, wrap the ribbon around the beads.

Step #3 Cut some of the Black&White ribbon into small pieces, stick them on the beads, in pattern or randomly. Roll each ball lightly to press the ribbon or small pieces down.

STEP #4 Make a small snake of clay, cut into tiny little pieces, roll them into small little balls and flatten them with your fingernail. Stick that flat circle on to the ball. Like so.

STEP #5 See how many different way you can use those Black & White ribbons, and the tiny polka dots.

STEP #6 Add more details with tiny dots and tiny snake of Gold or contrast color. For example, put white dot on black dot. Like so.

I press the beads down lightly in the picture.

Here are one of the finished bracelet. I strung the beads on the stretchy cord with a copper spacer beads.


I wonder how many different beads I can make for just using 5 color clay. What do you think? Up to the challenge, anyone?

4 Color Mica Mokume Gane - Polymer Clay Central

  PolymerClayCentral.com

Supplies:

• 4 Different Colors of Polymer Clay (2 Light Colors, 2 Dark Colors)
• Pasta Machine
• Tissue Blade
• Shade Tex Texture Sheet
• Misting Bottle of Water

Step 1:Roll out all 4 colors of clay on the thickest setting of the pasta machine. Stack one of your light colored clays and one of your dark colored clays and run them through the pasta machine on the thickest setting.

Step 2:Stack the other light colored clay on top of the left over dark colored clay and run them through the pasta machine, again on the thickest setting.

Step 3: Place the first stack on top of the second stack so the the layers go light, dark, light, dark. You will have 4 layers of clay in this sheet. Run this combined stack through the pasta machine on the thickest setting.

Step 4: Cut the combined sheet in half, and then stack the two halves. You will now have 8 layers of clay in this stack. Run this stack through the pasta machine on the thickest setting.

Step 5: Cut the sheet in half again, and stack. You now have 16 layers of clay in the sheet. Run through pasta machine on the thickest setting.

Step 6: Mist your texture sheet with water, and put your layered sheet of clay on it.

Step 7: Run the texture sheet and clay through the pasta machine on the thickest setting. Let the textured clay rest for a while before moving on to the next step.

Step 8: Using a very sharp tissue blade, begin to slice off the raised bumps from the textured sheet of clay. Slightly curving your blade helps, and you can brush off those pesky little pieces of clay from the sheet with your fingertip. Don't slice too deeply!! 

Polymer Toggle Clasps - Cara Jane

Cara Jane Website:   carajaneuk.blogspot.co.uk201103polymer-toggles.html 

EZ Star Cane - Cara Jane

Cara Jane Website:   carajaneuk.blogspot.co.uk201006improved-star-cane.html

Spliced Flower Cane Variation - CaraJane

Cara Jane Website link:   carajaneuk.blogspot.co.uk201005variation-is-splice-of-life.html 

Textured Bead Technique - CaraJane.co.uk

Wesite Link:   carajane.co.uk201005textured-beads-mini-tutorial.html 

Rainbow Stack, JellyRoll & Flower Cane - SesebellasJewellery

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVKg-27yfdE

Snowflake Cane - EugenasCreations

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_5qrri6U58
Other tutorials on site:   http://www.PolymerTutorials.com

Pandora Beads from Polymer - 01Doha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv1wpfrr_qw

Where to get Bead Cores:
 "Over the Rainbow":    http://www.polymerclay.com.au/advance...
but you can get them on ebay also:    http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/Jewellery-

EZ Inkjet Decals - Bigcatmedia1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Soo3263Z6AI

Making Homemade Decals - HPS LLC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IomcdNVa3Wo

Metallic Acrylic Paint as Crackled Foil - Jackie Newton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiyvrlfeBQw

EZ Skinner Blend Kaleidoscope Cane - MontejoArtesanias

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppa03dB2crU

Sutton Slice Technique - Lisa Pavelka

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI6dCXA0Zd4

1 Cane = 2 Flowers - Labulledidril.canalblog.com

http://labulledidril.canalblog.com/archives/2013/06/20/27474767.html 

How to Reduce a Square Cane - CraftyPatty2009

Cutting Ultra Thin Cane Slices + Project - www.hillovely.com

Add Background to Round Cane & Reduce - Iris Mishy

Fun Basic Flower Cane + Beads - Irina Romanov