Tutorial : Super Simple Textured bead : Beginner level

Hi !

I was in a bit of rut for the past few months. Its still supremely hot here ( 42 degree Celsius) , and caning is impossible. Most of the premo I have is super soft , and I was very frustrated claying . I was watching TV and I randomly started making these. It felt so good , because it takes minimum effort & great results.
On thinking about it now , these are based on the paper bead making techniques , I just changed the medium & added texture for interest.
I have tried these with canes and I didn't enjoy them much asthe cane work just gets hidden in the spiral.


Materials needed :

1. Polymer clay 
2. Roller / Pasta machine
3. Texture implements 
4. Tooth pick
5. Cutter

In Anti-clockwise order : Roller,A jar cover with texture, Premo polymer clay , Cutters , hand made texture stamp, wooden texture stamp , toothpick

Process :

1. Condition your clay based on your need.You can make around 8 beads from .5 ounce of P.C or a quarter of the Premo! bar I have used for illustration here.

2. After conditioning your clay , roll it to out to an even thickness. In the pasta machine I used , the fourth thinnest setting is ideal or around 1.5 millimeters ( apprx). I found this was best , not too thick but thick enough to take the texture.

3. After that is done , use your stamp and gently impress the pattern onto the clay. Try using a bit of water or a bit of corn flour on the stamp if your stamp is sticking on the clay and/or tearing it.

Clay with the design stamped on it

4. Now get your cutters and cut them in such a way that they have the design on them. I prefer using the narrow cutter as its easier , but it can be easily substituted with round cutters or oval cutters
(Using an oval cutter or a circle  cutter : Cut out a circle / oval with the pattern on it and re-cut it using the same cutter again , making a crescent shape. Discard the crescent and use the other part.)

5. Take your toothpick , the lightly wrap around an edge over it . Then continue wrapping the bead.

6. Once it looks like as in the picture below , slowly ease it out of the tooth pick.Your bead is ready !

7.Alternatively ,use the toothpick to poke a hole into the bead if you are not interested in using the hole already made.If you do so , it becomes a junction bead. The secondary piercing with the toothpick is not mandatory.

8. Now bake your beads as per the temperature on your clay packet , and for the recommended time.

Here  are some baked beads !!!

Note : I had initially made these beads using cold porcelain , so that's a medium you can easily use.

Have fun making these super easy beads ! I would love you to see what you make if you use this tutorial .
Thanks for reading & have a great day !

DIY Cuff / bangle form : Inexpensive & Quick

Hi !

When I started making bangles & cuffs , the first obstacle I faced was finding the right form to base my bangle around. I started making them using an empty soda can. I could wear it with a bit of discomfort , but I was finding it difficult to find a measurement that fit me exactly.

One way to find your size is by making a few bangles on different forms , such as tumblers , glass bottles and big sized cookie cutters. The drawback is that if the size is not right , you may have a few unusable bangles in your hand.And of course potentially wasted clay.

Then there are a few of us who find even this quite difficult because we cannot find the right sized form to use, even after much trial . This DIY is particularly for you.


MAKING YOUR OWN BANGLE/ CUFF FORM ( The lazy girl trick )
Please read the notes ( on the bottom of the post) as well before starting this project.

Supplies : Bangle , Caliper, Toilet paper roll & Aluminium foil roll. 

Materials Needed 

1. Aluminium foil
2. Toilet paper roll
3. Circular Bangle that fits you correctly 
                            or

    measuring tape / scale & string / Caliper tool

Time taken : Ten minutes

Measuring 

If you have a bangle that fits you right , measure the diameter of it (1st measurement) . Reduce 2.5 or 3 millimeters from this measurement ( 2nd measurement).

OR

My husbands hand for reference

If you do not have a bangle ,then take the string or measuring tape and keep it ready.

1.Measure around the widest area of your palm.Make note of the measurement.

In my case it is : 21 cm.
2.Divide this measurement by 3. ( 7 cm for me) - 1st measurement.
3.Now minus .5 cm or 5 millimeters from this measurement ( 6.5 cm for me) - 2nd measurement 


                                                                                                   Getting the form ready

Unravel the toilet paper roll , till the diameter of the roll is the 2nd measurement. In my case 6.5 cm.

Tear the aluminium foil to go around the ( now smaller roll) paper 2 to 3 times.

Holding the now aluminium foil wrapped roll, slowly tuck in the excess amount sticking out from either side , into the empty core of the roll.




Also:

• This measurement is for a bangle/cuff that fits snugly over your knuckles and falls to your wrist.If you regularly wear bangles , this would be correct for you.
• If you prefer your bangle to be of a looser fit around the knuckles, deduct .25 cm from your first measurement rather than .5 cm

                                                                                  OR

The truly lazy method ( which I use )

• Measure around your hand as in the picture I have attached.Make a note of the measurement. 
• Start tearing away the paper roll till it starts becoming thinner. periodically measure around it , so that the circumference of the roll is same as that of your hand.
• Tear away a few more sheets so that the roll circumference is a few millimeters less than your hand measurement.
• Tear the aluminium foil to go around the ( now smaller)paper roll 2 to 3 times.
• Holding the now aluminium foil wrapped roll, slowly tuck in the excess amount sticking out from either side , into the empty core of the roll.

That's it ! 

The total cost of purchase I incurred was around Rs. 90/-.
I have only used half a roll of toilet paper + a quarter roll of aluminium foil , thus  I actually utilized materials of about only Rs.40/-

Note : 

• Since the inside is tissue paper , I will not recommend using this more than few times.If you liked making bangles , and would like to do it regularly , it would be wise to invest in a form that is sold commercially. If that is not possible , try making a form similar to this , but only using aluminium foil.
• A kitchen roll could be substituted for the toilet paper roll. You might need to cut it down to size to fit in the oven better.
• The extra tissue can be used for armature building or for wiping down your work space etc.

If you have any questions , I would be happy to answer them.
Thanks for reading ! have a great day !

Wide Bangle attempt : Tape base

Hi !

I wanted to share a mishap that I had a few weeks back.I had a large cello tape ( also called a scotch tape ) base, around the width of 3 inches. I was eager to tackle it , seeing it is such a huge base.I don't have a pic of it before my experiment.

I happily covered it with a clay film , and I proceeded to put all the clay slices and I was finally done. And completed baking. What I did later was quite stupid. As soon as it came out of the oven , I dunked in Ice water , which is a standard procedure for me.

What I did not take into consideration was the fact that there is  a cardboard base inside. The base got water logged .As soon as I began to sand , the cracks appeared. Then more appeared. I gave up all semblance of  trying a save and I have kept these aside as a warning.

In case anyone was wondering , there are a few complex canes in there , a few bullseye canes reduced by the extruder.

Thank for reading ,hope my mishaps help you out from doing the same :)
Have a good day !

Basic tools list for the frugal crafter : Polymer clay

To work with  polymer clay does require a few tools ,but many of those are already available at home.

Basic Tools : Rolling pin,dedicated knife,dedicated cutter,sealant,acrylic paint,paint brush,wire,oven thermometer,polymer clay slabs

1. Work space :  I don't have a dedicated work space for my crafting.So wherever that I am planning  to use as a temporary work space,I use plastic sheets to cover the area ( cut up the spare plastic covers ).Paper will also do for a short period of time but it is not a good idea if you are working on it for more than a few mins.If you are using news paper,the print gets transferred to clay at times , which does not look very nice ( unless that was an effect you were going for ).If the clay is left on the paper for long the moisture will also get leached out of the clay making it brittle and difficult to work with.
The best option is find some ceramic tiles on which you can flatten or cut clay.

2.  Rolling Pin : I use a wooden rolling pin that is easily available. Please do not use this for food. If you have to use this for preparing food , please ensure you use a plastic sheet between the clay &rolling pin , so that clay does not come into direct contact with the wood at all.
Another easier option to flatten smaller pieces of clay is to use a glass bottle , or a metal drinking glass.

3. Dedicated clay blade : While I have had better results from a clay blade such as from Sculpey , a cheaper option can be razor blades. These are not very efficient at cutting through large pieces , but they are very sharp and excellent at cutting small canes & thin sheets of clay.
I have used paper cutters & non striated knife for cutting clay as I started out , and they are not a bad option unless you need to cut canes.To cut canes , make sure the blade is sharp.
Another option is hobby cutters. These blades can be replaced when they break or tarnish.

4. Dedicated Cutters : If you can find some cookie cutters that would be useful.They must not be used for preparing food.Another option is to use the household items that are easily available such as bottle caps.There are some good tutorials on making cutters from soda cans etc also.

5.Oven ( to be used with polymer clay) : You can use the convection oven or a toaster oven. I bought a toaster oven from Croma.
DO NOT USE MICROWAVE.
Curing through boiling water alone will not cure the clay as water evaporates at 100 degree Celsius & clay needs 130+ degree Celsius depending on brands.
 Having a dedicated oven for PC is entirely up to you.I have read about the arguments and counter arguments for  having a dedicated oven for polymer clay. I dont think polymer clay is toxic as long as it does not get burned.
Ensuring that you bake your items in between two disposable aluminium pans helps in temperature control , and in case your object burns , it controls the amount of toxic smoke released into the oven.
I have a stand up oven thermometer  which is placed in the oven. This really helps me with my baking as my oven temperature spikes a lot.

6.Colouring clay : Most brands of acrylic paint can be used with polymer clay without any problem. All brands are different so their properties vary. I commonly use Fevicryl acrylic for painting on clay.While they can be used on unbaked clay , they are more commonly used on baked clay.
You can use old (or new) eyeshadow for a shimmery look.
Soft pastels or pencil colours can also be used for a lighter effect than paint.

7. Sand Paper :  This has to be done after curing .This evens out any uneven areas and brings a clear sheen.. Depending on your requirement you can sand from grit 350 to grit 2000. These are available at hardware stores.
It is recommended to sand under water so that the fine powder form of polymer clay does not get inhaled. Adding a bit of  dish washing liquid eases out the process.

8. Sealant :  I use a water based acrylic varnish from hobby line to seal the effect of eyeshadow / soft pastels  or pencil colors. This is not mandatory for polymer clay which is quite strong , however if you use surface treatments ( eyeshadow / foil etc) please use a sealant.
Do not use Modpodge or transparent nail polish as sealant as they sometimes discolor clay or make them melt.

9.Toothpicks : They are always useful and have multiple uses, such as putting holes in beads & buttons , using it to suspend beads while curing ,making patterns , removing  particularly sticky clay particles etc.These are just some , you will discover plenty more uses.

10. Hand sanitizers : These are great for cleaning clay off your hands & cleaning your workspace as well.

I have been working with clay around a year now , and this post has been updated today (01.07.2015) with what I have learned during this year.I live in India , so I have not mentioned Varathane as a sealant.

The best source for clearing your doubts is without a doubt The blue bottle tree , which is a blog written by Ginger Davis Allman.
Another great source , which is quite bigger and a little bit difficult to navigate is the glass attic.This is the polymer clay encyclopedia.

I hope this was a clear post.I appreciate your comments and feedback, so feel free to write in.
Have a good day! :)