Here’s an article I wrote for CraftCritique back in May of 2009, and I realized I’d never shared it here. As you may know, I love Polymer Clay (and Lisa Pavelka), so it deserves another mention here, with a few edits. Enjoy!
I love shimmer, shine, and glitz, so I was excited to get my hands on the newest mylar foils sold by Lisa Pavelka under the “Signature Series” label. I got the “Expressions” colors, which has one sheet each of copper, gold, silver, pearl, oil slick, and speckle. The other set available is called “Bold and Brights” and has green, magenta, purple, red, blue, and a rainbow sheet.
Opening the package, the sheets seemed awfully small– only a little over 4 inches by 8.5″. Big enough for clay projects, sure, but it may be limiting if you wanted to, say, make something on fabric. (I like multiple uses for the craft products I buy.)
The colors were lovely, and I started out putting some gold on black polymer clay. Following the tip on the package, I placed the mylar foil dull- side- down on a sheet of conditioned clay. I used a small piece of waxed paper and rubbed the top of the foil to transfer it onto the clay. The combination of pressure and heat transfers the foil from its mylar backing onto the clay. Presto! Just as advertised, it transferred easily, leaving me with a shiny metallic clay sheet.
I ran it through the pasta machine a couple of times, but to my surprise it did not really crackle. It kind of stretched out with the clay, making the color less dense, but I didn’t get the cracking pattern I was going for. Still nice, though, and I was pleased with the result after stamping an image on it with white ink.
Next I tried a more random look, stamping on white and purple clays with black ink, and then rubbing on some foils. This also worked well, and the stamping ink didn’t interfere with the foils at all.
The instructions suggest that after baking you apply a top coat to keep the foils from rubbing off eventually. I tried both a liquid clay and Magic Glos (a UV-curing resin, also sold by Lisa Pavelka), and the results were stunning. The additional top coat make the foil sparkle and shine like a million bucks!
Lastly, just for fun- and because the package says it’s for “clay and crafts” I tried foiling some fabric. I used an adhesive made for this purpose, and I used a rubber stamp by Stampin’Up to put a silver hand on fabric.
Side note: you can wash the foiled fabric by hand in cold water– just don’t dry it in the dryer or iron it, or the image will come off. But over all, this is really fun for ATCs, fabric postcards, etc.Pros:
- Easy to apply.
- Nice “sampler” of colors.
- At $5.99, it’s a good price point for a beginner.
Cons:
- Sheets are small- not good for large designs on fabric.
- No detailed instructions or sample craft included in the package- beginners might be at a loss as to how to use them.
- Hard to find at retail outlets.
Where to buy:
- lisapavelka.com
- polymerclayexpress.com
- shadesofclay.com (Canadian!)
Overall, Lisa’s Craft Foils are right on par with other craft foils I’ve used. A nice sampler for the beginner and worth the price to get you going! I rate them a 7 out of 10.Anybody else out there love mylar foils? Have a brand you’re in love with? Let us know!
Disclosure: I won these foils from an online contest. While I didn’t pay for them, I wasn’t asked to review them, either.
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And I STILL didn’t figure out what to do with mine.
Rachel- I’m familiar with your work, and I’ve seen you do pendants that mix color/texture. Maybe try using foils in one of the panels? Just play a bit! Have fun!-=Jeny
Hi,
I’ve been trying my luck with these foils but for some reason the sheets I have just don’t want to stick to my clay. I’ve tried with some cool rested clay and freshly conditioned clay as well and burnished away for a good two minutes. What could I be doing wrong?
Hmm. Usually it’s a combination of the sticki-ness of freshly conditioned clay and heat that does the trick. You didn’t mention what clay you are using, but I’d try a stickier one (more conditioner in the mix) like Premo or Sculpey III. Also, think WAXING- rub on the sheets and then rip it off, QUICKLY using a motion that is horizontal to the product. (Rip to the side, not up.) I hope this helps! Good luck!