Pardo Polymer Clay, which is beeswax-based

I got a call last night from Christina (darling gal) from Viva Decor, giving me some scoop about the new Pardo clay they are bringing to CHA Winter in Anaheim. Since I’m going next week, I got super excited & took down the stats:

• The new clay is considered “professional grade” and will be firmer
• It will come in 14 primary colors for custom blending, plus a translucent.
• The translucent is so clear you can read through it, and it will not yellow.
• It’s the strongest, most flexible clay on the market.
• Price point is set at $3.49 per 2.1 oz blister pack.

They are also doing demos at CHA, which I hope to get on video for you. I was also invited to the 4 workshops that they are conducting during the trade show…so more info & techniques will be gleaned there!

Many of you read my teaser review on this blog, an my full review on CraftCritique. If not, click those links and see what is getting me excited!

The faces and buttons are pretty easy, but I wanted something new to do with the cabs…. so out comes all of my stuff onto the dining room table. Foils, inks, and…. lightbulbs! I’m thrilled with the results. Very dimensional and rich!

In the picture above, the two on the right have been glazed with TLS to seal the surface treatment in, and to make that glossy shine. Love it! The three on the left are like the “before” photo. These I just formed by hand.

Here’s a pic of the raw clay, and some lightbulb cabs I baked up last night:

Mine is the one with the shamrock… lucky, lucky me! I get to teach cool things to great people!!!

For info on other classes I have scheduled, check out my classes and events!

The sheets measure about 5 X 7, and are a thin rubber mat. They are tinted a soft green (there’s that branding again!) and are pliable. The thickness is similar to an unmounted rubber stamp sheet.

I got right to work, misting a sheet of clay and rolling the texture sheet and the clay through the thickest setting. Craftastrophy! The mats are so thick that it shredded the clay, even when using the thickest setting.

Bummer. On the whole, I am a lazy crafter and I like the easiest and most fool-proof way to get the job done. Which means I like my pasta machine a lot. But anyway, I rolled out a new sheet – again on the thickest setting – and set it down on my handy-dandy manilla folder (my new favorite work surface: cheap and disposable!) I misted the clay with water and laid the texture sheet right side down on the clay, and using a roller, pressed the mat down into the clay.

Ha! Success. The mats are deeply engraved, which left a nice and substantial texture. The sheet also peeled up very easily, not distorting my design. However, since th mats are small-ish, I needed to repeat this step twice to get enough textured clay to cover the picture frame I was working on.

Now, the question is: are these real value or not? Couldn’t you just use your regular rubber stamps? Well, sure you could. But there is one distinct advantage to these. Because they are semi-tranparent, you can see where your design is falling, and can reposition or match accordingly. With a traditional unmounted rubber stamp, it’s orange rubber and opaque- you have no clue where exactly your design is.

This feature, in fact, really came in handy for me when matching the 2 sheets of clay on the picture frame I was covering. At the seam, I used the sheet to “fill in” some of missing texture. And because I could see through the sheet, I was able to match the pattern pretty well, covering up that seam effectively. Ha! Craftastic!

So, all things considered, the $7.99 is a good price. Especially if you are using a 40% coupon at JoAnn’s.com. (Which, as far as I can tell, JoAnn’s ETC and online are the only places to buy them so far.) I give them a thumbs-up, and will be playing with them a lot more!

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

And one last thing: there is a product you can use to make your own texture sheets… check out CraftyGoat’s You Tube Video to learn more about making your own!

I love facilitating classes…. getting to know different artist/crafters, their approach, and the life stories they bring to the table. Fortunately, Alice and Shelly “got” the project, and brought their creative juices! Here’s what they made:

I’m repeating the class on Valentine’s day…so if you want to attend, just click on link above for registration info. And for the other classes I’m teaching, check out my classes and events.

If you are interested in the “story” behind the pins, I’m telling it over at CraftTherapy.com. Just don’t steal the idea… I’m trying to publish it for a magazine. Thanks!

I stumbled across these books by Marian Berkes and Jeanette Canyon while searching for children’s books that utilize song lyrics- and found Over in the Ocean and Over in the Jungle The words are re-vamps of a preschool song (something about a mother duck, as I recall) and retooled to fit the themes.

What makes the books FABULOUS, however, are the magnificent polymer clay illustrations. Sumptuous. Detailed. Stunning! I can only imagine the zillions of specialized canes it took to make that seahorse!!!!

I heartily encourage you to zoom on over the Amazon and take a look inside the pages, but have a napkin ready- because your mouth with drop and you will drool. Really.

Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, I do have an affiliate account with Amazon. And I am encouraging you buy it… but really, I don’t care who you buy it from. But if you can, buy it. Because it supports the amazingly talented artist/illustrator who created such magnificent artwork.

It will inspire you…. whether you have little kids in your house- or not.

I’m setting aside extra copies for future nieces and nephews. Because mommies and daddies are nice enough to read to their children deserve great pictures to look at, too.

To read my review of children’s books with fiber arts illustrations, click here.

OK, so in the spirit of being the original Craft Test Dummy, I picked up two packages at $2.99 each. A little more expensive, but the packages are 2.8 ounces instead of two. It’s marketed as being easy to knead, but extremely hard and durable for home-dec applications. (Is this a Kato PolyClay competitor?)

Also a little weird for me: it’s marketed by Donna Dewberry of one-step-painting fame. Huh?

I also bought the package of blades- a set of 4- for $14.99. Steep. But fortunately I had my 40% off coupon to help out.

So I’ll be playing in the next few days, and I’ll let you know what I think!

From Eberhard Faber (Germany):

• Fimo Classic: The first brand of polymer clay, Fimo, was invented in Germany, during World War I. A German doll maker was looking for an alternative to porcelain, and in her quest, invented FIne MOdeling material, or FIMO. The original stuff is very stiff out of the package, and takes a lot of kneading and warming to make it workable. I’ve got tired hands, and it’s more trouble than it’s worth for me.
• Fimo Soft: Getting the idea, they are. This has more of the softening agent in it and it’s ready to use out of the package. you really don’t even have to knead it, just start working it. If you find that it’s too soft (sticky, and fingerprints show), you can roll out a sheet and place it on a piece of white paper…. the extra softening agent will leach out.
• Fimo Effect: Sparkly clay- has glittery effect. Can be used to mix into other clays, too.

From Polyform of Illinois, USA:

• Premo: This is comparable to Fimo Classic, but easier to use out of the package. Takes a lot less kneading and warming to get it workable. I like Premo for beads because it is a little stiffer than Sculpy III, but not as crumbly and unyielding as Fimo Classic. Probably my most-used brand. I also really like the gold and silver versions, which have mica flakes embedded in the clay, offering a host of creative options with that alone!
• Sculpy III: Comparable to Fimo Soft. Very soft and malleable…maybe a bit firmer than the Fimo version? Still can get a little “sticky,” especially in the white. Which means it picks up lint. (Here’s how I know.)

Kato Polyclay: This hasn’t been readily available in my area, so I haven’t tested it myself. However, Donna Kato is a very well-respected polymer clay artist, and she helped develop this line. From what the website says, it’ available in Hobby Lobby stores and at PolymerClayExpress online.

Know, I haven’t tried all of the polymer clays out there – the Sculpy lights, the Cernits, et al…. but these seem to be the most available and used for beginning polymer clay crafters.

As always, follow the directions on the package to bake and cure the clay effectively. Happy Claying!

• This is an artist gallery…. lots of ideas and eye candy!
• This is a DIY network tutorial. Scroll down for the switchplate project. And, interestingly, it uses a ceramic switchplate for the base…
• This is a basic tutorial for a plastic or a metal switchplate base. Good info!
• Desired Creations is one of my absolute FAVORITE sites… you’ll like her ideas….
• This a quick and fun tutorial, using pre-made canes.

Ok…. go make something!

I’ve come across artist Sarajane Helm, and like what she does. Here are some quick links to get your juices flowing:

• Star Student pins…great for kids to help with!
• Valentine Hearts… super easy and a great embellishment to pins, cards, etc.
• Faux Cinnabar Switchplate …. also a good starter project that could be adapted many ways to achieve different looks.

I’ve been playing around with offering a switchplate and/or picture frame classes…. guess I’m off to do more exploring!