Hello Weekend Crafter!
I finally reached 5000 subs on Youtube and as a thank you, I made you guys a few craft-inspired postcards that you can have printed out or that you can give to a crafty friend.
Thank you for your support and for inspiring me to keep on crafting. It has been a joy being able to share my projects with all of you. Have a crafty weekend!
Have you ever sliced into a block of polymer clay only to have it crumble in your hands? This has happened to me many times already most likely because I’ve stumbled upon some very old clay. But I am not the sort of person to throw anything out, so I’ve had to come up with strategies on how to condition my hard and crumbly clay.
I’m sure other clay crafters will also have their own preferred way, but for today, I’m sharing my personal favorite ways of “reviving” my hard and crumbly clay.
The first is the classic way which is just to just condition your clay. I first use my own fingers’ warmth and then pass the clay through my pasta roller. I normally set my roller into the thinnest setting just to really press the crumbs together. My test to see if the clay is already conditioned enough is to roll it into a ball or into a log. The pro of doing this method is you’re not actually adding anything to your clay. The con is that it will take a bit of time as well as some effort.
The second way that I like to do is to add a bit of soft translucent clay. This will make it easier for the dry, crumbly clay to stick together. Run it through the pasta machine again until the clay doesn’t come apart. Note that there will be a very slight color difference when we add translucent clay. The pro of using this method is that it takes less time to condition the clay. The con is if you are very specific in color, you might not like the subtle change in color. Another con may be that the clay may turn too soft. If this is the case, simply put it into the fridge for a bit so that the clay can be easier to handle.
The third way, and my current favorite method of softening clay is by hitting it with a hammer or a mallet. I have a small craft hammer, and I use this whenever I work with super hard clay. I cut my clay up, put it inside a plastic bag to keep all the crumbs together and then I just pound on my clay until they stick together. The pro of using this method is that again it takes less time to condition your clay, which is ideal for someone like me who has wrist problems. The con is that you have to get a small hammer, and you also have to have a surface that you can hit repeatedly.
And the last way is to hit the clay with the hammer, but also to add a little bit of liquid Sculpey. As I hit the clay with the hammer, I fold in the clay with the liquid sculpey. This just speeds up the process of softening the clay. The con is that some of you may not have liquid Sculpey, so it’s another material that you need to have on hand. Another con is similar to adding translucent clay, you may find that there is a slight deviation in color. The pro is the time that it takes to condition the clay is cut down.
I hope that this inspires you to keep even your oldest clay. Happy crafting!
Hi weekend crafter! I’m back with another color recipe, this time with the upcoming Christmas holiday in mind. Today, we’re mixing glitter gray, toasty shine, candescent coral and sheeny sage. Predominantly, we will be using Sculpey Premo Accents in Frost white glitter.
For the first color, which I’m calling glitter gray, I mix the frost white glitter with just a sliver of black. Be very light-handed when you add black and try to do it bit by bit because it is a very strong color and applying it heavily will make it harder for you to lighten the colors afterwards.
For the second color, I wanted to make this beige-y gold color. I’m mixing about ¾ frost white glitter mixed in with about ¼ of yellow gold glitter. If you’ve ever used yellow gold glitter before, you will see that it has a bit of translucent quality to it so when you mix it in small amounts with white, it’s going to be a little bit subdued. To bring out a slightly brighter color, I add about ¼ of Fimo gold and made sure that I condition it thoroughly. This color I will call toasted shine.
For the third color, you will need to add about a fourth of Premo Accents in copper with frost white glitter. As always try to condition these first before you add a third color. You will get a very very light pink, but since this is a Christmas palette, I want to add a bit of brightness so I come in with about an eighth of sunset pearl to get this shiny coral pink. I’m naming this color candescent coral.
The last color is simple. Mix frost white glitter with a fourth of Premo in olive green. I hope that you enjoy making these colors. Let me know in the comments below if you’d like to see more videos. You can also check out my IG @crafttimeph to find out what I’ve been up to. Have a crafty weekend!
Hi weekend crafter! The -ber months are upon us and as an early Christmas gift to my fellow crafters, I’m including some freebies to my packaging tutorial.
When I pack, I start with one of the last things that I put on, which is my sticker tag. I make my own tags using sheets of mailing sticker, metallic watercolor paints, a wide paintbrush and some water. So first, I dip my brush in some water and brush it along each sticker, not soaking wet, but just wet enough so that I won’t have a hard time spreading my watercolor. Then, I pick two earth tones. The first layer is a rosy gold color and the bottom color is a copper color. I start with this first so that as I pack, the paint has time to dry.
Next, I fold my boxes. These are handmade boxes as well, which I just cut and fold. It’s really not that hard to make and because I want my cards to fit exactly to the box, I find it easier to make my own custom boxes. To make these, I use cardstock. To secure all my folds, I use a stapler to hold the box in place.
When the boxes are assembled, I get my crinkle paper or filler paper. This cushions my earrings and makes sure they’re protected. Plus, I also like how it looks. You can actually also use recycled paper if you have a shredder. In my case, if I buy something, I just keep the crinkle paper so that I can reuse it. Since you’ve made it this far, I’m sharing with you my first freebie. I am putting a link in the description box so that you can download high-res images of these tags that I’ve made. Don’t worry, I removed the name of my channel there, so that you can put your own logo or store name. I punched earring holes on the tagsSo first off, my video is about me and how I pack my stuff. In every package, I first lay down the squiggly paper to protect my package. I then attach my earrings to my tag, and also insert a care card. Then, I put a cute sticker on top, which I hand-painted and stamped on my own so that people can really feel that everything I make is handmade.
Now for the freebies that I promised you, I’m giving two downloadable designs of tags that you can use. I’m also giving a downloadable care card. I know that some of you may be starting your own mini-business, and when you’re starting, there are so many things that you need to think of. I hope that this helps lessen the load a bit. The tags, you can just place your logo on top of it, and put your social media information at the bottom.
Hi guys! I’ve got another DIY Decor tutorial to share with you. I found these jars that were used for school projects that were due to be thrown out. I really wanted to save them and make them fit the vibe of my home so I decided to paint them using different design inspirations.
As these pots have all been previously painted on, the first thing that I needed to do was to cover everything with a base coat of white acrylic paint. Once every jar had been painted white, I set these aside to dry completely.
Boho Chic-So, for the first project, I wanted to do a boho chic design. To achieve this look, I decided to cover the center with natural burlap. I measured about two inches from the center and measured the same width on the burlap. Then I cut off the excess. The next thing that I did was I mixed a dark shade of green with white to make mint green. Once the entire jar had been coated, I set it aside to dry completely.
When the paint had dried, I got some glue and attached the burlap fabric to the center of the jar. Finally, I coated the entire jar, including the burlap fabric with Mod Podge and let it dry completely.
Industrial-The second jar’s inspiration are the concrete décor that I see so often on pinterest. This was actually a difficult redesign because the jar was painted black and I suspect that the paint originally used on it was poster paint because every time it stuck to something, the paint would chip or leach on to my white base coat. The plan was to paint everything gray and then dry brush it with black. I had to keep going back to it because of the chipped paint, but eventually, it did get to a point where everything was covered. I quickly brushed the jar with mod podge and that did the trick to seal everything.
Farmhouse-The third jar’s inspiration is another popular design theme—farmhouse. For this craft, you will need a bit of polymer clay. I wanted the jar to have this milk jug vibe so I fashioned handles for it using polymer clay. Once I created the shape of the handles, I baked the clay following the instructions on the packaging. Once the clay handles had been baked, I attach it to the sides of the jar with glue. Then, when it had dried, I painted everything white. Then, I dry brushed the entire jar with gray.
Pastel-And finally, I decided to do something pastel. Of the four, I have to say that this is my least favorite and only because the glue gun did not cooperate with me, and I couldn’t make straight, neat lines. I decided that I wanted to have some texture in this jar, and I thought that making the lines with the glue gun would work. In fairness, I still think that it would have worked, but I think that it would have looked better if I let my lines run along the entire jar.
And these are my four upcycled and redesigned jars. I hope you got some ideas on how to decorate your own clay pots.
Hi guys! Just wanted to give you a heads up. I’ve been fixing my website, and will thus be moving to tinystoriesandeventiniercrafts.com. So don’t get surprised to see my slightly new address. I will hopefully be posting more content in this new site, which is very exciting!
See you there!
Since time flies by so fast, might as well get ready for summer. Sharing with you today 4 summer colors–pale pink, watermelon pink, mint chip and Niagra blue.
For pale pink, mix 3 parts white, 1 part Fimo flesh and a sliver of Premo Accents in peacock pink.
For watermelon pink, use the same pale pink recipe and add 1/8th part Premo Accents in peacock pink and 1/8th part Sculpey III in Red Hot Red.
For mint chip green, mix 7/8th white clay with 1/8th Fimo peppermint. Then add a sliver of Fimo Effects in glitter green. Finally, I add gray granite to give a textured look.
For Niagra blue, combine the white clay and Fimo peppermint clay in the same proportion as the mint chip green. Then, add about a fourth of Fimo Effects in sapphire blue.
Tip: Remember to condition the clay until the colors are fully blended before adding a new color. This has helped me make fewer errors in matching colors.
It’s an exciting time for polymer clay. While many have just discovered this hobby, and are eager to splurge on what supplies they might need, I suggest checking out these 6 basic tools to start with when making clay earrings.
MAT
Being the owner of many craft-stained tables, I have come to realize the importance of using mats to protect my work surface.
While I myself now use a glass mat mounted on carboard, I began with just using a stiff plastic folder to roll my clay onto. Aside from glass mats, there are also silicon mats made specifically for clay. Whatever is available to you, know that the important thing is to prepare for a clean space where you can roll out your clay so that you don’t mix it with dirt, lint and other undesirables.
ROLLER
For a beginner, I wouldn’t necessarily suggest immediately buying a metal clay roller because good ones can cost a lot. When I started out, I used any plastic tube that I could find, and just made sure that I topped it with parchment paper. You can also use popsicle sticks to level the clay evenly.
BASIC CUTTERS
If you are jus starting, I recommend using basic metal cutters—they cut very cleanly and when combined, they can also make unique shapes.
DETAIL NEEDLE
Needles are a great way to add texture to your clay. I also use them to put holes on where my metal findings will go.
CLAY EXTRUDER
For this tool, I think there is no alternative, and you will need to buy one especially if you are still practicing making logs. While making snakes or logs can be done by hand evenly, it will take years of practice to actually master this.
PLIERS, CUTTERS, Etc.
And of course, if you are making earrings, you will need to attach your earring findings using pliers and cutters.
I hope that beginners will find something useful in this. Happy crafting!
Spring is upon us and as the flowers bloom, we get to experience the beauty of color.
Today, I’m sharing with you some of my own spring colors to use for your next polymer clay project. I am going to share with you how to make saffron, orange peel, denim blue and coral pink.
For saffron, you will need to mix: 1 part Sculpey white, 2 parts Fimo Sunflower and 1 part Fimo Soft Cognac.
For orange peel, you will need to mix: 1 part Sculpey white, 2 parts Fimo Sunflower, 1 part Fimo Soft Cognac and a sliver of Sculpey III Red Hot Red.
For denim blue, you will need to mix: 1 part Sculpey white, 2 parts Premo Turquoise and 1 part Sculpey III violet.
For coral pink, you will need to mix: 2 parts white, 2 parts Fimo Flesh and a sliver of Premo Effects Peacock Pearl.
I hope you have fun mixing your spring colors! For more polymer clay ideas, do check out my IG @crafttime.ph.
Happy crafting!
It’s been a while since I last shared a craft tutorial. Well, since it’s Christmas and I know a lot of us are trying to get smarter with our money because of this pandemic, I thought that for this year, I would only being making my own decor. In this tutorial, I want to share some very easy DIY projects with you.
This first one is just something that you can put around the house, on shelves, on coffee tables, basically, anywhere that can use a touch of Christmas.
Christmas Tin Can
You will need the following: a used and washed can (this one is from a canned good), Christmas ribbon (recycled, preferably), twine, burlap holly, plastic figs (from an old wreath perhaps), glue gun and plier.
I hope that you learned something from this tutorial! For the full tutorial, do head on to the Craft Time Studio – https://youtu.be/0A3n9SoLlh0
Tiny Stories and (even tinier) Crafts 