Halloween Polymer Clay Coverd Candy Tins Tutorial

    In my never ending search for fun new ways to recycle old containers. Here is a very simple way to recycle an old mint tin and candy containers into something useful.

    The first thing I did was to condition the clay with the pasta machine.  I put it through about ten times to get it nice and soft.  This is to make it easier to imprint onto the clay.  

    For the Halloween Candy Boxes, I just went ahead and covered the pre-sanded containers with the clay and then used a knitting needle to imprint lines on them (see below for details).  

• For the Pumpkin, I added polymer clay eyeballs and some tiny spiders.
• For the moon light pumkin patch, I shaped balls of clay into pumkins and used the knitting needle to make the appropriate markings.  I made the bat shape and moon the same way.  I used the Jacquard mica powder to highlight areas of the pumpkin patch.  Then I  baked them in the oven (craft oven...not food oven) for the time specified by the polymer clay manufacturer. Once it was done baking, I let it cool for a while

For the Altoid Container:

The I took one of my rubber stamps and pushed it (image side down) onto the clay.  I carefully removed the rubber stamp.

Then I took the empty "Altoid" mint container and sanded it down.  This is done to make the surface adhere better to the clay.  Then I put a coat of "Lisa Pavelka's Poly Bonder" which is glue that is geared for use on polymer clay.  I placed the polymer clay (image side up) onto the mint box.  I cut off the excess clay and finished off the edges.

Then I added some flat rhinestones, a little brush of mica powder and baked it in the oven (craft oven...not food oven) for the time specified by the polymer clay manufacturer. Once it is done baking, let it cool for a while. Then add a chain or string.  There you have it, a quick and easy polymer clay project.

Fun Things You Can Make with Polymer Clay

A friend recently asked me if I had any ideas of how she could use up some polymer clay that she received as a gift.  Well, following are but a few of the things I showed her that she could make with that box of clay she had sitting around.

Polymer clay mask with pearl and rhinestone embellishments

The first Item is a mask made with polymer clay and accented with sand, pearls, and glitter.  Additionally, I covered a pair of shoes with polymer clay to match the mask.  What the heck, you can never have too many costume components available for last minute costume needs, especially polymer clay shoes.

Polymer clay covered shoe.  I used a "Fredericks Of Hollywood" shoe because

it had a wood base that could be baked.

Another fun thing you can do with clay is to make accessories to match or compliment your hats, purse or clothing.  Polymer clay jewelry is becoming more and more popular because of the versatility of the clay.  The polymer clay sea horse necklace below is made using one of the Kathy Davis molds.  I made it in under 30 minutes (including baking time).

The earrings below are made of polymer clay to match the hat.  This is such an easy polymer clay project.  I just used a little black polymer clay and a little white polymer clay to cover an earring base.  The dots were cut out with straws to match the size of the dots on the hat.  Then I baked the earrings, in accordance with the manufacturers directions.

Polymer clay earrings made to match visor.

Making polymer clay jewelry is fun and a great way to give personalized gifts to friends.  Depending on the tools you use, it can be fairly inexpensive and provides a great creative outlet.

If you have pets, how about making a cute ornament featuring a photo of them.  Simple and fun!  This would be a great kids craft to make on one those rainy days in winter.

polymer clay christmas ornament

Taking the polymer clay ornament idea a step further, below is a beauty shot from an episode I filmed for HGTV's Carol Duvall Show, where I demonstrated how to make simple polymer clay photo pins.

You can even make dog jewelry. Just make sure it is well made with safety in mind.  You would not want your best fur friend to choke on the jewelry.  The picture below of of my dog with a hair ornament that I designed for a magazine article.

The  bracelet below, made by gourd artist Diane Calderwood,  is another very easy and fun project for the beginner polymer clay enthusiast.

The ideas are endless.  All you need is some good books, some clay, some basic tools and a dedicated toaster oven to bake the clay in.
For those who are inspired to try more, I highly recommend "Polymer Clay and Mixed Media" by Christi Friesen.  This book takes you to the next level of creativity and the projects are fabulous!  She is a fabulous artist and creates the loveliest things from clay.

She also has some fabulous books that are not on Amazon but can be purchased directly from her at www.cforiginals.net.

She shows some very cool techniques to create all types of animals, beads and jewelry.

The other applications for polymer clay are endless.  I recently got to view the beautiful costume work by artist, Strider Weston, who designs costumes and jewelry pieces.  She created an affordable line of jewelry in polymer clay for those folks who want add a bit of pizzaz to the costumes without spending a small fortune.

Above is one of her polymer clay creations,  it is a polymer clay shoulder pin that can be used to position a tartan or for an accent on an upper middle class costume.  She loves to use other elements in her pieces like precious stones, pearls, metals, etc.  

Strider's designs are based on different inspirations and venues.  The use of polymer clay makes her designs more affordable to a larger group of enthusiasts.  And since polymer clay is not heavy, it is the perfect medium for fantasy character costume pieces, like the polymer clay head piece above.

Below are some more items made from polymer clay.  The first is a polymer clay dragon ornament made by Kathy Davis (she has done articles for various magazines and appeared on television).  She teachers polymer clay and metal clay classes at different locations, including Piecemakers in Costa Mesa, California.

This next item is one of those plastic eggs that they sell at easter time.  It has a predrilled hole on both ends of the egg which make it perfect for baking.  I was given this one by a member of the Orange County Polymer Clay Guild, who combined different colors of polymer clay to create this fun mosaic effect.

Someone asked me to post how I made one of my polymer clay jewelry pieces that was easy and quick to do.  Below are the directions of how I made the gold and black polymer clay cuff.

Directions:

I used a soda can as a baking base.  Then I pre-condition two different colors of polymer clay and cut them to fit around the soda can, which happens to be the same width as my wrist.  I used various cutters from "Makins Clay" and other brands to cut out shapes on the cuff.  This is a super easy polymer clay project that requires a minimum of tools.

Added some rhinestones and baked the polymer clay according to the manufacturers directions.

So what do you make with polymer clay?  I recommend any of Christi Friesen's books on polymer clay. Her step by step instructions and photos are so easy to follow that you will have fun results right away.

Disclaimer

Memory Wire Bracelet

Memory bracelet project.

I have found that a great way to work off stress (besides exercising) is making something. That always works for me. So this week I decided to post one my "quick and easy" bracelets that I made from materials I had stashed in a drawer.

Here is the list of supplies that I used:

memory wire (Bead Heaven)
assorted beads (Bead Heaven)
round nose pliers
flat nose pliers

Here are the directions on how to make it:

Take the memory wire. Use a wire cutter to cut it to suit your taste and wrist size. Then using the round nose pliers, form a small loop at one end. Load the beads in a pleasing manner. Then finish by forming a small loop at the other end (with the round nose pliers). There you have it.

Remember to file the ends of the memory wire so it does not snag on your clothing or you.  The same project can be made with recycled beads you have on hand.  Or you can felt an old sweater and make some fun beads out of it....then use the above as an inspiration to create something even more fun.

Below is a picture of the another memory wire bracelet using purple glass beads from Bead Heaven.

Knitting with Copper Wire & Glass Beads

While I sit enjoying the beginning of fall, I realized that the weather is perfect for knitting with copper. The copper wire can be tricky to work with but the finished result is well worth the effort. The purse below is one that I knitted for a "Fire Mountain Gems and Beads" ad. It is made with copper wire, glass beads, and the purse frame. All the supplies can be purchased from "Fire Mountain Gems and Beads", except for the knitting needles.




As you can guess, this purse weighs quite a bit due to the heavy glass beads and wire. So if you want to make a lighter one, use different beads.

Hint: I recommend working with metal needles in the size to suit the wire and beads. Also, string the beads on to the wire before you start knitting. Work in a warm environment of at least 80 degrees or higher. This helps the wire be more pliable and avoid breakage. It can be a challenging moment to recover from snapping the wire in the middle of a row.

There are some fabulous books out there on knitting with wire, I have added a few links below but you can always check it out for yourself at your local craft store.

Getty Inspired Wire Necklace

So how does the shape of a building inspire a person? Well, the wonderful lines of the Getty buildings and patterning inspired the flow of a wire wrapped necklace. Here is the final look of the piece. See if you can see the relation between the photo of the Getty and the necklace.

Blue Sonnet Necklace

One of the many designs that I accomplished. I made this one for Halcraft Beads using a variety of their beads. This was a very simply and quick project to make.