Tips After scanning Pinterest for new craft projects, you saw a lot of boards dedicated to polymer clay projects. Cute little pendants shaped like donuts and pizza slices made you very excited; you decided that the next month’s projects were going to be all about making foodie pendants—what fun!
As usual, the DIY instructions for the clay pendants made it seem WAAAAY easier than it really was. The donut you made ended up looking like a wonky spaghetti O, not cute. When a crafting project doesn’t come out as expected, it’s pretty frustrating. To spend all that time making something that you just end up scrapping feels like a big waste of time. Are you really going to post the DIY fail on your blog? Heck no!
If you’re going to work with polymer clay again, you’ll need the tools and accessories to get your next project done right the first time. Here are seven tips and tricks to help you on your way.
- Sculpey Style Tool Kit: A poor workman blames his tools, but when you don’t have the tools to work with, getting your clay projects detailed to your exact plans isn’t exactly easy. A Sculpey Style Tool Kit includes a clay knife, clay roller, textured roller and detail tool to help you cut, form and stylize your clay pieces. You can only get so far using your hands and an exacto knife.
- Clay Cutter Set: Shaping the clay in the palm of your hands is a great way to warm up the clay and get it more pliable, but if you want to create a particular shape, like a square, raindrop or heart, doing so by hand can be a bit tricky. Like sugar cookie cutters, clay cutter sets are molded into specific shapes for clay creations. Do you want to make a “best friends” pendant necklace? You can make perfectly shaped hearts, stars or flowers out of your clay using the clay cutter.
- Texture Sheets: Smooth surfaces can get to be a little drab after a while of working with the clay medium. To really make your polymer clay project pop, pressing a textured sheet firmly on top of the sheet will add a dynamic and interesting pattern to your creation.
- Casting Jewelry Molds: If you’re a beginner looking to make beads or pendants out of your clay, try using a reusable jewelry mold. All you have to do is press the clay into the mold and then remove it carefully. It’s very easy to do and you’ll come away with fabulous jewelry designs.
- Chalk Pastels: After making your project, you’ll want to spice it up with color. You don’t need to use paint to do this. Just grind up some chalk pastels and using a paintbrush apply it to the surface of the clay. After the powder (and before baking!) you will set the pastel powder using a polymer clay gaze.
- Sculpey Clay Glaze: As mentioned directly above, you will need clay glaze to seal the pastel powder you apply. Even if you don’t apply another color to the clay, the glaze will give the project a glossy, finished look.
- Clay rolling pin: You can only press the palm of your hand down into the clay so many times. Even after laying and smoothing out the clay by hand, the surface is often still uneven and the clay thinner is some areas than others. A clay rolling pin will help you smooth out the clay and give you a nice even texture.
