Category: Polymer Clay

Tools of the Trade

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Polymer Clay Tools with Parker by KatersAcres

Polymer Clay Tools from Every Department!

Polymer Clay Tools with Parker by KatersAcresMy tip for you today is a reminder of what you can use when working with polymer clay.  Working with polymer clay takes time, energy, and is the best reason to dig into every other craft & hobby out there!  My husband said to me one day while wading through every single aisle in my local Pat Catan’s, “why can’t you just crochet or something?”  I laughed because I knew exactly what he meant.  What he meant was that there’s a clay/sculpting aisle and we go down it to shop, but then I hit up the stamp section, knitting section, button & sewing aisles, plus the flower section, baking/cooking section, jewelry section, and eventually end up in the paints with a final trip through the clay aisle again (just in case I missed something).  What is it about clayers that makes this happen?
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Rubbing Alcohol & Using It to Clean Your Hands

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Get Rid of Clay Pigment Stains for Good by KatersAcres

Colorfast? Not really.

Get Rid of Clay Pigment Stains for Good by KatersAcresHave you ever sat down to to clay and accidentally mixed your colors?  I don’t mean mixing your colors on purpose either.  Last week I had just finished an entire batch of Parker characters.  My hands were stained yellow from the pigments in the clay.  So I did my usual, washed my hands and used baby wipes.  Well….that didn’t do the job apparently.  So here’s my polymer clay tip for the week.
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Polymer Clay Bead Making for Beginners

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Polymer Clay Bead Samples for Intro to Bead Making for Beginners by KatersAcres

Polymer Clay Bead Samples for Intro to Bead Making for Beginners by KatersAcres

Polymer Clay Beads

Introduction to Bead Making for Beginners

This fall is bringing something new to Kater’s Acres, classes! That’s right. We’ve been hired as the instructor for polymer clay beads, buttons, sculpting, and everything clay related.  I will also be offering private lessons and classes in Parker’s NEW studio beginning the second week in September.  Read the details below… Continue reading Polymer Clay Bead Making for Beginners

Hard Clay Blending Technique

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Easy Blend Polymer Clay Technique by KatersAcres

Easy Blend Polymer Clay Technique by KatersAcres

Hard Clay? No Problem!

My Easy Blending Polymer Clay Tip No Special Tools Required

One of the things that every clayer struggles with at times is rock hard clay.  Clay that does nothing but snap, break, and never get soft.  The easiest answer to this problem is a food processor.  But, you may not have a food processor and that’s okay.

Today’s polymer clay tip will show you how to become friends with your clay, warm it up, soften it, make it malleable again, and even blend it to perfect.  In fact, with this easy polymer clay tip, you don’t need any special tools or machines.  You only need your hands, clay blade, acrylic roller and pasta machine.

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Trina’s Clay Creations

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Thank You, Trina

It is with sadness that I do this artist feature on Trina’s Clay Creations.  Why is this sad you might ask? Almost 2 years ago, Etsy created “Teams.” From the outset, I began an all polymer clay team, The PCETeam (Polymer Clay Enthisiasts) of Etsy.  I sought out inspiring artists of different clay disciplines to aid in the creation, growth, and promotion of our mutual love, polymer clay.  One of those people that I was blessed enough to meet was Trina Prenzi.  She has a natural sculpting ability with clay that is immediately noticeable. Her fine attention to detail and adorable whimsical creations is uncanny. It has been my honor to know her, work with her, & feature her today.

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Floss Box Clay Storage Solution

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Polymer Clay Storage Solutions by KatersAcres

Polymer Clay Storage Solutions by KatersAcres

Clay storage is a challenge for any clayer, especially when 80% of clayers are working in a space the size of a closet. One of the hardest things about having a small studio is having adequate space to store things in, especially blocks, more blocks, and pounds of clay.  This is especially hard for me, a clayer, who may need multiple brands of clay, custom blends, inclusions, etc.  Today I’m going to share with you how I store my opened packs of polymer clay, the clay that is constantly being used.
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Using Lotion with Polymer Clay

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Polymer Clay Tip - Use Lotion First from KatersAcres

Using Lotion with Polymer Clay

Polymer Clay Tip - Use Lotion First from KatersAcres

POLYMER CLAY TIP OF THE DAY

Haven’t you ever noticed how after claying all day (or part of the day) your hands are dried out, your cuticles begin to tear, and you get a large amount of hangnails?  This is because the clay (though non-toxic and gentle) takes the moisture that is in your hands and absorbs it…all of it.
This being said, there are several things that I have on my studio table at all times.

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Repurpose X-acto Blades Using Scrap Polymer Clay

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 Repurpose X-acto Blades Into a Great New Tool

Repurpose x-acto blades? Absolutely you can do that! This simple and quick tip had a huge response in last week’s email, twitter, & even on FaceBook.  It was shared, retweeted, and commented on more times that any previous tip I had posted. So today I will show you how you can take that old, grungy, and slightly beat up old cutting blade and repurpose x-acto blades into something more useful.

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Embossing with Powders a Polymer Clay Tutorial

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Embossing with Powders a Polymer Clay Tutorial

Have you ever taken the time to emboss something on your clay?  I love to emboss patterns, stamps, and whatever kind of texture “catches” me at that moment.  I love the crisp, clean, almost effortless and yet professional look it gives to my pieces.  One of the hardest things for me however, is embossing with powders (i.e.: Pearl ex, Perfect Pearls, etc).  A lot of clayers have problems with this as well.

I’ve read many articles that say you should slightly dampen your stamps first.  *Sigh*  This still didn’t help me.  The result was half on and half off, dark in some places and not in others, you get the idea…I just wasn’t happy with the results.  And I always emboss things…so I needed a solution that was quick, easy, and stress free.

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No Such Thing as Scrap Clay Tutorial

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Polymer Clay Blocks

No Such Thing As Scrap Clay

Polymer Clay Blocks

You’ve heard it said many times in polymer clay books, in tutorials, and most likely many other places that there is “no such thing as scrap clay.”  But there’s a trick to gaining usable scrap clay and not just a mess of murky, brown, dirty ugliness. Continue reading No Such Thing as Scrap Clay Tutorial

Polymer Clay Mokume Gane Tutorial

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 Skill Level: Basic Knowledge of Polymer Clay

Minimum Supplies Needed: Basic Supplies & 1 Cup of Coffee

Time to make 1 Mokume Gane Loaf: Approximately 45 minutes

This is a great polymer clay tutorial that has many uses. Mokume gane can be used in beads, projects, jewelry, covering, and even as a background for textured and embossed pieces. Mokume gane is versatile and offers hundreds of color combinations, color palettes, and unique design patters, that you can not simply plan. Thanks for join us for this polymer clay tutorial. Read our other polymer clay tutorials here.

These are the basic supplies you will need:

Blades, needle tools, ball tipped tools, and other tools to indent your clay, as well as a piece of cardstock or other paper to work on, and a pasta machine.

And don’t forget the most important: a cup of coffee. Continue reading Polymer Clay Mokume Gane Tutorial

10 Polymer Clay Tips & Tricks

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Polymer Clay Tips from KatersAcres

As with all things in life, we pick some things up and get good at them…and yet with other things we need help.  I am a 100% self taught polymer clay artist.  I have never taken a class on sculpting, pottery, drawing or anything else.  I have purchased several polymer clay books and use several very religiously.  But over the past 3 years, I have learned many things about working with polymer clay.  Today I will share with you 10 hints, tips, & tricks for working with polymer clay that you may not already know.

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Polymer Clay Tutorial: Christmas Whimsical Lightbulb

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DIY Polymer Clay Christmas Bulb

Just In Time for the Holidays

DIY Polymer Clay Christmas Bulb

Polymer Clay Tutorial:

Whimsical Christmas Lightbulb Ornament

Skill Level: Basic Knowledge of Polymer Clay

Minimum Supplies Needed: Basic Supplies & 1 Cup of Coffee

Time to make 1 ornament: Approximately 20 minutes from start until ready to bake

First thing is first: Get a cup of coffee!!

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