Polymer Play Days - Nottingham - June 2010 - using the techniques at home

Here are some things I have made at home this week after learning some techniques from Donna Kato and Lindly Haunani at Polymer Play Days.

I had another go at a spinner ring and was a bit heavy handed and broke the shank - luckily Donna had taught us a lot about mending so I fixed it! It isn't perfect but I know what I need to do to make the next one better. This one is a more practical size than my first and I think if I could make it stick out a bit less (I have a idea how to do that) I would actually wear it. I am getting bold in my jewellery these days!

Side view of spinner ring

front view of spinner ring

 I finished off my bubbles sheets that I started in Lindly's class and made some things from it. A coaster - a trial for a coaster swap I am taking part in on PCC and a Bam bam bracelet. I will definitely put beads between the 2 parts of my next bam bam bracelet (I think I said that last time too - I need someone to remind me - Toni where are you when I need you?)

bubbles coaster

bubbles bam bam bracelet

I have a million ideas in my head of things I would like to make and things I want to try with polymer clay - I just need more hours in the day!

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend

Polymer Play Days - Nottingham - June 2010 - more photos

Here are a few more photos of my creations

Spinner Ring I made in Donna Kato's class

Bubbles patterned sheet I made in Lindly Hanuani's class

Hollow balls made in Daniel Torres Mancera's class

A fizzy ball (you'll understand if you were there;)

Polymer Play Days - Nottingham - June 2010 - WOW!

WOW! What a totally fabulous weekend. I was very excited about going but the event surpassed all my hopes and expectations. I met some fabulous new people (who know what polymer clay is - hurrah! ;), I attended 6 brilliant classes and learned so much. I made some stuff I am really proud off. It was amazing to be able to spend all day doing nothing but playing with clay in good company. A huge thank you to Helen and all the others involved for making this event happen!

Here is my first batch of photos  - plenty more to follow but I can't wait to try some of these things again so I am going to play with clay instead of play with photos just now.

What I made in Natalia Garcia de Leaniz's class

What I made in Alison Gallant's class

What I made in Sylvie Peraud's class

I couldn't wait to try this again so had a go that night in my hotel room!

Melting pens

I have been looking for some pens to cover with polymer clay and couldn't find the Bic stics that I know from people in the states are oven friendly. I tried out a few brands - without clay (having already learnt the hard way!) and they all deformed even at 115oC. I asked for help on the PCC forum and Tonja was able to suggest using some papermate pens - PaperMate Flexgrip Elite and PaperMate Flexigrip Ultra in capped rather than retractable models. I couldn't find either of those with caps either - only retractable.

I widened my trials and melted many a pen in the oven but I can conclude the following pens are safe for 115oC (Fimo curing).

• Papermate Comfortmate - capped ball pen (this also comes in retractable but haven't tried those)
• Papermate 2000 Stick
• Papermate Flexigrip Elite (I had the retractable ones cause I couldn't find the capped ones and only tested the barrel)
• Bic round stic ( I found some in a pound shop - hurrah!)
• Bic soft feel retractable pen but you can take the retractable part out and it is only the very end cap
• Staples own brand metal barrelled roller ball pen with cap - cost about £1.99

 
The following pens melt/distort in a 115oC oven

• Staedtler Sticks
• Reynolds by papermate
• Staples own - Sonix ball point stick pens
• Staples own cushiongrip ball point pens (retractable)
• Papermate 2020 Stick

Hope that helps and I hope to be able to show you some covered pens soon

Very excited!

I am not sure how I have failed to mention this on my blog before but I am off to Polymer Play Days in Nottingham next week! Being a mother of 2 small children it is a real treat to be able to escape and have 3 days of pure polymer clay! I am looking forward to learning some new techniques, meeting some people I have met online in person and spending time with other people who actually know what polymer clay is! ( I am trying to educate the people around me ;)

I have been making beads for the bead swap which is part of this event along with 6 workshops. I am so indecisive I couldn't decide what to make at all so I have a large selection. I just hope there is something to interest everyone. I'll give you a sneak preview

 Can't wait to tell you all about it and show you the things I make in the workshops!

White flower green background

White flower green background
Originally uploaded by surfingcat clay

My latest flower cane. I wanted something to cover some yellow aluminium crochet hooks and thought about making a sunflower cane. Somehow I ended up making white daisy type of flower with a green background in Fimo Soft (I usually use Kato these days as it gives much neater results in cane work for me). Strange how you end up doing something completely different at times.

It's quite a jolly little cane, if not perfect and I am using it to cover my crochet hooks.

Patterned sheet swap

I am currently taking part in a patterned sheet swap held on PCC forum. This is a 2 part swap. The first was to make some patterned sheets and the second is to cover an object/objects with the patterned sheets you receive.

I didn't take a picture of my sheets but they were something like this. You can see them and all the other sheets sent in for the swap here on Barbara the host's flickr set (thanks Barbara for hosting and sharing these pictures ;)

Here are the sheets I received. I have until Saturday to do something with them so I had better get busy! I have a few ideas but want to make sure I really use them to their best advantage. I will post some pictures here when I have used them.