Resources Page: 96 |
IKEA Greenhouse: I found this web site which I thought might interest those of you that were talking about the IKEA greenhouse. Some interesting ideas here! http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/5842/page2.htm Gail |
Dollhouse Plans: I found more dollhouse plans than I knew there were plus all the ones I knew there were! Anyway, the site is http://www.dollhouseminiatures.com/info/plans.htm. It's a huge site but this address goes directly to the dollhouse plans. Mary Lynne Simpson in Huntington, WV |
Chrome-colored Paint on Clay: Polymer clay doesn't react well with most finishes that are petroleum based. The finish will remain tacky due to a chemical reaction between the plasticizers in the clay and the solvent in the varnish or paint. Water-based varnishes cause no interaction with the clay. There are two spray brands that will work on polymer clay, too. They are Carnival Arts Ultraglaze and Krylon's Matte Spray Coating. Both need to be sprayed on in a very light single coat. These are clear coatings though, not chrome. Even some nail polishes stay sticky on polymer clay, so always test before you coat a finished piece of clay work. I think that I would try a test piece of clay, with a clear coat of either water-based varnish or even thinned down tacky glue. Then try spraying with your chrome paint and see if the physical barrier of the clear coat will prevent the undesirable chemical reaction. Tere |
Polymer Clay Sites: Here are some neat sites on Polymer Clay (Fimo, Sculpey and others): http://www.heaser.demon.co.uk/sue/suetemp.htm http://www.delphi.com/polymerclay/pcc/opening.html http://www.yeoldouthouse.com/clayhints.html Peggy |
Clay Cutters: Try http://www.dickblick.com for clay cutters. I have also purchased them from Michael's as well as at http://www.polymerclayshoppe.com. Louise in NC |
Kemper Cutters: The web site I discovered for Kemper Cutters is on http://www.pannikins.com under supplies. Jerlean in Las Vegas |
Model Magic and clean hands: Try using either baby wipes or cheap hand lotion to clean your hands before and between colors of Fimo. That takes the colors off better than anything I have found. The Crayola, I think, is a paper clay and, as such, is great for breads, cakes, and things that have texture. I have not used the Crayola but have used several of the paper clays and found them great for this. It can be colored for cake layers or non-white bread loaves with craft paints! Laura Redman |
Painting Polymer Clay: Recently, I began experimenting with sculpting animals for the first time. There is a new book out by Katherine Dewey. It is fabulous and describes, in wonderful detail, sculpting of polymer clay animals. See her work here:http://www.elvenwork.com/ She recommends a polymer paint. I went to a model train store and picked up several bottles of acrylic model paint. I wanted to try it before reporting results to you. Well here are my results - WOW! WOW! WOW! I have been using a regular acrylic paint for all of my dolls and it worked well, but not so well when I tried to use it on animal sculptures. Details like razor fine hairs of cats and dogs were almost obliterated when I painted them with my usual paint. The model paint pigment is ultra fine. Spreads into the tiny details, keeps its vibrancy, and every nuance of the sculpture is enhanced! Try it! Lyn Trenary |
Plates: Recently there have been several people asking about plates, so I thought I would contribute. I make plates and bowls from a two part clay that we can get in South Africa. It is similar to Prattley's putty that is used for fixing car parts. However, in England, I think Milliput would be the closest. Otherwise, air drying clay such as Das, which is available in white, would do the trick and maybe now Paper Clay. These instructions are for the two-part clay. I take a pea-sized piece of each clay and mix the two together thoroughly. I then roll it between 2 pieces of wax wrap, on a tile, using a glass as a rolling pin. This gets the clay smooth and thin. I take my mold, which is usually a lid of some sorts, and put a THIN layer of Vaseline as a release agent. I lay my clay over it and use my craft knife to cut off the excess. I smooth edges with a "wet" finger. (Sorry, nothing else works!) I leave these to dry overnight and then pop them off their molds. I wash them with HOT soapy water to remove any Vaseline residue. A light sanding smoothes off any rough edges and imperfections. I make colour photocopies of plates reduced to the right size. They must be full face on, bright and clear. Of course, if you want a dinner service, and not just plates to hang on the wall, then you must make bowl-size copies and side-plate-sized copies, as well. I paint these with decoupage transfer medium, leave to dry and then cut them out VERY accurately. I then soak them overnight or longer (they take no harm left for weeks). Meanwhile, I paint the back of the plates with decoupage deco varnish to give the back a finished look. I rub the paper off the back of the photocopied plates, leaving a thin transfer. I slide this onto the wet plates with deco varnish, position it, smooth out any bubbles with a wet brush and then leave them to dry. Three coats of deco varnish, with drying time between, finish them off with a shiny finish. They are very addictive and you end up making far more than you need, even given the fact that my dolls house inhabitant collects antique plates! Barbara Brear in South Africa |
Baking clay: How do you know if the items you make from modeling compounds are baked enough? Good question, because all ovens whether regular or toaster ovens, bake differently. I presume that you know to bake clay items at anywhere from 250 degrees to 350 degrees F. To test YOUR oven for the correct temperature, do this: Take a kneaded piece of scrap modeling compound, perhaps 1/2" by 1/2". Shape it irregularly and bake at 275 degrees for ten minutes. Remember that modeling compounds, when taken from the oven, are still soft and harden as they cool. When the piece is cool, slice with an X-acto knife. If it crumbles or even just has a whitish cast to the cut side, you must adjust the temperature of your oven to a higher setting. Another way to test is this: When piece is cool, paint it with a clear gloss and let dry. If the gloss stays tacky, your piece was not baked Hot enough and LONG enough. I will be adding this information to the ALL ABOUT MODELING COMPOUNDS pages, at WORKSHOP at my website. http://www.pannikins.com/ Mary Eccher |
eBay: If I see an item on eBay I am interested in and the shipping is out of line for the weight of the item, I just simply do not bid on it. It just tells me that they are also making money on the shipping. Also, if I see an item which is priced rather high to start out with and they say "no reserve," I figure that is what they would normally charge for the item and if they get more then so much the better, but they still do not lose if it sells for the opening price. If you are doing much shopping on eBay, it would be worth it to get one of those big catalogs for miniatures and then you could reference it to see if the item is overpriced. Elizabeth Cooper |
Sending Photos to eBay: I like to start with http://www.auctionwatch.com They offer free image hosting and you can launch your auctions from there to eBay! Their site is pretty easy to figure out, too. Register as a user. Click on "Auction Manager," then on "Image Hosting." It will let you browse on your computer to find the images you want to download to AuctionWatch. After downloading your images, you can click on quot;Create Auction." Then you can select eBay as your auction site and AuctionWatch will step you through creating your auction. #1 is your item title, #2 is your item description, #3 is your image (picture) (don't forget this part!), #4 is shipping info (if you need any more shipping info), #5 is to continue to where you put in your quantity, starting bid, reserve, etc. Then you just select to launch your auction now or you can schedule when you want it to start. It really is super easy! Sonia |
Auction Help: There's a nifty website that assists putting stuff on auction sites. http://www.auctionwatch.com It's cheap (read free), easy to follow and even lets you track all your online auctions at one place. Carrie |
Cernit Clay: Wenzel Minis sells cernit on their website at http://www.cernit.com/cernfram.htm They have 2.3 oz bars for $1.80 plus shipping. Looks like they've got lots of colors available, including the Glamour and Neon colors. They also sell larger blocks of the doll making colors. The site also has some tips for using Cernit and an artist's showcase. Tere Perry |
Cernit: You can find it at www.cernit.com Valerye |
eBay: I always check Dee's catalog to make sure the item isn't in there - why pay more for something than what it's worth? Quality is a difficult one to judge. Sometimes taking a look at the picture over several days helps. I always ask what the dimensions are if not listed. I've purchased a few items that said "to scale" but they weren't. They were "mini," yes, but not to scale. Some don't know. It's just something they found or were given. Shipping - $6.00 and it was shipped for $.55 - yikes! I usually write the person before I bid and ask: if the shipping price is firm or could they send it first class instead of priority? If they charge a handling fee - forget it! One person told me that he is charged for shipping and handling ($5.00) so he couldn't lower the shipping charge, so I didn't bid. Marsha |
Tools: For anyone looking for a huge variety of tools to work with i.e. scissors, tweezers, files, that sort of thing, this is a good place to go. http://www.widgetsupply.com/ They also carry Dremel accessories and jeweler's tools. I'm not associated with them, but have ordered from them. My order came on time and was complete. The prices are very reasonable, or at least I thought so. Circle cutter: The circle cutter at Michaels looks similar to that which I bought through Creative Memories (the memory book shop-at-home folks). I LOVE this product, and don't know how I EVER did without something like this for making prom decorations, etc. Yes, you can use it on cardboard, foamcore, etc. It takes a little scoring but VERY effective. Inside is a little knife cutter that you break the knife nibs off of as they dull. Then you simply replace with a cheap new one inside the cutter. Wendy, Elk Grove, CA |
Videos on Tools Usage: Dean Jensen emailed me and told me about the Anker videos on small power tools he used to sell that are carried by Smaller Than Life now. Quinn |
Tools: I use the pliers and they are great. His address is: Ron Stetkewicz 518-622-8311 Rosemarie Torre |
Repairng Older Dremels: I have located a company that may be able to repair older Dremel tools. I understand it is not associated with Dremel Corp, but run by a relative of the man who invented the MotoTool. A catalog is available at no charge. Dremel Repairs, 4631 East Sunny Dunes, Palm Springs, CA 92264 619/327-3003 http://www.dremel.com Dean Jenson |
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