Up Next in Vol-019 – Extruder Canes, Cord Ends, Faux Bone/Ivory

1: Extr Flower Cane
2: Wire Cord Ends
3: Faux Ivory and Bone
4: Carved Beads

Man, December sure snuck up fast this year! But you know what they say… time flies when you're having fun!

And along with each new month, comes a new Volume of video tutorials in the Polymer Clay Library. The upcoming set to be posted in December 2009 is Vol-019. These videos are released on Friday mornings to help get you in the mood for a spending some fun time on the weekend playing with your polymer clay.

Cindy, I so look forward to my Fridays. My husband knows where to find me!! at my computer eager to try everything you show. There aren't enough hours in my day. Thank you!!!! ~Sandra-G

Here's What's Coming up in December (Volume-019):

Volume 019-1 Extruder Flower Canes: Probably the easiest flower cane you will ever make. This idea originally created by Nathalie of France and then adapted by Galina of Russia, is so cool it will have you 'cranking out' the millefiori flower beads in no time! There are some tips and tricks to getting this technique right, but it is easy once you know what they are. More info here: Clay Extruder Flower Mod Canes – A New and Innovative Technique

Volume 019-2 Wire Cord Ends: As makers of polymer clay beads, there comes a time when you need to string your beads up into jewelry. Making your own cord ends will not only save you money and the time it takes to buy them, but it will also give your pieces a unique one of a kind look. These useful findings can be made in a variety of sizes and can be used with cord, leather, ribbon, silk, hemp or whatever heavy stringing material you choose. To see a close-up shot of this unique finding click here: Men's Jewelry Bracelet

Volume 019-3 Faux Ivory/Bone: Probably the coolest thing about polymer clay, is its ability to imitate so many other materials. One natural material it imitates very well is Ivory and Bone. This technique is not only easy and fun to do, but it is also makes wonderful realistic looking faux carved bone beads which are excellent for unisex jewelry pieces.

Volume 019-4 Carved Beads: Do you love the look of carved beads made of bone, ivory, wood and other materials? Then you are going to love these beads! They are easy, fun and go great with tribal and ethnic styled jewelry. It's way safer than doing real carving too. Do you want to know the secret carving tool?… A plastic lid from a Bic pen! You'll be surprised at the ancient looking beads you can create with such a modern and simple tool!

Love the extruder flower cane technique and yes yes yes would love a video the sooner the better. I am trying to get a lot of beads made right now so the easier a method the better for me. This idea looks so promising. You amaze me more and more Cindy. Please try to fit this in soon. Beading away. ~Peggy-B

Please please please do a tutorial on cord ends! I have 4 sons and they all love surf bracelets just like you have shown. I would love the opportunity to make something for them and this is the only jewellery item that they would wear. It is getting very hot here (Australia) and surf bracelets made with polymer clay and embellished with Bali silver beads would be the perfect gifts at Christmas! Look forward to the tutorial. ~Cara-L

The following is a story about faux ivory and bone that I wanted to add in here. No… I don't want you to try and repeat it for obvious reasons as you will soon see. But it just goes to show that even when you mess up, there is always a silver lining… err… make that, an ivory lining :-)

Hi Cindy. I told ya I'd be lurking didnt I? LOL! Anyhoo, have I ever burned any clay? Oh boy, you betcha!! A loooong long time ago, I was making some faux ivory/bone beads and I worked for hours texturing and getting them all just right. Then I popped them in my nice "new" oven, set my timer, and went off to do other things. Well to make a long story short, my timer never got a chance to go off because the cloud of smoke in my kitchen called me first. Whooo what a stink! I pulled the tray out quick and dashed them outside and spent 2 hours airing out my house. That taught me to never trust an oven you haven't tested first. Then I inspected the beads and found a strange result. Only one side had really burned badly. All rough and charred looking and very dark brown. But the side facing down to the tray had only turned a darker ivory color with no bubbling. And the pattern of texturing could be seen all around the bead still, even on the burned side. To me they looked very much like carved bone that had been in a fire. Really old and kind of mysterious. So I kept them and made a bracelet that still gets me comments on what they are and where I got them. Not a technique I would recommend repeating though. I too have COPD and asthma, and it was not a good thing to experience at all. Now I have a countertop convection oven dedicated to clay only, and the temp stays right where I set it. Plus I always use an oven thermometer since that day. XOXO ~Jaime-H

I'm a big fan of the faux's. ~Ken-H

I hope you enjoy the new Volume-019 video tutorials! Preview clips of each tutorial will be posted here at the blog, usually on Monday or Tuesday in advance of the Full Friday release date.

Also don't forget about the great new color recipe palettes that will be available during the month of December:

• Vol-019-A Series (for paid members):
  Coleus Leaf Polymer Clay Color Palette (Premo Sculpey)
• Vol-019-B Series (free for everyone):
  Blue Spruce Polymer Clay Color Palette (Premo Sculpey)

Here's the link to Become a member at the Polymer Clay Library if you are interested. It's really, really great value :-)

Cindy – As I got into polymer clay a year ago, every time I looked for a tutorial, your site popped up. I resisted joining for a long time, who knows why. For the last few months it has been such fun to work with you! Every time I see a new video I get great new ideas from you. This week, using the right pearl clay, and using a rounded bottle for the [Mica Shift] cutting were inspirational. Thanks so much! ~Jacqui-T