“Oh boy! I
didn’t know we
were going to get this Agate
tutorial so soon. I know I’m
gonna love this one!”
~Linda-K
On June 15th, I posted an introductory preview clip for my Faux Agate Beads tutorial. Today, the full version of this video lesson (Vol-025-3) is available for viewing at the Polymer Clay Members Library. Here is the link: Faux Agate Technique for Making Domed Coin Shaped Beads
For anyone who is not yet a paid member, if you did not know, the cost works out to only $3.32 per month. This gives you 24/7 access to the full versions of my Friday video tutes. Plus you also receive four A-series color recipe cards. This week’s color is: Mother Nature (3A) from the Forget-Me-Not Polymer Clay Color Palette.
Hi Cindy, As well as being thoroughly enjoyable, your videos are very well made, concise and to the point. Your explanations and demonstrations are very clear and you always offer little extras. Instructions are easy to follow – I also think your beginner’s course is so thorough that it’s relatively easy to progress quickly once you’ve been through it. So, more of the same please and more advanced techniques would be welcome. In terms of improvements, I can honestly say that there is little that comes to mind, you’re doing such a great job. I occasionally have a question but I usually find the answer in one of your videos or in the member benefits question and answer sections. I only just started applying what I’m learning from your videos and what I’ve tried works, so there you go! I just made some beads and tried out a few canes and I’m going to make some jewellery with them (I’m a jewellery designer/maker with a graphic design background). Can’t wait to try all the techniques out and experiment more, I’m falling in love with this polymer clay material. In terms of pricing you are competitive and offer good value for money. I think this is a strong advantage over other online tutorials that charge the price of a complete book on polymer clay for one or two tutorials. In that case I usually opt for the book! I think this competitive edge will bring you more business, so good luck with that! Last but not least, well done and thanks. I look forward to my next tutorial. All the best. ~Naum-G
If you want to become a paid member, here is the link:
Polymer Clay Video Library
Or if you are brand new to polymer clay, the best place to first learn all of the fundamentals is here: Polymer Clay Beginners Course
To browse other video tutorials that are available for purchase without becoming a subscribing member (in other words… just a one time fee), you can go here: Polymer Clay Video Back Issues
Weekly Wrap Up… Please use the comment sections of these Friday posts to discuss anything you like… from polymer clay challenges that you need some help with… to success stories about your jewelry creations… to requests for upcoming video tutorials… to general community chit chat. In other words, it’s an open mic :-)
Last week the Friday discussion topics included:
- Slicing canes.
- Ultradome resin.
- Magic Gloss resin.
- UV curing lights.
- Timer option.
- Curing resin in sunlight.
- School graduations.
- Resin bottle dispensers.
- Resin pulling away from the edges.
- Resin doming.
- Resin spill overs.
- eBay purchasing.
- Clear plastic wrap.
- Reflective white tiles.
- Mosquitoes, blackflies and pollen.
- Spine fusion surgery.
- International Guilds
- Blow torch.
- Headpins.
- 45 years of machine knitting.
- All the farm animals are gone.
- Extended “blog” family.
- And much, much more …
If you need to catch up, here is the link to the article where last week’s topics were discussed in detail: Mitered Cane Video
Otherwise, you can use the comment section below to start talking about some new topics and ideas. Happy Friday!!!
It was a great Tut. Your enthusiasm always shines through. Your tuts are always well done and seeing how far to process or nor process the agate is great too. It is easy for something to quick go from really cool looking to mush. I am sure many of us have run something through our pasta machine one too many times and the cool variation is gone.
Anna
I’m off to watch the video but got a chuckle from the weekly wrap-up topics. I did a double take on “all the farm animals are gone”. Our conversations sure take us to interesting places, lol.
@Elizabeth S.: I laughed, too! The topics sound very funny when put into a list like that!
Anyone else have an “Aha!” moment when she did the streaks?
Hi Cindy.
Thank you for the tutorials, I have been making jewellery in clay for a few years now but couldn’t think of a way to make small blends (I hate wasting clay as it is so expensive over here in the UK). I came from Christi Friesen’s group on Yahoo looking for the tutorial that you made for the Teardrop Blends, that is just what I needed! I shall enjoy browsing your site for other interesting ideas too, always learning lol.
Best wishes
Jackie
Hello Cindy, early this year I decided to have a go at playing with polymer clay, just for fun. So I purchased your Polymer Clay Beginners Course.
Previously I’d made and sold jewellery made from paper and semi-precious stones …. NOW I am making and selling my polymer clay jewellery!!!! Without subscribing to your course it would never have happened.
I make and sell my polyclay jewellery to raise funds for charity. Without your help, tutelage and inspiration that too would not have happened. So… THANK YOU, THANK Y0U, THANK YOU!!!!!
Sincerest thanks to you,
Elizabeth
@Elizabeth C: Congrat’s Elizabeth, that’s incredible news! Is there a link where we can see your jewelry? (We love to be inspired…) ;D
Also, I think it’s great you give so much to charity!
Cindy,
Where and how do you market the things you make? How do you determine prices for things we make? Thanks for all you do for us.
LindaKay
@LindaKay: Hi Linda, here’s an article where people have discussed some great tips for selling their jewelry. It’s called, Wholesale Pricing Tips for PC Beads.
There are lots of different suggestions on how to price your work. You can also get some ideas by looking through Etsy. You can see how your work compares to others, and then see how they’ve priced their work. Cindy has written quite a few posts that have pointers on how to use Etsy. Be sure to read the comments under the posts, as well. There are often some very good tips there left by readers, or by Cindy, as a reply to a question. Here are a few of the articles; some have links to more posts that aren’t listed:
1.) Pricing Beads on Etsy – Tips
2.) Making Polymer Beads for Selling Handmade Jewelry (This Article # 2. has links to many other Etsy articles, after reading through, check out the other articles.)
3.) Pricing and Selling Handmade Jewelry – Valuing PC Beads
I hope you find some info that helps you. There’s lots of tips all over this website. I’m not sure if you were being general in your question, or if you were specifically asking Cindy where she sells her work. She does sell some pieces on her gallery pages of this blog (a new thing she started recently.) She used to do craft fairs & stuff like that, but I don’t think she has time for that anymore. Anyway, leave another comment if I misinterpreted your question, or if you need more help. Good luck with your sales! ~Kat
@Elizabeth S. and Phaedrakat: Doug says thank you very much for the warm Father’s Day wishes. He’s just now heading over to the YMCA to to get in some “rejuvenation” time away from the computer. During the week, Willow works out with him too. They do what’s called the “insanity” workout… too much for me :-)
When he comes back, Willow and Fisher are going to make him a special Pancake Brunch. then later tonight my mom and Dad are coming over for ribs and beer, which will be very fun.
You’re right Kat about the fact that many Mom’s step in for the roll of Dad and do a great job at it! That had to have been a very difficult time for you. Being a teen is tumultuous enough, without losing your Dad. Thank God for your Mom’s strength to help you all get through something like that and come out strong yourselves in the end. Thank you for sharing your story with us. It helps to get to know you a little bit more!
Anyone else have a Father’s Day story to share. I’d love to hear them :-)
@James Peacock: Looks like you’re not the only one who wants a ring tute. I guess I’m just going to have to put one together then! :-)
@Jackie: Thanks for your comment, I’m glad I can be of help. It sure is nice to know that that my name is being referenced with likes of talented clay artists like Christie Friesen!
@Elizabeth C: It’s so rewarding to hear how my course has helped you achieve success with selling your jewelry to raise money for charity. Keep up the great work that you are doing for your charitable cause.
@LindaKay: That was so nice of Phaedrakat to help you so thoroughly. She did such a good job I have nothing more to add!
@Jackie: Cindy’s great,isn’t she?! The teardrop blend is awesome, such a great idea. And Cindy is full of great ideas, and tips and tricks to make claying easier, and inspirational projects and articles — the woman’s got it all!
She makes most of her canes & other projects with small amounts of clay. She says she hates waste, but I never realized what a great benefit this is to clayers from other countries where clay is much pricier. Anyway, what I meant to say was, “Welcome!” I somehow get distracted when I start talking about my beloved Polymer Clay Tutor! See ya soon… ~Kat
Doug,
I just want to wish you a Happy Father’s Day tomorrow- (just checked Google to see if Canada celebrates on the same day as in the US), and to thank you for everything you do for this wonderful site.
Warmest regards,
Elizabeth S.
Happy Father’s Day! To you Doug, of course! I can tell you’re dedicated to your family — have a great day!
I also want to give a shout-out to all of the women who’ve had to be a father as well (I know there are some of you…) My father died when I was in high school, although my parents were separated before that. My mom had to be “the dad” too, and she did a mighty fine job of it. I honor her on this day, and all the “single moms”. Parenting is a tough job, no matter how many of you there are. So to go it alone, and never leave your kids wanting? Excellent job, Mom! Happy Father’s Day, everyone!
@Phaedrakat: My kids call me every Father’s Day to wish ME a happy one. I also was divorced when they were young and then he passed away at a young age so there wasn’t even a part-time dad around. The kids appreciate that I was both mother and father. And I appreciate that they appreciate me. Happy Father’s Day to all you Fathers and “mothers-who-were-father’s” too! Happy Father’s Day Doug!
@Maureen: Happy Father’s Day, Maureen! It’s obvious you did a great “dad job,” too. It’s good to be appreciated by your kids. Sometimes it takes a long time (’til they’re grown!) for it to happen, though…
We’re celebrating Father’s Day at my brother’s this afternoon. BBQ & Mexican food & gifts for the dads. No surprise, though, that my mom got the most gifts!
In a recent video, you show wire rings with a faux agate cabochon. Do you have a lesson on how to make the ring? Thanks.
Jim
A couple of things…
1) Ken-H and Carolyn-F posted some update notes about their fun meet up in Philadelphia over the weekend. Click the link by my name for the full story along with some nice big photos. SO MUCH FUN!!!
2) Carole-H posted a question that got overlooked in all the activity for this past week. She was wondering, “…how did you get the ball red” on the end of her copper headpins. Rather than me just blurting out the answer, I’ll let one of you guys play the Tutor role on this one :-)
I skipped the old canes,looked at a real pink agate, and used a pinkish clay I mixed up, used more translucent, and these look very realistic, thanks Cindy!
@Pam: Awesome, Pam! Have any pics to show us, or send in to Cindy? :D ???
Hello Cindy, I made a zebra bead from your tutorial and want to stick it to a silver ring that i made. Can i use Sculpey adhesive or do i need to stick them together with something else? Can I use regular adhesive, like super bounder? Thank you
@Consuelo: Hi Consuelo, are you talking about a clay ring, or a silver (metal) ring? Sculpey Bake and Bond bakeable adhesive is for adhering clay together, but it won’t work for metal.
To adhere clay to metal, you need a silicon glue like E6000 or Goop, or you can use a specialty PVA Glue (Cindy uses & recommends Weldbond glue for all kinds of projects!) A 2-part epoxy is another good choice — very, very strong! Super glue will also work for some projects, but it doesn’t have any “give”, so it’s not good in places that might get bumped a lot, for example.
I commented about this topic a few days ago — my 2nd paragraph explains the cool gluing reference tool Michael’s has for crafting projects. In my comment I link to Cindy’s article with the actual outside link to the Glue-it-all Tool. Best of luck with your Ring!
What happened to the daily projects? I really enjoyed learning from them?
@Linda: Hi Linda, I’m not sure—what daily projects do you mean? Cindy posts articles Mon.-Fri. about various topics, with weekends off—is that what you’re talking about? The “Home” link at the top of the page takes you to the home page, where you can find the list of daily posts. Cindy also has video tutorials on Fridays for paid members. Perhaps those are the projects you’re looking for. Sorry if I wasn’t more helpful. Please leave another comment if you need more information, or to explain which projects you meant. Have a great weekend! :D ~Kat
@Phaedrakat: Thanks for your response. I was looking for the daily lessons which were previously mentioned on the blogspot in the newsletter which I receive on Fridays. I did not find the word Home at the top of the newsletter page. Thanks for your help. Linda
@Linda: Hi Linda, I was talking about “Home” at the top of this page, to take you to the homepage. I’m still not quite sure what you’re looking for, so I took a look at the newsletter. There’s a line in it where Cindy mentions tips on Twitter. Is that what you’re looking for?
Are you still getting the newsletter? If so, the link is in there. If not, just go to the top of this page to sign up for the newsletter. While waiting for the next newsletter, go to Twitter.com/PolymerClayTips to follow Cindy on Twitter. This is the only other thing I can think of that matches your question. I’m not sure if the tips are daily, though. I can’t think of anything else; there are no “daily lessons” here at the blog, but the article posts happen Mon – Friday. I hope this helps.
Well, tried my hand with faux agate. Tried to link to my FB but apparently you need to be logged in. So I decided to go to my Flickr account. Let’s see if this works: flickr.com/photos/beadsonhand/
Hopefully you should be able to see both the faux agate and the faux ivory stamped beads (although the last ones were really smooshed together colors and stamped) and wiped with a paint.
@Koolbraider: Amzingly talented people here for sure, love your work!
Yay!!! It worked. (Now to e-mail Cindy with this new link. You wouldn’t believe how fast she answered the last one!)
Hello to all,
Just an update I am on my way to creating polymer clay beads. I purchased an oven, sandpaper, some cutting tools and soon will actually get some clay. I cannot remember who wrote to me with a ton of support and information but thank you. Also the same person asked where I live and it is in Tacoma, Washington…about 30 south of Seattle. God bless you all…you are a wonderful group.
@Sue C: You can click on the link by my name to go to the thread where you were initially chatting with a few of the other members. I agree… everyone here is really wonderful… and so supportive.
For future reference, a good way to keep track of where you have been chatting here at the blog, is by checking the “Email Notification” box just below the “Submit Comment” button that is labeled as: “Notify me of followup comments via email.” When you receive those notification emails, they will contain a link that will bring you back to post here at the blog where you had originally commented.
Now in regards to questions about which videos you have access to as a paid member, that is something that is best to email me directly about. I will have to look up your account to see what your member status is.
It’s great to have you as part of the community Sue.
Hi Cindy,
I am confused once more. When I joined the polymer clay group, I was able to see the whole video of the faux agate. Now, it seems to be hidden and I would like to review your video. Can you help? Thanks.
Hi, I feel a lot better because a couple days ago, I burnt some beads, and it did stink. so I am learning. But my question, I am using polymer clay, it is the same type of clay. but the batch that I put in the toaster oven isn’t very hard it is still soft, so I put it in the oven with the newer beads, and still the beads are soft not the new beads. what did I do wrong, I left for fifteen minutes, like the packaging read, help.
Hope
@Hope Kaplowitz: Hi Hope, welcome! I’m sorry, but I was a little confused by your comment. You mentioned “new beads, & the “same type of clay”, which threw me a bit, and made me think there must have been a previous comment. But I looked and didn’t find one. So I just decided to try to help with the “still-soft beads”.
You mentioned the packaging says to bake for 15 minutes. Most clays say to bake for somewhere between 15 to 30 minutes per 1/4″ thickness (or so) at 265F/130F (or so,) depending on the brand. Those are guidelines, but the main thing you need to know is that the clay needs to bake at a consistent oven temperature for at least that amount of time, longer for thicker beads. Most oven dials are off by quite a few degrees, so you need to purchase a separate oven thermometer to put in the oven to monitor the temperature.
I’m guessing that you burned some beads in a toaster oven, then switched to a regular oven. Either type that you use, you need to get a thermometer from the dollar store or the kitchen section of any store so you bake at the right temperature. You can bake your beads for an hour or more, as long as the oven isn’t too hot. It’s important to bake for a good, long time to get a strong, cured clay item. If your clay is still soft, it is either not completely cured (needs to bake longer, hotter, or both!) or it is very thin. A really thin piece of clay will remain flexible after baking—how much depends on the type of clay, though.
What type of clay are you using, anyway? There are some really great articles on this blog about baking. You can find them by searching (use the box at the top left of this page) for “how to bake” or “baking” etc. You’ll get a list of articles—be sure to read the comments under them as well. There’s often more info, tips and tricks there than in the original post. If you are just starting out, you should try Cindy’s Beginner’s course, or the Polymer Clay Basics Course link at the top of the page. It’s a super effective way to learn to work with polymer clay. Cindy teaches all the fundamentals, but she also throws in lots of tips & tricks that help you avoid the mistakes beginner’s often make. It has 39 videos, each covering a different topic, so they’re short & to-the-point. Cindy has a great teaching style, and the videos are really clear and easy to understand.
If you haven’t done it already, sign up for the weekly newsletter. You’ll get 3 free videos (so you can see how wonderful they are!) and free color recipes. The links for the Basics course and the Newsletter are at the top of this page. I also wanted to show you this link to a comment I left for someone (Elizabeth) who was having baking problems. It has some great how-to baking information.
It has links to some great articles and also to comments with explanations to help clear things up. Read as much as you can so you know how to bake your pieces properly. One of the articles links to a post with tips on how to minimize discoloring too, in case you’re using light-colored clay.
Sorry, about the lengthy post. :D Let me ask one more time—what kind of clay are you using? That will help if you come back with additional questions. Anyway, try baking your beads again for an hour using an oven thermometer—monitor the temperature the entire time. Write back and let us know how it turned out! I hope everything works out beautifully. Good luck! ~ Kat.
PS: I’m from Riverside, CA, USA — Where are you from?
Oh so many fun projects this month, and all I can do is lay here and watch the videos:( My abdominal/ spinal surgery went well, but now I am stuck on bed rest for 6 weeks while my spine and sciatic joint heal. I just watch the videos over and over again, looking forward to when I can sit up and play clay!!!
@Tiffany: Hi Tiffany, good to hear from you! Sorry that you’re stuck in that “recuperation pose”, but if your surgery went well, at least that’s a good thing! I know it’s miserable right now, but you’ll be so happy as you slowly but surely start to feel better. Follow the doc’s orders and be a good patient, so you get the best results. The clay-play time will come. We’ll be waiting for you when you get back. At least you’re able to get on the computer. Not completely boring, right? (I didn’t have a laptop after my surgery, so I had no computer for a full month—and then only limited use for another.) Good luck & great healing!
Cindy, When I emailed you to ask why I did not receive my weekly Friday video and recipe, I was jumping the gun I forgot it is Thursday not Friday. What can I say, waiting for your videos is like waiting to open Christmas presents.
Thanks,
Paige
Another string that I missed … more catching up to do …
Thanks for the pick me up, I needed that! I am able to sit up some now, because I had one of those AHAH moments. I had my husband go get one of those air matress beds and took the regular matress I was using off. He put the air bed onto the boxspring, and wow does it make a difference!!! I am able to sit up a bit without it putting to much pressure on my lower back & sciatic joint, so it has been great. I have been able to work on the jewelry for my daughters wedding on Sept. 4th. My other 2 passions aside from claying are making beaded jewelryand scrapbooking. I know what you mean about not having a computer while recovering. I have had 5 prior surgeries (I have RA & degeneritive disc disease)and never had a laptop till now. My mom got it for me and I love it! It is great to be able to stay in touch with all of you and check e-mail and surf the internet. Thanks to you for the get
well wishes!!!!
@Tiffany: Tiffany you really are a lovely soul! What a positive way to deal with your healing back. I can just picture you lying in bed with a laptop on your chest and beads in your hands getting that jewelry made. I am so glad that your surgery went well. You’ll be up dancing and claying in no time!