“Went to your link for
Katiedids and was truly
surprised by what they are!
What a great idea!” ~Aims
On November 23rd, I posted an introductory preview clip for the Katiedids Bezels tutorial.
Today, the full version of this video lesson (Vol-030-4) is available for viewing at the Polymer Clay Members Library. Here is the link:
Katiedids Bezel Ideas and a Unique Way To Make Faux Opals
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: Deep Shade (Vol-030-4A) from the Frosty Field Polymer Clay Color Palette.
I have not been very vocal on the site – I am a new graduate from nursing school, and was still in school when I joined. Then I have been busy with boards and job hunting, but I do have some extra time now to go back and try out all the techniques I missed. These videos are terrific, and at a super value for at home tutoring. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to join and to get the videos with no hassle. Cindy is a great teacher, and everyone here is so helpful as well! Thank you so much for your input and for welcoming me to the site. ~KitiKatt
It’s that personal touch (like leaving the very 1st message at Cindy G’s blog) that makes Cindy and this website we call home, even MORE special — if that’s possible. She does so much for us, and works so very hard to give us the absolute best PC videos possible! Having and maintaining a website like this really isn’t cheap, so the small, small fee she charges us really is “insane”. We can stop the insanity a bit, or actually, we can help Cindy …to perhaps make a little profit instead of just covering expenses. The best way to do that — I can think of — is to let others know just how great this site really is. Most of us have a blog, Facebook, website, or all of them — spread the word, and remind people now and again how great this woman (and her videos) really is. Others will get the same benefit we have (fantastic video tutorials and more,) and maybe Cindy will finally get enough of those tiny $3 fees so she can enlist some help with the day-to-day, behind the scenes tasks. Then she’ll hopefully have time to actually sit down and write those books …and make more videos, too — of course! ~Phaedrakat
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
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Open Mic… Please use the comment sections of these Friday posts to discuss polymer clay challenges that you need some help with… success stories about your bead and jewelry projects… requests for upcoming video tutorials. In other words, it’s an open mic :-) .
Listed below are the topics that were discussed in the last Friday’s Open Mic comments:
- There was really only one topic discussed in last week’s Open Mic Friday post… but it was doozey! Over 200 comments of support came in to help save several of the colors that Premo was planning to discontinue.
If you did not see that post be sure to check it out here: Save Cobalt Blue, Zinc Yellow and Sea Green
Otherwise, you can use the comment section below to start talking about some new topics and ideas. Happy Friday!!!
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Hi Cindy. Can you tell me where I can purchase the katiedids bezels.
@Daphne M: Hi Daphne! You can get the bezels at Katie Hacker’s site, katiehacker.com. Or follow the “Katiedids Bezels” link in the 1st paragraph of this post to the original tutorial article. There’s a comment by Cindy with additional purchase info. Someone also mentions that Michaels was supposed to carry them for awhile, although no reported “sightings” lately…
I’m sure this question has been asked before so please forgive me. Is there a formula for baking beads? i.e. so much time for so much thickness of the item?
20 min per 1/4 inch thickness. Temp depends on the type of clay, you can find that information on the clay package. it never hurts to bake them longer and many folks do.
Anna
Thank You very much Anna.
Are the Katiedids bezels metal or plastic?
Just looking at what looks like injected plastic spires on the inside makes me think they are plastic, yet if you are able to bake them then it makes me think they are metal.
Just curious.
And they look great by the way!!
They are some sort of silver colored base metal.
@Kathy Bloom: Are you sure?
I found that they are silver plated but you can silver plate plastic these days. The round marks inside are very typical of plastic injection molding. Also the cost of them would suggest they are plastic.
Either way I ordered some. Just thinking if they are plastic it would be much less expensive to design and make many different designs. Just thinking out loud ;-)
Some plastic can be baked with polymer clay for an hour without harm, like the brownish prescription bottle (a staple in my world, lol).
Would appreciate it much if someone could confirm whether Katie’s finding are metal or plastic. If plastic, I worry that eventually the metal coating will peel off.
Also if anyone knows the grade or proper name for the bake-able acrylic/plastic, I’d sure appreciate it if you’d let me know.
@Jocelyn: Still don’t know if they are plastic. However the method for plating plastics has vastly improved over the years and it’s probably good for 25+ years now. At that point the plastic itself will break down (dry out) and may crack.
Hi Cindy. I have complete my Beginners course (loved it) Is there a follow-up course I can purchase? I live in Ireland and there are no classes to be had here. Nearest place is UK.
Great questions and feed back everyone. It is nice to see everyone interacting together again! I have a little time this afternoon so I am going to try and respond to each of you.
@Daphne M: Katiedids are pretty new so they are just now starting to show up in a few places. Two places I know of off hand are katiehacker.com which Phaedrakat mentioned and shadesofclay.com which is here in Canada. You should see them starting to arrive in places like Michaels as well, in the next little while.
@Kathy Bloom: I like to bake all beads and pendants no matter the thickness for 1 hr at 265F-275F for Premo. This way I am guaranteed a proper cure. Anything extremely thick (more than an inch thick) I would bake for even longer, just to make sure. Temp is what will burn polymer clay, not time.
@Anna Sabina: Thanks for popping in to help Kathy! I can’t always get in here as fast as I like, and really appreciate the help!
@Terry Morris: They are definitely metal. I filed the end of one clean through and it is metal inside. It actually took longer than I thought it would to get through the silver. Then seems to be aluminum or some other shiny silver colored metal, so when it does scratch it won’t show through like copper or brass. After filing for awhile there seemed to be a very fine layer of copper then back to aluminum. Or at least it looked that way to me. It is possible there was some copper filings in my file already and that was what was showing, but I can’t be sure. Any way, it is not plastic. Didn’t know they could do that. Very interesting.
@Phaedrakat: Thank you as always for helping others out. I love getting your help!
@Jocelyn: Although I haven’t tried the brown medicine bottles, I have tried baking some plastics. Some successful, some not. I agree it would be helpful to know which ones work ahead of time. I will take note next time if I can tell what type of plastic it is, but hopefully someone else will pop in as well with a more precise list.
@Angela Kent: Welcome to you from Ireland! Glad to hear that you loved the Beginners Course. “More Courses” is the plan for 2011, so stay tuned. For now, I see that you are receiving the weekly Friday tutorials starting with Vol-030. And if you did not realize it, all of the previous 29 library back issue volumes are available for purchase as well… they should keep you going for a while… there are currently around 120 videos you can dive into right now if you like. The link by my name will take you to the page where you can order these back issue packages.
@Cindy Lietz from Polymer Clay Tutorial Back Issues:
Aluminum makes sense as it can be injection molded like plastics so it would leave the same circular marks.
Most plating is done on over a copper coat as it sticks better. Aluminum alone would not plate very well with silver, they normally do a layer of copper first, then tin, then the end metal (gold, silver, chrome…)
Mystery solved ;-)
Thanks for answering all my questions, I so appreciate it. I can say for sure that you can safely back the brownish prescription bottle, the symbol triangle encircling a 6. You can also laminate and bake all sizes of Miracle Whip,and Skippy and Jiff peanut butter lids.
These covered lids (inside and outside) are great for paper clips and such. Outside lids, both metal and plastic, are fabulous to use organizing, storing things in a dust free environment.
Last year, saved all the small round jars from nachos and salsa, punched a slot in the lid, covered the lid and glass with laminations (some glue on designs) and gave them to folks to use a change banks. Surprising popular.
Carolyn Fiene Update:
Since this is an open mic post, it’s a good place to let everyone know that Carolyn Fiene is very ill again with Pneumonia, and is currently in a Hospital in California.
She is a very special member of our community here. Your thoughts, prayers and positive energy for her, would be very much appreciated. There is more information about her condition at the More then Clay private Facebook group, for anyone who is interested.
We miss you Carolyn and hope that you heal quickly and are back to your vibrant self very soon. Everyone misses you and around here!
Sorry to hear about Carolyn. I wondered why she had not been around. When she visited me here her computer was acting up and I was hoping that was why she was not online.
Get well soon Carolyn!
Carolyn, my prayers and thoughts are with you this holiday season for a speedy recovery!!! Miss you posting terribly.
Carolyn – I am so sorry you are ill ! You know, all our prayers and hope for a complete recovery, are with you. We certainly miss your postings. You have always been so helpful and kind with you comments.
Thanks for the additional info re: Katydids………
FYI, Credit cards definitely melt in the oven!
Carolyn, get well soon. It’s no fun being in the hospital.
Loved the Katiedids video – so many cool ideas on how to use those cool bezels/components. Of course, we could easily substitute another type of bezel if we wanted…the ideas are still fabulous!
I’m so sorry to hear that Carolyn is ill again. I sure hope she recovers quickly…
Cindy, I am just starting in the color mixing stuff….I use primarily Fimo due to my hands. My question is: Where can I find back issues of the “B” category color cards? Right now my budget doesn’t stretch enough for membership since I am disabled and SSI has not been approved yet.
Thanks
Jane
@Jane Kempf: You have to be a member to get the B series colors. When you are a member you get NEW color recipes and two B series color recipes. I hope this answers your question, when I was new to this site I asked the same thing!! lol
Finally!!! ALL Joanns stores Nation Wide are having the most awesome sale on sculpey clay!! ALL sculpey INCLUDING PREMO is on sale for 5 for $5 or $1.00 each!!!! There’s no limit so you know I cleaned out our store here in Ontario, Ohio!! lol The Sale goes until Saturday so hurry to get your clay!!
@heidi wyrick: Thanks for responding to Jane. It is very helpful for me when you guys are able to respond to each others questions. And thanks for the heads up on the Premo sale. Time to stock up everyone… especially with colors you use that Premo is planning to discontinue in 2011 (see link by my name above).
@Jane Kempf: Just to clarify what Heidi said… to receive the 2 complimentary B-series color recipe cards each week, you just need to be subscribed to my free Guest List email newsletter (which I think you are). Paid members also get the A-series color recipes along with the weekly video tutes (FYI: the cost is only $3.32 per month). The B-series color recipes are not archived, so the only way to receive them is to remain subscribed to the weekly newsletter. All of the B-series color recipes cycle through the newsletter twice. That means that if you happen to miss one, you’ll get a second chance on the second go round. For lots more info and discussion about this topic, simply use “b recipes” or “b series” in the search box at the top of this page. Hope this helps clarify things for you.
I just received my Katiedids and the ideas are zooming around in my head. Can’t wait to have some time and site down with them. I don’t know Carolyn, but i hope she is doing better.
I know everyone prefers keeping personal stuff at a minimum here, but has there been an update on Carolyn’s health? I’m not up-to-date on recent posts, so I may have missed it. I haven’t heard or seen anything since the above comments — I’m hoping she’s okay. I know Carolyn herself lobbied against too much personal content on the blog, so I apologize in advance to those who hate reading the non-polymer questions…
@Phaedrakat: I got an email from Carolyn on 12/28 saying she is still recovering but feeling better every day.
@Phaedrakat: I think everyone would like to know the answer to your question. I also got an email and God Blessed her with yet another miracle and she is doing much better but tires very easy and still weak. Go to FB Kat and I think you can get more info there. Don’t apologize for caring about our clay family. Carolyn was much worse than any of us realized.
Love and Uuuuugggggs, Peggy
I ordered back issues of the videos but did not order the one on Katiedids…everyone sounds so excited about it that I went out to Micheal’s and bought 2 packages..they are a mix of her bezels…hope to order that video soon..guess I’ll have to wait to try it. I have some ideas of my own but I want to wait and see what Cindy does.
@Natalie H: So happy you were able to find these at your local Michaels. They were being clearanced out of many (most?) Michael’s when Cindy’s video came out, so lots of us had to order online. I’ve noticed Michael’s doing this in the past…putting things on clearance, then bringing the exact same item out again later. Not sure why, but it’s happened several times for me — quite the money-saver when it’s something you’re really searching for! Have a blast with your new video & bezels… :D
Wow, my JoAnn has lots of Katiedids! Looks like all the types I’ve seen…pkgd separately. Finally, a good local source. I’m in CA…hopefully others are finding them, too!