Vid #150: “Thinking of puffy hearts reminds me of a story from when my daughter (now 31) was just a little girl…” ~Marsha-N
These tiny Puffy Beads are probably the easiest hollow polymer clay beads you will ever make! As you will see in the preview video further down on this page, they are flat on the back and rounded across the front.
Years ago, Lisa Pavelka did something similar using a stencil to make heart pendants. Mine on the other hand, are done using small shape cutters. The tutorial for making these puffy beads (Vid-023-1) is coming to the Polymer Clay Members Library, this Friday April 2nd, 2010.
Listed below are several of the “Tutorial Yes Votes” that were originally posted in the comment section of this article: Hollow Polymer Clay “Puffy” Beads: Quick & Easy to Make, No Mess
Definitely a “yes” from me! I know a couple of ways of making hollow puffy beads and would love to learn another. ~Sue-F
Another yes vote for me. Puffy beads can be a real bugger in my book so learning an easier way is definitely a want to know thing. Thanks Cindy for asking. ~Ilaya-B
A yes from me too, they look like lovely smooth shapes (not that I would expect anything less from you Cindy and I am sure ours may not start of being so polished looking but with practice…. ~Cara-H
Those puffy beads look adorable. Thanks, Cindy; looking forward to seeing how you work more of your magic. Oh, we’re all having so much fun, so how can this be legal – and calorie free!!? XX ~Mary-U
Yes, Cindy. Puff away! I love the look of these cute pillows. ~Laurel-B
You’ve shown us some wonderful bead shapes here, Cindy! They’re glorious in their perfect simplicity, beautifully shaped and finished. However, compared to what you usually show us, these look a bit plain. We’re used to seeing completed jewelry, or a variety of color, pattern, textures, materials, etc. We’re getting spoiled! So much so, we’re forgetting to appreciate how beautiful polymer clay is on its own. I think it’s cool that you have shown us only the bead shape/technique here. It forces us to engage our inner artiste to decide what colors, textures, shapes, surface techniques, or clay fabric we’ll use when you teach us your secret to making these pretty “puffy beads.” Anyway, this is a very long way for me to say, “Yes, I want to learn your technique!” I absolutely love your clouds and raindrops earrings, but I also love the clean, perfect lines of these beautifully finished blue beads with a cute puffy shape! What you’ve shown here is a truly magnificent type of bead, with a multitude of uses. It’s going to be a great tutorial video, I can feel it! ~Phaedrakat
Sorry I thought I had voted earlier but my vote is Yes Please do a tute on these beads. They look like I feel after eating too big of a meal. STUFFED. I think you should make an egg shaped one for Easter. Just think of the possibilities… oooooooooooooooooh!!!!! Thank you for the idea Cindy. ~Peggy-B
Yes, please. Hollow beads are especially good for earrings because they are so light. We can use bigger and bolder beads and still have them light enough for earrings.
~Carolyn-F
I vote YES, Cindy. I’ve never done puffy beads and would love to learn how to do them. I’m dying to know what you put inside of them. They are so smooth and perfectly done. Count me in!!!!!! Honey. ~Helen-S
I look forward to your take on hollow beads. I have made some in the past, but I have not made any that have the uniform shapes of your beads. ~Claycass
Hi all, like the idea of the tut for hollow beads have been wondering about that. Always willing to learn whatever appears here, no need to ask me if I like. Love,
~Elizabeth-K
Cindy, naturally I vote yes! These beads are absolutely beautiful, so smooth, so simple. Puffed beads is one technique I have been struggling with. Can’t wait for you to teach me what I’m doing wrong. ~Susan-D
Absolutely. I would love a tutorial on these hollow puffy beads. I can not tell you how much I look forward to your newsletter each week. Thanks for all the work you do for us. ~BLong
I have a lovely “puffed” heart” bought in San Antonio, Texas many years ago when at a seminar, it looks to be glass, see-through, with a design that shows different on each side. It’s the piece of jewelry that has received more attention than any other piece I own. It’s in the “costume” group but precious to me. Many thanks, ~Joyce-M
Oh, yes I would love to learn to make puffy beads, especially hearts. I have a thing for hearts! Thinking of puffy hearts reminds me of a story from when my daughter (now 31) was just a little girl, maybe 7 or 8 years old. She asked me what her heritage would be. I knew this was an important moment, but didn’t really know what she meant so I started telling her about our family history and talked about our faith and how that would all be hers no matter what… and on and on. When I was done she said, “What about your puffy heart necklace?” LOL! I love that memory! That particular puffy heart was very cheap costume jewelry and of course I still have it, but I’d love to make some puffy hearts out of polymer clay! ~Marsha-N
I would love to learn this puffy bead technique! My 9 year old daughter loves to watch the videos with me, and I know she will love these too! They just look FUN! If there are any special supplies we may need for upcoming tutorials, it would be great if you could let us know ahead of time. ~Tiffany-M
With such a clear Yes vote, I am happy to say that the Puffy Beads Tutorial has now been filmed and will be available in the Polymer Clay Library (Vol-023-1) on Friday Apr 2, 2010.
Supplies & Tools: Video-023-1: Puffy Beads:
- Polymer Clay. A strong brand such as Premo Sculpey, Fimo or Kato is preferred. I used Premo in Turquoise.
- Pasta Machine or Acrylic Roller.
- Small Shaped Cutters.
- Small drill bit for drilling bead after baking.
- Sanding and Buffing Supplies.
The full version of the Vid-023-1 Puffy Beads Video will be posted in the Polymer Clay Members Library on Friday April 2, 2010. But if you would like to see a sneak peek intro clip right now, scroll down the page a bit to the video player below.
Here’s That “Link Below” Referred To at End of the Video
>> Polymer Clay Tutorials <<
The full version of the “Puffy Beads” preview video shown above, is now available for purchase at the Polymer Clay Library in the Vol-023 Back Issue Package.
Customer Feedback About Membership Value:
Hi Cindy – I just wanted to say that I would have never even started polymer claying if I hadn’t taken your beginning Tutorial class. I had no idea where to start. The price was incredibly low! Michael’s offers no classes in my area (suburban Chicago, Il) and even if they did, they would not begin to include all the information you teach in your Tutorials. I learned everything I needed to know to get started. Then I wasn’t afraid to dig in and GO! The videos are very clear and concise and you presented them so well that I know exactly what to do. I have since purchased many books (second hand from Amazon marketplace) and their instructions are very unclear, although I have been able to learn and see many new things from them. But your instructions are A#1! And your price is unbelievable! Thank you Cindy, for providing such wonderful tutorials! I learned so much and I have since purchased almost all of the back issues of the library videos and have joined the club too! I continue to learn everyday and play with the clay almost every day. ~Coberue
The following topics are included in this week’s Puffy Beads video tutorial:
- See examples of several shapes of puffy beads as well as a pair of earrings made with the beads.
- Discussion of the supplies needed to create these beautiful hollow beads.
- Learn how to create the perfect puffy bead and how to avoid problems that can happen when making them.
- Tips on how to still use puffy beads that get stuck in the cutter.
- Find out how to drill the puffy bead so that the beads won’t become deflated.
The full version of the “Puffy Beads” preview video shown above, is now available for purchase at the Polymer Clay Library in the Vol-023 Back Issue Package.
Cindy, I was just making hollow beads a few days ago! They involve lots of copper! It was nice to get lost in clay again. Just for fun and not for work. :)
@Shannon: I take it you meant copper colored clay? Yeah I bet it is nice to just play with the clay for fun. You have been working so much in your business lately, I bet it’s hard to find the time to just play creatively for yourself.
Love all the patina-ed metal work you’ve been doing lately! It is like we share the same soul. There isn’t a piece of yours that doesn’t speak to me. I’m sure others are keeping you very busy making stuff for them. Nice to see you could get lost in the process of claying again, even if only for a moment! :-)
The preview sure makes it look like Friday is going to be another best of the best. I Still haven’t had a chance to work with my clay since I was so sick. I am so far behind I don’t know where to start. Maybe it will be Friday with these beautiful puffy beads. Looks like a very good and for sure fun place to start again to me. I will just have to work on all those tutes I have not yet done when I get a chance. I need some of those April showers so I won’t feel guilty for playing with my clay. Who am I kidding I never feel guilty for spending time with PC just feel grateful and blessed.
Uuuuuuuugggggggggs, Peggy
Hello Cindy
The wire that you use to make the earings is what number?
thank you cris oliveira
Thanks Guys! I’m glad you’re excited to try this neat technique. I think you’re all going to like how easy it is!
@cristina: I used 20 gauge Enamel Coated wire for those earrings. It was quite soft wire, so you need to be gentle with them.
@cristina: 19, 20 or 21 gauge is usually what ear wires are made of (most use 20 gauge.) You can go as thick as 18 gauge, although some people might find it too thick. Thinner than 21 is usually too thin for most ear wires. Cindy did a handmade ear wire video. If you haven’t seen it, check out this article and preview video.
There are some cool earwires, huh? The comments under the article have some additional information about ear wires, too! Have fun~
Such cute beads! Can’t wait to see the video, Cindy! These are such an adorable shape, and I can see lots of uses for these!
@Peggy: Don’t even wait for Friday to clay, Peggy! Watch the videos from last month, and get started again. One of them is bound to “speak to you” and get you moving — all without guilt. There have been some exciting tutes that you’ve just got to try! Did you do the glow-in-the-dark jellyroll cane? Watch the video again, and try it! If you don’t have GITD clay, try it with pearl, white, trans – or even a mixture! The ink technique is really cool, you HAVE to try it! If not that one, there are so many others. Just dig in, or revisit one from the past that already tried and loved. You just need to sink your fingers in, and you’ll be back at it and all caught up in no time! Hugs (the painless kind!) to you!
@Phaedrakat:
Phaedrakat, You are always so encouraging to all of us. Such kindness is so appreciated. I know I need to get to it and I promise first chance no guilt just pure PC fun. Only I am gone again this weekend. Leaving in just a couple hours for Dr. appt out of town then grand-kids 2 weekends in a row. They tire me out but worth every moment I get to be with them. All of you out there with grand-kids know what I mean. I love to spend time with my family. Only downside this weekend is not being at my own church on Easter Sunday. Better their church than none.
Thank you for the painless Hug they are much needed these days.
Uuuuuggggggs to all of you again, Peggy
Ok – looks like you cut your fingernail for this technique. What would you recommend for those of us who don’t want to do that? Do you have a suggestion as to what can be used to ‘push’ the clay into the cutter? I guess if the cutter is big enough we could use a knuckle.
Couldn’t that cutter seam side be smoothed prior to baking? This would lessen the sanding.
Neat tutorial for these hollow puff beads – and you always do have your own twists and tricks. Adhering the piece of clay to the glass and cutting through both at once is great!
@carolyn:
Carolyn, I never thought about the fingernails till I read your comment. I think I am going to try one of my larger stylus for embossing on mine when I get the chance to puff away. If you have one give it a try. Or another good idea might be those plastic baby spoons. If you have grand-babies I’m sure you know what I am talking about. Knowing you with all your talent you probably have something in mind already. Be sure to share with us fingernail gals. Good luck puffing.
LOVE LOVE LOVE – Another amazing tute, thank you very much Cindy and Doug. My mind was a going trying to figure out how you made those cute little puffy beads. Now I just have to practice puffing out some beads.
Gone for the weekend to my daughters for Easter so for all of you I want to wish you a very safe and Happy Easter. God bless us all
How Cool is that?!?! Cindy you have done it again with these hollow beads. What a fab technique. Can’t wait to try it:)
This is great! I read online somewhere on how to make hollow beads but nothing this easy! This will give my grand-daughter and I something to do together….. I am traveling up to NC tonight to get her… Another great Tut Cindy & Doug ;)
Neat technique, Cindy! I like how you can “puff” any shape, which is something you can’t do with my normal favourite puffy bead technique.
I do have one question, and that’s whether you noticed any maximum size threshold while developing this technique. I make puffy beads hollow when they’re large enough that the hollow versions are much lighter than solid beads would have been (e.g. 30mm across, up to focals or feature pieces 50mm across or even more). Since the top isn’t supported during initial baking in this technique by anything other than the trapped air, I’d be curious to know whether it stays nice and evenly domed for large beads too. I guess bead shape would also be a factor (and clay stiffness!). I’m happy to try it out for myself, but if you’ve already done so it would be great to hear the results.
Just wanted to tell you that I loved this weeks video on the Puffy Beads. It was an ‘A-ha’ moment as I watched you place the puffy bead on the clay sheet stuck to the glass. A solution so simple it had escaped me. lol.
Thanks again Cindy
Hugs~Adrienne
These are delightful! My 14 year-old son was watching the tutorial with me and when it finished said that he couldn’t wait for me to have a go at this technique…..so off I go!
How fun! Like little raviolis!
Geez, I’m trying to behave and get pieces tagged for a sale tomorrow, and here you go distracting me with a technique I’m itching to go try. (It doesn’t help that for once I know right where my cutters are.) I’m going to admit defeat early on, finish tagging, and play with clay until someone reminds me it’s lunchtime. (Like I don’t have enough beads made already… Wait, you can never have enough beads.)
Aww thanks guys for all your kind words about this puffy bead technique! I didn’t come up with it myself, there are others that do it in a similar way, but I did come up with my own tricks for making it easier. I’m glad you liked them. It makes me very happy to know that you all are getting so inspired by polymer clay, and that you are involving your families. It is such a positive thing to be doing!!
@carolyn: That’s funny I never thought about the nails. Mine are usually pretty short but I had been doing gardening and recently broke a few, so trimmed them all back short. When I read your comment I thought of using one of the large stylus’ of the Studio by Sculpey Detail tools. I see Peggy thought of the same thing! I also though a Q-Tip with a tiny bit of cornstarch on it would work, as long as you don’t get cornstarch anywhere near the seam. Hope that helps you and the other girls who have much nicer nails than mine!
@Peggy Barnes: That was a great suggestion for Carolyn! Have a wonderful Easter with your grand kids! Hope it is restful for you. Uuuuuggggs back!
@Sue F: I’m not sure how big you can go. I guess it would depend on the clay strength like you said, and the thickness. Donna Kato made a large Donut Cab with a Donut Cutter once. That was pretty big but because of the hole in the center, the puffy section was just a skinny strip and technically not that big. Lisa Pavelka did a heart pendant for Fiskars years ago using a stencil that looked to be 1.5 – 2 inches wide, which was also pretty big. I (and probably many others too), would love to hear about any testing that you do.
Thanks for that, Cindy… I’ll do some testing when I can find a spare couple of hours.
@Sue F: Lisa Pavelka bakes hers right on the cutter for 20 minutes, then removes (with a mitt or pot holder), turns them over onto a tile or other heat proof surface and presses down on the cutter to cut them out. I would imagine this system would work well with larger pieces. I think we could still use Cindy’s idea of pressing down on the raw clay sheet to bind the two together. Please let us know how your testing goes.
@carolyn: That’s a good idea, thanks Carolyn! I’ll definitely include that approach in my testing too.
@Cindy Lietz from Studio by Sculpey Detail Tools: Cindy, your nails are lovely, just shorter than I keep mine. Bet you don’t have to worry about nail gouges on your PC! Thank you and Peggy for the Sculpey tool tip. I have one and I bet it will work just fine. In fact, I have several sizes of that ball type stylus so I should be all set. If that fails, I will try the Q-tip. Guess it wouldn’t hurt anything if there were a few cotton bits inside the bead.
I don’t understand why, in your videos you always say to bake for an hour, but all the clay packages say to bake for 1/2 hour per 1/4 inch. I tried baking one for an hour and it burned.
Happy Easter Everyone! Thanks for the comments, I love them!
@Ann Stewart: Baking is one of the most common problems people have with polymer clay. I have linked my name to an article that will help you understand the process better. There are several links to other baking articles as well, so read them too. It will all make sense after you read them. Hope that helps.
Cute word Dawn… Flummoxed! I am often flummoxed myself! :-) For those who don’t know the official definition… Flummoxed = Confused, perplexed, flustered!
The exact feeling I have right now in regards to just how I’m going to pull off a nice Turkey Dinner for Easter Dinner tonight. I guess my first step (besides thawing the turkey which I have already done) is to get off this computer and start cooking! :-)
Now why didn’t I think of that? You make it so simple. It seems so obvious now! But, that is why you are the best! I got to try this tomorrow. I kept thinking how you were going to attempt this and couldn’t come close. You just amaze me.
Aha!! I love this. Ever since I saw the cloud and raindrop earrings I’ve wondered how to do this, but I must admit I was flummoxed. LOL Thank you so much, again!
I just finished sanding & buffing a couple of puffy beads. I love them. I was surprised at how easy it was to stretch the clay into the puffy shape. Thanks much for a great tutorial.
HAPPY EASTER ALL.
Hi Cindy and all, how cute is that those puffy beads, and so simple too While I was watching I thought how do you pierce them, wouldnt they collapse ? Well the answer came of course. I had to laugh at myself, because this is what happens to me when I am teaching my students and they go way ahead and ask that sort of question before you get there, its like jumpimg the gun, and I found myself doing it.So now I know why they do it.
I bet you are glad we arent all crowded around you Cindy , as we’d be doing just that and not letting you get on with it.LOL
At least some of us would maybe.
Anyway loved the tut ,no matter who did it years ago. Its like reading a book again, refreshes your memory of something, so thank you so much loved it.
Must get to try it soon. hope you are all having a great Easter,
Easter Saturday, a neighbour and I went to town and did all the speciality shops we never get to normally and it was fun,there were bargains everywhere, just for Easte,r so $100 or so later we went home happy.
We had only intended to be out about 1 1/2 hrs and were 4 hrs , so the unexpected is always the best. Bye Love
ElizabethXX
@Elizabeth K.: Happy Easter, Elizabeth! Sounds like you had a lovely day shopping! :~)
@Phaedrakat:
Hi Phaedrakat and all, thanks for the Easter greeting. well thats behind us now so on with the claying. I did make some Puffy beads . Tiny Butterflies for ear rings, they came out ok and I was fascinated by how they puffed. Not ready to show yet, but think that was a greatr Tut.
P.S. I always bake eerything now for 1 Hr, I find it is better, and it is such a low temp, it cat hurt.
Bye love to all. Elizabeth XX
Well Cindy its a great tutorial I have a batch in the oven as we speak, I used the glowing jelly roll cane to add some colour and I cant wait to see what they are like, and with it being soooo sunny in the U.K today they will look great i’m sure cant wait to show off my new necklace, thanks again for being such a good tutor!!!!
@Angela: I hope your glowing jellyroll “puffies” turned out great! I took a look in your shop, and you have some cool stuff. Nice to meet you, Ms. Sparkles!
Well I finally got round to trying this and it’s nice and simple and effective.
I used a textured sheet with transfer foil, half based on Tina Holden’s awesome Batik and Shimmer technique (which I highly recommend, by the way). Pink foil, black clay underneath, textured with rubber stamps and Etch&Pearl tools, 40mm heart-shaped cutter. Being me, I just jumped straight in and used my patterned clay rather then practicing with plain clay first, and it worked fine.
One of the smaller pieces didn’t quite seal properly but I fixed that with no trouble just by smoothing the edges together. Haven’t baked them yet but looking forward to seeing how they come out.
@Silverleaf: Hiya! What is transfer foil? Is it like Jones Tones (fabric foil,) or like metal leaf, or something else entirely? I took a look at Tina’s tute, and it’s very cool. I might have to get it myself, as soon as I get some other things done. No use adding more techniques when I am still trying to catch up around here! Thanks for bringing it my attention, though. I hope your little puffy beads turn out — I’m guessing they will, with you at the helm! You’ve turned into quite the pro~
@Phaedrakat: Yeah, just like the Jones Tones or Lisa Pavelka foils. I got some small sheets from eBay in lots of different colours – I think they are intend for nail art but they work perfectly on clay as well.
Unfortunately a few of my pieces crumbled a bit when I drilled the hole in the pointy bit of the heart. :( The clay I used felt a bit soft when it was raw, so maybe that’s why it ended up weak – never had that happen before so I’m a bit confused.
Evidently not quite a pro yet, lol! Looks like I’ll have to try again. The ones that worked look cool anyway.
@Phaedrakat: Hiya thanks for such nice comments, i will post a picture when i get it back i wore it out then my friend wanted to wear it and i dont have it back yet lol, think i need to do some more :)x
@Angela: Having someone steal your jewelry is a good sign! It means your piece turned out great. Seriously, it does feel pretty good when someone doesn’t want to give up your stuff. It lets you know you made something really special. Either that, or you’ve got thieving friends! LOL… Can’t wait to see the picture!
@Silverleaf: Thanks for letting me know about the foils. I’m sorry about the crumbling problem you had. Good thing most of the others turned out well! Were the affected areas really thin? If not, maybe it had something to do with the surface technique you used. Did you also use alcohol inks? I saw Bonnie’s blog post on Tina’s tute, and she had lots of ink on hers, which seems like it could really dry out the clay, perhaps leading to crumbling…? Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I know you’ve got your hands full with your choir dinner now though, so I probably won’t hear back from you for a bit.
I want to mention one other thing, though. I was looking for Future floor finish (I mean “Pledge w/Future Shine” :~o) for Sarah from the Philippines. While searching, I came across a few things about Johnson’s Klear in the UK, being replaced by Pledge Klear Multi-Surface Wax. According to a couple of articles, it’s not quite the same formula. I know you use Klear sometimes, so I wanted to warn you (so you could grab the old Johnson’s Klear if you saw some.) Let us know if you find or have any information on this. If you want, take a look at my comment to Sarah [Polymer Clay Finishes], it contains the web addresses to a couple of the articles I found.
I also made a comment to Cara [Finishing Polymer Clay Beads], who had trouble with the new product.
Anyway, thanks again for sharing your menu with us. It made me super-hungry — it all sounds SO very good! I’m really impressed by your cooking skills! Again, good luck with your dinner!
@Kat: Oh I know this was ages ago but I forgot to thank you for the heads-up about Johnson’s Klear – sure enough my local supermarket is now only stocking the new formula. So when I found an online store that still had the old bottles I ordered six of them! That should last me forever, as I’m only just getting towards the end of my first bottle and I gave some of that away to friends.
@Silverleaf: Oh, cool! I’m glad that worked out. What’s the name of the online store (in case someone else is trying to find it…?)
@Phaedrakat: I got my Klear from choiceful.com/choiceful-id-72-Klear-Floor-Shine-500ml.html. Looks like they still have the old stock now.
It’s more expensive than my supermarket was, but needs must!
NEW PHOTOS ADDED… that relate to the theme of this page… Hollow Puffy Beads. Click on the link by my name for the full “Spotlight Story” featuring Hanne-R.
BTW: Thanks to everyone above, who took the time to comment in this thread. Your feedback, support and engaging conversations are always such a wonderful part of my day. Although I don’t get a chance to address everyone individually, please know that I do read everything. ~Cindy
Hi Again,
I have been away from this site for awhile and never got to read the answer to when the videos would be able to be downloads permanently to our personal computer. I work area were I do not have my computer but do have an i pod and a tv were I could play the video… I like to watch a video while a do each step.. as of now this is not possible…that is the only thing holding me back from becoming a member.
Natalie aka Safti
EDIT: Natalie – I’ve re-posted this comment in another thread as well… where you were previously chatting with some of the other members. I’m hoping some of them will share with you their stories about how they they ended up being sorry about waiting so long before becoming a paid member. I could give you lots of reasons why, but it’s probably best that you hear it from someone else :-) ~Cindy
@Natalie: Natalie – These videos cannot be downloaded. I had wished the same things, especially since I spent a lot of time on the road and internet connections were sketchy at best. But this did not hold me back from becoming a member. Getting the weekly videos is the best thing that I have done. Without those weekly tutorials I’d be nowhere with my polymer clay. I’m glad I joined when I did … and I also purchased the beginners course and all the back issues. It was a serious decision that I had to make because my husband had recently died and my income was extremely limited. It is, ouutside of contributing to my church, the best expenditure that I have made in the past year.
I know what you mean about wanting to watch and pause the video while working the tutorial. Cindy gives us a heads up about what we will need prior to each video. Maybe you would be able to assemble the items, and a small work surface, and take them to where you have your computer. You could condition your clay in your work area, and then do the cutting, assembly, etc. near your computer.
Please don’t let this hold you back … you’ll really be missing out on a tremendous learning experience if you don”t join. We don’t always agree on the personal value of each tutorial … we do have differences of opinion … but we all agree about the on-going value of membership.
I hope you can figure out a way to make this work for you.
@Natalie: I know what you mean when you want to take your videos to your work station. I have an iPad and I can’t watch the videos on it and I’m a member! But, they are not downloadable. Carolyn made a good suggestion about getting everything you need on a small portable work area so you can follow the video and work the tute at the same time.
@Cindy, maybe you can let me know how I can watch my videos on my iPad. They come up completely blank. The iPad is replacing my laptop and it would be great to watch the videos when I’m not in my studio.
@Catalina: Hi Cat! Did you try the “Video Problems” link at the top of the page? There are a couple of mac settings that might help you…
Can you tell I don’t know anything about it? Yep, except for my iPod, I’m a PC… ~Kat :D
@Catalina: I just responded to your email about the tute videos not being able to play on the iPad platform. I also responded to your email about this back in May… but never did hear back from you. So I suspect that my emails may not be getting through to you.
This is a good time to remind everyone to MAKE SURE to add my email address to your “approved senders” or “friends” list in your email program… so that my messages actually do get through to your in box.
My emails come from several different web servers. Just because you may be receiving my Friday newsletter emails… this does not necessarily guarantee that you will be able to receive the individual emails that come from my desktop (or vice versa).
Everyone should know that I do respond to all personal emails that make it through to my in box. So if you have sent me a message in the past and did not hear back from me, I can assure you that it was not because I was ignoring you. That would be a horrible thing to do :-0
Email is a wonderful communication tool, but unfortunately, many of the spam filtering technologies are too aggressive, and they can prevent you and I from getting the emails that we actually want to receive.
Hopefully you see this message Catalina. Because I don’t want you to think that I am not responding when you send me messages.
And while I have your attention (Catalina), I just noticed an issue with your last two blog posts. You put an email address in the URL field… which ended up doing some very weird stuff with the code. If you use the URL field when you post, please be sure to use a standard http web address so that your posts don’t get filtered (deleted) by my system. It’s the “@” sign that you need to avoid having in your URL address.
Phew… and now back to your regularly scheduled programming… POLYMER CLAY :-)
@Cindy Lietz from Facebook Polymer Clay Photo Gallery: Thanks, Cindy! I thought I emailed you but I wasn’t sure. I waited a few days then I checked my sent folder and it wasn’t there! So, I assumed I didn’t send you one. I think it was on my end. My wireless connection may have bombed out at that moment and it got lost in web space. I would be in my inbox and see emails just disappear! I thought it was my eyes going bonkers. :)
I never thought you were ignoring me. I did get your last email and responded! So who knows what really happened? No big deal.
I just hope everyone who is still “thinking” and “debating” about joining would give it a shot. I have really learned sooooo much here.
The only complaint I have is that Friday only comes once a week! :)
Just another quick note about emails and spam filtering… it’s not unusual for ISPs to perform spam filtering too, so it’s possible for emails to still be spam-filtered out even if the sender’s address is in your own email program’s “approved senders” list. In that case, they would have been filtered out before they even got to your email program. If you still have problems with emails going missing, check what your ISP does; if they perform anti-spam filtering at their servers they should offer a way to disable it.
I had to do this… When my ISP introduced anti-spam and anti-virus filtering as an automatically-enabled “free bonus” (hah!), about 20% of the legitimate emails to me never arrived. It was noticeable immediately (I get a lot of emails), and as a geek I knew what had happened, but unfortunately they didn’t activate the function to disable these “free bonuses” for a week or so during which I knew I was missing important emails. I left their anti-virus enabled but disabled their anti-spam, so that I can control spam filtering at my end (I use a separate program for that; the spam filtering functions in email programs aren’t configurable enough for me).
@Sue F: Thanks for the additional information about managing spam and email deliverability. EXCELLENT POINTS!
Tried a double puff bead, just backed to back two puffs, and added a border around the joint. Cool look, especially if you can get the hearts to nestle in exactly the right spot for you. Baked it on a folded card per Cindy’s bead baking instructions. Easy to finish.
@Jocelyn: Sounds really pretty, Jocelyn—I’d love to take a look. Do you put your photos on your Facebook or anything? Or have you added to Cindy’s FB? (I have to admit, I haven’t had the time to really scrutinize all the photos yet.) I did look over the beautiful new pictures, but I didn’t have enough time to leave comments, or see who did what. That’s on my schedule for tomorrow (I hope…)
I think these Puffy Beads are really cute, so I need to get my stuff together and get some made. It’s such a smart, simple technique, but it can yield some pretty fantastic results… Anyway, I certainly would love to check out your cool, double puff heart! Tell me where to find it, and I’ll be there! Thanks, Kat
Hi Cindy & Doug,
Can I watch your videos on iPad?
I’m trying to watch Puffy Beads, and before I could see it on my iPad, but not now!
I still use a lot of what I’ve learned through the years, and now I need to refresh some
of them.
Thank you for your wonderful videos. I hope you will soon do some instructional videos again!
Best regards
Hanne
Hello Hanne,
Good to hear that you are going back through the archives. It’s amazing how much new info you pick up on the second or third pass.
In regards to the videos working on your iPad… the earlier videos in the library from Vol-001 to Vol-035, were published before iPad’s became popular. These earlier videos are using “flash” technology which does not play directly on any of the iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod).
However, you can download the Photon App as a workaround for now. It will allow you to play the videos on your iPad now.
And so that you know, we are in the process of converting all of the original videos into a format that will work directly on iOS (Apple) devices. It means that soon… you won’t even need to use that App anymore :-)
PS: Yes we will be getting back to doing the instructional videos, just as soon as the new web site launches.