How Did You Make That?

Today's how did you make that post will be about how I made the candy cane ornaments as shown below. These are great ornaments for a Christmas tree as unlike real candy canes they will never melt nor rot. Also good for those who don't like the strong sent of mint.

How Did I Make it?

1) Pick out one color of clay as well as transparent clay. I used the traditional green and red colors but any colors can be used. Condition clay well

2) Roll out colored clay into a long skinny log. Cut to make several skinny logs.

3) Repeat step # 2 with transparent clay. Logs should be same length as colored logs

4) Twist one transparent log with colored log, bend top of twisted log into hook like shape.

5) Bake and enjoy!

Final Words:

Twisting two colors together is a fun technique for a variety of projects. One can make twisted log beads, or even a twisted border on a photo frame. You can also twist more then two colors together for a different look. Braiding logs is a lot of fun too.

You can find more pictures of my own candy canes by clicking here: Candy Cane Ornaments

Monday: How Did you Make that?

I decided to start doing posts describing how I made certain polymer clay items. This could also be just describing specific techniques. Above is polymer clay cat magnet I made recently. You can find more pictures of it in my shop here: Cat Magnet

How Did I Make it?

1) I used mica powders, glitter, liquid polymer clay, paint, magnet, and glaze for this colorful cat magnet.

2) I started by cutting out black polymer clay in the shape I wanted (a cat). Then outlined the outside with more black polymer clay.

3) I added various shapes to the inside using an extruder and black polymer clay.

4) Liquid polymer clay was added in these shapes along with glitter, and/or colored mica powders.

5) After it was baked I added a touch of gold paint as a trim, then put glaze on top of everything.

Other Ideas

This technique can be used in lots of different ways to create different polymer clay items. You can also paint it different colors to give it a unique look. I have also left it plain black, the colors really pop out against black. On the left is a switchplate where I also used this technique. In this instance I made rectangle shapes, almost like a border around the switchplate. I also used less glitter proportion compared to the liquid polymer clay. This gives it a more transparent look with just a dash of sparkle. The more glitter or mica powder you use the more solid the color will look when mixed with the liquid polymer clay. You can find more pictures of this swithplate here: Switchplate

Final Words:

I love this technique because you can make it unique every time. It does take a little bit of trial and error to figure out the different ratios of mica powder/glitter and liquid polymer clay to get the effect you desire. Practice makes perfect, and a pad of paper with a pen to write it all down is handy too. It is also very messy and brings me back to my childhood playing with glitter and glue. ;)