Member Benefits 016-4: Friends Stories

CHEATING: I am really happy that I came across this site. I have found so many helpful tips that I feel like I’m cheating if I don’t share some too! Thanks for all of your hard work Cindy! ~Debi >> This comment was originally posted here: Polymer Clay Canes

INSPIRATION: Personally, I love to sit down and go through all of the things I’ve already made. They make me feel like I’m really creative and actually inspire me to do something different. I enjoy looking back on canes that I did 3 months ago, and think about what kind of beads those would look good as. I also love looking through my boxes of non-handmade beads for colors and palettes that would be perfectly complimented by something I could make. And then there’s this website. It never fails that you have a tutorial or a blog on something that I’d be really interested about or inspired by. Thank you for your dedication to this site! I love it. ~Karrah >> This comment was originally posted here: Tips for Polymer Clay Artists

COMMUNITY: I just visited your store and want to add my compliments on your beautiful pieces. I don’t think I can pick a favorite – all are so lovely. As I read through everyone’s comments I was struck by Melinda’s reference to this site as “community”.  I think that in addition to the wonderful teaching Cindy provides for us, the opportunity to put our stuff “out there” in this supportive environment can’t help but make us better artists as we learn from and appreciate each other. Congratulations on getting your store up and running, Kim. It’s obvious from your quick sales that the world loves your work, and rightfully so. ~Elizabeth >> This comment was originally posted here: Home Jewelry Business

SUCCESS STORY: Glad to be back, I miss all your fun stuff. I’ve been working to get stuff on Etsy and get my blog up and teaching polymer clay to people here in Arizona. I have a new student that I’ve been working with and she’s absolutely amazed me. The first beads she made she put in a shadow box and decorated it to be a keepsake and now her husband is rebuilding a room for her to do polymer clay in.  I love it when that happens.  I sent her your url and told her to subscribe when got the chance because she would learn tons of great stuff. Thanks again for being there with great stuff, I’m glad to be back. ~Bonnie >> This comment was originally posted here: Soft Polymer Clay

BEAD GOES MISSING LIKE SOCKS IN DRYER: I made two of the textured roll up beads and put them in the oven with a number of others. When I took them out there was only one roll up bead. I looked everywhere and even dug around in the oven. I didn’t know that beads were like socks in the dryer – they just disappear. Oh, well, I suppose some day it will show up in some unusual place. ~Freda

Hello Freda. Were you maybe using translucent clay and it worked so well that it’s just invisible now? Sorry, I don’t mean to make light of your missing bead plight. Ugh! sorry bad rhyme too. (I was reading Dr Seuss to my grandson earlier and hes contagious!) Seriously though, I have never had this happen to me. I can’t even begin to imagine what might have happened to it. There are so many possibilities! Maybe it especially appealed to a passing gremlin and he couldn’t resist snitching it. Or perhaps when you cut it out you unwittingly created a mini bead-muda triangle and it is now in another dimension being looked at by another Freda who is wondering how she got an extra bead! Or it could be the aliens got tired of abducting socks to puzzle us and now they are moving on to beads! Did you check your oven for black holes? Do you have any trolls living nearby? They are notorious for stealing pretty things! Ok, ok, so maybe I can “imagine” a little too much. Hahaha! But if you do find out whatever happened to it, please let us know so we can all avoid losing beads in the future. XOXO ~Jaime >> The 2 comments above from Freda and Jaime were originally posted here: Rubber Stamp Textured Beads

THERE IS STILL HOPE: Yes, I’ve had my frustrations with the new formulas. Some of my softer brands I leach between paper, but find it is quite the waste of perfectly good paper. I now keep all sorts of paper and use the unprinted side for leaching, or will use a little blender to mix all my brittle clay with the too soft. Also mixing translucent clay with the mushy sometimes helps as it tends to be quite firm. Thanks to you, other readers here won’t have to feel all hope is lost…there is hope! ~Tina >> This comment was originally posted here: Making Polymer Clay Canes

GIVING BACK: I just saw a new tool for slicing the canes. It ran $95 US. But the idea which I saw done other ways than using the tool is to two “things” on either side of the cane leaving just what you want to cut off sticking up. Then pulling the knife through the clay keeping it resting on the sides so that the cut is even. I hope you can picture what I am trying to say. I also hope that I gave a tip that someone else could use. I hate to be absorbing all the great hints and not giving back. ~Marianne >> This comment was originally posted here: Clay Cane Slicing Techniques

NO MORE APOLOGIZING: I’m new to selling my jewelry and have found myself apologizing for my pieces or waiting for someone else to value that piece for me. No more! I like what Jamie said…”it got 100% of my skill and attention when it was made.” I won’t apologize anymore. Instead, I’ll say “Thanks for the opportunity to learn and grow as an artist while I worked on this piece!” That’s it! ~Angela >> This comment was originally posted here: Polymer Clay Jewelry Projects

DIVING IN: What a great story! I’ve recently bought some supplies, but still haven’t tried my hand at it yet. But, now I’m really excited! I’m going to dive in this weekend!! ~Vickie >> This comment was originally posted here: Selling Jewelry On Etsy

SOMETIMES IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS: In one of your blogs, you talk about how one persons ugly/useless jewelry is another ones treasure. Well, I have been wearing a lot of my jewelry that I make to work. I have worn many a pendant tediously and carefully wire wrapped and baubles made with polymer clay that have been hand formed, sanded, buffed and coated with hours of work on every detail (as you well know). Most times I hear not a word about these treasures from my co-workers. So the other day I throw on a little trinket I absolutely threw together. It was some store bought brown/amber plastic rings with some facet cutting on them. Threw a cheap gold colored chain through the middle of them and hung them from my neck. 2 minutes tops on this one. And sure enough, I get a comment about how pretty/cool my necklace is. Go figure!!! LOL ~Laurel >> This comment was originally posted here: Bead Making Tips

POLYMER CLAY PERSONALITIES: Singing Opera in a Biker Jacket. Curiosity. Like Potato Chips. Donnie & Marie. Giovani & Mozart. Powdered Wigs & Waistcoats. Denim & Leather. Discoverer. Dragnet Just The Facts Mam. Manly Look LOL. Hippy Chick. Sitting Outside With A Box. No longer just for hippies. Seriously Muahahahaha Trend. So Rockstar. Different Fun Twis. Coffee Brewing. Al Pacino Scent of a Woman. A Bead So Very You. ~Excerpts >> For the full story and some fun reading click here: Bead Style

SPEECHLESS: Cindy and all. Wow… I am speechless. Ask and you will receive in spades!! Thank you so much for all the creative ideas. Now if I only had more time to jump into the mountain. Yes Cindy I have decided to keep it, but if it starts to take over the house… ~Sam >> This comment was originally posted here: Polymer Clay Projects

INNOVATIVE THINKING: Cindy, I would like to see a tutorial of them……… I was up last nite making pendants and remembered I bought these roller thingamajigs at the thrift store for baking.. thinking they must make pie crust strips or something. They roll like a mincer but have 4 blades. Anyway I pulled them out and tried using the smaller one where the blades are closer together. I got so excited! When you roll it across the clay it makes perfect strips to wrap around pendants! I see them all the time, I think people are getting rid of them because it’s another gadget in the drawer you just don’t need. But it works great for us! I hope if everybody looks they can find one two! ~MaryEllen >> This comment was originally posted here: Polymer Clay Beaded Pendants

LANYARD MEMORIES: I discovered polymer clay a year ago, as a way to make candle holders for the beeswax candles I’m making. Now I can get out either candle making or polymer clay stuff, putting the other things on shelves. I have a 12 ft. x 14 ft. office, separate from the house, on top of a mountain at 9,000 ft. – now a little craft house. I just tried making refrigerator magnets with lots of my small flower and leaf canes, and they came out great. My best friend’s daughter just graduated from high school, and is making beaded jewelry from plastic beads. I’m hoping I can convince her to get in to polymer clay – maybe she could even make money that way! (She has no car and everything is so far away here in the mountains that she doesn’t have a job yet.)  So this morning I went to your web site after seeing your email, and saw the idea of a badge lanyard out of beads. I have to wear a badge at work (computer programming, for nearly 33 years) to get in the doors – how cool to have a lanyard out of beads I made! So now I’m going to start making beads. Thanks for introducing me to a whole new artistic medium!!! I’m off to read up everything I can find on your web site, and I have lots of flower and leaf canes still ready to go. By the end of the day I’ll have beads I made all by myself! I made braided lanyards as a kid, at a summer program at the elementary school, so the idea brought back great memories. This will be fun! Thanks for your wonderful web site! ~BetsyB >> This comment was originally posted here: Custom Beaded Lanyard ID Badge Holders

EXCHANGING IDEAS: I also agree with everyone else that packaging is important. I liked Judith’s idea about cutting her business cards in half.  I also order from vistaprint but had not thought about cutting the design in half.  Thanks for the tidbit Judith! Well, now I’ll have to order more and try that. I haven’t sold a lot of my jewelry yet, but I usually package my jewelry in the small gift boxes that they sell at the bead stores and I include my business card as well. ~Lupe >> This comment was originally posted here: Selling Polymer Clay Jewelry and Beads

TRY NEW THINGS: I enjoyed so much reading about your mom-daughter adventures! I think you are right about matching your products to audience and niche, sometimes it’s worth the effort of making new items and trying something new. Thank you for sharing this with us! ~Iris >> This comment was originally posted here: Selling Jewelry

MOMENT OF REALIZATION: This was a fun exercise and also very thought provoking.  It made me realize how fortunate and lucky I have been in my life. Thank you for taking me to that moment of realization. Now to continue the hunt for that recipe. ~Illaya >> This comment was originally posted here: Thanksgiving Wishes

EXTENDED FAMILY: Hi Cindy, Your “Polymer Clay Bead Making for Beginners Course” is exceptional. I can’t agree more with all those who have said what a great teacher you are. And the presentation of the material you cover is easy to understand. The lighting in your studio is beyond professional. I have tried to learn another subject through tv video and the quality you have just wasn’t there. So I have an experience to compare to and you have it all. I have learned so much and now the fun begins to be able to play with the clay and make things happen. Of course I will need to refer to the tuts and their being available 24/7 is such a plus, no waiting for the class to begin, it is only a click away. Also, your video library has so much more and I’m excited about trying out the recipe cards.  It is difficult at times to come away from your blog. All these artists who willingly share their talents also are wonderful. Its like an extended family in the clay world. Sometime I hope to be able to contribute an experience but for now I will be there with questions as I share this experience with my twin granddaughters who will spend their summer vacation here in sunny Florida. Thank you, Cindy. ~JoyceF >> This comment was received via email.

INTERNET FRIENDS: You have an awesome blog/site too!  I agree–it’s so wonderful to meet like-minded and incredibly talented/interesting folks on the internet.  How inspiring!?!! ~BetsyC >> This comment was originally posted here: Fossil Shell Beads

TALES FROM RUSSIA: Cindy: thank you for the wonderful idea of this posting and for the chance to discuss it internationally! :)  @squash: I know what you are telling about, nobody ever seems to understand millefiori. Even if they understand after a long explanation :) they ask: “why take pains and do all this stuff instead of just painting?” 8)  @Janine: “Artist clay” sounds good but not in Russian, I am afraid. Besides, then it resembles “art clay” which is completely different thing  @Lindsay: those who know all about it understand the brand-names, those who don’t, in any case require explanation, after which they call it plastic. This is just a matter of attitude towards man-made materials in general and polymers also  @Maria: Thank you for your wonderful ideas!) ;)  @Everyone: the problem, as I see it, is not in the word (or finding the right word) but in people’s perception. Besides, polymer clay is a new medium, very attractive and giving good quick results (compared to usual clay or lampwork or whatever that takes much more time and effort). That is why many people try it for just having fun. We have a joke in Russian that only the laziest haven’t tried to make orange slices.  So people see these funny-made-by-everybody-designs and don’t treat polymer clay seriously. So my idea is to rise the level of artiness :) (if I can call it so), that is the quality of idea, design, of the beads themselves. And it was really a pleasure “talking” ;) to all of you! ~Larissa >> This comment was originally posted here: Polymer Clay In Russia

HARMONY AND PEACE: You are such a kind, loving, and warm spirit.  You continue to enrich our lives daily.  I, too, feel like you are a long time, good friend, and I enjoy “the time we spend together” as I learn from you each day.  I wish you, your husband, and your children much love peace and harmony! Happy Valentines Day!!! :) Hugs and smiles to you. ~CindyE >> This comment was originally posted here: Polymer Clay Heart Pendant

MISTAKES ARE OK: One thing I really like about the PC community is the passion and willingness to share experience. Cindy, I really like it when on your videos there may be a small error and your perception is the bead may be kinda cool like that. ~Anna >> This comment was originally posted here: Selling Handmade Jewelry

POSITIVE ADDICTIONS: Interested to hear from others and their experiences with this moisture issue. Please share!!! I love the process of experimentation with polymer clay. We each seem to have unique techniques and experiences, and reading the comments here at Cindy’s site has become an addiction in the last couple of months. For that alone, I cannot thank Cindy enough. ~Jocelyn >> This comment was originally posted here: Polymer Clay Techniques

SPOTLIGHT FEATURE: Thanks again for everything!  I love the spotlight you did for me. I just sat there crying as I read all the wonderful comments!  My mother was very proud too!! ~Marsha >> This comment was received via email.

REGULAR COLOR RECIPE (A): Black Violet ** B-SERIES COLOR RECIPE (B): Mystic Morning > Polymer Clay Tutorials Guest List VIDEO: Dogwood Flower Polymer Clay Cane Project Using Fall Color Scheme