Greetings from the Land of Fimo!

Well after the beading class I was so pumped I signed up for a "Make Turquoise out of Polymer Clay" class the next day. To my amazement, I was very easily and successfully able to make large turquoise nuggets! They look so cool and have amazed my friends and family! I will include instructions soon but have just come up from a week-long Fimo binge! Let me tell you, this hobby is much more expensive and potentially toxic then other things I have tried. It is a blast however. Of course, I checked out all the books at the library that looked half way interesting and set off with clay in hand. The problem is that all the books make it sound like you need all the stuff to make anything 1/2 way decent. I have scoured E-Bay and picked up a few things. Here are my tips for polymer clay on the cheap...

1. use Fimo...it cures up harder and will last better BUT if Sculpey is on sale and you are mixing the clay (like a translucent) with a Fimo color then buy the cheaper, weaker translucent.
2. A empty green Tobasco bottle makes a fine clay roller
3. check out the cake decorating sections of your craft store for rollers and cutters that are cheaper and just as effective as the "clay" brand rollers and cutters--also kid's clay tools
4. Pearl-X is the most gorgeous stuff on the planet but VERY expensive. The E-Bayers go crazy for this stuff when there is an auction for it! Try tacky pearl, loose powder eyeshadow. I also picked up a Wet-n-Wild brand to try--I have used Jane as well and both work great!
5. Check out nail art supplies for foils and leafing products. Gold and silver leafing is SO expensive and necessary for certain clay techniques. I have tried substituting paint and thin layers of gold clay but without success. There is a $1 nail art web page but you have to buy $25 in stuff to order
6. check out E-Bay for supplies also for altered art supplies. I got two distressed ink pads (HL for over $5 each!) for $4.26 including shipping--one was only .01! The new bid manager tool is awesome and lets you select several similar (or disimliar) items and it will monitor your bidding--you just set the max bid on each item and the bid assistant will bid away assuring you only get one item.
7. Have fun with the clay and remember your color mixing from art class--it works the same.
8. one thing that I found I could not skimp on is a good clay blade--a "tissue blade" from the science department is great. Some very sharp and very flexible. Mark the dull end with tape to avoid using the blade upside down like some obsessed art mama's may do!
9. Marbling is cool and you do not need fancy tools, condition the clay (this just means that you work it around until it is warm and pliable and the plasticizers are distributed, roll it, make a snake, twist it together, roll it, make a snake...etc. until nice and soft). do this to two colors you like together. Then roll one snake of each color, put them side by side and make one snake. when it gets a little longer fold it in half and roll again. Don't squeeze it or you will blend the colors. You want to keep the streaks seperate. When you fold it you can either twist it and keep snaking it or keep the lines straight. I tried both ways and did not see much difference. When the marbling is how you like it, fold the snake in half, and in half again to make a sort of rectangle. Then roll it as thick as you like--look at all the pretty colors and patterns! Use it in large amounts to cover and alter an Altoids box, silverware handles, a votive holder or in small amounts cut out earrings, pendants, or buttons. You can texturize it with sandpaper or other interesting textures around the house or add that pearly eyeshadow! Bake according to package directions. I find some Fimo colors bake up much darker and have been frustrated in my projects--(will post soon). But play around and have fun!