Time for another update!

So, I haven't really got round to posting lately. I'm thinking of doing a massive craft update sometime soon, but today I just feel like making a post about some interesting stuff that's happened lately.

I made a post a while ago saying how I wanted to start selling my things at some point in the future. Well, I've been doing a LOT of research lately, and my parents are finally beginning to accept the idea of me selling my handmade stuff. Mainly because they just happened to run in to one of their friends who told them that I should start selling my crafts. Anyway, I will be getting a Etsy shop sometime soon! I still have a lot of other things to consider before I start, though. I probably won't get one until after my exams in the summer, and it won't exactly be my own account then because I'm only 17... but I'll keep my progress updated on here!

A few weeks ago, I also uncovered something I thought I'd lost forever! 

a box???

It's my old lucky star box :) 

this picture looks so much more interesting.

It's so exciting!!! I literally thought I'd lost it (and it was in the box I keep most of my craft tools all along...) so I'm really happy!

Here's all of them in a pile on the carpet :D As you can see, they're not all perfect! I started 'filling' this box with stars when I first learnt how to make them when I was 15. So, it includes all the bad ones from when I first started! 

Here's some of the nicer ones :D They look really cool like this (well, to me anyway). I don't want to use these lucky stars for anything, they all feel quite special to me. But I've been making ones to use for jewellery, and I might make a few to use for decoden. I've been using a glaze made for polymer clay to make them stronger lol! (really says something about my crafts...)

So, that's it for this update! The next post I'm making is going to be about all the crafts I've made. I'm not exactly sure when I'll make another craft tutorial, I don't seem to have any awesome never been done before ideas for a tutorial. 

5 Crafts I'd like to try

Since most of my posts lately seem to be about decoden, I've decided to make a post about some other crafts I'd like to try. This will mostly be jewellery related stuff with a few other things mixed in.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Victorian-Diamante-Pendant-Necklace-Antique/dp/B005RR0XJY

1. I'd love to try hand carving one of those Cameo Pendants out of polymer clay! I love the way they look, and I know a lot of people make them using molds... but I just can't imagine buying already made molds off of the internet! Most cameos are actually carved out of stone or sea shell, but I want to make one out of clay. I know it can be done!

This is probably the one I want to make the most. I haven't had much experience carving polymer clay, but I know the very basics on how to do it. I can't wait to try it out!

2. I want to try to make a really intricate Victorian style Choker like the one on here. I've already made a few ribbon chokers, but they're nothing really compared to the sort on that website. The problem is, I need to buy in all the things I need for that project, and I don't really like having to do that unless I really know what I'm doing. Another thing is, I've never really tried anything like that. Maybe I'll try it when I've had a lot more practice with jewellery making (and have more money).

3. Resin Charms! There are so many different styles you can make with them! I'd like to try making the 'kawaii' or cute style ones, like the ones here! I know this will sound a little strange, but I kind of like the idea of being able to use real sweets in crafts with out worrying about them going all nasty and mouldy (no air gets in resin)! I'd also like to try different styles I've seen, like these steam punk style ones. I don't have any resin at the moment, but I hope I can find some someday! 

4. I'd like to try Mokume Gane with polymer clay. I'd like to try making some with gold leaf like the ones here, but I doubt that's going to happen lol. 

5. I never actually learn how to make Friendship Bracelets. I'd like to have a go at learning how to make them. I have no idea when I'd actually wear them, but it would be fun to give them a try. I'd need to buy lots of cord of course, since you need about 10 miles of cord for one bracelet (ok, that was a little sarcastic, but you really need a lot of cord!)

So, there's five of the many things I'd love to make, but I'm not exactly sure if I'd ever be able to! If I do manage to make any of these, I'll definitely make a post about it :)

Racoon Honey Whipped Cream Clay

At the moment, I'm doing a lot of decoden! Since I refuse to use caulking silicone (why yes, I do like taking things to extremes!), I've had to look for alternatives that are actually meant to be used for decoden.

I'm currently looking for a product that has little odour (this is probably the most important point, as strong smelling products tend to give me a migraine), is soft and looks quite realistic. Another point that isn't so important is that I could do with something that feels like real whipped cream when you pipe it, as this would make it easier for me to use for decoden as I've already had a lot of practice piping real whipped cream (on real food of course, I wouldn't use real cream for decoden!!!)

This isn't really meant to be a review, but I've recently found a product called 'Racoon Honey Whipped Cream Clay'. It comes in lots of different colours, and where I live, is a lot cheaper than caulking silicone. Another point I'd like to make if you're in the UK: I found a website called 'Candy Crystal'. It's based in the UK, and only takes two or three days to ship to where I live. They have lots of cabochons, Japanese deco supplies, canes and lots of other things! They also stock this whipped cream clay in 30g bags and 100g bags.

This is what it looks like (ignore the rubbish in the background and my shadow please!):

this is a 100g bag in 'vanilla white' colour.

As you can see, it comes in a piping bag ready to use. It also comes with one metal piping tip:

Which is in the top of the piping bag... At first this worried me, as I wasn't sure if the clay would stick to it or dry up if I opened the bag to get it out. Although, when I opened it, it came out quite well and didn't get covered in clay! All you have to do to get started is cut the tip of the bag off, and attach your piping tip. I find it's best to secure the piping tip on with tape (but if you prefer having messy fingers, you can hold it in to place with your hand).

Sorry I don't have any pictures for this, but the next thing I did was test it out. It's extremely soft, and feels like real cream! However, it does have a very strong smell.

So the next thing I did was try it out on this box. It's very nice to pipe! It's so smooth :)


After leaving to dry...

So, here's the finished box. With cabochons. And ribbons. And rhinestones.

Here's the biggest problem:

I don't know if this happened because of the whipped cream clay, or the air dry clay. All the charms that were made from air dry clay had this problem. As you can see, parts of the air dry clay broke off and stuck in the whipped cream clay. I had to glue them all back on using a glue gun:

Oh yes, look at the lovely picture of me glueing the charm back on
with my PINK glue gun.

I didn't really mind having to do this, as I already needed to use my glue gun for something else. I'll be using this cream again to find out if the same problem happens with polymer clay, as all the other things I put on this box stuck fine. For this reason, I'm not sure if I want to use this whipped cream clay again as I shouldn't have to glue the charms back on, but it's still a nice alternative to caulking silicone.

EDIT: I've found that this happens because of the sort of air dry clay that I'm using. At the moment, I've been using FimoAir, which is ok because It's so easy for me to get and has such a nice texture to it. However, it is NOT waterproof. I find that when I use it with the whipped cream clay, it gets soggy and breaks up, leaving a few tiny pieces in the whipped cream clay.

Apart from this, this clay works quite well. I've even tried it on a notebook and it came out very nice. I'd like to see how well it does in water, though. I doubt that any of my deco stuff will get wet, but it would be nice to find out whether it is. I'll definitely be using this again!