Comparing Craft Clay - From the sublime to the disastrous.

I've been plotting a crafty return.

I've been making and filming and editing.

I've made many, many trips to the craft store.

Standing in said craft store, staring at an entire wall of air-dry and oven bake clay, was like visiting a buffet filled with unfamiliar dishes. I had no idea what the differences were between them. So I did what any craft nerd would do: bought a bunch, brought them home, compared and contrasted.

And, because I want to set you up for success, I'm going to share what I've learned with you ahead of my new crafting vids. Here is the list of the products I tested:

• Crayola Air Dry Clay 

• DAS Modeling Air Dry Clay 

• Creative Paperclay 

• CalPalmy Foam Clay 

• Original Sculpey 

• Sculpey III 

• Super Sculpey Ultralight

**Please note that I will not be linking directly to these products but I am posting pics of the exact product that I'm using. Amazon pricing is outrageous (eg. Crayola Air Dry is $9.99 at Michaels vs $32 on Amazon) and they're readily available in most craft and art supply stores at a much lower price.**

If you don't want to read though this massive post, you can get the gist on YouTube right HERE

Now, let's gooooo...

Crayola Air Dry Clay

Yes, this is categorized as a children's product, but we all know better than to turn our noses up at that sort of thing, right? There are some great finds in the children's art and craft aisle that cannot be dismissed.

This non-toxic material is the consistency of thick cookie dough. It's ready to go right out of the plastic tub with no prep or working necessary. It felt nice to handle and wasn't messy at all.

Sculpting this was a bit... clunky. It's not as refined as some of the other materials I tried. That said, it rolled, stamped and worked well in a press mold.

Once dry is was the most brittle of all the products I tried. The clay also reactivated really easily when exposed to moisture/water. Even applying paint to the surface after two weeks of drying reactivated the clay.

Conclusion: If you want to create something with fine and delicate details, something with durability, you might want to pass on this product. If you just want to play with clay with no illusions of making a long lasting memento, have at it!

DAS Air Hardening Modeling Clay

This stuff has been around since the 1960s. It's an air hardening modeling clay that is certified non-toxic, acid and gluten free. 

This was much more moist than the Crayola clay, and might benefit from being exposed to the air for a few minutes to help with workability. It sculps well, rolls, stamps and molds just fine.

My only real criticism with this product would be that it was the messiest of all the products I used. Handling it left a chalky white residue on my hands. Some might suggest that you should expect to get messy while playing with clay, and others might appreciate a heads up to avoid messy hands. It is what it is.

The product turns from light grey to white as it dries. Once dry the DAS samples were more durable than the Crayola ones. DAS was the heaviest of all the clay.

Conclusion: If you don't mind messy fingers, and have time to dry your masterpieces, DAS might be for you. It has a slight reactivation when wet, but a coat of sealant would probably fix that. Just keep in mind that this is not a lightweight clay, your finished pieces are going to have some weight and heft to them.

Creative Paperclay

Full disclosure, I love this product and have been using it for years. 

Compared to the other two air dry clays on this list, this product is a bit more stiff. It does not have a traditional clay texture so it might take a bit of experimentation to get used to. It's sort of a mash up between clay and super fine paper mache.

It sculpts, rolls, molds and stamps fine. 

This product does have a tendency to warp and shrink when drying. Once dry it is lightweight and cuts, carves and sands really well. It reactivates when wet, but not as readily as the Crayola product. Where this product really shines is painting. It accepts colour beautifully and you can achieve water colour effects on the surface. And, because of the fibrous nature of the material, it won't smash/shatter to pieces when dropped.

Conclusion: Sure there's a learning curve, but getting the hang of Creative Paperclay has it's benefits. If you want a lightweight air dry option that readily receives paint... this is it.

CalPalmy Foam Clay 

One word: disaster.

I've seen people work with foam clay so I know it works for some people. Unfortunately, I experienced nothing but frustration.

I will say, I enjoyed handling the material. It was like a weird lovechild of wet marshmallows and slime. So much fun. But that's where the enjoyment ended. 

This stuck to alllll of my tools. Silicone, plastic, acrylic, unfinished wood, metal... stuck to all of it. I would be terrified of getting this near upholstery. What a disaster. Every piece I created slumped and wilted and became a globulous mess after a few minutes.

Once dry it had massive shrinkage, was difficult to cut and, weirdly, absolutely filthy! I was refinishing my floors as this dried so maybe it was dust in the air? No idea, but none of the other clays dried DIRTY.

I did leave the clay in a mold to dry to see if that would improve it's performance, and it did seem to work ok, but I kind of felt like that was too little payoff for the amount of pain in my butt.

Conclusion: There HAS to be a way to use this so that it's lightweight flexible qualities can be best taken advantage of. I feel like I'm missing something. Like there's a trick I'm not getting. A secret key to success perhaps? This is a hard pass from me.

Original Sculpey

I don't work with polymer clay often because my hands run super hot and make the clay too soft and melty in my hands. That said, the initial work up with Original Sculpey is a workout. Getting this pliable enough to work with will take some effort. Something to consider if you have arthritis or diminished strength in your hands.

One of the things that makes Sculpey so incredible is how well it takes texturing, stamping and molds. This quality also makes fingerprints show up on the surface quite easily. This can be frustrating if your concerned about such things. It also picks up on dust and stray hairs. Lupin, my dog, does not care if his fur is imbedded in my work, I however would like to avoid that.

If you're in a pinch and need to finish up a project super duper fast, it sure is handy to be able to pop your work into a oven for a few minutes and have it ready to go in no time at all. But, I did have something odd happen this time, it got toasty. Like, it actually browned. It was sitting in the same dish, at the same time, side by side with my other polymer pieces but the Original Sculpey was the only one to brown. 

Once baked it can be carved and sanded, if not as easily as the other clays. It's plastic like texture isn't ideal for painting, kind of repelling the paint on the surface, but I'm sure there's some work around or tips to help with that.

Conclusion: I totally appreciate why some people love this product. It takes details beautifully and is quickly finished in the oven in no time at all.

Sculpey III

I picked up three different Sculpey products not having any idea what the difference was between them. Turns out there was a big difference!

Sculpey III was so much softer and pliable out of the package. There was almost no working time to make it soft and smooth. I also felt that despite it being softer, it didn't pick up on my fingerprints quite so much.

No complaints with the sculpting, rolling, stamping or molding.

Once baked it was lighter than Original Sculpey. Sculpey III was also a much brighter white. Carving Sculpey III was much more plaster-like than plastic-like and it sanded well too. I still found that the surface was not ideal for painting, but overall I was pleasantly surprised by this product.

Conclusion: Sculpey III is whiter, lighter and softer than the OG. It has all of the beneficial qualities of Original Sculpey with the added bonus of being easier to handle.

Super Sculpey Ultralight

Soft and malleable right out of the bag. Cross my heart, it's just a real pleasure to handle.

One of my very few grumbles about this product is that there is fallout. Tiny specks of this product flake/tear/crumble on to the work surface as you use it. It's not completely awful, the specks are tiny, but it's there and it's prevalent.

It sculpts, rolls, presses and cuts a treat. I will add a caveat that you might want to stamp pieces before cutting them out because the material is so soft that pressure to the surface will cause it to squish.

Cutting into this once baked was like carving butter. It was indeed ultralight, so light that baked pieces actually float in water (that's gotta be good for something, right??!!) The Ultralight was strong when baked too. I couldn't break the sample disk that I made and there was a bit of bend and give. Unlike the other Sculpey products, this painted up really, really well.

Conclusion: Bright, light, durable and beautiful to paint. If you want some weight to your project, this isn't it, but if you need a super lightweight something this is for you.

Top Pics

My favourites? As someone who dabbles in every craft imaginable, I feel like these three materials would cover most of my bases.

DAS is kind of the perfect play clay. A bit more grown up and serious than the Crayola. While messier than the others, its durability sold me as being a solid addition to my clay stash.

Creative Paperclay remains a favourite. Yes, it has it's flaws, but it also has unique characteristics that make it stand out. It's lightweight quality and paintability keep this firmly in my roster.

Finally, Super Sculpey Ultralight. I gotta say, I was not expecting a new favourite to emerge from this bunch, and definitely didn't' expect a Sculpey product to leap out at me, but here we are. It's lush to work with, paints so nicely, and I'm determined to take advantage of its insane lightweight quality. A bit of fallout is a fair price to pay for its other amazing qualities.

Did your favourite make the list? Do you have tips for using the disastrous foam clay? What should we try next?

I'm feeling really optimistic about my recent rush of inspiration and I cant wait to share my new projects with you.

Have a great day, you gorgeous human being <3

The Swear Jar

I saw a post on insta suggesting a reverse swear jar. Instead of putting money into a jar every time you cuss, you take a swear word out when you feel the need for vulgarity.

While I understand that some people are offended by swearing, they feel that it cheapens language and displays a lack of imagination... I am not one of those people.

I am a fan of the blue streak, the way it emphasizes, expresses and punctuates.

So yeah, I made the swear jar.

Just a regular old pickle jar, some bits of paper, cloth and trim. This was a down and dirty quickie of a project.

I rolled the swears and tied them with twine and filled that jar up!

If you want to make your own swear jar, you can use the image file below for non-commercial purposes. You'll probably need to print two sheets to full a large-ish jar. While that means each swear is repeated, it also means that your chance of pulling your favourite swear is doubled. Huzzah!

Having trouble with the above file? No worries!

You can grab a PDF HERE or a PNG HERE

Enjoy!

A freaking year & Elbows Up!

I had something I wanted to share and so I blew the dust off this old blog. It's difficult to believe that my last post here was just over a year ago.

A year.

A FREAKING YEAR!

To be honest I haven't been making much. Little things here and there. A few bigger projects got sidelined by squirrel moments. And you know what? That's ok. I haven't been in the right headspace, my heart hasn't been in it. I've just been kind of puttering through life and whatever has been tossed my way. But tonight I turned on my Cameo and set to work.

The world is pretty topsy turvy at the moment. I live in Canada and I am grateful for that. I'm grateful for the swell of pride and togetherness that the vast majority of Canadians are showing in this weird, batshit crazy timeline. I wanted a little tangible piece of the Canadian spirit that I feel all around me, something positive to look to. So, I made a few decals for our travel mugs with "Elbows Up" and a maple leaf. It's a little thing, but little things matter.

If you aren't familiar with "Elbows Up", it has become Canada's patriotic battle cry. It's a Gordie Howe hockey reference. There's Mr. Hockey (AKA Mr. Elbow's) below.

Gordie Howe with one of his well-known elbows in 1978. (CP PHOTO/Doug Ball)

Here's a quote from British Columbia Premier David Eby which sums up the meaning nicely:

"Elbows Up means the other team is trying to take advantage. And if they come at you, they’re going to feel it. You know as Canadian we have a reputation for politeness. We’re polite, sometimes to a fault, but it is a grave mistake to see that politeness as weakness. We will always be the True North, Strong and Free with our elbows up..."

Seemed a bit silly to make a decal for a few mugs, to keep it to myself, when I know there are plenty of creatives and makers that might want something of their own. So, I've posted the svg and cameo studio files in my drive, you know, just in case you are inclined to slap this on every single thing in sight.

Cameo Studio 3 file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NZR_bOpdsyP33h5CBceldODe0lH29ghN/view?usp=sharing

SVG file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r7-r9L5mCOKk15qIVmCXk-gH66qdP55R/view?usp=sharing

I'm crossing my fingers that these work fine and dandy for you. They may require some fiddling.

Anyway, I hope you're well. I hope you're hanging in there. When this madness is over let's have some  beer and pizza, ok?

Fairy Potions and Goblin Poison

I'm obsessed.

Clay and glaze and tiny pottery makings have taken over my studio, the kitchen table and part of the garage.

100% worth it.

Check out these tiny little pots and jugs! I'm so happy with them.

I mean, just look at that sassy little face jug.

I've been watching a lot of 'Time Team'. Have you seen it? It takes a team of archaeologists who then spend three days on a dig, most often somewhere in the UK, often looking for specific archaeological evidence. It's a lot of fun. 

I've always loved archaeology, and history. I very seriously considered studying archaeology when I was younger (thanks Indian Jones!). Museums are some of my favourite places and chocked full of inspiration.

These tiny jugs remind me of little historical artifacts.

They're like vessels made by old fairies for their potions, or goblins to store a drop or two of poison.

I am head over heels with the face jugs especially.

Do you know about face jugs? Vessels depicting silly faces can be found in all sorts of cultures throughout history. There are ancient Greek examples. They were popular in medieval Germany and England. They eventually developed into the modern Toby Jug... but truthfully, I kinda love the old dudes.

There are also African examples which (from my very limited understanding) evolved from Nkondi. Nkondi were sculptural figures that housed spirits, often protective... sometimes not so much. These  evolved into the African-American face jugs created from the mid 1800s, which continue to be created today.

I've made my wee jugs from white Earthenware, terracotta and a super groggy raku clay.

The jugs are hand-built with one of those clays, dried, fired, glazed (or stained) and then fired again.

It's a long but lovely process that I've been savouring.

Want to snag some tiny pots for yourself? I have a bunch of sets listed in the etsy shop HERE

Hope you're well. Behave yourself (but not too much).

Tibetan Flowers, AI, and Clay Bells

These sweet little clay bells were inspired by a picture floating around social media of 'Tibetan Bell' flowers.

After seeing the image below someone said I should make teacups or bells that looked like them. Because I am an easily influenced person, and because it was an excellent idea, I totally did as was commanded.

But... are these REAL flowers? I suspect this image is actually AI generated. The only examples of this plant that I could find were from questionable seed sellers using this exact same image, and slew of AI sites. I could totally be wrong, but I'm leaning toward these being beautiful, but fake. Booo! The closest real flower is maybe a Fritillaria imperialis? While still beautiful, lacks the blue details. Searching 'orange and blue flowers' yields no relevant results. What do you think?  Whatever the case, we're living in weird, weird, times.

Whether these little bells were inspired by fake flowers, or the real deal, I like them well enough. I bet my fairy folk will be tickled with them too.

Tiny Clay Cottages

I have been having far too much fin with my little mini microwave kiln. That thing has been put through the ringer over the past month! It's absolutely given me a kick in the creative pants. I'm completely and totally enamored.

My latest completed pieces are a slew of little clay houses.

Here they are freshly made. Once completely dry they're popped into the kiln for their first firing.

Here they are after their first firing and with glaze drying. They look dull and muted, but once they're fired again, the colours come to life and they have a glossy finish.

I mean, how cute are these finished fellas?! It's magic.

Handmade from white earthenware clay, bisque fired, glazed, then fired again for a shiny finish.

I've learned soooo much while making these.

Each of their imperfections is a lesson learned.

How much glaze to apply. How to achieve a flat edge. How to properly affix those little chimneys. How long to fire. How... how... how... So many variables to figure out!

And while the next batch will absolutely be closer to 'perfection' this big batch of cottages are utterly charming with their dents, wobbles and drips.

If you'd like to snag some of these little cuties, I have ten sets available in my etsy shop. Each set includes 5 ooak houses in a variety of sizes and styles. Scoot on over HERE to grab a little fairy-sized town of your own.

Microwaves, kilns, and learning curves

Mr. Pixie gifted me a microwave kiln for Christmas.

'The heck is a microwave kiln' you ask? Its a little round chamber you pop in the microwave that heats up and allows you to fire pottery, metal clay, and glass fusing.

When you get a microwave kiln that also means you need a microwave, clay, safety gloves, glazes, kiln paper, a million little bits and bobs and a whole whack of patience.

Earthenware buttons bisque fired in microwave kiln

It seems unreal that you can create little clay objects and successfully fire them in a microwave, and to do so in a fraction of the time it would take in a regular kiln. And yet, fire it does.

There's definitely a learning curve and much experimenting, and trying, and practicing, and failing! But there's a joy in that part of the creative process, and so much satisfaction when you manage to pull your experiences together and say "Wow! I learned a new skill!"

Glazed buttons ready for second firing.

I'd read a bunch of posts/comments that said that glaze firing would be impossible in the microwave, that temps required would not be possible... but I've seen loads of projects that prove the contrary, and managed some really cute results myself. Just look at the shiny happy buttons below

Finished glazed handmade buttons.

While you'll be seeing clay projects pop up in my timelines, I probably won't be doing any tutorials for using a microwave kiln. There are just too many variables to consider (clay type, humidity, kiln size, microwave wattage, direction of the wind, alignment of the planets) and that makes tutorials difficult when many people need/want specific direction.

All that said, if you've been considering grabbing one of these hot little gadgets, go for it! I've had soooo much fun with mine over the past couple of weeks. If you're a craft nerd who loves the process of learning, you'll likely find this a rewarding addition to your creative arsenal. 

Be safe & have fun!