Polymer Clay Daily

Shower curtain hooks keep favorite cutters handy in Syndee Holt’s studio in California.

My heart display! A spool of grosgrain ribbon elevates my Ron Lehocky hearts. My husband nixed my Velcro idea and wrapped a 2” wide piece of wood with the ribbon, screwing it to the wall. Better call it a hubby-approved display. Earrings hang from mesh. Watchbands clip onto custom 3D printed holders. Maybe I’m a bit obsessive. Years of collecting and making. I see that Wendy Moore has a similar idea!

So happy that Maggie Maggio’s pendant from the ‘90s pulls my outfit together today. Earrings from Stacy Shaffer scrap. Love Maggie’s shape that’s brown on one side and purple on the other. The buna cord has gotten stiff but oh well. It’s a good day for MatchyMatchy. I am surrounded by artist friends on this holiday. Hope you are too.

Delicate cutting tips

I treasure the delicate Matisse-like 3D printed cutters I had made in Russia some years ago. But I broke several and gummed them up with clay before I discovered a better way. Wrap your clay in deli wrap! My mantra is, “Never let the clay touch the cutter.”

Then I realized that my “NeverKnead” or a vise could be helpful. I sandwich the clay in deli wrap, and gently press it. After pressing, hold the wrapped clay up to the light to make sure the edges are cleanly cut through. Give them another press if needed.

Remove the wrap and carefully eliminate the excess clay. Touch up with a pin tool (Mags Bonham’s on Etsy are my favorites).

You will save clay and time with this color mixer app from Anita Long. Need just a little bit of a certain color? Match it without waste. Anita taught herself to code an app just to solve your problem.

Too matchy matchy? Nah. I’m a walking polymer ad most days. And red/orange/pink combos ring my chimes lately. This luscious 6’ strand is from Lindly and the mismatched graphic shaped earrings from Libby Mills. I also coordinate my watch bands (it was charging). Color is so important to our moods!

Birth of an inlaid bowl. Pick a palette, combine the colors into several different mixes. Chop and twist into logs. Flatten and thin into stripes. (Carol Blackburn style). Cut into strips. Mix and match the endlessly changing patterns and inlay. Fire with a heat gun. (Lindly Haunani is my color consultant! Blair turns the bowls.)