5 Useful things you can make with Cold Porcelain Clay

There are so many useful things that can be made with cold porcelain clay. You can make anything from household items to art projects with your kids but here are a few ideas for using cold porcelain at home. 

1. Jewelry– Cold Porcelain clay is great for making jewelry. You can make gorgeous one of a kind earrings to necklaces even rings. Bangles are in this season. You can make your own bangles with cold porcelain. Here’s a easy tutorial.  Take one or two different colors of clay and slightly mix them together. Roll it into a ball and then roll it out into a snake about 9 inches long. Form into a semi circle or you can make it connect or over lap. Leave on a dry surface to dry. Once dried you can paint it, add swaroski crystals or sand it. Then varnish it and you have a nice bangle.
2. Kitchen Cabinet Knobs– What? Kitchen Cabinet Knobs? Yup that’s right!. If you want to upgrade your kitchen you can get really creative and make your own cabinet knobs. You can make color patterns with your clay and place it over your existing knobs or you can form the knob yourself and add it to your cabinet. It can be painted, sanded and varnished.This is also great for cabinets that aren’t functional and are just for show. If you have no idea how to make knobs no worries. You can Youtube it to get great video tutorials. This is not only fun but you will save money with do it yourself projects.
3. Christmas Tree Ornaments– Oh my Gosh! it is so much fun to make memories by making Christmas tree ornaments with your kids. Make sure to have your cold porcelain clay in many different colors or the two colors you would like. You can make great ornaments with polymer clay molds, silicone molds or by scratch. You can make miniature Christmas trees, snow mans, Santa’s angels and more! Also if you want to make round hanging Christmas ornaments you can start off by forming a ball out of foil paper. Once you’ve formed a nice round ( as round as you can make it) ball you can then add the cold porcelain clay over it, let dry and then paint. it’s easy fun and makes for great decorations.
4. Fixed chipped or cracked porcelain or figurines– If you have a cracked porcelain or ceramic cup plate you can fix it by using cold porcelain clay. Hopefully these are collectables and you are not using these cups and plates for eating and drinking. However if you are there are precautions you must take in order to do so. But right now we will talk about how to fix collectables or China that is for display only. You can take a piece of clay depending on the amount you need and use it to fix a crack or chip. First make sure to clean the area that you plan to fix with soap and water and make sure it is dried throughly. Remove all dirt and debre for maximum results. Next, take the piece of clay you plan on using and patch the hole or crack. Leave it alone to let dry. This is not for the impatient so make sure you leave it alone to dry thoroughly and properly. You make have to add more layers of clay but use your own judgement. After it is completely dried you can sand and varnish the newly patched piece. Next add a gloss varnish. You can add one that is waterproof if you’d like. It may also be a good idea to use one that is specifically for ceramic use. Once you let it dry it should be good as new.
5. Make miniature bowls, pen holders & paperweights– A few years ago i made several small bowls that i now use on my desk to store my arts n crafts needs. I once read that you cannot make bowls with cold porcelain clay and they were wrong. I suppose what they meant was you shouldn’t make bowls that will be used to hold water because cold porcelain clay melts. Again that isn’t entirely true. In fact if you want to make cold porcelain bowls and cups that you would like to use there are precautions that you must take but i think it can be done but for now we’re talking about making bowls for functional use.  I’ve made some very sturdy and durable and functional bowls and cups. To make a functional bowl first start off with firm cold porcelain clay. (please note: Stacie Laurell is the only clay that can be manipulated to be either firm or soft because of our specially formulated formula 🙂 Next, roll your clay (a good size) into a ball. stick your thumb in the center of the ball. start rotating the ball in your hand while trying to even out the walls of the ball. This is the starting process of making a pinch pot.  Pinch pots are fairly easy to make. If you don’t know how to make a pinch pot and need more of a visual guidance you can youtube how to make a pinch pot. My bowls does a great job in holding my art supplies and storing such things as beads, clips, charms and more!.

Thank you for taking the time to read my guide and i sure hope it was helpful in teaching you more about cold porcelain clay!   http://stores.ebay.com/Stacie-Laurell-Crafts  & Stacielaurellcrafts.com

 

Is Polymer Clay Safe and Non Toxic ?

People have always wondered is polymer clay safe and non toxic. Some argue that polymer clay is safe but few will endorse that it is “non toxic”. What is Polymer clay made of? simply put, Polymer clay is made with a mixture of plastics that’s formed in to a clay that can be baked. However there has been some concern about the fumes released while the clay is being baked. Have you ever accidentally burned polymer clay in your toaster oven? I have and it smells horrible. My eyes and throat burned for hours and the smell was intolerable. So what does that mean? well, when burned, polymer clay releases  fumes called hydrochloride gas . The gas is known to irritate mucous membrane which causes burning eyes and throat just like i experienced.  Other than that people still swear that polymer clay is safe and that the gas release has no long term effects.  

Although many people claim polymer clay is safe they cannot claim it is non toxic because it is made with certain chemicals. It is probably best for people with asthma to stay clear of polymer clay or at least avoid burning it in the oven. 

Cold Porcelain Clay

For many, cold porcelain clay is becoming the more popular choice. It is just like polymer clay in some ways but much better with added benefits.  Cold Porcelain air dries, so you don’t have to put it in oven or worry about burning your clay. Also this is a non toxic clay made with natural ingredients.  One of the greatest benefits over polymer clay is that cold porcelain can be stretched into thin pieces and will not break where as polymer clay will break if you try to create thin fragile pieces such as petals.  Weither it’s polymer clay you like or cold porcelain, both clay can produce gorgeous creations, but for many the new trend is Cold Porcelain Clay.  

 

10 Reasons People Love Cold Porcelain Clay Over Polymer Clay

1. Cold Porcelain Clay is Soft– Cold Porcelain has a softer & more pliable texture than polymer clay, making it easier to condition and roll with clay roller.
2. Cold Porcelain Air Dries    Unlike polymer clay, cold porcelain clay does not require baking because it air dries.  You won’t have to worry about accidentally burning your clay in the oven because you don’t need one.  (please note: Cold porcelain clay should not be baked however, Stacie Laurell’s Stone Porcelain Clay can be baked as well as air dry)
3. Flaws and imperfections can be fixed with cold porcelain clay  Polymer clay can not be altered much after it has been baked.  So if you make a mistake you’re pretty much stuck with it.  However, cold porcelain clay can be altered or fixed after it has been  dried/cured.  Prior to adding a sealer you can sand, varnish or wet the blemished area and sculpt over it.  Making corrections are possible with cold porcelain clay but not with polymer clay.
4. Cold Porcelain Clay Is Non-toxic- You won’t have to worry about any toxic fumes with cold porcelain because it is made with natural ingredients.  Polymer clay however, releases fumes when over baked.  none of the makers of polymer clay will either confirm nor deny the claims that polymer clay may be toxic under certain circumstances. However non has claimed to be non toxic either.
5. Cold Porcelain can be stretched to thin pieces but polymer clay cannot–  Most artist love cold porcelain and uses it specifically for this added benefit.  They make artificial flowers by stretching the clay into thin pieces allowing them to make delicate and beautiful life like petals.
6. Cold Porcelain texture can be changed- If you want your clay to be firm, you can place your packaged clay or air tight container of clay in the fridge and if you want it to be soft you can place your sealed clay package in a bowl of hot tap water and the clay will immediately soften.  
7. Used by many professional clay artist- Cold porcelain clay originated in Argentina and is a very popular and expensive clay overseas.  This clay is gaining popularity and is being used more by many sculpting artist.
8. Cold Porcelain can be manipulated   This clay can be manipulated to look like glass, marble, porcelain, ceramic and other mediums. Because of it’s special blend of ingredients it has a leg up over polymer clay.
9. Clay can be painted – Cold porcelain can be painted. Because of polymer clay’s plastic like properties, it isn’t as beautiful as cold porcelain when painted.  This clay can be painted, varnished, sanded & more!
10. Stacie Laurell’s Cold Porcelain Clay can be frozen for longer shelf life.  You can place our specially made clay in your fridge or freezer and preserve it for a very long time.  When ready to use just thaw out your clay in warm tap water and condition your clay with our specially formulated clay conditioning lotion and your clay will be back to it’s original state ( please note: Do not place clay directly in water. Always make sure that it is wrapped or sealed in it’s original package or sealed in a ziplock bag or air tight container before submerging in water).

 

This can only be done with Stacie Laurell Cold Porcelain Clay  http://stores.ebay.com/Stacie-Laurell-Crafts, & StacieLaurellcrafts.com