How to Make an Animal Bead with a Press Mold

Get some soft polymer clay, animal shaped clay molds (you’ll find them in any crafts store), bead reamer tool, piece of cardboard, baking tray, varnish, paint. Now you are ready to make animal beads with your polymer clay.

• If your polymer clay is hard, take a small portion of it and make it soft (softening of clay is called “conditioning” the clay). To soften polymer clay rub it within hands. The warmth of hands and a little stretching and working with the clay will make it soft enough to place it in the mold for giving desirable animal shape.
• If you want a single color animal bead, put the clay into the animal shaped mold. However, if you want multiple colored animal beads, you have to mix required number of colorful clay before putting it into the mold.
• Now press the clay firmly into the mold. Take care not to press so hard that the bottom gets flattened.
• Fill up the mold until the clay gets even at the top edges and flat all the way across.
• Now, turn the mold over and slowly bend the rubber to release the animal shaped clay. If you see any rough edges, smooth them with fingers.
• With the help of a bead reamer tool or a thin piece of wire, drill a hole through your animal bead shape. If the beads are too soft to make a hole, place them on a piece of wax paper and put them in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.
• After making hole, put your animal beads on a piece of cardboard on the baking tray and set your oven. To know at what temperature and for how much time you have to bake your beads, check the package of polymer clay as each brand of clay is different. Ensure that the room is well ventilated.
• When you finish with baking, let your animal beads cool completely.
• Once the beads have cooled down, give your choice of finishing to them. You can varnish, paint or glaze them. You can even use a fine-grain sandpaper to give some texture to your animal beads.

Deepa Roy is an expert author having interest in varied fields including textile, health and fitness, alternative health, home decor & remodeling, movers and packers industry, furniture & handicrafts among others. She uses her practical experiences as well as acquired knowledge apart from facts and statistics gathered from research and industry reports to write her articles. You can connect with her on Facebook Deepa Roy Chowdhury http://www.facebook.com/deeparoyc

Article Source:  Making Animal Beads With Polymer Clay

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Let the children in your house help prepare for your Thanksgiving gathering by making pilgrim ship table favors from walnut shells. As guests arrive at your home on Thanksgiving Day, they can write tiny notes that show appreciation for people present at the gathering and tuck them into the ships for all to read when seated at the table.

Get all the details at the Daily Press: Thanksgiving table favors show thanks to your guests

Image Credit: Gilles Gonthier on flickr

The crossover is unmistakable, yet we find that the hobby industry is particularly geared toward men, while the craft industry focuses on women. My husband is a scale model builder, and is by industry definition, a hobbyist. I believe his work says otherwise … it requires a special skill, artistic creativity, and a high amount of dexterity. Don’t make the mistake of referring to model building as a craft, however. Somehow these terms have morphed into gender specific activities.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not pushing the idea that every woman needs to get into scale modeling or that every man pick up knitting, but I am questioning the artificial separation of the two industries. Generally speaking, craft stores are for women; hobby stores are for men. If this was working for the retailer, I’d say great! But many craft stores and hobby stores are struggling to survive. Likewise, especially in our current economy, hobby and craft manufacturers are feeling the pinch.

Craft and hobby manufacturers and retail store owners would do well to take note of the other half of the population, giving serious thought as to how to reach across gender lines in product lines and marketing efforts. Hobby store owners, do your product line, store layout, and marketing materials appeal to both men and women? In many households, moms are responsible for the lion’s share of purchasing decisions. In single parent families, moms make all the purchasing decisions, and many would be highly interested in hobbies that offer educational value for their children.

Craft store owners, do your product line, store layout, and marketing materials exclude men?

So, what do you think? Are hobbies for men and crafts for women? Should the craft and hobby industries remain distinct and separate? Why or why not?