Spring Bloom Polymer Clay Magnets

Spring Bloom Magnets by Naomi Scarparo

Spring will be here soon in Australia. I already see the first signs of flowers blooming in my garden and it inspired me to make these colourful flower magnets for my fridge and to remind myself to stop and smell the flowers...

Materials:

Makin’s Clay® - White

Makin's® Clay Roller or Makin's Professional® Ultimate® Clay Machine 

Makin’s Professional® Cutting Mat 

Makin's® Clay Push Molds - Floral Item #39005

Small, Soft Tip sculpting tool

Black Stamp Inkpad

Stamp with Quote - used ‘Have a Blooming Good Day’

Circle cutter 5cm diameter

Soft small tip paintbrush

Lumiere By Jacquard 573 Pearlescent Magenta, 557 Halo Violet Gold, 571 Pearlescent Turquoise, 554 Sunset Gold, 572 Pearlescent Emerald Green

Weldbound glue

Magnets 

Instructions:

Roll out your Makin's Clay® White, to the thickest setting on your clay machine, put some plastic wrap on top of your sheet of clay and press down firmly with the Circle cutter. This will give you perfectly rounded edges… (which I forgot to do, oops… but no big deal… just smooth the edges with your fingertips).

Ink your saying stamp ‘Having a Blooming Good Day’, then gently press the stamp into the clay and remove it leaving the stamp impression (don’t worry if the ink did not press into the clay clearly).

Using the Lumiere paints, Starting with the lightest colour - 571 Pearlescent Turquoise dab with a slightly damp small brush apply over the whole circle. 

  

Then using Lumiere - 573 Pearlescent Magenta, dot along the edges of the circle as if a blooming branch is leaning over.

Apply Lumiere - 554 Sunset Gold with a fine tip paintbrush in the impressed stamped quote. Then apply Lumiere - 572 Pearlescent Emerald Green around the base of the circle as though there is bush or shrubs around.

Allow the pain to dry. As the paint for the Quote magnet paint is drying, start making the flowers using the Makin's Clay® Clay Push Molds - Floral Item #39005. 

To use the molds

Lightly dust the push molds with cornstarch, shaking the excess off. This will help to keep the clay from sticking to the mold. Using the white clay, roll into a smaller size ball than the mold. Press the clay into the mold starting in the centre and working towards the edges. 

Tip - the clear view mold can be turned over to check for any air bubbles that need to be pressed out and to make sure that the areas are all filled.  

Remove excess clay that overlaps the edges of the mold. Remove the moulded flower gently by pressing the mold from the front side or use the clay chisel to help lift the mold out. You can clean up the edges using your fingertips and a soft pointed tip sculpting tool. 

Set some of the flowers in an arrangement that you like, an example of what I used is in a photo below. I used a mix of the 3 vine leaf and Roses (opened flower and bud). Place then together using some tacky glue or if still slightly damp a spritz of water. 

Paint the flowers using the Lumiere By Jacquard paints. I painted the flowers individually and once touch dry, I added 554 Sunset Gold to highlight areas like the centre of the flowers.

 Cut the clustered flower (pictured below) using the circle cutter, to add the top and bottom decoration, attach them sing tacky glue, and reshape if needed using the Soft tip sculpting tool.

Paint edges of the flowers and allow to dry for 24 hours.

Once dry turn over and paint the backs of the flowers. Allow to dry. 

Attach magnets to the back of the flowers with tacky glue. 

Tip - Check which side of the magnet is magnetic and ensure that it is glued facing out. 

Makin's Clay® is light weight and perfect to make magnets with as I didn’t have to worry too much about what strength of magnet is needed. I used an old business card magnet, cut into strips. 

Enjoy making your magnets to pretty up your fridge...

Magnets with Napkin Collage

Magnets with Napkin Collage by Bea Grob

Hi everyone! Today I have a quick and fun project for you.  Create easy DIY magnets with Makin's Clay®, small round magnets and some napkins, Glossy Accent, ok I also used some Micapowders and rhinstones but that would be optional.

Supplies:

Makin's Clay® in black and white or natural, how much depends on how many you want to make.

Napkins with small patterns

Mica powder in matching colors

Glossy accent

Round magnets mine are about 8mm (again depending on how many magnets you want to make)

Tools

Makin's® Clay Roller and/or Makin's Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine®

Makin's® Clay Cutters, square Set Nr.  36002  

A spray bottle with plain water

A piece of plastic wrapping or household wrap

Instructions:

I started by rolling some black and white clay on the #2  setting of my Makin's Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine®.  You could also use the clay roller to roll out an even sheet. 

Then I cut some squares in black with medium size cutter from the set in black. If you use some plastic wrap you get a nice beveled edge, but again that is optional.  Next, I cut out with the smallest square from the set the white parts. This time I didn't care about a beveled edge, as it is going to be covered up anyway. 

Next, I prepared little piece of napkin, make sure that you use only the top part, the printed part of the napkin. Before I lay the pieces down onto to the white clay, I make sure that I have sprayed them and then slightly, I only want the clay damp, not  puddles of water. Just lay the napkin pieces on the clay, avoiding wrinkles. Make the pieces a little bigger then the square, we going to deal with the

extended pieces later.

Let it sit for about 2 minutes and then lift it up and wrap around the overhang. If there is too much at the corners I simply cut away a bit.

Turn the black pieces over (if you have the beveled edge) and put your magnet somewhat in the middle. I then use the back of a pencil to push it slightly down, just be careful not to push it through the Makin's Clay®. 

Turn it over and dampen again the surface of the black square before you add your napkin covered square to the  black clay. I use an acrylic block to give a slightly even pressure.

Next, I added some mica powder to the black clay and also in some pieces of the napkin.

I also added some rhinestones. To make sure that they don't shift in the next step I did add some glue to the back before I place them.

Our last step is to add some Glossy Accents, we have to seal the napkin. You can add it only to the napkin, but you can also cover the whole pieces or just part of the black, what ever you like.

Whimsical Wigs Magnets

Hello Makers!

Today I have a silly, but fun, project; refrigerator wig magnets. These fun little wig magnets are fun to overlay over someone’s picture and give them different hairtyles. Ever wonder what dad looked like with long blond hair or with red head and pig tails? Wonder, no more. You can also use these wigs to figure out what you look like with a new hair cut, without committing. Or you can ask your your hairdresser, lol! These fun little magnets are made using Makin’s Clay® White, Black and Earth Tones clay.

Materials

• Makin's Clay®– White, Black, Earth Tones 
• Makin's Professional® Cutting Mat
• Makin's Professional® Roller and Cutter Set
• Scissors
• Precision Knife
• Acrylic paint; Raw Umber
• Memento Luxe Ink - Love Letter, Dandelion
• VersaMagic Dew Drop; Red Brick
• Glue
• Magnets
• White card stock paper
• Sculpey Satin clay sealer

Determine the pictures you will use. The example images I used are of our Makin’s Clay® Design team…aren’t we adorable? I used a standard wallet size picture, which measures 3.5 x 3 inches. Some images varied slightly in order to keep original proportions.

Using tracing paper, overlay the paper over the image and draw the hair. It does not have to be precise. If you use candid images, the size will vary anyway. To get some inspiration take a look at images of hairstyles on internet. 

Roll out the clay with clay roller to about the size of the wig image and ¼ inch in thickness. It does have to be evenly flat, as the matter fact, it’s best that it is not, it makes it look organic.

Place plastic over the clay. The plastic will help make smooth lines, and allow the stylus to glide.

Place the tracing paper over the plastic.

Using a stylus, trace the image. This will make indentions into the clay.

Remove the tracing paper, leave the plastic over the clay and continue to draw hair line.

Cut out the hair with scissors or precision knife. Once all the wigs are completed, let them cure for 24 hours.

Here are the wigs in their raw state. They all will be painted, except for the black one. The brown and blond wigs were made using shades from the Earth Tones multi-pack.

Paint wig with Raw Umber. Wipe the paint off from the raised areas, leaving paint in the crevices. This adds dimension to the wigs.

Paint the wigs. I used pigment inks, used in rubber stamping. If you use ink; be sure to heat set the ink using a crafting heating tool. This will keep the ink from rubbing off. I used Memento Luxe Dandelion on the blond wigs, Memento Luxe Love and VersaMagic Dew Drop on the Red Brick on the red wig.

Seal the clay

Glue the magnet on the wig.

Print images on card stock paper.

Cut out images and glue the magnet or tape onto refrigerator.

Give dad, brother, mom that new hairdo and have fun!