Lately I'm getting the same questions on the AllAboutDeco formspring account asking me:
Are there any shops where I can buy deco in ... ?
Do you know any online shops that ship to ... ?
Since my local knowledge doesn't go further than Belgium and for Laura the UK, we had the idea of making a list gathering all the local and online shops per country/city/... where you can get deco supplies, this ranges from where you get your clay to your rhinestones to glue and other things.
If you are reading this, you can help us out!
Fill in this form and leave it at the comments below:
Online shops:
Name:
Country:
Shop name:
Shop website:
Ship to:
What to get here:
Local shops:
Name:
Country:
Shop name:
Shop website: (if applicable)
Adress:
What to get here:
zaterdag 16 juni 2012
is there any shop or online shop in india to acquire air dry clay and tools?
Try looking around for craft shops in your neighbourhood. But I think you probably did that already. It seems there is a craft shop called Hobby Ideas in Mumbai, please check the website to see where it is http://www.hobbyideas.net/index.aspx
For a list with online shops, which ship to India, take a look at this list: http://semi-sweeties.deviantart.com/journal/Where-do-you-buy-your-clay-Help-us-make-a-list-219066658
You can also try to ask the Deco-den community on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/30667815752/
I hope this helps ^^
vrijdag 15 juni 2012
What varnish or sealant do you use for air dry clay?
I myself use the same one for polymer as for air dry clay which is Fimo gloss varnish. Mini mo wrote a great quide on different varnishes, it's a great link if you have trouble deciding which varnish/sealant to use. http://www.sweetandtiny.net/2011/04/beginners-help-varnish-or-not-to.html
woensdag 21 maart 2012
Are there any online shops around malaysia that sell these? -Air Dry Clay -Polymer Clay
I don't know about any, but perhaps you can ask on the facebook group Deco-den: https://www.facebook.com/groups/30667815752?ap=1
There seem to be some people from Malaysia around there who would know the answer to your question.
I do know other ones like Sophie & Toffee in Singapore. http://sophieandtoffee.com which ship to anywhere in the world.
You can always take a look at craft stores in your neighbourhood, most of the time they also carry air dry clay and polymer clay in their shop!
Good luck!
If you have a question for us, you can ask your question in the "ask me anything" widget in the sidebar!
donderdag 23 februari 2012
Making your own whipped cream
I stumbled upon a few recipes to make your own whipped cream!
Perfect to make whipped cream that doesn't smell and dries rather soft.
First one is made with air dry clay or paper clay and white craft glue
Perfect to make whipped cream that doesn't smell and dries rather soft.
First one is made with air dry clay or paper clay and white craft glue
Have a look
Next one is made with paper clay, cold porcelain, ... and lotion
zaterdag 18 februari 2012
Paper Clay
Paper clay is any clay body which has had processed cellulose (usually paper) added to it. There are a few differences from paper clay to normal air dry clay such as the presence of paper fibers, the thickness and stodginess of it and the colour. “White” paper clay is usually a light grey in colour and lightens as it dries. Even when it is fully dry, the colour of the “whiteness” can be questionable.
Price
Paper clay is usually bought in big blocks as opposed to polymer clay, which is usually bought in small quantities. As paper clay is bought in larger blocks, it is considered more cost effective – a 1kg block of paper clay can be bought for around £3 in the UK.
Availability
Paper clay is marketed as “air dry clay” in the UK and therefore is one of the only available types of air drying clay in the UK. One brand is only available in the UK, which is DAS, and can be found in most craft, art and hobby shops as well as stores like The Works and WH Smiths. The same can be said for American and Asian types of paper clay, with the exception of The Works and WH Smiths (as the stores haven’t branched out to the US and Asia, as far as my knowledge goes) and popular brands include Creative Paperclay and Pearl Paperclay.
Uses
Paper clay has many of the same uses as polymer and air dry clay, such as jewellery making, charms, cabochons, beads, creating vessels and sculpting. It can be used in moulds and also to create moulds but the clay will need to be varnished upon drying and some form of release agent (such as baby powder) will be needed. Deco artists tend to use paper clay to make sweets and other cabochons. The texture of paper clay is also useful for sweet deco items such as bread, cake, biscuits, ice cream and cookies.
Texture & Workability
In the UK, air dry clay is surprisingly hard to find, and because of this, a brand of paper clay called DAS is marketed wrongly as air dry clay. Therefore this article may be a little biased due to my lack of experience with other paper and air dry clays as well as troubles with availability. I believe real air drying clay is light, slightly sticking, flexible and workable and bright white in colour. The “air dry clay” available in the UK is a dirty, unbleached grey in colour (even though it is marketed as white) and lightens to a questionable “white” colour as it dries. It is thick and stodgy to pull apart and fibrous and mushy for the texture. You can colour paper clay with the regular substances used for other clays, such as chalk, ink, paint, foil, embossing powder, etc., but it takes a considerable amount of chalk shavings or paint to get a strongish colour. Because the original colour of the clay is a dirty colour to begin with, you get a dirty version of the colour you are aiming for. The clay is quite hard to work with too, with a texture and feel comparable to dumpling dough. It is cold and wet to the touch and has a fibrous, uneven texture and feel to it. It is hard to mould and create even simple shapes and does not take detail very well. Because of the paper fibres, the surface tends to rip, tear and stress when details are applied. As such, this is not a very popular choice to use among jewellers and artists as it also cracks more easily and is uneven in colour compared to other clays. Paper clay doesn’t shrink much, however, and is very light in weight compared to polymer and normal air dry clay.
Curing & Aftercare
Speaking from my experience, when the paper clay fully dried, it had visibly cracked and had a chalky feel to it. It was very hard to the touch and lightweight compared to other clays, however. The “white” colour is more like a very, very, very light grey and can be questioned. Paper clay is usually air dry and dries pretty fast, most items taking around 24-48 hours to completely dry. As with most air dry clays, paper clay dries from the outside in, so you need to leave it a little longer than when it looks completely dry on the outside. In order to dry pieces faster and more consistently, I turned pieces over once a day. You can paint, sand, buff, file, varnish and otherwise treat the clay once used but sometimes the clay absorbs water based substances, causing it to have that wet look again. You can also rubber stamp or use marker pens on this clay whilst dry, but make sure to seal your work afterwards. You can also rework and mould paper clay by adding more water to it before varnishing, allowing it to return to a soft, wet state again. This is a quality that gives it advantage over polymer clay.
dinsdag 14 februari 2012
Cold Porcelain Clay
Second one is Cold Porcelain Clay, a clay which isn't that known but interesting to have a look into.
Cold porcelain is an inexpensive, non-toxic, easy to work with type of air dry clay. It gets its name from the fact that, when dry, the texture and feel of it feels like porcelain or china. It does not require baking or firing but instead is dried by exposure to the air. Originally from Argentina, its main components are corn starch and white glue, also having low quantities of oil and/or glycerine which gives its porcelain-like texture. Lemon juice and/or sodium benzoate is also sometimes added to the mixture to prevent mould, bacteria and fungi, as most of the ingredients are biodegradable. It can be either bought from shops or made at home quite easily. It dissolves in heat and water if not properly sealed with varnish or gloss so it is not suitable for items such as jugs or crockery. A basic recipe for cold porcelain can be found here.
Price
Cold porcelain is very inexpensive to make at home, but surprisingly expensive if bought in stores or online. It seems many places do not stock cold porcelain except for online, so this may cause high demand of mass produced cold porcelain. A 500g block of imported Argentinian cold porcelain will set you back approximately £10.
Availability
As stated above, not many places IRL or online stock cold porcelain. Most of the mass produced cold porcelain found online is imported directly from its place of origin, Argentina, and is therefore quite expensive. The basic components to make it yourself, however, are next to nothing price wise. You can find many of the components of cold porcelain, such as corn starch and white glue, at supermarkets, cake stores, DIY stores and pound shops.
Uses
Cold porcelain has many similar uses to other air dry and polymer clays, such as model making, sculpting, mould making, being used in moulds, jewellery, beads, charms, cabochons and other uses. Cold porcelain is a value material for deco artists looking for inexpensive, easy to work with and make clay in large quantities and is great for wholesale and retail deco artists (those who sell their work). Cold porcelain is very useful in moulds as it shrinks as drying, so is easy to pop out. You can also moisten the mould with either two of the clay’s main components – cold cream or cornstarch.
Texture & Workability
Cold porcelain, when wet and malleable, has a texture and workability similar or the same to normal air dry clay after slight conditioning. Soft, flexible, slightly sticky and elastic, it is easy to work and create shapes with. Cold porcelain’s original colour is a translucent, off-white colour. It can be coloured using acrylic, oil and watercolour paints, chalk, coloured pencil, embossing powder, foil, etc., but it is advised to colour the clay white before adding any other colour. Only colour the amount of clay needed, as coloured clay dries out faster than uncoloured clay.
Curing & Aftercare
Cold porcelain, when fully dry, is slightly flexible to the touch, similar to polymer clay. Cold porcelain is an inexpensive alternative to polymer clay that doesn’t need baking or firing, yet has the same qualities as polymer clay. If sealed with a waterproof varnish or gloss, items become quite durable. This makes it perfect for thin, delicate creations such as flower petals that would otherwise be fragile if made from other materials. Sculpting artists making finely detailed items prefer cold porcelain to other clay-based mediums. If not properly sealed, cold porcelain will be damaged or dissolved if exposed to heat and/or water. When cured, you can paint, sand, buff, file, work over the top of and varnish the clay items. You can also rubber stamp or use marker pens on this clay whilst dry, but make sure to seal your work with Mod Podge or any other water based varnish. You can also rework and mould cold porcelain by adding more water to it before varnishing, allowing it to return to a soft, wet state again. This is a quality that gives it advantage over polymer clay.
Cold porcelain is an inexpensive, non-toxic, easy to work with type of air dry clay. It gets its name from the fact that, when dry, the texture and feel of it feels like porcelain or china. It does not require baking or firing but instead is dried by exposure to the air. Originally from Argentina, its main components are corn starch and white glue, also having low quantities of oil and/or glycerine which gives its porcelain-like texture. Lemon juice and/or sodium benzoate is also sometimes added to the mixture to prevent mould, bacteria and fungi, as most of the ingredients are biodegradable. It can be either bought from shops or made at home quite easily. It dissolves in heat and water if not properly sealed with varnish or gloss so it is not suitable for items such as jugs or crockery. A basic recipe for cold porcelain can be found here.
Price
Cold porcelain is very inexpensive to make at home, but surprisingly expensive if bought in stores or online. It seems many places do not stock cold porcelain except for online, so this may cause high demand of mass produced cold porcelain. A 500g block of imported Argentinian cold porcelain will set you back approximately £10.
Availability
As stated above, not many places IRL or online stock cold porcelain. Most of the mass produced cold porcelain found online is imported directly from its place of origin, Argentina, and is therefore quite expensive. The basic components to make it yourself, however, are next to nothing price wise. You can find many of the components of cold porcelain, such as corn starch and white glue, at supermarkets, cake stores, DIY stores and pound shops.
Uses
Cold porcelain has many similar uses to other air dry and polymer clays, such as model making, sculpting, mould making, being used in moulds, jewellery, beads, charms, cabochons and other uses. Cold porcelain is a value material for deco artists looking for inexpensive, easy to work with and make clay in large quantities and is great for wholesale and retail deco artists (those who sell their work). Cold porcelain is very useful in moulds as it shrinks as drying, so is easy to pop out. You can also moisten the mould with either two of the clay’s main components – cold cream or cornstarch.
Texture & Workability
Cold porcelain, when wet and malleable, has a texture and workability similar or the same to normal air dry clay after slight conditioning. Soft, flexible, slightly sticky and elastic, it is easy to work and create shapes with. Cold porcelain’s original colour is a translucent, off-white colour. It can be coloured using acrylic, oil and watercolour paints, chalk, coloured pencil, embossing powder, foil, etc., but it is advised to colour the clay white before adding any other colour. Only colour the amount of clay needed, as coloured clay dries out faster than uncoloured clay.
Curing & Aftercare
Cold porcelain, when fully dry, is slightly flexible to the touch, similar to polymer clay. Cold porcelain is an inexpensive alternative to polymer clay that doesn’t need baking or firing, yet has the same qualities as polymer clay. If sealed with a waterproof varnish or gloss, items become quite durable. This makes it perfect for thin, delicate creations such as flower petals that would otherwise be fragile if made from other materials. Sculpting artists making finely detailed items prefer cold porcelain to other clay-based mediums. If not properly sealed, cold porcelain will be damaged or dissolved if exposed to heat and/or water. When cured, you can paint, sand, buff, file, work over the top of and varnish the clay items. You can also rubber stamp or use marker pens on this clay whilst dry, but make sure to seal your work with Mod Podge or any other water based varnish. You can also rework and mould cold porcelain by adding more water to it before varnishing, allowing it to return to a soft, wet state again. This is a quality that gives it advantage over polymer clay.
Sweet deco items made using cold porcelain
Sources:
http://www.squidoo.com/cold_porcelainhttp://coldporcelainflorals.wordpress.com/2010/05/08/cold-porcelain-whats-that/
http://deco-den.livejournal.com/388507.html
http://deco-den.livejournal.com/388507.html
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