If you ever wanted to get started with polymer

Now might be the time!

Kashmira Patel of  Sadafulee…always in bloom! has been bitten by the polymer bug big time.  So much so that she has embarked on an ambitious journey into polymer and she is taking has room for passengers.  That kind of enthusiasm is a powerful thing.  She asked if I could help with some of the nitty gritty, or when called upon, at least that’s what I think I’m hear for!
 
Here is her original post, outlining the plan, and here is today’s kickstart": Polymer clay – the essentials.

At this stage I feel like my list of essentials could be a mile long, so it’s great to see it through the eyes of a beginner again.  I can’t help myself though, I have a few additional mentions.  I grabbed a quick picture while my workspace already had all sorts of stuff in progress.

 

A few points. 

- see those two odd shaped red beads on a wire.  That’s not a wire it’s a sharp little bead piercing pin. I bought two bottles a long time ago and they are just the thing.  I did not bother with the metal rack you can get for them since you can use all manner of things to hold them in place.

- that big bottle of Isopropyl alcohol is perfect for clean up. Alcohol has no shelf life, so again this few dollar investment (first aid section any drug store) has lasted years.  Baby wipes are great. but they dry up. My little mister bottle in the foreground is full of alcohol and I can rewet any mostly clean baby wipe at any time. I spray all over actually.

-notice the tape on two of my blades there (bottom blade is stiff, top is flexible). You only make the mistake once before you learn it’s really important.  Use nailpolish if you prefer. I happen to like the little cushion the tape gives my fingers, however this will be in the way if you slice deep using the ends (not something I do)

There you have it, the nit-picky additions!

Oh and if you have a furbaby - keep a pair of tweezers handy for catching and removing stray hairs.