Moulding Clay + Crystal Effects = WOW!

Last week I attended a Downline Training meeting with my fellow Up & Downlines.  We get together every few months, and chat about what's going on, what's working for us in our businesses, what's not working, awesome new ideas, we share techniques using products, and give each other tips.  

I did a little demonstration on embellishments.  I started out with a few ideas in the beginning, but then the more I fiddled, the more things I came up with.  So over the next few blog posts, I'll be sharing these ideas with you! 

So! Moulding clay.  Do you know what this stuff is yet?  

The Simply Pressed system is new with our 2013-2014 catalogue and has been a huge hit straight off the bat. It's pretty versatile stuff.  The clay comes in a big package and it is white.  A nice blank canvas for you to have fun with.  The best & recommended way to colour your clay is using your Stampin' Reinkers.  Just a drop or so will do the trick! You firmly press the clay into the mould of your choice, level off the top, and let it dry!

It's a beautiful system and I think my favourite part about it is it is SO CHEAP.  A bag of clay is 68g, and only costs $11.95.  I have used mine so much, and you can't even tell that there is any missing from the packet!  The moulds come in the pack of two and they are only $13.95.  They're beautiful moulds too.  So you could have this system in your craft stash for just under $26.  Sounds pretty amazing to me! :)

So, moving onto Crystal Effects.  Have you heard of it before?

  

In a nutshell, you put this on top of... virtually anything, and it will give it a glossy, lacquered look.  It's very much a "how far can you stretch your imagination" type of product, but luckily for you, I've done alot of stretching and am going to share with you my discoveries. It is acid free and comes in a 60ml bottle (and it seems to last forever). 

Now, let's put these two products together, and see what we get!

First I started off with a large clay button, and a large clay flower.  I made both moulds quite a while ago, and they are both a bit dodgy. I rushed them and didn't press them into the moulds well enough.  But the dodgy ones are perfect for what we're about to do!

  

When using Crystal Effects (CE), personally I prefer to use it with a small paintbrush.  This way I have more control over how much I am dealing with at one time.  Sometimes, because it is so runny, it is difficult to have complete control over the flow out of the nozzle.  But everyone is different, so see how you go! I always squirt some out onto a scrap piece of waxy paper.

Using something sharp (I use my paper piercer) hold the flower steady while you apply a generous coat of CE.   

It will look gluggy, which is how you want it to look.

Now you can set this aside to dry.  CE takes at least 12 hours to dry (the only downside to it).  So if you want to do this for a project, you either have to think ahead, or be patient for it to dry before you can add it. 

But maybe a little bit of CE on a flower isn't fancy enough for you?  Have you ever heard the saying "when in doubt, add glitter" before? Well let me show you how you can. 

The first half is the same.  Use your piercing tool to keep your button steady while you apply the CE using your paintbrush.  Then comes the fun bit, using a spoon (or however you want to do it) sprinkle your button in Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter (#102023). I love this glitter because it is super fine, not all chunky and yucky like cheap glitter is.  Oh, and it literally shines like diamonds!  

  

Using my paintbrush again, with a little extra CE on the tip, I dabbed over the glitter, making sure it was stuck down, and also spreading out any little clusters of glitter so that my little button had even coverage. Oh, and make sure you try and get a little glitter on the sides too. Once again it is going to look like a gluggy mess, but it's ok, cause it will dry beautifully! 

Once it is dry, it looks A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever be able to use the moulding clay WITHOUT a touch of CE on the top!

So there you have it.  A really cheap, and easy way to jazz up some of your moulding clay embellishments.  If you'd like to learn more about the clay, clay moulds, crystal effects or any other Stampin' Up! products, please let me know.  If you would like to order some to have a play with yourself at home, we can organise it to be shipped directly to you in your home Australia wide, so don't rule yourself out if you don't live nearby.  That is the beauty of Stampin' Up!, I can help you wherever you are in Australia.