Thursday, December 22, 2011

New Prize Format: January Prizes

Dear PCAGOE Challenge Voters:
We are very excited to present the new format for prizes to be awarded to non-members who vote in our challenge and win the drawing. Voting will be open Jan. 1-7. Vote here.

For the January Challenge, instead of the traditional 6-8 specific prizes, 18 of our member shops are offering potential prizes and if you win the drawing YOU GET TO CHOOSE YOUR PRIZE(see below).

Winners will be notified by email and given instructions on how to select and claim a prize.  Before or after you vote, we invite you to visit the shops and start thinking about what you will choose if you win the drawing.  Have fun browsing!

This is a big change, and we are interested in hearing your feedback.

Shops offering specific items as prizes:
 
Elemental Dragons
Custom made dragon (value of 24.99)
http://www.etsy.com/listing/36339018/custom-made-elemental-dragons-of-you


Small Ideas
Map pins: cookies and crackers
http://www.etsy.com/listing/85883111/map-pins-cookies-and-crackers

http://www.etsy.com/listing/33614993/polymer-clay-pen

Young Creative
Custom two-tone heart pin or pendant in your colors.
Plus 5 percent off a purchase within the next 6 months.  
http://www.etsy.com/listing/80113137/black-and-bronze-heart-pin


Shops offering gift certificates as prizes:
marcymPC
Any one item of your choice up to $20 value; no cash balance
JKollmann
Any one item of your choice up to $20 value; no cash balance; good any time
http://www.jkollmann.etsy.com/
 
PlaySculptLive
Gift certificate of $20 to be used within 60 days of date of announced winner
HiGirls
Gift certificate up to $20 to be used within 60 days of date of announced winner

ArrowdaleArtStudio
$20 gift certificate, up to 60 days unless by private arrangement with me.
AdornmentsByEstelle
$20 dollar gift certificate to be used within 60 days
MarciaPalmer
$20 gift certificate towards any item good for 60 days
BeckySueCreations
$10 gift certificate

11BOLDstreet
$25 gift certificate towards total purchase amount, good for 60 days
NKdesigns
$20 Gift Certificate
$20 on anything in my shop, must be used within 60 days, no cash remuneration.
http://ashpaints.etsy.com/   

PolymerClayCreations
$20 gift certificate to be used within 60 days
any item(s) worth up to $20 in my shop (no cash refund on balance) to be used in 60 days
http://www.tonjastreasures.etsy.com/  
 
CreateMyWorld
any item(s) worth up to $20 in my shop (no cash refund on balance); valid for 60 days
Peggers
$20 gift certificate (no cash refund on balance); valid for 60 days
http://www.peggers.etsy.com/
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, December 8, 2011

December Challenge Winners

And the winners of the December challenge are:

Winners voted on by PCAGOE members:


1st Place: 

Artist Trading Card - No. 101b by Susan of 11BOLDStreet




2nd Place: 
 


ATC Blue Floral Applique by Jill of jkollmann




3rd Place:



All the Colors of the Rainbow by Angela of Polymer Clay Creations

Winners voted on by the public:

1st Place: 

ATC Blue Floral Applique by Jill of jkollmann


2nd Place: 
 

All the Colors of the Rainbow by Angela of Polymer Clay Creations






3rd Place:


 
Artist Trading Card - No. 101b by Susan of 11BOLDStreet



The voters who won prizes this month:
Judy Massey
Jeanne Dodd
Sue Bowen
Winning voters have one week after being contacted to furnish us with your mailing address. If you do not respond within 1 week, your prize will be forfeited and returned to the prize pool.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to everyone who voted and supports our challenges each month.

158 votes were cast this month.


Comments left by the voters:
Beautiful work, ladies!

Love the work....

I am not a clay artist so I was absolutely amazed by the things you ladies have created. Clay isn't just for kids anymore!

They were all well done - it was hard to choose favorites.

Nice variety.

I always enjoy seeing what people create and how they follow the theme. Everyone is very artistic.

We really need BIGGER photos to be able to judge these challenges. I would love to be able to see the detail that is mentioned in the first photo for example - but because I can't see it - I'm not able to judge on that basis. The angel one is the most striking when you can only see a small photo. Cheers :)

beautiful work....I just need a little more experience to join in the fun

All of the entries this month are beautiful! Had a hard time selecting only 3.



Beautiful work as always!

Lovely work by everyone. It was very hard to choose,

belong to NTPCG and heard about it there. all of them are great and beautiful....

Fun to see the designs but I find trading cards to be of no interest to me. I think more creative or usable items would be more fun.

All the entries are amazing in their colors and details! I just love seeing what each artist creates each month! :)

I adore ATC Cards...All of these
are fabulous!


Hard to decide as they are all so good,only sorry there were not more to choose from.

this was a hard one again. It took me awhile to decide they are all so good. Very talented people.

Loved them all , it was hard to choose.



Fantastic entries this month - well done to everyone.


As always you guys make the decision making very hard!! These are all wonderful.

I love the colours and textures in these ATCs.

Beautiful ideas, people. Gifted, most certainly gifted artists.



Beautiful work. Each so different.

Such beautiful work, as always, by the members of pcagoe. Lot's of detailed work and very unique ideas. All the entries are winners!

I love these trading cards!



It was so hard to choose, they were all so lovely and diverse.

t was very hard to judge this all of the entries really displayed their own style which is what a trading card is about - I just went by the design I liked best but they were all wonderful.

I love the entrances every month. I would love to see more!

Everyone did a fabulous job on the ATCs...it was hard to make my choices.

It was very hard to decide, I changed my vote several times lol. I loved them all! Thanks for letting me vote! Awesome work!

Hard to choose only three favorites. The techniques were great and they are all winners this month in my opinion!!

Amazing work here. Choosing three was difficult as always - such beautiful pieces!

Each of these are awesome, difficult to choose!

Hard to choose a favorite! They were all beautiful!

Hard to pick from so many lovely things....

Nice composition Sue!!

It was hard to choose... I like them all!!

Some nice diversity in techniques among these ATCs! Way to go!!



great entries from all. hard to choose!

Difficult to decide this month, nice work from the entrants.

Every month I continue to be amazed at the high quality of art seen here. It is so very hard to choose just three. I love how the same idea is interpreted in so many different ways.



Jill's card is just absolutely exquisite and Berit's is just so cute!


Hard to choose from such varied entries!

Wow, ladies. Great work. I was difficult to choose only three.

I've been so busy I forgot to participate. The entries are amazing. Great job clayers!



Thursday, December 1, 2011

December Challenge: Artist Trading Cards

Scroll to the bottom of the post to vote for your favorites!



Many painters, illustrators, mixed media, and polymer artists create small works of art to trade with other artists. These works are known as Artist Trading Cards or ATCs. For our December PCAGOE challenge we decided to swap ATCs. But before we trade them, you get to vote on them. Public voting is open until Dec. 7. Vote for your favorites at the bottom of the post and you could win a prize!

And the entries are:
The voting form is at the bottom of this post. It may take a minute for it to appear. Click on the titles to see a larger image.

1 - Artist Trading Card - No. 101b by Susan of 11BOLDStreet
"This card showcases some of my favorite/signature techniques - faux snakeskin, texture, inlay and the inclusion of metal."

2 - Angelic Dreams ATC by Marie of YoungCreative
"This Artist Trading Card showcases a few of my favorite techniques: an angel created using layers of liquid polymer on paper to create a canvas on a mokume gane background, hand-sculpted polymer wings, and a polymer frame that resembles torn paper."

3 - Rainbows of Bicones ATC by Lisa of HiGirls
"My recent obsession with bicone beads has led me to create this ATC in a rainbow of colors. Just for fun and the PCAGOE December challenge!"

4 - Fish Family Gathering ATC by Berit of Clay Images
"My entry into the December PCAGOE challenge, Artist Trading Cards.
It's family time for Fun Fish Freddy!
This is a combination of my favorite techniques, cane work and mokume gane, 100% polymer."


5 - All the Colors of the Rainbow by Angela of Polymer Clay Creations
"This ATC represents me and what I love, all the colors of the rainbow. I love to work with color. On a dreary day I can get out all my canes and make my own rainbow."

6 - ATC Blue Floral Applique by Jill of jkollmann
"This ATC is my entry for the PCAGOE challenge. It features tiny appliqued floral elements and coiled wire embellishments with beads tucked in amongst  the leaves. The roses are 1/4 to 3/8 inch in diameter. Fun! "


7 - Blue Flower Artist Trading Card by Jackie of The Pleasant Pheasant
"The blue and white cane netted me exactly enough for 6 cute flower petals and no more - perfect for this Artist Trading Card. :)"

8 - ATC Print by Cindy of Arrowdale Art Studio
"My entry into the PCAGOE's Monthly Challenge, ATCs. Based on a complex cane I made after being inspired by another member's cane in last month's Challenge, I made 27 new canes for this one triangular cane - six slices of the cane form a completed section, and the sheet for this ATC used six of those sections.


Please visit the individual shops to see other wonderful items.


What you could win:
Three lucky winners will win one of these great items made by our members.




Vote Here
Choose your top 3 favorites. The same entry may not be counted more than once. Voting is open to the public Dec. 1-7. Read the expanded rules here.

Full Name (required for voter prize notification):
Email Address (Required for voter prize notification):
For current Dues-Paying PCAGOE Members: What is Your Etsy Shop Name?
Please select your 1st choice:
Please select your 2nd choice: (no duplicate selections, please)
Please select your 3rd choice: (no duplicate selections, please)
How did you hear about the PCAGOE challenge?
Would you like to receive the monthly PCAGOE e-newsletter? yes
no
I already receive it
Our members love comments! Please comment here on the entries and/or the challenge in general.




This online form was provided by Freedback.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Savings continue through Cyber Monday

Save all week end at the Etsy Black Friday though Cyber Monday Sale. Here are just a few of the tasty tidbits you can find at participating PCAGOE member stores.  "Black Friday Etsy in Polymer Clay" Treasury created by Lisa of HiGirls


Sunday, November 20, 2011

Handmade from our PCAGOE family

Handmade from our PCAGOE Family, a treasury, created by Berit of Clay Images, of practical, weird, eccentric, eclectic and beautiful Home Decor Gifts made with care by members of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy.

Save Black Friday through Cyber Monday

Shop and Save on Etsy Black Friday through Cyber Monday!

You can find amazing gifts for just about everyone on your list by visiting our members' shops. And this Black Friday through Cyber Monday many of our artists are participating in the Etsy Thanksgiving weekend sale. So sit back with a warm cup of coffee anytime from Nov. 25-28 and visit these participating shops from the comfort of your own home to save on great gifts.

All items in the Neckwear Section 15% off
Ruched Gauze Diamond Leaves Handmade Necklace





Free shipping on select items
Salmon and Jade Necklace


Free shipping
Wire Wrapped Green Leaf Earrings

Selected items on sale and others with free shipping

Mosaic Dream Pendant


Free shipping on switch plates and outlet covers
Switch Plate in Red, White, and Silver with Foil Accents
 
Free Shipping

Polymer Clay and Resin Finished Pocket Mirror

10% off
Hearts and Butterfly Wings Necklace



15% off (enter the coupon code BFCMSALE Nov. 21-29 when checking out)

Beautiful Blue Millefiori Star Handmade Ornament



Free shipping on all jewelry

Fleur-de-lis Pendant

 


You can also search the following tags for great deals: Black Friday etsy, free shipping etsy, Black Friday PCAGOE, free shipping PCAGOE, Cyber Monday PCAGOE

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

November Challenge Winners


And the winners of the November "Caning" challenge are:

Winners voted on by PCAGOE members:


1st Place: 

November Kaleidoscope Challenge Cane by Jackie of The Pleasant Pheasant



2nd Place: 
 


Cha Cha Style Charm Bracelet  by Angela of Polymer Clay Creation




3rd Place:


Kaleidoscope cane by Marcia of marcymPC

Winners voted on by the public:

1st Place: 

November Kaleidoscope Challenge Cane by Jackie of The Pleasant Pheasant


2nd Place: 
 



Cha Cha Style Charm Bracelet  by Angela of Polymer Clay Creation




3rd Place:


Last Rose of Summer Compact Mirror by Linda of NKDesigns
 



The voters who won prizes this month:
Jan Manning
Dalit Levy
Barbara Stone

Winning voters have one week after being contacted to furnish us with your mailing address. If you do not respond within 1 week, your prize will be forfeited and returned to the prize pool.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to everyone who voted and supports our challenges each month.

158 votes were cast this month.


Comments left by the voters:
The wonderful thing about polymer clay (or one of them!) is the endless possibilities - caning only multiplies that "endless" quality. What a great variety and example of that variety!

Incredible work and variety!

the choices were amazing! We have such talented artists in this guild.

Caning is an artform in and of itself. These are definitely great examples of some beautiful canework.

Very, very hard group to choose from this month!

Such diversity and vibrant colors. I applaud you all.

Great challenge! Good job to all.

Love the variety of entries this month.

Awesome all you talented ladies! Thank you so much for letting me take a peek and vote. It was very hard this time. Good luck!!Theresa

what fun to see all the different takes each month :) after my mom gets better I'd like to try my hand at a challenge
 

Beautiful work all! Keep clayin!

Tough choices! Such talented artists!

Great job by all the participants. We need to start this idea someday in our guild - North Texas Polymer Clay Guild.

I love these beautiful items! this is a great idea for a challenge:)

They are all wonderful and made it hard to choose, they are all winners.......Kathy P

What a variety of canes and uses for the canes. Great job everyone!

glad you're here!

So many creative entries this month!

Loved the vivid colors and creative thought process. Great job by all!

Wonderful variety.

There are some beautiful pieces here. I wish I could have seen #5 from above, and it would have helped if each piece had gotten individually enlarged much more than was provided for, as some of the cane work was too fine to appreciate "at a distance," like #s 3 and 7, and even #10, although I did vote for the latter because of its beautiful colors.
The color choices and symmetry in the frog, the precision caning in #13, and the novel idea of #16, which is also lovely, appealed to me too, but alas, we can only vote for three!

I can see a ton of work was put into all these entries - and it shows!

Such creativity! I love to see each and every one of the selections. A lot of time and effort and commitment is seen here. Thank you for sharing.

this one was really hard. I looked at all of them and then had to walk away and come back and pick one. They are all so very good and I can see all the hard work, love, devotion and skill that went in to each one. Good luck to all of you.

Lovely entries. Thanks for sharing with us your creative work

I love to see the beautiful pieces made by your members!

This challenge was a hard one to make 1st, 2nd and 3rd place choices with. I also liked the Mustard girl for her simplicity of design, the buttons beautiful and practical, the bull frog because it was so different from the others, the other compact for it's pattern, the pen and holder too. I thought all of the works were very beautiful this month :)

Love those salt and pepper shakers. Good job everyone.

I love the colors on 10 and want one of the #11 pendants!

I still need to pay my dues but I want to join. I just love seeing where everyone goes with their work. Polymer clay is such a happy medium and you can see that from this challenge.

Its always such a pleasure to see what your artists have created.

Great theme, very intriguing. The more complex, the better. Great job, as always.

Always enjoy the beautiful art work. Sure is hard to pick when all of them are great.

great creations this month. It was harder to choose only 3.

I love seeing cane work as I don't do it. The colors in 13 and 14 were beautiful. The triangle was very artsy and interesting. Good job !!

#1 was very crisp with nice shading #2 was beautiful for all the colors and canes #3 a cool use canes for a picture, very different

Tough choices this month... I absolutely LOVE Angela's cha-cha bracelet, which is why I chose it as #1. I also loved Susan's bowl and Jill's compact mirror, my other picks for the top 3. But as I said, it was REALLY tough choosing, so many great pieces, I think I changed my mind 10 times over! Great Job Everyone!!

Love the resin finish on 14, a lovely piece.

I love clay, but can not imagine so intrigate and complex work could be done.In Brazil we have very few classes and books about. Congratulations to all! hugs

Awesome work! They way ya'll make canes is magic!

I loved them all but the cane bracelet makes me want to start making one immediately!

I really enjoy looking at the entries

Enjoy seeing all that is out there!

Excellent cane work... great to see you all showcasing your talent! :)

All the designs are amazing! It was difficult to narrow my choices down to only 3, but (somehow!) I managed to do it!!! :)

I love your challenges, they always inspire me!

I hope marcympc posts photos of her multi cane kaleidoscope finished projects. This is a great use of leftover millefiori canes.

Beautiful collection of pieces by both experienced and beginner caners.

first time here. I found you from the pacific northwest guild's webpage

I loved the different cane applications--What a great variety of ideas of how to use canes!

Really enjoy oohing and aahing over your monthly entries....then sighing as I say, "one of these days I might..maybe could...be as good"????
Seriously, all the entries always inspire me tremendously !! :D

These canes are all so beautiful. I am a big fan of the complex canes and the ones with the very nice matching color combinatons. So that is how I made my choice but it wasn't easy!

I love looking at all the fabulous creative things in your contests!


The pink cane valet - spectacular craftsmanship. Just beautiful!

found you folks on Polymer clay daily!

The choices were hard to make all of the designs were awasome ! Good Luck to All !!

I envy the skill of these wonderful caners! Great work ladies!
 

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

November PCAGOE Challenge: Caning

Scroll to the bottom of the post to vote for your favorites!



The November PCAGOE challenge showcases our members' caning skills. A cane is a log or cylinder of clay that has a design running through it, so each slice of the cane contains the design. Here you will find some great items made with canes as well as the raw canes themselves. Public voting is open until Nov. 7. Vote for your favorites at the bottom of the post and you could win a prize!

And the entries are:
The voting form is at the bottom of this post. It may take a minute for it to appear. Click on the titles to see a larger image.


1 - Abstraction Bangle by Lisa of HiGirls
"The cane I started out making was nothing like this! This one just kept growing into the abstract pattern you see here."

"This picture is made entirely of canes I had on hand. Nothing is "plain" clay. Even the trunk of the tree is from a slab of faux wood cane. I had to reduce some canes - like the flag and the fish, to make them work, and the sun is actually a slice of a flower petal cane. The driveway and sidewalk are more faux wood - it was a so-so attempt at faux ebony. 

3 - Children of the World Kubotan Keychain by Deb of RenGalSA 
"This is my entry in the PCAGOE November Challenge - CANING! OMG I had too many choices and still can't decide which picture to use. =)"

4 - McCaw Cane Compact Mirror by Jill of JKay Jewelry 
" I've had the stamina to make the McCaw Cane one time. I made a lot of it and I use sparingly until I have the time to do it again. I used thin slices of the cane to make the veneer on this compact mirror. The configuration of the cane that I used for the veneer is shown. It was hard to choose which configuration to use - they are all good."

5 - Purples and Pinks Cane Valet 119 by Susan of 11BoldStreet 
"My entry for the November PCAGOE Challenge is this all-polymer valet/bowl, featuring inlays of four separate abstract canes in shades of primarily pinks and purples. The bowl base is translucent polymer stained with alcohol inks and the feet are polished spheres of cane scraps and translucent."

6 - Cha Cha Style Charm Bracelet  by Angela of Polymer Clay Creation
 "This is my entry into the PCAGOE monthly challenge. The theme for the month is "Canes". To make this cha cha style charm bracelet I used 7 different borderless canes that I had made. I used the colors of fall, one of my favorite times of the year when all the leaves are changing."

7 - Fall Color Burst Salt and Pepper Shakers by Berit of Clay Images 
"This is my entry into the PCAGOE monthly challenge "canes": Covered Salt and Pepper Shakers. I made this kaleidoscope cane in a workshop with Julie Eakes, and this is one of many possible patterns. The lighter and darker shades of brown at the bottom distinguish the content."

8 - Mokume Gane Buttons by Becky of Becky Sue Creations 
"This is a mokume gane cane that I made using navy blue, green and ecru."

9 - Caned Bullfrog by Lyndell of Classons Creations
" This bullfrog is bursting with colour as he relaxes and finds himself while performing the yoga pose "The Lion." He is handscupted out of Premo and incorporates a zipper cane and simple shapeshifting cane."


10 - Kaleidoscope cane by Marcia of marcymPC 
"consists of maybe 25 to 35 canes put together in a triangle, intended to be sliced and 3 or more slices put together to create kaleidoscope images."

11 - Little Lady Pendant in Mustard by Amanda of Polyclarific 
"This little lady pendant was created using caning. Her dress is also made up of several small canes."

12 - Snowflake Ball Ornament by Marie of YoungCreative 
"This is my first attempt at caning. I used a free snowflake tutorial created by a former PCAGOE member, although I added my own touch by combining silver along with blue to give the snowflake a little sparkle. I made a couple versions for variety in the flakes."

13 - November Kaleidoscope Challenge Cane by Jackie of The Pleasant Pheasant
 "This is my entry for the PCAGOE November Challenge: I like the green and purple "spiderweb" look in the center of this cane, as well as the vivid black and white elements."

14 -Last Rose of Summer Compact Mirror by Linda of NKDesigns 
"This is a double mirror compact finished with resin. The base is metallic violet clay with turquoise and violet roses. There are also semi-transparent flowers over the pocket mirror."

15 - Three Canes by Line of Play Sculpt Live 
"This is my entry for this month's challenge. I find caning a real challenge but am pleased with these. The center one of the lizard is my favorite. He was my first one, of a form of sorts, that turned out well."

16 - Teal Note Pad Holder by Arlene of Ashpaints 
"This note pad holder is sized to fit a standard 3 inch square Post-It pad. The header has an indention designed to hold the matching pen. There are three canes used in this design, the purple passion flower, the leaf and a ghost spiral."

Several of the entries are available for sale in our members' store. Please visit the individual shops to see these and other wonderful items.


What you could win:
Three lucky winners will win one of these great items made by our members.



Vote Here
Choose your top 3 favorites. The same entry may not be counted more than once. Voting is open to the public Nov. 1-7. Read the expanded rules here.

Full Name (required for voter prize notification):
Email Address (Required for voter prize notification):
For current Dues-Paying PCAGOE Members: What is Your Etsy Shop Name?
Please select your 1st choice:
Please select your 2nd choice: (no duplicate selections, please)
Please select your 3rd choice: (no duplicate selections, please)
How did you hear about the PCAGOE challenge?
Would you like to receive the monthly PCAGOE e-newsletter? yes
no
I already receive it
Our members love comments! Please comment here on the entries and/or the challenge in general.






This HTML form was created by Freedback.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Ready, Set, Cane!

There are two days left until voting opens in our November Caning Challenge! Until then, we'd like to whet your appetite with a beautiful treasury It's all in the details treasury created by Lisa of  HiGirls showcasing items made using this fabulous technique.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

The emotional thrill of polymer clay caning (part 2)

This post is the second-half of a two-part series by PCAGOE member Jackie Sieben of The Pleasant Pheasant. Jackie offers her insights on caning just in time for our November caning challenge. Read Part 1.


Part 2 of a 2-part series: The emotional thrill of polymer clay caning


Avoiding Frustration
Mostly it’s the smallest things that make the difference in the frustration levels, so listen carefully. You cannot be heavy-handed when you want perfect canes. You have to treat the clay GENTLY during most processes, and that was where I failed early on. I was smashing, pushing, pulling, squishing, beating…. And my canes showed the bruises!

Now this word GENTLY is going to be overused in this missive, but I want to be sure you can make some commonly-used canes and do them well, so I have to repeat myself often at various stages. Okay, so if you’re good with that, we can go on to where I recommend newer caners begin, Skinner blend rolls, Jelly rolls, Stripes and Checkerboards. Very importantly… once you can make these canes look good every time, you’ll be on your way to bigger and better detailed canes.

Skinner blend roll – Make a flat Skinner blend, ending on a medium thickness on your pasta machine. Here’s a tip, once you have the finished blend lying on your work surface, run your blade down the center length, from the dark color to the light color. Now put these through your pasta machine from light to dark again on a medium thin setting. The strips will get quite long. You can roll one of the pieces from the light to the dark, and the other from the dark to the light.


Gently! Slowly… making sure air is not being trapped between the layers as you roll, especially at the beginning when you roll that first tiny little bit of clay in. When finished rolling, rub the seam down gently to flatten it into the roll, set the roll on your table and give it a few rolls back and forth without changing the original size of the roll. Now let these two rolls sit. No no no – do NOT slice into them yet! They need to rest for about an hour while you move on to making a…
Jelly roll – Take two conditioned sheets of clay of contrasting colors rolled out on the thickest setting of your pasta machine. Not too big, about 5” wide by 3” tall. Lay a piece of deli paper on your work surface, put the first sheet down, then set the second sheet on top – by starting at one end and gently moving your other hand along the sheet to avoid introducing air bubbles.



Once down, gently roll them together with a brayer. Don’t smash!! You want each sheet to remain at the thickness they came from the pasta machine, but stuck together now. As an aside, if you do see air pockets, slice into them with your blade and gently remove the air without leaving dents in the clay.
To make these two sheets into a jelly roll, trim the two ends, and measure the center. Fold at the center line avoiding air bubbles, press that fold down so it is stuck with no space left, and brayer together again.

** Start rolling at the center fold, slowly, carefully, and roll to the end. Slit any air pockets with your blade, press out the air without leaving dents, and let the jelly roll sit for 1 hour before trimming ends and reducing.
** (You can also do Jelly rolls by rolling from one end rather than doing the center folding and rolling step.)
** In both cases, before you begin rolling, you’ll want to slightly brayer the end where you plan to start rolling to slant it a bit. This will make the center of your Jelly roll neater. This is one of those “be careful not to press it down too hard” steps. You need both layers to stay near the same thickness throughout the entire length of the roll.)
Stripes some people tend to have trouble with striped canes but I’ve learned that working slowly and carefully does the trick, and so if you work that way, too, you’ll be successful in making striped canes. Take two sheets of contrasting clay colors, thickest pasta machine setting, about 4.5” wide by 2.5 inches tall. Place first sheet on your work surface, and second sheet on top as for the Jelly roll and brayer together gently. Cut into 3 equal pieces, each 1.5 inches wide.

Set the left side piece on to the center piece and brayer gently to remove air, and do the same to the right side piece. Allow a few minutes resting time, then put the stack on your work surface and press it down to stick. You will be cutting the LONG length.



With your eyes directly over the stack, hold your tissue blade tightly at each end and pull the blade apart with your hands as you slice down through the stack. Don’t remove the slices as you go, just keep slicing. Do it SLOWLY and always pull on the two ends of the blade as you do. You can measure or use a tool to show where you want to cut before slicing if you want to. A hair comb, a Kato Marxit tool or even a tomato holder tool work for this marking. 


Now gently take each slice and lay them on deli paper, setting them close together, making sure your stripes are light-dark-light-dark, etc. Put a plastic deli sheet over the top (the material that sliced meat is wrapped in from the delicatessen) and rub the seams with your finger going ONLY in the direction of the stripes, to stick the pieces together.

Take the top deli sheet off and brayer (gently, of course!)  Do NOT try to lift the clay from the bottom piece of paper, instead turn it over on your work surface and remove the paper from the clay without bending the clay. Trim the bottom edge of your stripes and you have a striped sheet all ready to use in your work.

(I highly recommend pages 18 and 19 of Kim Cavender’s book, “Polymer Clay For the Fun Of It” for excellent instructions for stripes and jelly rolls.)
Checkerboard – Start with the same size clay as for stripes, but cut those first two contrasting layers into FOUR equal sections.

Stack each section as you did for stripes, and trim all four sides. (You will have to trim more for the checkerboard than you did for stripes once you have a stack, to start with clean edges all around the stack.) This time when you stick the stack to your work surface, you will be cutting the SHORT edge of the stack.


Make your equal cuts without removing the slices yet. Now take each slice, one by one, and flip them back and forth to match them with the previous slice into a checkerboard pattern. VERY important that you check both the top of the stack and then the bottom of the stack for each slice, to be sure the opposite colors are lining up neatly.  

Gently press together and let the stack rest for at least an hour before slicing to use in your work.
VOILA!! With a little practice, these canes will become second nature to you and you’ll be on your way to more elaborate cane-making before you know it.

Read Part 1.