Member Benefits 031-3: Health Wellness

I’m an aging nurse (still working) with two beautiful grand girls and Parkinson’s disease. Working with clay really helps my hand strength and coordination, not to mention my stress-level!  I sell some of my pieces at the local craft show, on Etsy and on my own web store. ~Susan-A >> This comment was originally posted here: Making Polymer Clay Beads

Alexa, Your jewelry is just beautiful, I can not imagine the pain you are in. I do know that polymer clay is a wonderful escape to ease pain, not only physical, but emotional as well. My husband passed away recently and because of his believing in me, I use polymer clay as a kind of therapy to help ease the pain. I hope it does help with your pain. You are in my prayers and keep making your beautiful jewelry. ~Jackie-N >> This comment was originally posted here: Polymer Clay Emotional Therapy

Jackie I wish I could take away your pain and sorrow. I too lost a very much loved brother very suddenly and the only way I could cope was do what I love the best… make beads and clear my mind of anything else. Your beads are beautiful and I hope just looking at them will bring all the good memories to you and make you happy once again. May god help you through this sad time. ~Ritzs >> This comment was originally posted here: Coping With Loss

Hip hip hurray for Josie!! Not only is Cindy saving us time learning all the fun of polymer clay but she is saving lives!!! My dad smoked for 30+ years and quit on a dime 15 years ago and is alive now because of it. He just turned 71 Sept 23!! Keep up the good work and many years of fun with polymer clay!!! ~Catalina >> This comment was originally posted here: Polymer Clay Canes

You’re welcome, Cindy, I love to help. As you might be able to tell, I haven’t been able to clay much lately. I’ve been stuck in bed with too much back pain, so I’ve been doing a lot of reading (and posting.) If I can’t clay, I love to read about it! Thank you for creating such a great site. It’s a wonderful clay community here, and it feels good to be a part of it. ~Phaedrakat >> This comment was originally posted here: Polymer Clay Baking Instructions

Hi Phaedrakat, My goodness… you are so helpful and so kind to give me all this information… I am going to follow through with all of it… just so excited about this and I have to admit… I bought all this clay several months ago and just took it out a couple of nights ago to start making beads… now I am so hooked… just the therapeutic value is immense, then to find helpful, friendly people, what a bonus. So glad I found this site! Thank you so very much and have a great day!! ~Darbi-R >> This comment was originally posted here: Sculpey III Polymer Clay

Cindy, It’s so kind of you to give an extra 5 bonus videos over the following weeks. I have completed (just once through) the entire Basic Course. Enjoyed it thoroughly as you are gifted with the knack of making things look so simple, thereby easy to follow. I truly cannot wait to start on the weekly tutorials. There are so many that I would like to purchase / learn from you. I prefer video tutorials to purchasing books as they are easier to follow since you demonstrate every step very clearly. Hopefully, I can be good with clay to start a very small home-based business to help supplement the household income especially with my husband’s growing RX and medical bills. Or if not, at least as a stress-reliever. Anyway, thank you for bonus videos, your friendliness, which as you are aware by now, all the folks in your tutorial circle already complimented you on. Blessings from ol’ Yong Rainey on the top of the rockies. ~Yong-R >> This comment was originally posted here: How To Store Polymer Clay Canes

Cindy. It has not been an easy time for me with my husband’s cancer and such, and when I get a few hours to myself I try to catch up. I’m so happy for you and proud to be a member. Plus this is the best therapy for me having a wonderful person like you to teach me and to help me feel better. ~Private >> This comment was originally posted here: Polymer Clay Art Therapy

I so appreciate the Polymer Clay Beginners course and all the comments that are made. A relative had shown me a flower petal bead last summer and when I lost my dad Dec. 10, 2009, I really began to think about making petal beads and after going online and finding your website and course available, just had to take it. Experimented with crushed dried flower petals and the polymer clay and have made bracelets for my two sisters, mother, and myself; also matching earrings. They loved them.  For the bracelets I added Swarovski lead crystal beads and 14k gold plated corrugated beads.  One had sterling silver corrugated beads and Swarovski lead crystal beads. These gifts meant so much to them and also to me. We had a wonderful dad and miss him so much. What a precious way to have keepsakes. Thank you Cindy. ~Teresa-B >> This comment was originally posted here: Polymer Clay Surface Textures

Your letter of “Thanksgiving” was very loving, and so touching… To me, it’s always so gracious to be able to pray a prayer of Thanksgiving, for all of our Blessings – my life (after this past September) is what I am Thankful for this year. My summer with my Grandchildren, one of whom is Autistic; the other with Attention Deficit, and my Sweetheart stuck in the middle. She is my budding artist, and we have so much in common (including working in clay). So, I do understand where you are coming from. It sounds like you have a nice life, and I’m very happy for you. I pray that this new year of celebration will grace you with another year of the best. In any event, you are a very nice lady, and karma speaks volumes.  Sincerely. ~Diana-S >> This comment was originally posted here: Polymer Clay Bead Making

I have 2 atlas machines and one of them has a motor on it. If I have to run clay through the machine several times I use my motor. One thing I do not like about my motor is that it does not have a reverse on it. For this reason my grandkids only use the machine with hand crank. Which they enjoy using. The only reason I went with a motor is I have fibromyalgia and hand cranking can cause a load of trouble if I do to much. I like both my atlas machines very much and hope they last for a very long time.  I also run my Kato clay though the food processor and also leave a heating pad on my work station while conditioning my clay. Keeping  the area warmer makes it much easier along with the processor. I mostly use premo because of Cindy but I have a lot of Kato so I try to use it up on canes. I do like the Kato better for cane work so will probably purchase more when it is gone even though it is harder to work with. Premo is my all around favorite clay thanks to Cindy introducing me to it. Just a reminder if you have kids working with clay be careful if you use a motor on your pasta machine. Little fingers are precious. ~Peggy-B >> This comment was originally posted here: Motorized Polymer Clay Pasta Machines

Thanks again Jocelyn. He’s not a bad patient either in spite of the pain he is in. He could be a grouchy bear like some I have taken care of. But he always tries not to be. And he always tries to get me something special to say thank you for helping him through these. Not that he has to, but I couldn’t stop him if I tried. The last surgery he had he got me this very nice countertop convection oven just for baking my clay in. This time he bought me the double barrel tumbler I mentioned in another post. And he’s always very supportive of my interest in crafts, even after 29 years! So I’m pretty lucky to have him too. XOXO ~Jamie-H >> This comment was originally posted here: Rubber Stamp Textured Beads

Wow! Beautiful! I think art is one of the most therapeutic things in the world. It frees the mind to play in the right side of the brain where the magic of humanity lives and you can find that so much is possible. Love your pendants! Fabulous. ~Melinda-H >> This comment was originally posted here: Art Therapy Polymer Clay

I am Romanian and moved to Netherlands 5 years ago to study. I discovered polymer clay this year in March and since became addicted. I am married, have a full time job in a technical domain actually, and I use clay as a creative outlet, it helps to fight the daily stress. I am lucky because my husband is very supportive with clay work, his hobby is photography and the pictures I sent you and on the website are made by him. I discovered you and your wonderful lessons early this summer and this event definitely gave a boost to my creative efforts. Only recently, I had the courage to make my clay work public and I am very grateful for the support you offer. The Polymer Clay Tutor is such a warm community and so nice to be in. I was not very active in this community, I admit, but I do read all the blog and all the comments :). I tried everything: watercolor beads, flowers, book beads (these are very lovely) but my all time favorites are the raku beads. You are such an inspiration! … I am only a beginner and am very anxious to hear what the members of this community will say about my work. I mean this community has seen a lot of polymer clay work. So far I created jewelry only for myself and give them away as gifts. Lately, my friends were telling me that I should try to sell them but I am not sure. I would try that I am afraid that I am biased because they were made mostly for myself. So I would appreciate any suggestions to improve my work. With regards from Eindhoven, Netherlands. ~Ileana-B >> This comment was originally posted here: Selling Your Polymer Clay Jewelry

I was laid off last year from a place where I worked for 30 years and with having fibromyalgia finding a job I can do a whole day, 5 days a week is tough.Polymer Clay is something I love to do, and I can do it when I feel good enough, resting in between, or even in the middle of the night during my periods of insomnia. It fits MY schedule! LOL! And everyone here seems so nice and helpful. It’s great! ~Tanya-L >> This comment was originally posted here: How to Make Polymer Clay Beads

May Jesus abundantly bless each one of you. This is my first Christmas without my dear Don. We were married for 43 years and it is truly heart wrenching to be without him. Jackie, I couldn’t agree with you more. Cindy and all of you have helped me to stem the tide of sorrow. When I watch Cindy’s videos – and then put them into practice – I seem to end up in another world – one that is peaceful and serene. I was first introduced to polymer clay not long after Don went to the Lord. Before that I had concentrated on my wire art – and making beanbag frogs. Now I want to make clay frogs and I look forward to combining my talent for wire working with my developing (slowly) talent for clay art. I’m real glad to see Cindy including more wire working, which gives me even more ideas about how to combine the two. I’ve set up my clay ‘station’ at one end of my long kitchen – and now I have Don’s laptop on the counter so that I can follow right along as Cindy teaches. Cindy, I pray for special blessings on you for all you have done for me. I am hoping that I will get to know more of you through this blog – as we learn together. Peace and blessings! ~Carolyn-F >> This comment was originally posted here: Polymer Clay Support Group

Thank you for the compliment. I love all your faux raku crackle beads. They look just perfect. I had a lot of problems with them. Sorry to hear about your neck and back pain. We have a lot in common. I had a pinched nerve in my neck. The pain was unbearable, so I had to have neck surgery. They put a plate in my neck about five years ago and since then my neck has been great. I just came home from the hospital about a month ago. I had to have back surgery and then three days later surgery for a blood clot. Another plate in my back. So I feel your pain. I hope all tests are negative. Plus I have fibromyalgia. This site has been a blessing for me. ~Helen-S >> This comment was originally posted here: Polymer Clay Bead Giveaway Contest

Hi Cindy, Your video polymer clay basics course is extremely helpful – it’s one thing to read instructions (via magazines and books, and from various websites), but it’s another thing to actually have a kind voice (especially another Canadian!) walking you through the steps. I’m an “in-your-face” kind of person – so learning comes so much easier when I’m able to see what needs to be done, to see the finished product, and hear suggestions along the way. I don’t use a laptop, but I make notes – each and every video has given me a piece of information that I didn’t know (who would have thought to use crayons for colouring! – yes, colouring with a ‘u’ even though my spellchecker doesn’t like it)! I’ve tried my hand at many various crafts over the years – from painting children’s clothes, teaching ceramics in Ottawa, selling my wheat weaving at the Kitchener Farmer’s Market, woodcarving (whoops – arthritis in the hands – couldn’t do that one for long), chainmail jewelry (hands didn’t like that one either) – but when I was introduced to polymer clay, my creative juices began to flow – the sky’s the limit with this product and with you putting me on the right path with your videos, I can see endless possibilities (silly thing to say, but I never even contemplated making buttons!) So, in a nutshell – yes, this is a very beneficial video course! I thank my lucky stars for the day that I happened onto your site! Keep up the Great Work! ~Gail-G >> This comment was originally posted here: Making Polymer Clay Buttons

Thanks for picking me for the “Spot.”  I kept one tribal necklace for myself and will try to send Cindy a good picture now that my pea sized brain has learned new things about Photo Shop images. We did give one of my hearts necklaces to a little girl who’s grandmother died. Her dad says she wears it every day and she drew us the cutest picture on a thank you letter.  That makes it all worthwhile. ~Anna-S >> This comment was originally posted here: Jewelry Consignment Shops

I agree with Lori-F, I can’t wait for Fridays. And just like Lori-F, I am very ill, with no hope to ever recover, and your tuts have become a huge part of my life. Thanks so much for everything. ~Lorraine-C >> This comment was originally posted here: Johnny Jump Up Cane

REGULAR COLOR RECIPE (A): Desert ** B-SERIES COLOR RECIPE (B): Caribbean Coast > Polymer Clay Tutorials Guest List VIDEO: Hammered Metal Leaf Vein Bails With a Decorative Embedded Design