Hello!
Before getting into making Christmas tutorials, I wanted to make these mini succulent plants, or plants from Mars as I like to call them, that I've been meaning to make since Summer, especially after buying polymer clay in different "stone" or "granite" effects which I showed in my Polymer Clay Haul and Colour Comparison video in March.
The idea of the converted ladder came from watching a tv programme about buying items from flea markets, doing them up and reselling them. A woman bought an old ladder and transformed it into a bookshelf, of course hers was much bigger and didn't have a basket on the top, which is I think is super cute about mine.
Without saying too much about how I made the bookshelf because that's why there's a tutorial, I just want to say that I usually use chalky paint for my miniature furniture and I like to use wax to seal it, because chalky paint does leave a residue if you touch it so you need to fix it to the wood.
In the tutorial, I used acrylic paint and this kind of paint doesn't leave a residue or comes off if you touch it, so you don't really "have to" seal it but if you want to achieve a glossy finish use a water based gloss glaze or a matte one for more of a satin finish.
The glazes I recommended, for which I also left links, are DecoArt Americana Gloss and Matte varnishes. I use both regularly, but I feel like the matte varnish leaves more of a "satin" finish than matte or "undetectable" finish, especially on polymer clay.
Of course the more layers of glaze you apply, the glossier it will appear.
Out of the three granite effect polymer clays, this is how I rate them:
- Premo Grey Granite
- FIMO Granite
- Premo White Granite
Out of the three, Premo Grey Granite seemed the most realistic one once baked and varnished.
FIMO Granite has some glitter in that I don't really seem to get on with and Premo White Granite is "nice" but unless you are making something bigger, you can't see the specks in the clay because they are not that many, which is a shame in this case, but I liked the colour nevertheless. Sometimes when you look at it from the distance, it looks like there is dirt on the pot, but when you look closer, you realize it's actually a speck in the clay.
My bookshelf measures 9cm high appriximately, but of course you can make it any size and colour you like!
I hope you found this useful and can't wait till next time!
Maive
You can watch the tutorial here:
🍓 MATERIALS: Premo Grey Granite: http://weav.me/~k5t7 Premo White Granite: http://weav.me/~k5t7 FIMO Granite: http://weav.me/~k5tz FIMO Liquid: http://weav.me/~k5t9 Premo Burnt Umber (Dark Brown): http://weav.me/~k5tF Premo Spanish Olive: http://weav.me/~k5tM Jumbo Lolly Sticks: http://weav.me/~k5tx Wooden Coffee Stirrers: http://weav.me/~k5t6 Pliers: http://weav.me/~k5tR Aleene's Tacky Glue: http://weav.me/~k5tP DecoArt Water Based Matte Varnish: http://weav.me/~k5tK DecoArt Water Based Gloss Varnish: http://weav.me/~k5tw File: http://weav.me/~k5tV Sand Paper: http://weav.me/~k5ts Craft Knife: http://weav.me/~k5j7 FIMO Blades: http://weav.me/~k5jg FIMO Gloss: http://weav.me/~k5j+ Nail Art Brushes: http://weav.me/~k5TF 24 Reeves Acrylic Paints: http://weav.me/~k5TR Gold Alcohol Ink: http://weav.me/~k5ib I can’t guarantee that my techniques and the materials I use will suit everyone. I make a small commission through the links suggested, and the materials may or may not be exactly the same ones I used, but similar ones. So read the description before buying.
🍓 BAKING TIPS: I bake my polymer clay pieces in a kitchen oven at 110 -125ºC for 30 minutes. Do not exceed 130ºC or you will burn your polymer clay. Always read the baking instructions for your particular brand of polymer clay, as temperatures and times may vary slightly.
CONNECT WITH ME! 🍓 Second Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpgSKm_hj6emUN9sMuv6Y_A 🍓 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maiveferrando/ 🍓 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glossyapple 🍓 Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaiveFerrando