Hello :)

I was doing so well, posting on the blog and then I disappeared again... oh well - can post pictures of some of the recent tutorials I've posted on YouTube (SugarCharmShop Gourmet) :)

The one thing that bugs me right now, is the fact that I currently have no idea if I'll be able to continue posting on the 'gourmet' channel. YouTube has been throwing a bunch of changes in the faces of the creators, with limited, if any, communication.

If you've heard any type of 'youtube related news' you might know about the whole 'advertisor friendly'-thing that's going on, which on my channels will never be a problem. But other changes have happened, and it seems like in most cases, the platform is looking for 'quantity over quality' which I don't agree with. Suddenly it's all about mass-production,. putting out daily videos - which when it comes to the type of videos I make is rarely possible. Furthermore, where videos used to spread (be recommended on other videos), they seem to just die out after the span of 12-24 hours depending on the views they get within that time frame. And sure, if it's something people search for (trending/popular topics) they might gain more views in the following days or weeks, but not even close to what you'd usually expect.

A lot of the creators on the platform seem to be experiencing much lower views on their channels amongst other things, and though I'm able to manage the current state of things on my main channel, for now, I don't know how my other channel will be affected long term. Heck, I don't know how either of my channels will be affected long term,.. My current plan for Gourmet is to keep posting and see what happens in the upcoming months. Unfortunately, if things continue the way they have for the past few weeks, I may not be able to prioritize that channel.

Click here to check out the tutorials.

Making a 2 part mold - Amazing mold putty

Howto; Make a 2 part mold for polymer clay - using Amazing mold putty

As I've said before, I'd never ever make a mold from one of my miniature dolls, animals or similar sculptures, and I think that molding mediums like these are often misused. BUT, if you have something that you want to make a 2 part mold for, here's a quick how to, using Amazing mold putty;

I made this mold for my "dolls dolls" - Since they're suppose to look mass produced, I needed a mold to make them look almost identical, though you still need to make a few corrections afterwards. I first sculpted the doll using fimo soft, then baked it.

1) - Mix enough mold putty to fit the size of the master (piece you want to make a mold from), keeping in mind that this is only for either the front or back. Flatten it and push your master into it - till it covers one half.

Let it cure completely before you continue.

2) - Amazing mold putty and many other molding compounds stick to themselves, meaning that if you mix a new portion and let it cure while attached to an already cured mold, it will be pretty much impossible to seperate them. You need some type of release agent - I'm almost certain that vaseline will work, however, I chose to use potato starch. Brush it onto the entire surface, making sure to get into all the creases.

3) - Mix another portion of mold putty - enough to cover the back of the master. Make the second half of the mold.

4) - Once cured, you should be able to seperate the 2 parts. If there are small areas that weren't covered well enough by the release agent, they may stick to eachother a bit, but not enough to make the seperation impossible. You now have a 2 part mold to use with your polymer clay projects :)

Review; Liquid clay and Bake&Bond + making...

"Review";Liquid clay and Bake&Bond

+ Making frosting, icing, syrup, soup, blood, slime etc.

Excuse the long headline, haha.

In this post I'll be reviewing the liquid clays I have (+ bake&bond because it's pretty much the same thing). I'll also talk a bit about what the different liquid clays work well as, when it comes to making frosting, icing etc.

I frequently get questions about what type of liquid clay I use, how I make icing etc. So I hope this will answer any questions you may have - if not, feel free to ask! :)

About a year ago I made a post on my old blog comparing Fimo deco gel and the Sculpey bake&bond, but at that time it hadn't been very long since I purchased the bake&bond while the Fimo deco gel was something I'd gone through numerous bottles of... so I've now had quite a bit of time to really try out the bake&bond.

You're probably not able to see by looking at the picture but the Bake&Bond is almost full, after all this time. It just hasn't been a bottle I reach for that often - Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the product as far as liquid clay goes, but for the "bonding" I really don't find it better than Fimo deco gel or the regular Translucent liquid sculpey.

As I wrote in my review back then, when comparing bake&bond to the deco gel (tested how well they held together polymer clay and wood);

"The bake&bond is hard after baking while the deco gel obtain a more rubber-ish feel and stays very flexible" - which I found helped it grab on to the wood even better.

But what have I been using the bake&bond for then? *Drum roll* - Ketchup... yup, ketchup! pretty sad, isn't it? but on the bright side I really think it makes up for great ketchup/burger dressing and BBQ sauce because it's thicker than the other liquid clays I've tried. Just mix in some red, orange and maybe a bit of brown soft pastels (for ketchup) and voila! :) - it can be mixed with other things as well such as acrylic paint.

Color: Bake&Bond is white in the bottle but has a semi clear color after baking.

As far as I know there are 3 brands that makes liquid clay; Fimo, Sculpey & Kato.

Unfortunately I have yet to try the Kato liquid clay - and I intend to! at some point. But I feel the other ones provide all the qualities I need for now.

Comparing Fimo deco gel and Translucent liquid sculpey

For a long time the only liquid clay I'd tried and used was the Fimo deco gel, and it is still my favorite one! 

Colors before baking: TLS is white while the FDG is the only liquid clay which is clear while uncured. Colors after baking: They're both translucent after baking but the FDG reaches a higher transparency. Consistency while unbaked: TLS has an almost honey like consistency while the FDG is more runny. Consistency after baking: Both the TLS and FDG obtains a good flexibility after baking though the FDG is more clear.

Frosting/Icing; If you want a nice thick frosting or whipped cream you can mix some solid clay with liquid clay. Both TLS and FDG are good for this. You can do it the hard way; break some clay into tiny pieces, pour in some liquid clay and mix... and mix... and mix... and.... mix...

after doing this every time I figured out a couple of other ways of doing it.

Tip#1, if you're not in a hurry you can break the solid clay into pieces, pour in the liquid clay and let it sit for a day or so (maybe less time) - the liquid clay will 'break down' or soften the solid clay so it's easier to mix :)

Tip#2, The fastest and easiest way I've found might get your hands a bit sticky (Or you can use rubber gloves when doing this) - condition some solid clay in your hand till it's nice and soft, flatten it and drizzle on some liquid clay. Fold the clay and begin mixing the 2 between your fingers. You'll need to flatten the clay and add liquid clay a couple of times. When it gets to the point of being super soft and sticky put it into the container you want to store your frosting/whipped cream in, pour in some more liquid clay and mix with a tool. This is a more messy way of doing it but it's a lot faster, especialy for making larger portions.

*more solid clay will make the frosting/whipped cream thicker, more liquid clay will make it thinner and more like icing for cinnamon rolls and sugar cookies.

TLS makes good icing on its own - not the thick whipped cream effect, but its great for icing, blood, slime etc. Just mix in some soft pastels. (I used TLS and green pastel for the cupcake in the picture).

Syrup and soup: Though you can use TLS for syrup and probably soup as well, I don't think it gives you a result nearly as nice as when you use FDG. Leave it as it is (for a clear soup) or mix in pastels to get the perfect effect for melted butter, syrup and more.

If I had to choose only 1 type of liquid clay, I'd go for the Fimo deco gel. You can achieve everything from the clear soup to thick frosting + any other cool uses you can think of :)