Homemade Polymer Clay

At different points over the last few years I've played around with different kinds of homemade "clay." My favorite is a polymer clay also known as cold porcelain. Its main ingredients are cornstarch and white PVA or Elmer's glue. I like it because it's smooth and a little bit elastic to work with and dries extremely hard. It's also relatively non-porous so it takes paint really well. And it doesn't degrade over time like baker's clay or salt clay does. I've used it to cover blown-out chicken eggs for Christmas ornaments, as well as to make various and sundry bowls, boxes and pendant blanks, among other things.

But it took awhile to get the recipe right. Most of the ones I found online resulted in a compound that was way too sticky to work with. So I experimented with different proportions of glue and cornstarch and the inclusion/exclusion of various secondary ingredients. What follows is the fruit of my experimentation. Lucky you!

Materials

• 3/4 cup white glue
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons mineral oil (I used baby oil but reportedly even vaseline will work)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Non-stick pot
• Wooden spoon

Steps

Add cornstarch to glue in a nonstick pot. Mix together and then add mineral oil and lemon juice. Blend well.

Cook over low flame stirring pretty much constantly (you can take a quick break or two if your arm gets tired, which it will) until the mixture resembles mashed potatoes.

Remove from heat! Squirt a little additional mineral oil around the top of your mashed potato mass and with your hands, remove it from the pot. Knead until smooth. It's best to do this while it's still as hot as you can handle.

Pull off a bit to work with and put the rest in a re-sealable plastic bag with the top about half-way open until it's cooled down a bit. Then seal the bag (with as little air in it as you can) and store in the fridge.

Let dry about 2-3 days, then paint, or not.

Until next time --

Enjoy!

Linda

Purty Bird

Around the Corner: The Battle of Brooklyn

Battle of Long Island, Brooklyn (Alonzo Chappel 1828-1887)

In anticipation of the 4th of July and the time honored tradition of walking historical battlefields, you shouldn't miss the scene of the Battle of Brooklyn, the first and largest battle of the American Revolution, which almost put an end to George Washington and the Continental Army. Nestled between Staples and the Alexander William Middle School, two blocks away from the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Store, you'll find the Old Stone House. It was here that the Marylanders held off the Hessians and the British allowing the Continental Army to retreat.

House and Tree Necklace, JDavis Studio

Imagine a hot and humid day on August 22, 1776: The farmers of Brooklyn, population 250, are witnessing an armada of British frigates sailing up the Narrows to unload 20,000 British soldiers and Hessian Mercenaries on the beaches of Gravesend intent on ending the uprising of Washington's rag tag army of 12,000 once and for all.

"The whole bay was full of shipping as it could be. I...thought all London afloat."
Pisces Ship, Tomato9Studio

Five days later, at 9:00 a.m. General Howe's cannons signaled the attack. Within hours Washington's army was overwhelmed and retreating. The 400 Marylanders under the leadership of General Stirling charged Cornwallis 2000 British and Hessian troops who had entrenched themselves around the Old Stone House. The Marylanders charged the British forces six times to give the militia time to retreat. In the end only 9 of the Marylanders managed to retreat safely. 256 lay dead in front of the Old Stone House and more than 100 were wounded and/or captured.

4th of July Coasters and Wine Sack, Rose Interiors

To truly experience how astounding this history is you'll have to stop by the Old Stone House yourself. For a self-guided walking tour, take a look at Marion Palm's article in the Brooklyn Eagle.

Simone
groundsel.etsy.com

Happy Father's Day! (A little late, but worth the wait!)

So happy belated Father's Day!  For all the fathers, father figures, soon-to-be fathers, and yes, even fathers of pets, I hope it was a lovely day for you this past weekend.  I enjoyed a day with my boyfriend and our wonder pup, Watson, upstate New York visiting a few amazing places I highly recommend:
 The Rail Trail in New Paltz

Robibero Vineyards (a pet-friendly winery)

 The Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park -- also pet-friendly

 And finally finishing off the day eating at a pet-friendly restaurant, Gigi, in Rhinebeck with some lovely outdoor seating and delicious Mediterranean fare made exclusively from local farms.


Definitely a fun day that we all enjoyed -- and an itinerary I recommend for anyone visiting the Hudson Valley area!

Also, as I strongly believe that single days like Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Valentine's Day should really be celebrated everyday, here are some handmade gifts your dad would enjoy all year-round (in case you're running a little behind like me ;).

PriaVanda -- Weekly Planner

Rocks and Salt -- Rain Hat

Citibitz -- Bike Flask

Kimmchi -- Silkscreen Printed Chupa Cabra T-Shirt

Metalicious -- Sterling Round Diamond Cut Cufflinks

Warm wishes to all the dads out there -- and a huge hug to my dad!!  You're the best and thank you for all that you do.

Virginia

www.virginiakraljevic.etsy.com

Sailor's Knot Bracelet Tutorial

Last year, the lovely Simone from Groundsel posted this great tutorial on sailor's knot bracelets. This Saturday, June 25th, Simone, Pria, and I will be doing demonstrations and helping visitors make their own bracelets at Governors Island. Please join us at House 6B in Nolan Park at Governors Island from 2pm-4pm. While you're there, be sure to take a look around the Better Than Jam Pop-Up Shop at Governors Island, filled with the best handmade goodies by local artisans. See you there!

Supplies you’ll need:

• 3.5 yards of twine
• 14 ounce can for a smaller bracelet or a 20 ounce can for a larger bracelet. Any other round object that has the appropriate circumference for your wrist will do.

Directions:

1. Wrap one end of the twine around the can to shape an X. Leave about a 4" tail. You will need this tail at the end to finish the bracelet.

2. Wrap the long end of the twine around the can again and bring it up to the middle of the X. Then pass the long end of the twine under the right, upper leg of the X and pull the long end all the way through.

3. Next, move the upper left leg of the X over the right leg of the X to create an oval shape.

4. Pull the long end of the twine through the oval shaped opening you just set up.

5. Turn the can a bit and you will see that the oval shape has created another X shape. Again, pass the long end of the twine under the right upper leg of the X and pull the end through.

6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 until you get to the beginning of your project.

7. You will now find a three-stranded braid. Follow the twine you initially laid out and create a parallel second line. 

8. Continue around the can. If you find that it's getting too tight to pass the twine through the openings, you may want to take the bracelet off the can and continue with the knotting in your hand. If you take it off, be careful not to pull the twine too tight, otherwise your bracelet will shrink on your wrist. 

9. Continue knotting the rope around the bracelet until each strand of the braid has one parallel line — a total of three passes. At this point you can stop or add another three passes to create the traditional pattern of three parallel lines, like the bracelet in the third picture in this step.

10. To finish, just knot the ends together and weave them into the inside of the bracelet.

Karina

Windows of Agate

I Scream for The {NewNew}

Let's talk ice cream. For me, it's one of the great pleasures in life. There is far too little great ice cream in the world and way too much crappy ice cream. I will often finish the day watching TV with an ice cream cone that I scooped myself. I like my ice cream without stabilizers and not too rich. I was basically heartbroken when a few years ago Breyers succumbed to apparent pressure to be like every other manufacturer and began adding guar gum, etc. Haagen Dazs does not use stabilizers but it can be a bit too rich for me. What's a girl to do? Why make her own, of course! I bought an inexpensive electric ice cream maker that needs no salt or ice and have made ethereal vanilla and awesome mint chocolate chip, my two favorites. I found that for the mint chocolate chip, I had to use my sharp knife to basically shave pieces off a frozen bar of dark chocolate. Chips and chunks did not work out well. I cannot recommend homemade ice cream highly enough. For those of you with adventurous palates, the sky's the limit! You can use fresh herbs, spices, even edible flowers such as pansies and nasturtiums. How beautiful would that be? So grab yourself a cone, because you know you won't stop thinking about it, and check out these fun no-calorie ice cream treats from the talented {NewNew} team!

This matted photograph by Aperture Agog is so cute. Why does he look so worried?
Do you remember the genius of creamsicles? I never would have thought that orange and vanilla would be so awesome together, but there you go. Here's Stephanie Monroe's tote.
How adorable is Projects by Carm's felted ring? Don't drip!
I hope I have inspired you to eat more ice cream!

Until next time,

LuCrafts

Handmade Heaven on Governors Island

View of Lower Manhattan from Governors Island

I recently made the easy-breezy trip to the Better Than Jam Summer Pop-Up shop on Governors Island, a project of the Better Than Jam handmade cooperative and The NewNew (see full story posted here a few weeks ago). First, I have to say, How super-easy is it to get there? Not to mention ferry-ride fun? Very.

The shop is housed in Historic Home 6B in the Nolan Park section of the island. The house and setting are just adorable.

(from The Trust for Governor's Island photo gallery)

Then there's the worn elegance of the shop's interior, which meshes beautifully with the house and setting: Rustic and classy in whitewashed and natural wood, it sets the stage for visitors to fully appreciate the impressive array of locally produced housewares, jewelry, clothing, accessories, stationery, art and toys on offer.

Words don't do it justice so I'll stop my yakety-yak here and just show you some pictures!

Until next time -

Linda

PurtyBird