Second, they may need to be crumbled or cut into tiny pieces. (You can let them air dry or possible speed up the process by spreading them over a cookie sheet and putting them into an oven on very low heat.) Other botanical inclusions may require a little more preparation.įirst, it is important that they be thoroughly dry. (Here, we've sprinkled a little rubbed sage onto a portion of clay.) The thoroughly dried, finely ground of them can be mixed into the clay directly, with no further fuss. (If the clay sits for very long, it may require some handling to warm and re-soften it, depending on the clay, room temperature, and other factors.)ĭried botanicals- by which we mean everything from herbs and spices from the kitchen to dried flowers from the garden- make interesting inclusions in polymer clay. You may do this for all the inclusion recipes you try, as you go, or save this step until the end. We have chosen to form ours into slightly flattened round beads, which we have pierced (from both sides, with a thick needle) and set aside. Note: We advise you not to put clay with sand mixed in through a pasta machine, as it could possibly scratch the rollers.Īt this point, you can form the clay into whatever shape you desire. Continue working the clay to evenly distribute the sand. When that happens, simply press the clay onto it to pick it back up. Some of the sand may fall onto your work surface. Fold the clay around the sand and begin working it into the clay. Sprinkle or scoop a very small amount of sand onto a flattened portion of clay.

Mix red and blue for purple, green and yellow for lime green, and so on. Using only a few hues of food coloring (red, yellow, green, and blue are the most commonly available), you can get a variety of colors of sand. The sand will keep its color well, stored in small plastic bags. Mix a drop or two of liquid food coloring (as needed) into a small amount of white (or at least light colored) sand.

You can find colored sand in many craft stores, but you can also make your own, as we did. In this instance, we're using colorful sand.

Translucent polymer clay