A Time for Giving

I don't know about you, but our e-mail box has been jam packed full of all kinds of sales and advertising lately.  It is a busy time of year and we have been too busy to have a sale and felt it would be swallowed up in all the mainstream advertising wave.  We do, however, still want to pass on some savings to you and will be having some cool sales over the next month.  If don't want to miss any of them, I would suggest signing up on our blog to receive our posts straight to your e-mail box.

This time of year we think more about giving.  We are a proud supporter of the Samunnat Project in Nepal (click on the link to read more about them if you are not familiar).  We help raise money for their project by donating a portion of our Dremel Buffing Pad sales.  So to kick off our holiday sales,  we will be donating an even larger portion from each pack that is sold in our online store from now until the end of December!

And to mix it up a bit, we have added a new color!  Yes we have something for all you purple lovers!  Dremel buffing pads in a fun purple color!  These work exactly the same as our regular pads -- but just in a fun shade of purple!  But hurry as we only have a limited supply and when they are gone they might be gone forever!

So stay tuned for some upcoming sales -- the first one starts tomorrow and each one is for a limited time!

Merry Christmas

We just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  This Nativity Scene was created by the ladies at the Samunnat Project in Nepal which we purchased from them a few years ago.  It is one of the favorite Christmas decorations we like to put out each year.  I love all the little details they put into each piece.

Nativity Scene created by the Samunnat Project in Nepal

We will continue our support for the project for another year.  One of the ways is providing any buffing pads needed for their Dremel tools as well as donating a portion of our buffing pad sales.  So with every purchase you make, you are helping out as well and until the end of the year we are making a larger donation from each pack that is sold.

Merry Christmas

and a prosperous 2017!

A Time to Give . . . From Buffing Pads to the Samunnat in Nepal

One of the most popular items we make are our buffing pads for the Dremel tool.  These can make a huge difference in your finished clay and bring them to a beautiful high shine that is like glass!  We have been making them for quite a few years now and they work incredibly well!  You can see some of the buffing tips we shared in an earlier post here.

For several years now we have been donating a portion of our sales to the Samunnat Project in Nepal.  Thanks to the polymer clay community, they have been able to add a second floor to their house and even have some luxuries that we take for granted like running water and a flush toilet!  We know there are still so many more needs and still continue to help when we can.  Click here to read more about the project.

The ladies at this project make beautiful polymer clay beads and jewelry as you can see in the above photo.  You can follow more about them now on Instagram.

So we decided to do something a little different this year.

To help raise a little more money for this year, we will be making a larger donation from now until the end of December.  For every single pack of buffing pads sold we will be donating $2 US and for every double pack $5 US (instead of the usual $1 and $2).

And to top all that off -- we are having a sale!  We have reduced our price as well, but only in our online store, just as a little added incentive!  (Don't let the higher prices shown scare you as they are in Canadian dollars and not US).  And if you sign up for our newsletter, you will receive a coupon code for another 10% off your entire order.

And you can purchase as many items you like with only one flat shipping fee plus free shipping with a minimum purchase! (see the details on our website.)

You can still purchase the buffing pads from our Etsy Shop or Artfire Store at regular price and we will still donate the same to Samunnat.

So what about our buffing pads and why are they so special?

#1 - They are made from a special type of cloth that will bring your clay to a super high shine with very little effort!

# 2 - They are a little larger than the average buffing pad so they will last a little longer.

# 3 - You can stack several together for an extra wide buffing surface.  This allows buffing on larger items.

# 4 - Instructions are included in every package.

Here is what others have said about them:

Wow I'm impressed with this buffing pad. It is like magic. I have a buffing wheel but this shines the clay pieces faster and shines better. I'm glad I bought 6.  (Christine)

Quick delivery, buffing pads do a great job with my little dremel... woohoo! :)  (Jenny)

Great product! Polishes my pieces perfectly with the wax they reccomended in their tutorials. Thanks! I will be back for more when I run out ☺️  (Julie L)

Never seen Fimo shine so much!  (Joanna)

These are the BEST for polishing without damaging polymer clay!!! Brilliant!!!!!  (Shelly)

Doubling Up the Buffing Pads for Dremel

I just wanted to give you an update on our buffing pads for the dremel.  A while ago we posted some buffing tips which you will find here.  We make our buffing pads for the dremel or similar type rotary tool ourselves and are sold in a pack of 3 or a double pack of 6.  You can use them one at a time on your dremel but they can also be doubled or even tripled for a wider buffing area.  Here we have 2 buffing pads on the dremel shown below.  If you use 2 or 3 at a time, all you will need is a longer screw for attaching.

Dremel shown with 2 buffing pads for a wider buffing surface.

Dremel with 2 buffing pads for a wider buffing surface.

If you have never used our buffing pads before, this is some of the feedback we have received on them:

"Never seen Fimo shine so much!"

"These are the best for polishing without damaging polymer clay!!!  Brilliant!!!

"Excellent product.  This is my second batch and I love using these!"

"Great pads.  They work really well on the dremel I have"

- - - - - 

Unfortunately Canada Post has raised their rates again this year, however, we have decided to keep our shipping rates the same and absorb the difference.  There is no charge for shipping within Canada.

We are also still donating the same amount as before to the Samunnat Project in Nepal.  For every single pack of buffing pads that are sold we donate $1(US) and every double pack $2(US).

Our buffing pads are available in both our Etsy shop as well as our Artfire Studio.

Polymer Art Jewelry Challenge - Day 3

For day three of the Polymer Art Jewelry Challenge, I would like to thank Wendy Moore, who was the third person to nominate me.  Wendy is with the Samunnat Project which aides women in Nepal who have survived domestic violence and develops ways to generate an income for them and their families.  They work with polymer clay creating beads and jewelry and their work is for sale through an Etsy shop as well as Kazuri West.

They have managed to construct their own building (the main floor) with help from the polymer clay community.  You can see the progress so far on a video that is posted on Polymer Clay Daily here.  They are still working on the second floor and have many more needs.  One way we like to help is by donating a portion our buffing pad sales towards their project.  You can read more about this on our website here.

I was trying to decide what picture to post today and then remembered one that I hadn't shared yet.  The design is rather simple but one of my favorite pieces.  The focal beads were made with extruded clay and then accented with mica powder pigments.

Now to nominate another person.  I am going to choose another Canadian, Elaine Robitaille.  Elaine is one of the writers for Craft Gossip in which she contributes to the polymer clay category.  I look forward to my e-mail from Craft Gossip each morning and reading about a featured artist or new tutorial to share.  She also has her own blog under the name of tooaquarius so you can see some of her own work there.

Buffing Tips Using a Dremel

To create a high shine on our polymer clay pieces, we use our Dremel rotary tool for buffing.  We have been making our own buffing pads to fit onto the Dremel for quite a few years now and also have them for sale in our Etsy shop as well as our online store.  The polyester type fibre we use creates a really high shine and is gentle on the clay.  This is important as some buffing pads or other fibres can actually chew up your clay by the heat created from the friction due to the high speed of the Dremel.

Instructions on how to attach the buffing pads are included in the package but we felt we would give a few tips on buffing your clay using the Dremel or similar type rotary tool.

* Before attempting to buff, your piece needs to be sanded very smooth.  If you do not sand your piece thoroughly it will not come to a high shine no matter how much you buff.  You will find tips on sanding your work on our "Polymer Tips" page at the top of this blog.

* Use a stand or vice to hold your Dremel in place so you have both hands free for buffing.  You will notice that the Dremel is tilted downward a bit and not level.  We find this gives greater control for buffing items such as round beads.

* While buffing, your pieces tend to fling at times so we drape a towel or cloth behind to absorb the flying object.

*  If you have long hair, be sure to tie it back and try not to wear any loose clothing that might get caught in the Dremel.

* The buffing also creates a lot of fine dust which you do not want to breathe so be sure to wear a protective dust mask.

* Use some sort of support for your small items so you have a better grasp while buffing.  For beads, for instance, we put them on a bead skewer or metal rod.

We can then hold onto the wire with both hands and then rotate the bead and move it back and forth on the buffing wheel.

Other items like these pen blanks, we put on a larger rod or knitting needle for support.

It is much easier this way to hold onto the knitting needle with both hands and then you can easily rotate the piece while buffing.

* To buff your piece, hold it firmly in both hands and lightly touch the moving buffing wheel.  You do not need to press it in far as this will not create a faster or better shine but will only wear the buffing pad out quicker.

* One more tip to add more shine to your work, is to use more metallic and pearl in your clay mixes.  Adding some transluscent clay also increases the shine, especially if working with black.

Our buffing pads are very popular and we now offer a bulk double pack of 6 pieces for a better price.  We also want to be more involved with the Samunnat Project so we are making a donation to them from every buffing pad pack that we sell.  We are   donating one dollar ($1) from every single and two dollars ($2) from every double pack that is sold.

This is a great program that aides women in Nepal who have survived domestic violence and develops ways to generate an income for them and their families.  This work involves creating beads and jewelry from polymer clay.  Their work is for sale through an Etsy shop as well as Kazuri West.  They are in the process of constructing their own building and could use more help. You can read more about it on their website here and by following Wendy's blog here.