Saturday, August 22, 2015

Need a Helping Hand?

 
 
How many times have you wished that you had a helping hand while using your pasta machine?  Numerous times I wished that I had a helping hand while working on long thin sheets of skinner blends.  After all the blending, the sheet breaks in the middle.  Oh shoot! 
 
Well I stumble upon a pin that recommended using painters tape or masking tape to cover the back area of the pasta machine, so the clay doesn't stick to it and break.  Well I ran off to find some masking tape.  Well there was no masking tape here, only packaging tape.  That is not going to work - the clay is going to stick to the shining packaging tape.  Oh well I have to go out to the store to get tape - NO!  I decided to use the stuff I had! 
 
Polymer clay does not stick to regular paper.  So I used the packaging tape to create a two sided stripe of tape.  (Before the purchase of double sided sticky tape, I did this all the time when hanging posters.) I just rolled the tape back on itself to create a stick tube of tape. This is better than double sided tape, because the double sided tape is very thin and when it is stuck down, there is no removing it.  So the rolled packaging tape will be easy to remove.  Using the sticky tube, I stuck a simple sheet of paper to the back of my pasta machine.  The clay guided very nicely over the back of the pasta machine.  So when you are stretching out a skinner blend to make a skinner plug, you can place the blend in and use one hand to crank the pasta machine and the other hand to guide the clay sheet out.  There you go! What do you think?

 
 


Hey Cupcake

I acquired the nickname "cupcake", from a PTA parent, because I rewarded good behavior with a cupcake party.  They were fun events.  So I found a Wilton mold of a cupcake and I could not resist it.  I made me a cupcake charm to wear.  Thanks Mr. B. for the nickname.