Talented Woman Designs Unique Polymer Clay Jewelry

Eliza, the owner of Boogie Bee Jewelry on Instagram, creates unique jewelry from polymer clay, such as watches and earrings. The jewelry features cute themes like aliens, animals, mushrooms, and other wild animals. With bright colors and adorable prints, these fun earrings attract nearly 30k followers in Instagram.

One type of modeling clay, polymer clay, does not contain clay materials. It is made from synthetic materials such as plasticizers and PVC (polyvinyl chloride). However, since its characteristics resemble clay so much, many people consider it “man-made clay”. Polymer clay shares the flexibility, versatility, and simplicity of natural clay, making it attractive to artists.

The history and background of polymer clay.

• Polymer clay did not make its debut to the world until the late 1930s. While it is a relatively new art and craft medium, flexible clay it has grown in popularity around the world.
• It was first discovered in Germany by the doll manufacturer Fifi Rehbinder. He had trouble finding his standard supplies due to the political uprisings at the time. So, he decided to make his materials, creating a plastic clay that he called “Fifi Mosaik”.
• About 30 years later, in 1964, he sold his formula to manufacturer Eberhard Faber. They named it Fimo and toy stores across Europe began selling the polymer clay.
• The clay did not appear in the US until the 1970s. An immigrant family from Germany received the Fimo brand clay as a Christmas gift from their grandmother, who still lives in Germany. In 1975, the family began importing clay into the United States, and companies jumped on the bandwagon as well.
• Others in the US also began creating their versions of polymer clay. In the 1960s, Zenith Products Company accidentally made a polymer clay while working on heat transfer compounds. It didn’t work out as expected, but the owner’s daughter suggested using it as an arts and crafts medium. The company called it “Polyform”, known today as the popular “Sculpey” polymer clay.
• Sculpey began selling colored clay in 1984. Until then, artists had to create their colored dyes for projects.
• Today many different companies sell polymer clay and it is even available in other varieties. Liquid polymer clay, mica clays, glowing clays, and glow-in-the-dark clays are some other popular choices.

Interesting Facts About Polymer Clay

1. It stays soft until baked in the oven. You can bake it in your regular household oven as it is non-toxic. Most brands recommend bake the clay at 275 degrees F for about 30 minutes.
2. Besides making jewelry, some people use it to create photo frames, figurines, key chains, ornaments, and more. The sky is the limit when it comes to what you can start with this flexible clay.
3. It dries much faster than traditional air drying clay. Once it’s out of the oven, it’s ready to use once it cools down.
4. It doesn’t dry out so you can store it for years and pick up where you left off. However, it is best kept in a cool, dry place out of sunlight.
5. You don’t need much to get started. If you are making earrings, you will need the clay, the back of the earrings, the jump rings, the flexible glue, and the parchment paper for baking. For the tools, you will need an acrylic rolling pin, a sharp knife, clay cutters, a baking sheet, a toothpick, or a large needle, and jewels pliers by hand.
6. Before making your creations, you will need to condition the clay. To do this, roll and knead in your hands to increase flexibility and smoothness. Many artists use a pasta maker to make the process easier; run it about 20 times for best use.

Eliza’s journey selling her polymer clay creations

“So, I opened my jewelry account in January of this year (2020), which has been crazy. But making art in general, I would say it has been my whole life. My First Memories I can remember my mother painting and always doing something fun in my bedroom, ”Eliza says. “As if we really decorated and coordinated the furniture in my rooms and… I remember that he once painted vines on one of my walls. I definitely helped with that, and I think I liked it. “

Eliza enjoys making her earrings in natural light whenever possible. She often works on her balcony or even sitting on the grass. Being natural helps inspire the creative process.

She advises anyone entering the world of polymer clay art to ask for help if they need it. For example, if you follow an online creator who inspires you, feel free to reach out to them. Often times, if you are polite and open-minded, they will offer you tips to get started.

Eliza learned the hard way and tried to fix everything herself. He wanted to figure things out on his own, but this made the process very difficult. Therefore, for any newbie, it suggests not to follow in their footsteps and get the advice of longtime creators.

She says, “You’d be surprised how many people are willing to help you.”

If you want to see her creations, visit her Etsy shop. She is currently taking a break, but you can still examine her earrings and other jewels. We guarantee that you will find something that catches your eye.

Final thoughts on this talented woman who designs polymer clay earrings

If you’ve never heard of polymer clay before, you’ve probably seen it at least once in your life. Many craftsmen use it to create many arts and crafts, from figurines to jewelry, because it is durable and flexible. Not to mention that it is quite easy to use; You roll it up, pop it in the oven, and it’s ready to go. After baking, you can create just about anything you can think of and it will last for many years.

Working with polymer clay seems like a lot of fun, so you might want to give it a try. If you’re not the artistic type, you can still use it for practical things like markers, flower pots, and even plates.

Which pair of earrings from the video was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!