How to throw a kids Polymer Clay Party!

We were recently hired to be the entertainment for an adorable little girl's birthday party. What a great time we had teaching the kids how to play and create with polymer clay. There were approximately 20 children there ages ranging from 3 - 12 years old.

It is important to chose an age appropriate project. We chose to work with plastic cookie cutters in various shapes and sizes. This eliminated the need for the use of a clay blade. Each child was instructed to pick any three color balls they wanted to swirl together, flatten out and cut into shapes. After baking we attached magnets to the backs to create kid-made magnets.

All the kids had a great time and everyone did such a wonderful job. Each child's creation was a unique work of art! Here's how we prepared for our party!

Step 1 - Learn about your location. Two most critical questions are
A. is there an oven?
B. is there a smooth surface to work on? (We had to bring large floor tiles as the tables at our location were textured.)

Step 2 - Opened a bottle of wine (or drink of choice) and drink.

Step 3 - Precondition all of the clay... so now you know why we recommend wine! It is important to precondition the clay before the party as it can be a lengthy process. We quartered 2oz. bricks of clay and rolled them into balls. Then we kept the colors separate by placing them, in all things recycled plastic apple cartons. Waste not, Want not! These are very handy items to have.

Step 4 - Repeat step 2...wait til you see Step 5!

Step 5 - We needed enough rollers for at least 20 children, but acrylic rollers are expensive. We had to get creative and came up with the idea to cut 1.25" pvc pipe in to 8" individual rollers. This was easy to do and very inexpensive and you can purchase the pvc pipe at any hardware store. Since we cut these ourselves with a tile saw, we did need to go back and sand the ends for a smooth finish. After that we threw the lot in the dishwasher and when they were done and dry we packed them up and ready to go!

Step 6 - Repeat step 2 again...

Step 7 - Now its time to pack for the party. Wooo Hooo! We used 2 large canvas totes for the rollers, cutters, rubbing alchol (to clean up during and afterwards), magnets, scissors and party bags to carry their project home. For the clay containers we used a jewelry tray tote for they stack very nicely on top of one another.

Step 8 - Now sleep off all the wine you drank (ya lush!) knowing you're all prepared for the party tomorrow!

Step 9 - Have a great time!

A Cause Close to Our Hearts

Some of you may know that Carrie has a son with Autism. We are always on the look out for ideas to raise funds and awareness on behalf of Autism. This is a cause that is near and dear to our hearts.

We were contacted by "Autism Delaware", an organization of people with autism, families, friend, and professionals connected to the autism community. Their mission is to improve the lives of people with autism and that is something we wanted to be a part of.

We donated a one of a kind handmade Autism Awareness necklace. All proceeds from our "Clay for a Cause" section are donated to Autism Speaks. For more information on Autism and what you can do to help, please go to http://www.autismspeaks.org

This OOAK Autism Awareness necklace includes a stunning hand blown glass pendant in primary colors, flanked by faceted Cherry Quartz, primary colored glass, beautiful Mother of Pearl, finished with a lovely Sterling Silver toggle clasp and dangling Autism Awareness ribbon bead.