Polymer Clay Embellishments and Extra Tools

There is a huge variety of amazing embellishments and extras that you can add to your polymer clay toolbox!  

Various Embellishments for Polymer Clay

From sprinkles to glazes, here are some of my favourite embellishments and tools:

SPRINKLES:

There are so many types of sprinkles and clay embellishments you can buy ready made to add to your toolbox.  They create a perfect touch when making cupcakes, characters or cakes.

You can also buy ready made canes of fruit like strawberries and kiwi which I use on miniature pavlovas.  

I use round sprinkles (Hundreds and Thousands) for Freckles and Fairy Bread. 

Micro beads are ideal for kawaii features on Cupcakes and Ginger bread people.

One of my favourite online stores for embellishments is Miniature Sweet hk.  

EXTRUDER TO CREATE YOUR OWN SPRINKLES:

I like to create my own sprinkles using a clay extruder (see image below).  You can buy the extruder from eBay and Amazon and they come with various discs so you can choose the thickness of your sprinkles.  To make the sprinkles, simply extrude strands of each individual colour onto a large baking tray with baking paper. Be sure each extruded strand does not stick to each other.  In a preheated oven (130C/260F) bake for only 3 minutes.  Use a chopping board and a blade/knife to cut them into individual tiny sprinkles.  Please be very careful with the blade when cutting the sprinkles.

Extruder to make polymer clay sprinkles

LIQUID CLAY:

Sculpey sell a clay softener if you find that your clay is too hard to condition.

Liquid clay is ideal for creating icing or sticking embellishments onto the clay.

You can buy liquid clay in clear, transparent or opaque.  

To create an icing consistency you simply need to condition a small amount of your clay until it is very soft, then on a piece of baking paper using a toothpick, mix the polymer clay with some liquid clay until you obtain the consistency that you desire. 

Liquid Polymer Clay and Clay Softener

CHALK PASTELS:

Chalk pastels are an important addition to your toolbox if you wish to colour liquid clay or make cakes and biscuits look real.  Using a blunt knife, on a piece of baking paper scrape the chalk pastel until you see the dust consistency.   

Using a brush you can dust your creation with the pastel dusk to make it look 'baked'.  

You can also use the chalk pastel dust to add to liquid clay to colour it.  I also use Kato coloured liquid clay to obtain my desired colour.  I purchased my Kato Liquid clay from Amazon.

Daiso have inexpensive packs of chalk pastels with suitable colours for your bakery miniatures.

GLAZES:

Polymer clay does not require glazing however it will protect the clay.  

Sculpey offer a gloss and matt glaze specific for polymer clay.

A high quality glaze that is preferred in the clay community is Varathane Water Based Polyurethane which I purchased on Amazon.  

If I use acrylic paint on clay I often glaze the creation after it is baked to protect the paint.

Please note that it is not recommended to use clear nail polish for glazing your clay creations as it will become sticky over time.

Glazes for Polymer Clay

GLITTER:  

Glitter will stick to your clay very easily.  (Just like lint!) I recommend when adding glitter to your creation to glaze it once baked to prevent it from falling off over time.

MICRO SCALE:

A micro scale will help you when making the same creation more than once.  For example when I make donut earrings each piece of clay is weighed into the same sized balls.  You can buy these scales from eBay and you should look for ones that weigh 0.01 gram increments.  See below example of my scale:

Polymer Clay Scale and Tools

NAIL POLISH REMOVER AND COTTON TIPS:

Light coloured clay will attract lint that is floating in the air!  To remove this you can either use the tip of a sewing pin to pry it off or some nail polish remover on a cotton tip.

Nail polish to remove lint and fluff from polymer clay

SHAPE CUTTERS:

Shape cutters are a fun addition to make the perfect shape and can be found on eBay or your local baking shop.  I often use round cutters when making cakes with layers.

Polymer clay shape cutters

PINKISYL MOULDING PUTTY:

If you are making clay to sell you can consider making a mould of your creation to speed up the process.  One of my favourite moulding products is Pinkysil by Barnes.

It's super simple to use; mix part A with part B and push in your creation.  Wait around 20 minutes and your mould is ready for you to use.  

If you would like to know about the Basics of Polymer Clay then Click Here to check out the Introduction to Polymer Clay Post.

Let me know if you have any questions and what miniatures you would like see made into videos?  I can't wait to share this journey with you!  

Need help? Ask away in the comments below :)