Our readers rule!

I was having a hard time finding my muse for this issue of the Digest until I realized that you, our readers, have provided the creative spark. This past month we enjoyed the highest volume of reader questions ever. So I decided to let you write this issue. My guess is that for the one reader who asked the question, there are many more who would be interested but just didn’t bother or think to ask.

Due to the heavy volume of mail, I spent much of the month researching and consulting with experts to answer your inquiries. Much of the rest of our time was spent moving our offices. Yay! I’m thrilled with the new space.

Where I used to have several multi-purpose rooms for The Artful Crafter (computer/paper crafts room, sewing/guest room, jewelry making/dining room, etc.), I now have one room dedicated to all my various craftwork, as well as editorial work for The Artful Crafter. A lot of my “stuff” still needs to be organized properly to make it really efficient, but “All in good time.” Part of the fun was rediscovering a lot of the great supplies I’ve collected over the years but never got around to using. I’m inspired anew!

Eileen

Letters – We Get Letters

Following are selected reader letters which we received during July. May one of them inspire you!

Art is Where You Find It

“I would like to take some pages from a book that has a torn spine and turn them into a border for my son's room. I know that I have to seal the pages somehow but I am not sure what kind of product I need to use. My other question is how do I adhere the pages to the wall? I want to know that I will be able to remove it some day without damaging my walls. To complicate things further, the walls have wallpaper on the upper section and are painted on the bottom. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.

Lisa"

The technique you need is decoupage. I recommend Durwin Rice’s beautiful book on decoupage, New Decoupage. It is chock full of techniques and tips for decoupaging on walls.

Click here to read the full response to Lisa’s letter, including how to mix decoupage medium with wallpaper paste for the best of both products and how to avoid ink bleed when decouping.

Waste Not; Want Not

“I have extra slats from wooden mini blinds that we hung in our office. Is there a craft idea that I could put these to use? I hate to just throw them away. Do you have a suggestion? Thanks.

Christina"

I once bought some inexpensive bamboo roll-up shades and took them apart to use the slats for place mats and table runners. With the heavier wood from your mini blinds, you could also make trivets. Click here for detailed instructions.

Your slats might also make very nice serving trays. Find a wooden picture frame in the proper size. Form the bottom using your slats. A nice finishing touch would be to attach fancy drawer handles to the top for easy carrying.

Make Your Own Unique Stamps

“I live in Perth, Western Australia. Could you please let me know, where I can obtain a product called Magic Stamp?

Maureen”

Read my article on various ways to make your own stamps by clicking here. In it you will find details on Magic Stamp and a link to purchase it. It’s a really fun product to use!

Polymer Clay Alert!

“I hope you can explain to me how I set my brand new toaster oven on fire when I put Liquid Sculpey over a scanned photo (I scanned it at CVS). I placed it on a piece of glass and put it in at 275 degrees as per instructions. I breathed in the nasty fumes as I was trying to put out the fire. Now I'm afraid to use Liquid Sculpey and my toaster oven. Help!! Jocelyn”

I’m so glad no one was injured. I suspect the problem was caused by your toaster oven. I investigated each element of your disaster (Liquid Sculpey, photo paper, glass, toaster oven), eliminating them one by one until I got to toaster oven.

The process you used is almost exactly the same as Sculpey’s directions for making transfers with TLS (Translucent Liquid Sculpey). The company notes that you can use an oven temperature of 300 degrees Fahrenheit for more transparency and color intensity.

The temperature at which paper catches fire is 451 degrees Fahrenheit, so it wasn’t the fault of the paper per se. Glass has an even higher burn point. That leaves the toaster oven.

When I searched the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) database, I found 320 consumer complaints lodged about toaster ovens. The majority had to do with fires and, running a close second, were reports of exploding glass doors (most likely linked to overheating as well).

A search for consumer complaints about polymer clay yielded 94 hits, but none of them seemed related to dangerous incidents involving polymer clay. They were about improper labeling or clay battery parts breaking or asbestos found in papier maché clay (dangerous perhaps but not related to polymer clay). There were no complaints or incidents reported against the companies which make Fimo or Sculpey.

Though they were certainly unpleasant, you needn’t be concerned about the fumes you inhaled. A representative of Eberhard Faber, the maker of Fimo, told us that hydrochloride gas fumes can be released if polymer clay is heated to 392 degrees F, but the amount that a human can tolerate before running from the room, would not do any immediate harm or cause any long term damage.

He said, “A man chained in a room with hydrochloride gas developed from polymers could suffer an irritation of his mucous membranes.”

Consumer Reports did some testing of polymer clay a few years ago and found no incidents of poisoning, either from fumes or from eating the clay (think babies and pets).

In 2000, the Art & Creative Materials Institute (which certifies the safety of art supplies) reevaluated the safety of polymer clays at the request of polymer clay manufacturers and again found polymer clays to be perfectly safe.

I recommend you contact the manufacturer to replace your toaster oven. Alternatively, you may want to report the incident to the CPSC. In that case, hold onto the oven and do not clean it any further. If the Commission follows up on your report, they will appreciate anything that will help them in their tests. In any case do not use the oven again until it has been tested and certified safe.

Reader Submissions Welcome

With many of my responses to readers, I include an invitation to send us a picture of the finished project for inclusion on The Artful Crafter. I would like to throw the invitation out to all our readers.

If you have a project you would like to share and see published on The Artful Crafter, send a photo in JPEG format by e-mail to craftguide@yahoo.com. Include a few notes explaining or describing the project. If you sell your work, include info on how our readers can contact you. (If you don’t know how to e-mail a photo, ask the nearest kid!)