Tips For Saving Money When Working With Clays

As you may already know I work with Creative Paperclay® modelling material for the Company Design Team.  This is a wonderful product that air dries to a very smooth finish and is truly a delight to work and play with.  I design all sorts of projects every day, in many different types of mediums.  I work with a variety of tools as well.  My tools are precious to me and I take care of my investment.  However, there are also a lot of temporary tools or disposable tools that I need to use in making things, and I do not want to spend a lot of money on those.  So, I often shop for materials and even some tools at the dollar stores in my area.  Here are a few items I have found at Dollarama  that may not be sold as crafting materials but I use them for that very purpose.

Here I use a rotating cupcake decorating stand covered with cellophane wrap.  Both were found in the kitchen department of the store and each item cost just over one dollar.  In the same section I found toothpicks and aluminum foil.  I use the foil as a base to be covered with the Creative paperclay® as well as the toothpick to hold the parts of my project together.

By placing my project on the plastic covered cupcake stand I have an elevated surface that I can spin and move as I mould and shape the clay. Before I forget, that green mat is also from the kitchen aisle, it is a small cutting board.  These boards are the perfect size to hold my projects and I can just move my entire project easily.

In the tool section I found some sanding blocks.  The block is a sponge covered in fine sandpaper which is ideal for working with this material. I also found these inexpensive brushes that are perfect for dusting away any dust left behind after the sanding process.

Over in the health and beauty aisle I found this cuticle stick and travel size spray bottle.  I use the cuticle stick as a tool for smoothing and marking.  I fill the bottle with water to spritz my project as I work on it to keep it from drying too quickly and to help smooth it out.

So, there you go.  I just shared with you how you too can be crafty on a budget by shopping for some of your crafting materials and tools at dollar stores.

*  I would also like to thank Sandits for their contribution of the set of sanding tools.

I hope that you have enjoyed my tips, and thanks for dropping by.