Storage solutions

Today I found a great little video from Alice Stroppel about storing canes. I have been using little plastic tupperware boxes which I bought from my local supermarket, but it occurred to me last night that maybe I'm not being as organised as I should be.

I tend to have one box which is full of "good clay" ie. clay that is unused or half-used (some still in their wrapping). I try to keep the plastic wrapping around half-used clay so I can remember what colour they are. It can get pretty difficult to distinguish between white and transparent clay when there is no label on them! I then have a box for scrap clay, a box for baked items and a box for canes.

Unfortunately I noticed last night that the cane box is getting rather full. The question of how to best store the canes came into my mind, because you can't continue to add more and have them all stick together. The ideas in the video are really useful, so maybe I will invest in one of those 3 drawer stacks. I'm not sure what they mean about wrapping the canes in wax paper, but I don't think I would have the patience to do this! I think the best solution is probably just to store vertically within the box as suggested in the video.

Micashift video

Today I stumbled across the most amazing demo on Youtube of how to make micashift beads. Basically this process uses the mokume gane technique and it's something I'm really excited to try out, but first I need to purchase the tools for the job - basically some metallic clay in various colours and a rubber stamp to create the design. I have read about this technique in various places but always thought it seemed a bit too advanced for my level. But this video surprised me and made it seem manageable. I think it's really helpful to see someone demonstrate a technque rather than just read instructions from a book. You get a better idea of where the pitfalls are and by seeing it in action, it can be easier to mimic the process.

One of the interesting comments made in the video was the recommendation to use wax paper to lay the clay on. Apparently this helps to ensure the clay doesn't stick to the table. The other useful tools are shape cutters. My local hobby store has a limited selection, but I haven't yet purchased any. In this case the demonstrator has simply used a small piece of card as a template for the square beads. It just shows how you can use anything at your disposal and that you don't always need specific tools for the task.