Catherine's Review	Chris' Review	Penny's Review	Pomaikai's Review	Jennifer's Review

Review by Catherine

Lisa Pavelka is a well-known name in the Polymer Clay world. She has been “Claying Around” with Polymer Clay for over 15 years, and has released numerous books and DVD’s on the subject. It’s no wonder that watching the newest Lisa Pavelka DVD makes working with polymer clay and related projects look easy and fun.

I have worked with polymer clay in the past, however, I have never really quite “gotten the hang of it” so to speak so that I feel comfortable working with polymer clay on a daily basis. Honestly, the only time I pull out my polymer clay tools is when we have a review of polymer clay items here on Scrapfriends. When I received the Claying Around with Lisa Pavelka video and other Lisa Pavelka products, I admit that I procrastinated a bit before I opened anything up. I was a little reluctant to get started. However, once I began watching the Claying Around with Lisa Pavelka video, I began to be more interested in trying out some of the techniques that she demonstrates.

For this review, I received the Claying Around Video, a bottle of Lisa Pavelka Magic-Glos, and a bottle of Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder. All three of these products are meant to make polymer clay usage easier. The DVD is over two hours long, and includes Six different polymer clay projects, from beginning to advanced. The cover is very professional, as is the production of the video. The video begins with the Polymer Clay 101 chapter, which basically gives an overview of polymer clay basics and is perfect for anyone who is new to using polymer clay or who might need a refresher, like me. There are then step by step instructions for six different projects. Beginner Projects: Cherubic Transfer Pill box, Fabulous Foiled Key Fob Intermediate Projects: Iridescent Transfer Pendent, Gifted Greetings Advanced projects: Mosaic Keepsake Box, Art Deco Tea Votive With so many projects to chose from, there is sure to be something for anyone who wishes to dabble in polymer clay.

I love Lisa’s style of teaching and easy to understand methods. I really liked that she included numerous tips and tricks for dealing with polymer clay problems as they arise. Watching Lisa work through each of the projects made my confidence grow. I also enjoyed watching her work with each of her Signature Series products, so that I could learn how to use them before jumping right in.

Lisa Pavelka’s Magic-Glos is a dimensional gloss medium. The gloss medium can be applied to polymer clay, as well as paper crafts. It creates a beautiful glossy shine to polymer clay projects, and hardens within minutes. It is absolutely clear and waterproof, and can also be added in several layers without fear of cloudiness. I was impressed by the easy way that Lisa used the Magic-Glos in the video, and also with the result when I used it on a project.

The third product I was sent for this review is the Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder. In the past, I have been frustrated by the fact that I felt I needed to add all of my layers of clay onto my projects at the same time. I have never been able to find an adhesive that is safe to use when baking polymer clay projects. The Poly Bonder that Lisa demonstrates in the Claying Around video is the perfect answer to these problems. I really enjoyed watching Lisa work with different layers of clay that she baked then added more layers to. I felt that being able to use the Poly Bonder adhesive would make it easier for me to work with different layers of clay, and I was absolutely right. The Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder is exactly what I needed to increase my polymer clay techniques.

For my first project, I decided to create a lid for a candy dish using a white polymer clay base, and stamping onto it I didn’t know before watching this video how easy it was to stamp into clay projects with ink and have the images stand out so well. I really like the way that the black ink looks against the white background of the clay. I baked the bottom layer and the border that I created using the Lisa Pavelka Border Mold that we will be reviewing later in the month for a few minutes so that I could then add more layers without worry. One problem that I had is that once I placed the clay canes onto the base with the Poly Bonder I wanted to move them a bit. I simply slid them over slightly, and let the Poly Bonder dry completely. I didn’t realize until after I had baked my piece completely that this left a discolored area in the white clay where I had slid the colored clay out of place. For future projects, I will make sure to place any different colored clay pieces exactly where I want them from the beginning.

Title: Candy Jar
Products used: Polymer Clay (Fimo)
Inspired by (Claying Around with Lisa Pavelka DVD)
Small Jar (Hobby Lobby)
Polymer Adhesive (Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder)
Dimensional Gloss (Lisa Pavelka Magic-Glos)
Mold (Lisa Pavelka Border Mold)
Stamps (PSX)
Polymer Clay Canes (Amaco)

There are a few mistakes that I made during this first project that I will learn from and correct in any future projects that I do. I plan to redo the lid for this project to correct some of those mistakes in the near future.

For my second project for this review, I wanted to create a faux stone cabachon pendant. I enjoyed watching Lisa use Ranger Perfect Pearls on her projects on the video, and decided to use some that I have in my stash as well as to mix different colors of clay to create a faux stone. I love the way that my pendant worked out.

Title: Faux Stone Cab Pendant
Products used: Polymer Clay (FIMO)
Inspired by (Claying Around with Lisa Pavelka DVD)
Polymer Adhesive (Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder)
Findings (unknown)
Perfect Pearls Powder (Ranger Industries)

I have truly enjoyed working with the Lisa Pavelka Polymer Clay products as well as reviewing the Claying Around with Lisa Pavelka video. This is one video that I see myself watching over and over again to pick up more tips from her easy and professional manner. The quality of the video is extremely high for a craft video, and Lisa is easy to hear and understand with no sound issues of any kind throughout the video. I am also extremely pleased to have the Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder and Lisa Pavelka Magic-Glos to use in future projects. If you are a polymer clay artist at any level, or if you have always wanted to try polymer clay, then you must pick up this video as soon as possible.

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Review by Chris

Although I love to scrapbook, I also really enjoy working with other artistic media. Clay has always been one of my favorites, but not one that I get into that often. I think the thought of all the special tools required, the baking, etc., keeps me from working with it more often. I was trilled to be assigned to review Lisa Pavelka’s Claying Around DVD because it would give me the excuse I needed to pull out all of my clay "toys." Also, I had seen Lisa working with clay at CHA and I was excited to view her DVD and learn how to create some of her beautiful projects. I have had the chance to watch and review a number of other clay DVD’s and I wanted to see what tips and tricks Lisa would offer in hers. I have found that no matter how many different "how-to" DVD's I watch, I always pick up a new technique or a different twist on an old one from each different artist.

The DVD arrived in the typical clear plastic DVD case. The cover insert has a photo of a beautiful project on the front as well as Lisa's picture. The back of the insert shows all six projects contained in the DVD and the inside spread again shows the projects, each accompanied by a list of specific supplies needed for that particular project. I love that the "shopping list" is written right there, making it super easy to collect the supplies needed before getting started. Along with the DVD, I received a small bottle of Lisa’s Poly Bonder adhesive and her Magic-Glos dimensional gloss for crafts and polymer clay. It really does have a "magic" property which I'll explain later in this review.

The first thing I noticed while watching Lisa was her calm demeanor and the clear and deliberate way she explains things. While demonstrating the techniques used to create the different projects, she takes her time, proceeding step-by-step, allowing the viewer to easily follow along. She even talks about mistakes the viewer might make and how to fix them, or use them as an "opportunity" for enhancing the project. Lisa explains in the beginning of the DVD that there will be something for everyone – from beginner to more experienced clay crafters – and she was right! The projects included in this DVD are progressive, starting from the very basic techniques that a beginner might need including a description of the various tools used, and building on them through-out the DVD, finally creating a more complex, advanced project. When using a technique in a more advanced project, Lisa identifies the earlier project in which the technique was demonstrated in detail, making it easy for the viewer to go back for a refresher if needed. The quality of the DVD itself is excellent. The filming is clear, the lighting good, there are no extraneous sounds and Lisa's voice is clear and easy to understand.

My first project was inspired by the first project in the DVD – a key fob using layers of clay and foil. My base is a flower shape cut out of black clay. Onto that, I layered petals to which craft foil has been added with texture applied for dimension. To create the texture, I used a needle tool, a ball-tipped stylus and a pearl tipped stylus.

Flower key fob
Products used: Inspired by Lisa Pavelka’s Claying Around DVD
Clay (Fimo, black)
Foil (Staedtler, Hot Foil Pen refills; Craft-A-Frame, Fabulous Foil)

My second project was a bit more complicated. I wanted to cover a round tin in which I keep some of my clay tools. To cover the top, I used the mosaic technique which Lisa demonstrates on the DVD. I created small tiles, covering them with foil and then adding texture with texture plates. Putting square tiles on a round top was a little challenging. Fortunately, my tiles, although partially baked, were still soft enough that I could cut them to conform to the round edge. I used Lisa's Poly Bonder to glue the tiles in position after arranging them on the lid. This bonding glue is used to adhere baked clay to raw or baked clay, or raw clay to metal or other surfaces. It is specially formulated so that it can be baked along with the clay without breaking down.

For the sides of my tin, I added a holographic foil to pearl clay, adding texture by inking a dot stamp and pressing the stamp into my foiled clay. The dots are not only colored, but also have a little depth to them. Lisa's explanation of how to add foil to clay was excellent. Although a new technique for me, it is surely one I'll use often in the future. I also covered the bottom of the tin and added texture with my dot stamp and a cross-hatched texture plate. Before watching the DVD, I might not have thought of covering the bottom of my tin. After all, who looks there? But Lisa pointed out how important the finishing touches are to completing a project, so the bottom got covered! The edge of the lid and the side of the tin are adorned with borders created using Lisa's Utilitarian Border Molds. They are also glued to the tin using the Poly Bonder glue.

Once I had completely baked my tin, I noticed what Lisa had warned about in the DVD. I had gotten some of the Poly Bonder on the pearl areas between the mosaic tiles on my lid and it had turned yellow in the baking process. No problem! I put several coats of Lisa’s Magic-Glos on the lid and used it to adhere small charms and beads placed strategically to hide the yellow areas. The Magic-Glos dries to a totally clear, shiny surface and holds the charms perfectly. Now, what is the “Magic” you ask? This Gloss is UV reactive and will cure totally clear when exposed to direct sunlight or special lamps that emit UV light. It works amazingly fast once you expose the gloss to sunlight. But, don’t try to use this product at night. Trust me on that!!!

Clay Tin
Products used: Inspired by Lisa Pavelka’s Claying Around DVD
Adhesive (JHB, Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder)
Gloss (JHB, Lisa Pavelka Magic-Glos)
Border molds (JHB, Lisa Pavelka Utilitarian)
Clay (Fimo, black; Sculpey III, pearl)
Foil (Staedtler, Hot Foil Pen refills, blue, green)
Charms (JHB flower; Blue Moon dragonflies)
Stamp (Cornish Heritage Farms, polka dots)
Ink (Tsukineko, Brilliance, graphite black)
Texture plate (Studio by Sculpey)

For anyone just starting out with clay, or for anyone looking for some fun projects with great instructions, this DVD is a "must have." Lisa has a fantastic teaching style and is a pleasure to watch. Her projects are impressive but easily accomplished. The Poly Bonder glue works well to add layers of clay to projects. The Magic-Glos truly is magic, not only in the way it works, but in the gorgeous clarity and sheen it gives to finished projects. Stay tuned for Part 2 of this DVD review. You won’t want to miss it!!

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Review by Penny

The Claying Around with Lisa Pavelka DVD ($15, JHB International) was my first taste of what you can do with polymer clay. The DVD begins with learning about polymer clay. Lisa describes conditioning, clay colors and their effects and moves on to recommended work surfaces and optimal supplies to have on hand. She then describes foiling, using waterslide transfers, molding, texturing, stamping, curing and coloring clay along with adhering the clay to itself or other surfaces. As she walks through six projects - foiled key fob, iridescent transfer pendant, cherubic transfer pill box, gifted greeting, mosaic keepsake box and art deco tea votive - she provides clear instructions, examples, ways to fix or avoid mistakes and recommended supplies. The inside of the case includes a very handy supply list for each project.

One of the recommended supplies is Lisa Pavelka's Magic-Glos - a one-step dimensional medium that dries crystal clear and gives a wonderful domed effect with multiple layer applications. The 1 oz. bottle retails for $8.50 and comes with a small dropper built into the cap.

There were a few tedious details that must be observed when using Magic-Glos. The most important is that the gloss will not cure without UV light, a flourescent black light or sunlight. As I was creating my projects for this review we were experiencing heavy rains for days on end. Sunlight was nowhere to be found. I do not have a UV light or a flourescent black light so I resorted to a bit of experimentation to try to get the gloss to cure. The end result was a goopy, wet coating on the surface of my clay that would not dry. This prevented me from applying multiple layers to get the true, domed, glassy finish that this gloss is praised for.

You also need to take care in making sure any air bubbles are removed by heating with an embossing gun or butane torch for a few seconds. I happen to like these unexpected imperfections in my creations so I skipped this step.

Provided you have a source for curing, the gloss has many wonderful attributes. It typically dries in 5-10 minutes and is a one-step process with no sealing or cleaning necessary to achieve a crystal clear, waterproof finish.

I used some translucent clay, a waterslide transfer and the Magic-Glos to create my first project.

Title: Vintage Girl Circle Embellishment
Products Used: Inspired by "Claying Around With Lisa Pavelka" DVD
Polymer Clay (Sculpey Premo in translucent)
Dimensional Medium (Lisa Pavelka Magic-Glos)
Adhesive (Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder)
Vintage Waterslide Transfer (Lisa Pavelka)
Circle Punch (EK Success)
Die Cut Tags (Making Memories)
Marker (Stampin Up)

I love the glittery look of the clay combined with the shine of the gloss - so beautiful!! This piece will make a good addition to a card or a scrapbook page.

Magic-Glos can be used alone to create transparent panels with elements sealed between the layers or can be mixed with inclusions like glitter, findings, beads, and more. It can be used to seal and protect foil transfers, leafing or other delicate surfaces or used as an adhesive for setting crystals or other dimensional embellishments. It can also be used on fabric or uncoated papers or molded with a silicone mold. The formula and ease of application are brilliant and well worth trying. I will be playing with it again as soon as the sun peeks through the clouds!

Another of Lisa's Signature Series products is Poly Bonder ($4.50 for .17 oz. bottle). Poly Bonder is an instant bond craft adhesive that is designed for high temperature use. Simply apply a very small amount to your surface using the brush-on applicator and it fuses in seconds. It's designed to adhere raw to baked clay or two pieces of baked clay together, but it can also be used for other general crafting needs. Poly Bonder creates a quick, strong bond that makes it an ideal addition to your crafting supplies.

I used the Poly Bonder in my second project. I altered a tin with alcohol inks. I used pearl green clay to create my letter P. After rolling out the clay I simply used a P diecut as a template for my shape. I gently smooshed a piece of textured grungeboard overtop to give it the texture, then I highlighted the raised diamonds with gold marker. I added more embellishments to finish the project.

Title: P Keepsake Tin
Products Used: Inspired by "Claying Around With Lisa Pavelka" DVD
Polymer Clay (Sculpey Premo in green pearl)
Alcohol Ink, Stickles (Ranger)
Marker (Zig)
Die Cut, Velvet Word Sticker (Making Memories)
Acrylic Butterfly (Heidi Swapp)
Filigree Butterfly (Cousins)
Grungeboard (Tim Holtz for Advantus)
Adhesive (Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder, Glue Dots)
Other: flower, metal button

Crafting with polymer clay opens up a whole new dimension of creativity that has endless possibilities. While it seemed like beginning to use polymer clay required many new supplies, none of them were costly and all of them will last for a long time. Working with polymer clay is an excellent creative outlet and one that can be infinitely built upon as your skills are developed.

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Review by Pomaika`i

Polymer Clay has always been a mystery to me. Years ago, I dabbled in clay, and the most creative thing that I did was to make little suns from a push mold and embellish them with some gold paint. I baked a few, burned a few and left a few in my drawer to dry because I was not feeling very confident about baking the rest of them. Well, three months later I returned to find that the clay is still soft and pliable. Hmmm, polymer clay does not air dry...lesson learned.

Fast forward many years to this month. I was given the chance to review Lisa Pavelka's DVD "Claying Around," and her Signature Series Poly Bonder and Magic Glos. I dusted off my pasta maker and decided to give polymer clay another chance hoping that maybe this time I could make some really cool projects!

The DVD "Claying Around," pun intended is packaged in a plastic DVD case with full color cover and inside liner. Within the DVD case is a color photograph of each project covered on the DVD and a list of all the supplies you need for creating it. Whoever thought of this is a genius! Instead of having to scroll through the chapters to write down the supply list, you can just open up the DVD cover. What a time saver! The DVD case is labeled on the spine and all the projects are shown again in color on the back of the case for easy reference. The DVD label is also full color so that you will know at a glance what disc you are looking at.

What's inside?! The DVD videography looks professional and finished, and at the same time very warm and inviting, like a visit to Lisa's home studio. The eight chapters are clearly labeled and images of each project appears at the beginning of each chapter for easy reference. Lisa has a smooth and pleasant manner with a clear and melodic voice that makes this video fun to watch, and that's a great thing because you'll want to watch it many times to make sure you don't miss any of the numerous gems of wisdom!

I have to say that I was impressed with how seamlessly the steps to each project flowed from one moment to the next. Lisa is highly organized, each chapter begins with a tool and supply list, and a tool demonstration if appropriate. The projects progress in an easy to follow logical and timely manner. Each of the 6 projects on the DVD are rated beginner, intermediate or advanced. Each is a work of art, and I was not intimidated at all by any of them. They all looked fun to do.

As a beginner, I found the first chapter, Polymer Clay 101 to be informative and enlightening! Lisa talks about clay basics starting from conditioning your clay to tools to baking temperature. I experienced many "A-ha" moments that went a long way to demystifying polymer clay for me.

The Clay 101 chapter alone is chock full of information, but there's much more to like about this DVD! Another huge reason to purchase "Claying Around" is that Lisa makes mistakes, then uses these opportunities to teach you how to fix them. To me, there is nothing more irritating than to watch a demonstration, go home all excited to create, then run up against a roadblock with the first thing that doesn't go right. For instance, I had no idea that you could cut still warm clay with a craft knife, a technique I ended up using for one of my projects. Instead of having to start all over, I was able to salvage my project with a craft knife and saved myself a whole lot of time!

My first project was inspired by chapter 6 of the "Claying Around" DVD. I conditioned my clay with my long-unused, clay dedicated pasta machine. Thanks to Lisa's chapter on Polymer Clay 101 I finally "get it"! I followed the instructions on the video as to thickness of clay pieces. I used a rubber stamp to create the background texture, and adhered the clay to my tin using Lisa Pavelka's Signature Poly Bond as she demonstrated in the video. To add a coating of gloss to my vintage image, I added about 4 thin coats of Magic Glos, then added flowers and ephemera to complete my box.

Another great technique that I learned from "Claying Around" is to do a quick heat-set bake of your clay project to make the subsequent steps in assembly much easier.

Vintage Vino Treasure Box
Products used: Inspiration (Claying Around With Lisa Pavelka DVD)
Transfer Images (Lisa Pavelka Signature Series Waterslide Transfer)
Polymer Clay Mold (Lisa Pavelka Signature Series Border Mold)
Glaze (Lisa Pavelka Signature Series Magic Glos)
Clay (Premo)
Stamp (Inkadinkado)
Pearl Ex (Jaquard)
- Hide quoted text - Adhesive (Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder)
Tin (Altoid)
Charm (Bead Giant)
Rhinestones (Bead Party)
Other (Scrabble Tile, Silk Flowers)

Lisa Pavelka's Magic Glos™

Lisa Pavelka's Magic Glos is a transparent dimensional medium that can be baked in the oven at clay temperatures after curing, or on other crafting materials. It can be used with inclusions such as glitter, dried flowers or beads. The one page information sheet that was included in the Magic Glos package says that it dries in minutes, requiring UV light to cure. Um... I live in Seattle. I wondered if I could use this product without purchasing a special UV lamp. No problem. It was a cloudy day when I created this project, but working with very thin layers, Magic Glos worked like a charm. The drying time was within the 5-15 minutes stated even without strong sunlight, and as each layer built up my project began to have a beautiful glass-like finish. I used Magic Glos in all three of my projects with excellent results!

This second project was inspired by Chapter 3 of "Claying Around." I created letter tiles using Staz-on Ink on clay, then applied three coats of Lisa Pavelka's Magic Glos to create the little "windows" over my son's name. The borders were made by running a sharpie over the raised border design.

Kai Fob
Products used:Inspiration (Claying Around With Lisa Pavelka DVD)
Polymer Clay Mold (Lisa Pavelka Signature Series Border Mold)
Glaze (Lisa Pavelka Signature Series Magic Glos)
Clay (Premo)
Ink (Staz-on)
Pen (Sharpie)
Binder ring

Lisa Pavelka's Signature Poly Bonder

Lisa Pavelka's Poly Bonder is a high temperature brush-on adhesive. It is a super glue that is safe for use before baking polymer clay and also for general craft applications. Poly Bonder comes in a tiny 0.17 oz bottle with a brush applicator built into the cap. One minor drawback to having such a small plastic bottle is that it tips over easily. Make sure that your work surface is flat, and be careful when you go to replace the brush/cap on the bottle. With a little practice and care, this minor difficulty can be easily overcome.

Lisa's Signature Poly Bonder can be used to bond raw or baked clay to your surfaces like tin boxes for altering, or you can bond raw clay to baked clay with just a few drops. The Poly Bonder is very easy to use. It is amazing that a few drops will hold so well! The glue yellows as it dries, so that it can be used for an antiquing effect, particularly on vintage images.

I used Lisa Pavelka's Signature Poly Bonder in my first two projects to adhere clay to clay, clay to tin as well as charms and ephemera to clay. For my final project, I wanted to test the Poly Bonder with objects other than clay.

I created a charm using Magic Glos to bind the paper design to my charm, then covered the paper to create a glass-like coating. I adhered the charm to my paper using Lisa Pavelka's Poly Bonder. This particular charm is concave underneath and only has two slim contacts to adhere it to any surface. I have tried many different adhesives and can honestly say that Lisa Pavelka's Poly Bonder wins hands down. There was no mess because the brush applicator makes it easy to use, and only a few drops were needed, so I had no extra adhesive mess to clean up under the charm.

I also used Poly Bonder to adhere the antique buttons to the cloth scrap at the bottom of my card, and in my first project, I used Lisa Pavelka's Poly Bonder to adhere the charm to the clay surface as a finishing touch.

Daisy Card
Products used: Glaze (Lisa Pavelka Signature Series Magic Glos)
Adhesive (Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder, Adhesive Tech)
Paper (K and Co)
Vellum (unknown)
Charm (unknown)
Ink (Staz-on)
Embroidery Floss (DMC)
Other (scrap material, antique buttons)

I am altogether very impressed with these three products from Lisa Pavelka. The "Claying Around" DVD was very informative. Being a brand new beginner with polymer clay, I have to say that this "workshop on a disc" is a steal at $12.99 list price. You will get enough information to become comfortable with clay as a creative medium, and advance your skills with each project you tackle. Lisa's playful "philosophy" will nurture your creative and playful side.

I also highly recommend getting yourself a bottle of Lisa Pavelka's Magic Glos. It works on all sorts of craft media as well as on clay which makes it very versatile. If you are budget conscious and work with clay and other craft materials, this product should be on your list of must haves.

Last but not least, Lisa Pavelka's Signature Series Poly Bonder is another must have for the anyone who uses lumpy bumpy items in creating. Just a little drop is strong enough to hold a variety of items with the added benefit of being able to use it with raw clay!

So what are you waiting for?! Get moving and have some fun "Claying Around!" I hope you enjoyed this review and like Lisa says: "May (your) everyday be filled with clay."

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Review by Jennifer

Until I worked with the Lisa Pavelka's Claying Around DVD and Lisa Pavelka Signature Series products, I wasn't a huge fan of working with polymer clay. I admired what others could create with this fascinating medium, but I didn't like most of my own results. This review gave me the opportunity to give polymer clay another go, this time with the help of the Claying Around with Lisa Pavelka DVD, Lisa Pavelka Signature Series Poly Bonder, and Lisa Pavelka Magic Glos. I am happy to report I've had a change of heart about working with polymer clay: Lisa taught me that polymer clay can really help me stretch my stamping and scrapbook supplies, and, hey, it's a lot of fun!

The Claying Around With Lisa Pavelka DVD retails for around $15.00 and runs for 2 hours. All in all, Lisa provides step by step instructions for six different functional gift items. That, I think is really cool. I enjoy making jewelry as much as any other jewelry crafter, but I especially like functional and/or memory projects. This DVD is designed so that brand-spanking new beginners can get started with polymer clay, and moves quickly into intermediate and advanced projects altered art and mixed-media crafters would enjoy. In addition to standard polymer clay tools and supplies (polymer clay, pasta machine, clay blade, Armor All), Lisa uses many products from the Lisa Pavelka Signature Series Collection, including stamps, molds, waterslides, and foils.

I also received Lisa Pavelka Signature Series Poly Bonder, a fantastic adhesive designed specifically for polymer clay, and Lisa Pavelka's Magic-Glos, a UV-light cured dimensional gloss for polymer, metal, and air-dry clays. Poly Bonder is an instant-bond adhesive that can be baked at temperatures up to 300 degrees Fairenheit. This is especially useful for polymer clay projects that require multiple bakings and gluings. The 5-gram bottle contains a brush-on applicator for no-mess application and retails for $4.50. Magic-Glos is a dimensional glaze designed specifically for polymer clay that retails for $8.50. It cures in minutes under a UV light source (which I think is really cool) and provides a thick, glossy finish. My 1 oz. bottle of Magic-Glos came with instructions as well.

The first project I created and finished was a tiled tin gift basket, inspired by the Mosaic Keepsake Box and Gifted Greetings projects. I was happy to get more use of my Pearl Ex powders, stamps, and scrap clay. The Poly Bonder easily adhered the polymer clay tiles directly to the tin basket. Lisa recommended adhering small portions at a time with Poly Bonder, and this technique worked beautifully. I was very happy with Lisa Pavelka Signature Series Poly-Binder and would highly recommend it.

Title: Tiled Gift Basket
Products used: Inspiration: Claying Around With Lisa Pavelka DVD (Lisa Pavelka JHB)
Clay (Sculpey III)
Patterned Paper (Basic Grey, Imaginisce)
Inks (Tsukineko Encore!, Versafine)
Mica Powder (Jacquard Pearl Ex)
Stamps (Hero Arts, Kodomo)
Adhesive (Lisa Pavelka Signature Series Poly Bonder, Adhesive Tech Permanent Bond Glue Runner)
Glaze (Lisa Palvelka Signature Series Magic-Glos)
Tin Basket (Target)

I followed the directions as provided with Magic Glos, but I found I had a bit of trouble getting the Magic-Glos to dry on my tiles for this project. Magic Glos is supposed to cure within 5-15 minutes, depending on available UV light and inclusions (i.e. embellishments). Well, I couldn't get the powdered and stamped tiles coated with Magic Glos to cure after several hours in the sun. Perhaps the mica powders or pigment inks made it impossible for the Magic-Glos to dry? Or could the record heat wave tempurature and humidity have interfered with the chemical properties of Magic-Glos? Heat and humidity tend to damage a lot of things, so perhaps it would have cured under normal conditions, but not necessarily on a hot, humid 97 degree Virginia summer day. Eventually, I attempted to wipe off the Magic-Glos which resulted in blurring the larger stamped images. I still liked the overall look and left the tin as-is. I tested the Magic Glos on small, plain piece of polymer clay and it cured within minutes, as promised, with a nice, high gloss. I would need to explore Magic-Glos more under a less extreme weather setting (or a UV lamp) before I could recommend it for mixed-media projects, but I can definitely recommend it for polymer-clay only projects.

As noted previously, Lisa uses several products from the Lisa Pavelka Signature Series collection throught the Claying Around DVD. I had no idea how useful and versatile polymer clay molds could be until viewing Lisa's Claying Around DVD. My keychain technique could use more practice, but it was so much fun, I look forward to trying it again. I was very happy with the gift box. I'm a scrapbooker at heart, so I couldn't resist mixing up my polymer clay embellishments with patterned paper and inks. While the box would've looked fine with a ribbons or chipboard for embellishments, the polymer clay borders and leaves added much more interesting texture. The texture from the polymer clay molds and cut-outs is just lovely - both techniques covered by Lisa in the Claying Around. The Poly Bonder adhered the polymer clay pieces to the box and paper perfectly.

Title: Keepsake Box & Keychain
Products used: Inspiration (Claying Around With Lisa Pavelka DVD)
Transfer Images (Lisa Pavelka Signature Series Waterslide Transfer)
Polymer Clay Mold (Lisa Pavelka Signature Series Border Mold)
Clay (Sculpey III)
Patterned Paper (Dove of the East)
Inks (Tsukineko Versafine, Ranger Alcohol Ink)
Paint (Jacquard Lumiere)
Adhesive (Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder, Ad-Tech Permanent Bond Glue Runner, Glue Dots)
Glaze (Judikins Diamond Glaze)
Gift Box (Memory Villa)
Brads (Making Memories)
Other (Eye Pin, Silk Flowers, Key Ring, Jump Ring)

The Claying Around DVD focuses on functional and gift projects, so there aren't any actual scrapbook projects in the DVD. However, viewers can easily translate any one of the many techniques or gift projects into techniques for scrapbooking. For example, I followed the steps to create the focal piece in the Art Deco Tea Votive project to create framed tile embellishments for the layout below. I also used Poly Bonder to adhere the transparency to the patterned paper. I really liked that it adhered the transparency so well to paper! There's still a slight deepening of color from the moisture of a wet adhesive, but on the Basic Grey patterned paper, it's nearly undetectable. I used to use staples, brads, or stitching to adhere transparencies and overlays to layouts. I definitely plan to use Poly Bonder to simply glue my clear products in the future.

Title: Well Traveled
Products used: Cardstock (Prism Prismatics, Bazzill)
Inspiration (Claying Around With Lisa Pavelka DVD)
Transfer Images (Lisa Pavelka Signature Series Waterslide Transfers)
Polymer Clay Mold (Lisa Pavelka Signature Series Border Mold)
Clay (Sculpey III)
Patterned Paper (Basic Grey)
Transparency (Hambly Studios)
Stickers (Basic Grey)
Die Cuts (Basic Grey)
Chipboard (Lil Davis Designs, Basic Grey, Heidi Swapp, Technique Tuesday, Scenic Route)
Paint (Heidi Swapp, Plaid)
Ink (Clear Snap Fluid Chalk)
Brads (Making Memories)
Adhesive (Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder, Ad-Tech Permanent Bond Glue Runner)

After viewing the DVD and creating a few projects, I'm inspired me to create more of my own scrapbook embellishments with polymer clay and perhaps a few gifts as well! Magic Glos provided a beautiful finish to polymer clay only pieces, and I plan to use Poly Bonder in both clay and paper projects. It's a fantastic adhesive and I was very happy to work with it. The Claying Around with Lisa Pavelka DVD was a real eye-opener for me. Lisa provides a lot of tips and techniques throughout the DVD, and has a natural teaching style I appreciate. She showed me that polymer clay is a versatile mixed media and altered art medium, as well as a potential scrapbooking supply. I definitely gained a lot of product and technique knowledge to successfully to create and finish my own polymer clay projects. I highly recommend you try Claying Around and Lisa Pavelka's Signature Series products for yourself. It really is a lot of fun to just "clay around" and see what beautiful things you can create.

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