Use today's most versatile crafting material to produce an astonishing array of beautiful and useful gift items, decorations, and jewelry. One hundred and seventy-five color photos and illustrations show the flexible plastic material being worked into delightful wind chimes, picture frames, bracelets, gift tags, and much more?17 projects in all, with variations for countless others. All the tools, materials and methods of working the clay are detailed, along with professional tips for achieving consistently successful results. Not a natural substance, polymer clay is made up of pigments, plasticizers, and PVC particles, a perfect combination for experimenting by beginners and professionals alike. Add to its properties a resistance to air drying, and that's reason enough to attract bona fide artists to the medium. British practitioner and author Ralph instructs readers in unusual techniques--for instance, Skinner blend, mokume gane-- as well as in 17 increasingly more difficult projects, ranging from a Wedgwood-look-alike barrette to a Gustav Klimt-inspired bottle. Other unique attributes are items that incorporate more than polymer clay (stamping and scrapbooking are two); an insistence on teaching through color photographs first, accompanied by the right words; and devotion to a high caliber of design that is, quite frankly, not often found in crafts books of this ilk. Barbara Jacobs Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Used Book in Good Condition