Crafty gifts? May I suggest …

Expression, Nov-Dec, 2005 by Lisa Stahlhut

In the season of giving, what do you give the crafter that has everything? Well, first, a crafter will never reach the point where they can have everything, because there are always new ideas and new products on the horizon. But you can give them something they might not buy themselves.

Clay Lover If they're new to clay, the new Polymer Clay & Craft Oven from Amaco is a good pick. It looks like your basic toaster oven but this one has been modified for clay. The top heating element has been removed, the temperature maxes out at 300 degrees and the timer is set for 30 minutes. Amaco's bead baking racks also fit perfectly in the oven. It's a convenient addition for the clayer's studio.

The new Sculpey UltraLight from Polyform is the latest and greatest in polymer clay. Because the UltraLight will fuse together when baked with the original Sculpey line, it can be used as a filler to make those larger clay projects lighter. It bakes so hard it won't crack or break yet, when rolled thin, becomes flexible. Now that's inventive.

The Gift Of Color The plethora of new inks, paints and embossing powders that are being introduced are perfect for filling stockings. In fact, make your own stocking, fill it to the brim and give it to a lucky friend. Some of the newest powders include the new Rustique Embossing Powders from JudiKins and Ranger's new line of Distress Powders. The Rustiques come in eight different colors and can be mixed to create realistic rusted metal--they even have real bits and pieces added. Tim Holtz has a new line of Distress Embossing Powders from Ranger that match his existing Distress Inks. Give 'em a matching set!

Most of the ink companies have new colors and revamped solutions. Check out your favorite ink's Web sites to find the new colors each one has to offer or go to our Links page at www.expressionartmagazine.com. Everyone can use more ink.

Hot And Trendy There are several products out now that are must-haves for the active artist. Clearsnap's Stampress machine was one of the hottest products at CHA. It imprints, impresses and embosses foils, paper, ribbon and even clay. You can also use their Rollograph stamp wheels on the machine making it a perfect way to bring new use to old tools.

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Ten Second Studios allows you to emboss metal on your own with a large line of embossing tools, embossing molds and metal strips. If their booth at CHA was any indication, this is going to be the next big thing so get your friends started now.

Extras Here's a holiday assignment. You know those plastic candy canes that come filled with holiday candy? Buy one, eat all the candy (this is the best part), fill it with an assortment of cool beads and charms and tie to a present. Give to your crafty friends and family. They'll be thanking you till spring for all of the fun finds.

Last-minute After all of the careful planning you somehow end up with only two days to shop. Hello gift certificates! They're easy to wrap, easy to travel with and please everyone. Of course, there are always the big craft stores to buy from but don't forget about the local stamp stores. They have the supplies we're always looking for plus tons of classes. Make sure you support the small businesses that give so much to our industry because they depend on us to keep them going.

Gift From Us And finally, how about a new editor for your favorite magazine? That's me! I've crawled out from behind the computer to tackle the world of crafts. As the former Art Director for Expression I've seen some wonderful projects over the years and I plan on keeping up the tradition. In fact, I'm planning on giving even more! Give the gift of inspiration by giving your friends and family a subscription to Expression. I promise, we're going to have some fun, so don't miss out.

RELATED ARTICLE: TEACHER TALES ...

"I taught a class on distressing copper recently. A wonderful lady who is in every sense of the word "high maintenance" attended. She had just gotten her new one-inch acrylic nails done that morning. Mind you, everyone was warned we would be using torches and heat guns that night. (Can you see where this is going?) Meanwhile, while she was using the torch, her new nails melted to the copper. I thought it would have been a cool piece to work with. Too bad she freaked out. She immediately dropped the copper which promptly stuck to the nylon carpet which promptly ignited. Lucky for me I have an extinguisher in all my classes! After thwarting disaster and being the fire woman of the year, she actually demanded not only a new piece of copper, but another manicure." Calgon take me away!

--names withheld to protect the innocent and the guilty.