The last two Saturdays I’ve received some awesome canes from Beth Ackley of Destined 2 Clay.  These are in the 5-6mm range, except for the tiger stripe canes, which are 10-12 mm size.  They are just great for nail art!

It’s really hard to pick a favorite!  But I think I like the pears and breast cancer ribbons best.  But don’t you just love the dots on the blue flower with the red center?

Recently I’d read a caution to nail artists about using a beverage warmer to heat their baked Fimo Nail Art canes.  The reason is because they can become very hot and cause the cane to brown where the cane comes in contact with the warmer. 

However, the idea of using one of those intrigued me.  Beverage warmers are small and portable;  they use less electricity than the toaster oven;  and they can maintain the temperature until the unit is turned off, unlike most heating pads that cycle into the off setting after one hour.

So my idea was to spread out the heat so that a cane would still reach a temperature suitable for slicing, but not burn.  I’d made a few less-than-successful attempts.  But I did come up with a solution that I’ve been experimenting with and having great success with.

You will need the following:

• An electric beverage warmer
• A 4-inch (10.5cm) terra cotta clay saucer 
• A paper towel
• Scissors
• Ink pen

All of these items can be found at Wal-Mart.  The beverage warmer is in the kitchen gadget section;  the clay saucer is in the garden center;  and the paper towels are in the paper products section.  Total investment is approximately $10.00 USD.

The clay saucer absorbs the heat from the beverage warmer, but by it’s nature it spreads out the heat evenly over the entire saucer.  So do be careful when touching the saucer when the beverage warmer is on.  It will be hot to the touch.  It won’t cause a burn, but you wouldn’t be able to pick it up with your bare hands.

Take the paper towel (one sheet) and fold it half.  Fold in half a second time.  Your paper towel should now have four layers.  Place the clay saucer on top of the folded paper towel and with a pen, trace around the bottom of the saucer to create a circle on the paper towel.  With scissors, cut the paper towel into a circle just a little bit smaller than the circle you traced.  Test the fit of the stack of circles inside the saucer.  Trim if necessary.

And that’s it.  The combination of clay pot and stack of paper towel circles evens out the heat from the beverage warmer.  Your Nail Art canes will get quite warm to the touch, but will not burn.  This is also a good way to keep slices warm — just slice the cane and lay the slices onto the paper towel.  A warm slice will conform to the nail shape better than a cool one, which means less time spent attaching each slice.

Business is booming right now.  I’ve been having a hard time making canes fast enough.  So I’ve asked a friend, Beth Ackley of Destined 2 Clay, to join me.  Beth is the founding president of the Metro Milwaukee Polymer Clay Guild (MMPCG) and an avid supporter of the National Polymer Clay Guild (NPCG).  In fact, if you were at this year’s Bead & Button Show, you could have seen Beth as she expertly managed the booth for the National Guild. 

Beth has sent me a shipment of Fimo Nail Art Canes:  watermelons, fun and funky tiger prints, and lemons!  

Be sure to check these canes out - click on the picture and it will take you right to the shopping page for each item.  The green and purple tiger prints are also available in Medium (8-10mm) sizes.  And don’t forget the packages of slices!  The pre-sliced canes come in packages of 24 slices,  perfect for nail professionals who are busy — these cane slices save alot of time.  Just glue and go!