♥ NEW!! Giant Jiggly Water Slime ♥ https://youtu.be/Cl3zmqR71N4 ♥ Follow me on Instagram! @maqaroon ♥ ♥ Subscribe to MAQAROON & CUTE LIFE HACKS ♥ https://www.youtube.com/cut... I've wanted to make more clear squishies ever since the first tutorial since the designs from there were fairly basic. This time, I created a DIY squishy design from polymer clay and tested that using Hitohada Gel and Puni Gel. Puni Gel is a craft toy from Japan that comes in pre-made packets which you can mix without getting your hands messy. I was very curious to see whether it's the same thing as Hitohada Gel and you'll see the results of that in this video! #squishy #satisfying #diy
Needle felt is a way of making kawaii plushies without sewing or glueing. You simply poke a ball of fibres with a felting needle until it forms a desired shape. Different pieces or colours can be attached to each other using frayed fibres. Needle felt supplies are quite affordable but slightly difficult to find. I first discovered pre-made kawaii kits in Japan Centre London (Piccadilly Circus) but it's probably most convenient to order over Etsy. I've included the shopping links to each kit I used under the video.
NEEDLEFELT TIPS 1) The biggest danger is poking yourself in the finger with a needle. You can buy a glove to protect yourself or just work slowly and pay attention to where the needle goes. 2) You can buy special felting mats that look like a brush or a white block. A cheaper alternative is simply a flat household sponge or block of melamine foam (Magic Eraser). 3) Needle felt requires more time than you'd expect so it's not an ideal technique for making things you want to sell for profit. A basic needlefelt plushy takes at least an hour to do, whereas the same design in clay will probably only take 15mins. 4) Most craft kit come with 2 free single needles so you can build up quite a collection. You might also consider getting a multiple needle holder which speeds up the process.
I work a lot with air-dry clays which don't require baking. These include paper clay (Mermaid Puffy, Fuwa Fuwa, Hearty Soft) or resin clay (Modena, Grace, Cosmos). You can find them easily from www.somethingkawaii.co.uk or by searching on Etsy.
PAPER CLAY TIPS 1) These are great fun to work with but they may feel a bit 'unsubstantial' if made into jewellery or charms. People prefer to pay more for things that are a bit heavier and expensive, so bear that in mind when choosing materials. 2) Paper clay can be mixed with water to create whipped cream clay. Or you can simply push regular clay through the tip of a piping nozzle to create the icing texture. 3) Paper clay stays softer for longer than resin clay and this makes them more suitable for beginners.
RESIN CLAY TIPS 1) My favourite brand is Modena, which has a very smooth and luxurious texture. However it dries really fast which makes it quite challenging to work with. All unused pieces must be wrapped in clingfilm. 2) Modena dries translucent, but you can reduce this by mixing titanium white acrylic paint into the clay when creating colours. 3) If you're mixing your own colours using paint, they will turn several shades darker when dry. So when working with clay in a softened state, always use a shade that is lighter than you want the result to be.
These plushies make great gifts for children and also sell well at craft fairs. Make sure you sew eyes and other things on firmly so they aren't easily tugged off or pose a choking hazard. Some general tips:
1) Don't use any length of thread longer than your own arm (it should ideally be shorter). This increases the chance of tangling, which is the biggest hassle when sewing.
2) Keep stitches as small as possible, around 2mm - 5mm. The longer the stitch, the more likely it will form gaps or get pulled apart. (When I was small, my mum always told me that only lazy housewives use big stitches, lol).
3) Stuffing a plushie is skill in itself. You need to stuff each area in one go, adding more wool will result in a lumpy shape. If necessary, pull out all the wool, reshape and restuff.
Testing out kawaii recipes from Pinterest, Instagram or Youtube. If you have a suggestion then please leave the link under any video and recipes with most requests will get tested out in a future video!
We live in an increasingly digital world where your 'appearance' is basically a virtual collection of images and text. You can find a thousand videos on Youtube on how to apply perfect make-up but almost none on how to make your online presence more attractive! So I'd like to be a digital beauty guru and empower viewers to focus on their creative image, rather than physical image.
- Creative job basics: Employee, freelancer and entrepreneur. - How to build a portfolio? - How much do artists or designers earn? - How do I get my work into shops? - How do I get a book published? - How do I get a job designing toys and gifts? - How do I get a job in video games? - How do I get a job drawing comics? - Getting work published in magazines. - Self Promotion and Social Media - Getting funding for your idea