Here she shares her story:
I discovered Friendly Plastic a few months ago when I was hell bent on making mosaic jewelry like I found in a book. After reading the artist's directions, I searched the internet for WAY too long looking for some type of magical material that would allow me to embed glass and gems into it in order to make small mosaic brooches. The book's recommended product was referred to as "plastic cement" but I seriously think it was included to send the reader on a wild goose chase because I couldn't find anything of the sort. My exhaustive search ended when I gave up but did result in me finding this really interesting product.
Apparently, Friendly Plastic was all the rage in summer camp circles but I had never heard of it before. I found a Friendly Plastic shop on Etsy and bought a few sticks in a bunch of yummy colors. The product has endless possibilities but as far as adding it to mosaic work, I think the closest thing it resembles is dichroic glass. It is finicky to work with - I suffered through a good bit of trial and error - but ultimately it is easiest to work with if you use a heat gun. I created a few little inclusions for my Dark Side of the Moon set using it.
The shiny turquoise circle with the black and silver spot on the top is FP. I was really intrigued by the product's metallic colors. It is sort of like poor man's dichroic glass and it is much easier to cut and meld to your will. I cut the pieces for this with scissors! Something I wish I could do with glass!!
Friendly Plastic artist Jana Ewy really has the material down to a science. She has mastered using this stuff and she sells some of her jewelry in her Etsy shop. Can you believe this gorgeous bracelet that looks like glass is really made from plastic sticks that cost under $2 each? WOW.
And this cute little tea cup pin found on Etsy in Pinderella's shop is also made with Friendly Plastic, although the seller lists the materials used to create it as "acrylic". That metallic pink finish is fantastic! See why I fell in love with this stuff?!
I still have quite a bit of FP left and I'm not sure I have the time to master another craft but I'm going to keep the wheels turning and maybe I'll find some way to include this stuff in my mosaic work. It is worth experimenting with.
You can view more of her artwork in her web gallery by clicking here.
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
