[Tools] Mod Podge Mod Melts and Molds

I am a fan of Plaid Crafts, particularly their Mod Podge line of products, decoupage art and all.  They have another product line called Mod Melts and Mod Molds that have been around for a couple of years but for some reason, I only took notice a couple of months ago.

I bought a bag of Mod Melts in milk glass white and the Ornamental mold from my craft buddy, Michaels.  The sticks resemble that of a glue gun stick but it is thinner and uses a hi-temp glue gun. If you're familiar to using a glue gun, it's basically the same so be careful not to burn yourself and keep your working area clean and free of dust and lint.

There are Youtube videos by Cathy and Steve demostrating how easy it is to use.  Yes, it looks nice but it takes practice to squeeze the right amount of glue in the mold and making sure that there are no air pockets.  The piece cools pretty quick and it pops out quite easily.  Then you can add color or paint and incorporate them in your projects.

I tried to use a cameo mold and compared using the Mod Melts vs using Premo Sculpey Accent Pearl Polymer Clay.  I wanted to compare the details and ease of use of the different mediums.

The photo on the left was done using Mod Melts in milk glass white and the cameo on the right was with Premo Sculpey Accent pearl polymer clay that was baked according to manufacturers specifications.  Which one do you like?

I had difficulty in squeezing the mod melt into the mold vs the polymer clay where I conditioned and rolled a ball of clay.  I also noticed that the details using the mod melt are not as distinct as when I used polymer clay.  Perhaps I used a "difficult" and too detailed mold for my mini experiment but I wanted to push its limit.  The mod melts harden faster and is ready in no time whereas polymer clay has to bake for about 20 mins.  The Mod Molds are very nice and detailed as well.  The quality is excellent!

Have you ever used Mod Melts or Mod Molds before?  How did it go?   Please share your experiences with me.

See  you soon!

♥ michelle

[Product Review] ZOKU Single Quick Pop Maker

Welcome back, friends!  How was your weekend?  Mine was great!  I was able to kick off my new fitness routine that I'll be sharing with you soon (once I get results), haha.  

I was also able to go on a mini-shopping spree for work-out clothes and look what I found!  This is a Zoku Single Quick pop maker.  They came in different colors but this green one sold me.  Have you experienced going back and forth the display shelves trying to talk yourself out of something that you don't really need but definitely want?  Oh yeah...

I bought it because my husband and I love to eat ice cream as seen in my past posts and we are trying to cut back.  It's a challenge for us to give up dairy even when I've read that it can cause mucus build-up and overgrowth of parasites and bacteria in my gut.  Heck... I still love it.  As of this writing, we have 2 scoops of 2 flavors in our freezer and that's it...  we decided to stop buying - until our next birthdays (2014).   

Zoku Single Quick Pop Maker

The Zoku single pop maker came with a single receptacle with 3 pop sticks, 1 super tool and 3  drip cups.  After washing all the parts, we placed the receptable in the freezer for 24 hours (until it felt solid, with no slushing sound).   

We used Bolthouse Mocha Capuccino on our first attempt.  We poured the liquid until the fill line and allowed it to sit for 7-9 minutes.  When it was set, we used the super tool to take it out which was physically challenging.  Once out, we inserted the drip cup and finally enjoyed our first mocha cap pop.

The liquid froze well and it was satisfying to think that we just used a small amount (probably 1/4 to 1/3 cup.  We will make different flavors and see how it goes.  

The original Zoku pop maker has 3 receptacles and they have a duo pop maker too.  The only disadvantage for this single pop maker is that it can only make 3 pops, one at a time, and then you'd have to freeze it again.  This unit costs US$25.

We are hopeful that this product will help us make healthier choices.  I will post more of our Zoku adventures soon.  

Today is back to work day.  I thank God for Mondays, otherwise, there will never be Fridays.

Have a blessed week, my friend!

See you soon!

♥  Michelle  ♥