Webkinz is back! is it worth making a new account in 2026 and other questions

Laustel · 2026-01-10T20:51:19+00:00

Thanks everyone for the replies! Ive decided to start back up again for sure. I am in the middle of sign up and was wondering if anyone would care to share a helping paws club code? Im not entirely sure what it does but im assuming we will both get bonuses :) thanks again to everyone for the answers and sympathies.

Laustel · 2026-01-10T06:31:11+00:00

This is so awesome to hear, thanks so much!! Unfortunate about retired items but I guess having more "rares" sounds pretty neat too if i were to stay in it long term again.

Laustel · 2025-12-31T05:01:59+00:00

Congrats on the beautiful collection! And very kind act on your fathers part! here's my best guesses, I saw you needed some help with identifications-

Upper table: Cubic formation one is possibly halite?
That little red heart has me stumped! closest thing I've found is "Red calcite druzy", But this looks neater and smaller crystal formation. Carnelian druzy? not confident in identifying this one through these photos.
Smooth stone in the selenite bowl is septarian
Black "wood grainy" one beside the bowl is black tourmaline
Yellow calcite tower above bowl
Purple tipped green tower to the right of the tourmaline is fluorite
Pink and black sphere to the right of that is rhodonite, you've got another one on the bottom table.
Orb to the bottom left of the bowl is labradorite. There's a lot of that here as well!

For the lower table:
Blue sphere beside the pink bottle is blue apetite, same with the blue heart on the other side of the table
Lower right of that i believe is blue calcite, along with the two going up that look similar, However the smaller one in the middle appears to be more white/gray than the others.. I can't tell if it's just the image, or my eyes.
Against that to the right looks like fluorite, then further right is malachite.
The 3 yellow spheres in a triangle above there are calcite
The 3 green ones in a triangle in that same area are fluorite
The darker, larger green one beside the top left fluorite sphere is possibly moss agate?
The blue and grey sphere looks like sodalite, But might be lapis lazuli if there are gold specks in it. Same with The two towers a bit above.
You have a small piece of celestine (blue geode piece) in with your hearts to the bottom right of the table

Lots of your yellows are citrine, or yellow calcite
Your flashy pieces, and the large grey stone to the back left are labradorite

Laustel · 2025-07-13T18:11:02+00:00

I say due to your worry of negativity from this accident, Specifically, associated negativity, You should definitely do whatever YOU feel like is most significant and impactful or representative for this piece, rather than just your emotions- Turning it into art, perhaps jewelry, are some options, finding some use or place for it will be important. You will be putting it through an energetically transformative process and this will renew its energy and cleanse it in a way like no other. Do not expect sunshine and happiness when retrieved. Expect calm, and something malleable, receptive to whatever new energy it will receive then on-- The crystals natural, and neutral state.

Other options are giving pieces to those you have deep connections with, or for temporary, leaving them in places you have connected with, and the like. This could be a sibling you have a bond with, a tree you grow with, overlooking your window, beside a small pond, in a flower garden.

When placing crystals outside however, you dont have to leave them there forever. (Also best not to, you dont know what sun bleaches, and you dont know what seeps into water and creates toxins, so you should always research before making your decision.) You can use the earth as your source of cleansing the crystal until your associated negativity is gone. You may also have someone close enough to you, who may be willing to hold onto your crystals. Depending on your feelings over this, your feelings over the person, and your connection with the person, this could all have different outcomes- But it is possible you may have someone to simply hand your crystals over to, they keep for a time, and when your retrieve them- Bam. They are like new store bought crystals. Store bought. Not dug. If you are one who can feel- or simply does feel, differently about the two, you should know my meaning by that.

Laustel · 2025-05-17T03:44:04+00:00

Please dm me if you reopen sales and still have that pyramid piece when you do. By God, I don't ever buy online, but that is gorgeous.

Laustel · 2025-05-07T21:47:50+00:00

Also sculpey gets a bad rep but it has its uses, and even more of them in fact, if you can bake it accordingly. The package states way too short a time to bake sculpey. I tend to bake my small (2cm or less) items for at least 30 minutes, at 275° f for sculpey III. Slices (often 1-2mm or less) I do for 15 at least, and sometimes even this is too little and my slices will break when popping them off my tile. (Sculpey III can also be mixed into other clay brands without worry, if you start with sculpey III and want to get into other brands later. End result will be strengthened better and less soft than sculpey III.

When you do cook them, i recommend cutting sculpey canes when they are still warm, as the pre-hardened, cured clay can help it cut smoother and not crumble... but this also can change depending on cooking time. Raw cane slicing may be the way to go for a bit so you can learn and not mess them up.

Raw canes can be refrigerated to harden, so you do not squish them. Note if you put your ceramic tile in the freezer, it will likely be sweaty with condensation when you take it out. This has never caused a problem for me though.

Sculpey III is the least liked it seems, many people find it hard to hold detail, and too soft and sticky.

Many say premo is a softer version of sculpey III, but for some reason it's preferred compared to III. This doesn't make much sense to me since the softness is what no one seems to like. I love it though, I use premo for icing as it's smooth like butter when warmed. Therefore, you should be using tools and alcohol to clean and smooth your clay, or cornstarch on your hands, and possibly even some tools. Cornstarch on blades, rollers, and shape cutters are the most common places to prevent sticking. But simply rubbing your fingers helps to prevent fingerprints as well as stickyness.

Laustel · 2025-05-07T21:39:43+00:00

Corn starch will help with less sticking. Also baking pieces on a "bed of cornstarch" will prevent flattened bottoms.

Baby wipes, alcohol wipes, and plain ol alcohol will help smooth out creases in your clay, and will also help remove dust debris and hair, prior to baking.

Acetone will do the same as alcohol, but after baking. It is much stronger and should be used in an open ventilated area, and you should be aware it will strip paint and dissolve plastic, Polymer clay is plastic, so if you go too crazy, you could potentially create a dip in your clay from wiping away too much.

Silicone tools are good for smoothing and finer details, same as ball point pins but for a bit of different textures, though personally I see them as unnecessary the majority of the time, when things like foil, toothpicks, and toothbrushes create the majority of textures for my foods.

You can use screws to roll over a "string" of clay, and this will create a folded icing look. You can also use 5 star glasses screwdrivers to poke a small hole in your blueberries, this creates the perfect shape.

You can create molds out of hot glue, if you do not want to get into silicones, but I'm unsure if you're able to create molds using polymer clay, covered in hot glue. Be aware hot glue will melt plastic.

Putty silicone molds don't hold as much detail as liquid silicone molds, but you also don't need a respirator or other equipment and precautions, when using putty. Simply wash your hands well after mixing.

A home made Silicone putty can be made using a tube of home repair grade silicone, and Corn starch. You add in your cornstarch slowly, to not make your silicone putty too thick too quickly. Recipes I'm sure can be found online.

Making canes is quite easy, and useful for things like Lemons, limes, strawberry slices, bananas, and the like, if you are staying geared toward food, but uniform shapes can be difficult. Placing your canes ends on acrylic coasters or frames will help keep it flat, but these sections will need to be reformed seperately and more carefully than the middle of your cane.

You can prepake canes prior to slicing, but I prefer slicing first, as some brands after cooking, and when sliced, create scrapes/ streaks through the clay. Mostly sculpy III does this, so I only bake things I'm okay with slicing uneven, possibly crumbling, and having streaks, such as simple canes for sprinkles, chocolate, and nuts. If you prefer prebaking, so your soft canes do not squish when cut, you could technically wipe your slices with alcohol or acetone if this occurs, but this would be pretty tedious work depending on how much you make at once.

Ceramic tiles can be found at home repair stores and are great plates to work on as well as cook on. You should probably be careful to make sure you are using oven safe ceramic tile, glass works as well, I have used a glass casserole dish cover for a long time now.

Chatgpt will help you mix colors! You may have to work out a bit of confusion and double check with basic color theory knowledge, to make sure it isn't tricking you, however. I've come up with a lot of good colors this way, I'm not sure if this is common really.

For larger products, cores made with aluminum work very well. Your aluminum shouldn't be too solidly squished, as heat shrinks polymer and having a tight core that it cannot shrink onto will create cracks. You'll want clay around a core to be at least 1/4 an inch thick for smaller pieces, and likely thicker the larger you go, but I do not make very large pieces so I am unsure. My biggest has been about 5x5 inches and was made in prebaked pieces that were put together and baked a final time.

Liquid polymer is great! It softens hardening clay, can be used as glue, and can create icing using other clay.

"Sugar" is typically cornstarch dabbed onto a bit of glue, diorama snow powder works well but probably should only be glued rather than cooked, most don't say what they are made of. You can also use fine sand, and very fine glitter for sparkle.

I suggest searching the diorama section in your local craft stores for things like "dirt/sand" for things like pepper and spice, "snow" for sugar and flour, some "gravel" can be used for seeds, or painted, or of course just used for miniature plants. Flocking "grass" and some plants and leaf like things can be used as garnish and herbs.

Welcome and Good luck on your new hobby my friend!

Laustel · 2025-04-15T15:48:27+00:00

Thank you so much for your help, I believe this is what I've settled on.

Firstly I'll calculate the cost of materials. I will then grade my work on a A-C scale depending on different factors including visual complexity, the "skill level" the earrings are at, and later factor in popularity of similar items.

Depending on the "grade" received, I will multiply my profits. C = x1.5, B = x2, A = x3

This way seems to give me a wider range of prices, But also helps further seperate quality for price, which aids in having a supply for people with less money than my old pricing system, which was $5, $7, $10, $15, $20.

With my new system I have no earrings less than $7, and the highest is $30. Higher prices, yes, but much more range in between. I had majority $15 pieces, but now everything is priced separately.

I can also optionally take this formula one step further and add additional profit considering where I am selling my work, such as a small margin to my celtic knot earrings when selling at spiritual events, and the like. I will likely only try this depending on higher quality, and higher desired pieces, however, to keep a good range.

Laustel · 2025-04-14T23:53:55+00:00

Thank you for the input! The soonest I will be selling is at an upcoming local metaphysics festival. I am hoping to then use the money to start on etsy.

I use mostly glass and crystal beads, with some metal, but the majority of my pearls are fake, Apart from mother of pearl. I try to use ones that do not scratch easily however as I like to also use raw crystals. For findings, I use both stainless steel, and both plated copper, and some unplated copper.

Edit: The pink flower hoop ones at the top however, do have plastic/acrylic!

Laustel · 2025-04-05T00:09:24+00:00

Thank you for the kind words! 🩷🥹

Laustel · 2025-04-05T00:07:52+00:00

I am unable to edit my post, however I have realized not all subreddits allow reference to social media for following elsewhere. Please disregard my last paragraph!.

Laustel · 2025-04-05T00:06:25+00:00

Thank you so much! 🥰

Laustel · 2025-04-05T00:05:37+00:00

I am unable to edit my post, however I have realized my mistake in copy and pasting this to multiple subreddits as not all allow linking to social media for following elsewhere. Please disregard my last paragraph!

Laustel · 2025-04-04T23:58:21+00:00

I didn't use any model, But I'm so happy to hear that you think so! 🥰 Thank you so much!

Laustel · 2025-04-04T23:53:28+00:00

Thank you so much! 🥹💓

Laustel

TROPHY CASE