Veterinary Wisdom® Café

DO NOT spraypaint

We have had several calls over the last several weeks pertaining to spray paint and ClayPaws® prints.

What we have learned is important and we want to pass this along to you!

Painting your print is something that many people want to do. And, you can certainly do this. However, SPRAY painting your print will cause you some trouble. You see, aerosol paint (spray paint) is NOT compatible with polymer clay - the type of clay that ClayPaws® prints are made of.

Not only will the spray paint start to break down the clay, but you will notice that the paint seems to stay sticky and never dry. Because of this incompatibility, the paint won't fully dry. If you have already tried this and find yourself with a sticky print, you can use alcohol (rubbing alcohol) to remove the already applied spray paint. Once removed, you should find that you can apply a different acrylic (non-spray type!) paint that will dry!

The best paint to use is an acrylic, brush-on variety. It may not be as convenient initially as spraying, but in the long run - you'll save a lot of hassle and time! We've also found that if you take a bit of alcohol on a cotton ball and rub the print first, the paint "sticks" better!

Do you have any painting tips for us? We love to pass these things along to help you make better prints!

The Q and 4 are backwards

We get this call once every couple of weeks. Our alphabet stamp kit has a puzzler of a letter ... Q. The numbers kit has an equal puzzler in the number 4.

These puzzling stamps appear to be backwards, but it is a trick of our brains! Try explaining this visual problem over the phone... not easy! I'm going to try to explain it here with the aid of visuals!

When you are looking at the stamp, it should appear backwards. If it looks correct when facing you, it will print backwards when you turn it to the print.

The correct Q, appearing backwards when facing you: 
When you turn this to the clay, it will print correctly!

The incorrect Q, appearing "correct" when facing you:
When you turn this to the clay, it will print backwards.

The correct 4, appearing backwards when facing you:
When you turn this to the clay, it will print correctly!

The incorrect 4, appearing "correct" when facing you:
When you turn this to the clay, it will print backwards.

Give it a try! I promise it works!! I was so confused the first time we got this call, but truly, it is a trick of our brains! Also, if you look VERY closely at each of the stamps, there is a tiny mark on them that indicates how to hold them to get the correct impression. It is hard to see, but if you find it - you hold that mark toward you and the stamp will print correctly! (I couldn't get a clear photo of the mark, too small!)

Let me know if you have problems with your stamps! Hopefully these visuals help!!

Decorating Ideas!

We have a whole line of products that we offer at World by the Tail to help you in decorating your prints. We will continue to add new products all the time as well! I thought I would just share some of our ideas today.


First - our Stamp Kits - these will make it so much easier to put your pet's (or your client's pets' names) into the prints you make. These are small letters, numbers, and a heart that press into the clay making the impression permanent. Use them BEFORE you bake. Each kit is totally reusable, so for clinics, you can use them over and over for your clients! (The letters kit contains a Q stamp that has been somewhat confusing - it really isn't backwards. Look at the stamp. If it LOOKS like a Q - it will print backwards on the clay. If it looks backwards it will print correctly. Similarly, the 4 stamp is a bit tricky. Same deal!)

We also offer Heart Charms that can be pressed into the clay prior to baking, glued on after, or even kneaded into it as a symbol of your love for your pet. We have different sizes and colors. Currently, the small size is only available in red. The larger size comes in red or a mixed color assortment.

We also have Keepsake Gift bags in which to present the ClayPaws® print. Clinics like to use these to make each print more special to the owners. We also have gift kits that come packaged in these gift bags along with hearts and the heart stamp!

We have something for everyone! We'll be adding more ideas along the way!

Keepsake Bags

I have been an absent blogger and I apologize for that! However, we have been brainstorming and I will have tons of new ideas to share with you over the coming weeks! Keep checking in for new stuff!

My tip for today is about a product that we sell to compliment ClayPaws® print. Whether you are a pet-owner or a veterinary professional, our Keepsake Bags can be a great addition to your ClayPaws® prints.

These little bags are a simple, gauze bag with a ribbon drawstring. They are great for veterinary practices to use in presenting the prints to clients. It is a nicer package than just the clear bags they come in. (Be sure to keep the print inside a clear plastic bag if it is unbaked though because the oils in the clay will transfer to the material!)

They are also a great way to store your memento if you don't plan on displaying it in some way. The Keepsake bag can be a protective and pretty storage bag!

Visit our website at www.petpeoplehelp.com to take a look at these great little bags! AND - they are on special during May - normally $9.95 for 10, you can get 10 for just $8.95!

Unique design idea

This design idea was inspired by an emergency Vet from Colorado State University. One day, he brought me an unbaked ClayPaws®  print that had this cool and strange marble, purple color running through it.

I asked him how he got the clay to do that and his explanation cracked me up. He was making a print for a client and he had blue ink on his hand (apparently he couldn't find scratch paper and used his palm instead!)

Well, he decided he liked the look of it and he brought me several more prints with a similar marble look over the next few months. With a white ClayPaws®  print, you can add small amounts of ink (from your hands seems to work best) and make the marble design yourself. For Veterinary clinics - I do not recommend this if you are making just one print for a client - make them one designed one and one plain one. For Pet families - If you have purchased more than one print for your family pet and want to experiment, this is a fun idea to try out on one print!

Remember, you can personalize your print ANY way that works for you!

Adding Embellishment to your Prints

We saw a wonderful example of a customer's ClayPaws® print the other day! She has recently lost her dog, Levi, and she had a print made for her by her veterinarian. She came by our office to show us the print and to thank us for the product.

This print was wonderfully made. The veterinarian did a great job with it. The customer then decorated the print to suit her. She took small glitter stars and put one in each pad print, and then also in each claw print. It was a very simple affect, but it looked so cute and seemed to fit the personality of the customer and the dog she was memorializing.

There are SO many ways you can decorate prints. This simple way is just one of a myriad of things you can add as embellishment. Glitter can be added after baking with a spray adhesive (non-aerosol) Beads can be pressed in before baking as long as they are oven safe (no plastics - ceramic and glass beads will work for this!)

Be creative with how you choose to memorialize your pet and decorate their print. It's your personal choice and whatever you do, it's the right thing! I'll have more ideas, and some photos of ideas in upcoming posts!

Thanks to this customer for sharing her memories of her dog, Levi, with us! She will be remembered with a fond heart!

"Writing" a Name in my print

There are lots of ways for you to personalize your prints with a name. Some of them are elaborate processes, and some are easy. You choose the way that works best for you!

#1 - Try a pointy object such as a toothpick or needle. You can "carve" the name in in your own handwriting. It takes a little patience, but looks pretty cool in the end!

#2 - Use a stamp kit such as the one we sell on our site. (www.petpeoplehelp.com) It is actually leather tooling stamps, but we have found this is the simplest way to get a name into the clay. If you are working in a vet clinic, and putting names on for clients, this is definitely the way to go! Simply press the letters into the clay, and you have a name!

#3 - Use a pointed object (as in #1) and make the name by poking holes to create the letters. (Does that make sense? I mean to poke little tiny holes that connect together to form the letters.)

#4 - You can always wait until after the clay is baked and paint or write a name on using acrylic paints or a permanent marker.

With techniques 1-3, you can always smooth out the clay and start over if you don't like the looks of the name. It is more difficult to remove paint or marker, so be sure you know what you want before painting! (Make sure the name will fit in the space - that's a mistake I've made before!)

Get creative! You can do whatever you like with your prints. Beads, buttons, anything like this can be used to create names! Just be sure that what you put on your print BEFORE baking will be safe through the baking process!

Decorating with stamps

Decorating your beloved ClayPaws® print before it is baked can be fun and easy using stamps! We have found that leather tools work great! In fact, we sell the ABC and 123 leather tool kits on our website www.petpeoplehelp.com. If you only want to put a name and/or date, this is a great way to go!

But - if you want to get more creative, you can use rubber stamps in any design to embellish your print BEFORE it is baked! You do need to be careful with rubber stamps because they can stick to the clay. If you only have ONE print (and your animal has already passed away) please use caution in this process. It would be terrible to mess up your one and only print!

To keep the rubber stamp from sticking to the clay, there are a couple techniques that work. First, you can spary the stamp with Armor All® (like you use in your car!) VERY lightly! If you don't have Armor All® at your disposal, cornstarch or talcum powder will also work!

Once you've prepared your stamp, press lightly into the area you want the image to be. If you don't like the image on the first try - you can smooth the image out with your clean finger and try again! If the edges of your stamp press in too much, the marks made can also be smoothed out!

Have fun!

Protective Coating, Glazing your Print

You have a print you want to protect or glaze for decoration. What is the best product to use with ClayPaws® prints?

The clay is a polymer type clay. Not all materials are compatible with this type of clay. For instance, clear nail polish and spray on glazes are not a good match for polymer.

Your best bet will be to use a glaze or protectant that is specially made for polymer type clay. (Clay brand names like FIMO and Sculpey are similar to our special recipe clay.) We have found that the best glazes are the ones from Sculpey. These work great in conjunction with ClayPaws® prints.

Whichever product you choose, you want a product that will dry clear, doesn't turn yellow after time, and doesn't stay tacky. You also want to be careful to make sure that the glaze or protectant won't start to break down the clay over time. 

You should be able to find a product that will work for you in your local craft store. You can also order online from an art supply online store such as dickblick.com. Choose carefully to preserve your ClayPaws® print!