You can harden your models with resin epoxy ( see our other post) but you can also stuff them like you would a plush fabric toy. You can use plush or you can also use crumbled newspaper to add strength. In the photo below, I added polyfill to the legs of my flamingo. It stands without but some of the models will be used as model displays so I reinforce them.

A visit to my old blog has reminded of all the years I have put in to this ‘Sofs’ adventure. Such a fun trip. I wrote about many fun projects like how to make a tunic with your photos! Go check it out —> http://sophiemarcoux.blogspot.com/

I want to give you joy!!
Remember last year we offered a santa hat box? (scroll to find the free pattern!) Well this year we want to offer you this free Giant (24 inches tall) Candy Cane 3D Papercraft! It just feels right...I think we all need the bright and whimsical colors around. Enjoy! If its your first time at printing the patterns, head over to our how to pages for some support.  (for starters, you just need to click the image to get the pdf pattern or click here!)
​Much love, Sofs

So if you are gere its most likely that, like me, you looked online to see if someone had done this experiment yet and found very little. I did find lots of poeple asking and talking about evwrything else they tried except this! Lots of people layered cement and epoxy but not actually mixed it. I did find one helpful video by a link here on youtube, thank you. That gave me enough to keep going with his experiment.

First I tried approximately ( everything is approximate!) 65% epoxy resin ( art resin) and 35% cement ( cement all quick setting) I mixed my epoxy first as per instructions and then I added my cement powder right in. (no water added) It worked super well. It came out darker and it sort of look like wet cement. It feels more like resin then cement and took a good 24 hours to fully cure.

For m second try, I used the reverse so 65% cement and 35% resin. This time I mixed my cement as I would have normally except I kept it on the dryer side (a bit less water then I would normally). Then I mixed my resin as per instructions and mixed both substance. Again here it worked like a charm! This time it looks a but more like cement would and took a bit less time to dry although it still takes much more time then just the quick setting cement all. See picture above of the 2 resin mix with cement experiment. Darker more resin looking is the first try and second is this new ratio.

I finally tried with even less resin to see if I can get that real cement feel ( grainy and sand feel versus the resin with is more plastic). I tried a 90% cement versus 10% resin ratio. It made the casting strong enough that my object did not break when I pulled it out of the mold and it feels like cement. Yay!! Here is a picture ( below) of the 3 different ratios although I don’t think it really shows.

Oh my, oh my! I am a forever fan of this amazing magazine that has help and inspired me through the years.

​This summer, I am over the moon the say Sofs is in their Little U magazine #3 !! little U is a offspring of the Upper magazine. A smaller pocket book kinda mag. Check it out and also check out all the other amazing mags by uppercase. (hum hum, ... is also a made in Canada mag from Calgary!)