Building your Arsenal I - Straws

Tools are a very important part of your arsenal as a clay artist. But don't be spending a bomb on commercial tools when there are equally useful and cheap (and free!) ones in your own kitchen or local mall.

Straws are one of the most useful tools of all. Coming in different shapes and sizes, these little goddesses can cut everything into mini-cookies, macaroons and omelettes, strawberry slices and bananas. Don't buy a large pack of straws from your local store and have only use for one or two, it's a huge waste of money, ack!

Get straws free from your local MacDonalds - and ever since Singapore's Micky D have the self-serve section, just take a few more some straws, collect some of the sauce dishes too, they are just the right size to put your left over bits on; when you are there for eats. Other places where you can collect more straws include bubble tea stations for big straws such as KOI - ask them for an extra straw if you don't want to save and wash the one you were drinking from. Grab purple straws from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf outlets and Starbucks too. Save your straws from Vitagen or Yakult packs, those tiny straws pack a few mean chocolate button punches.