Why is my polymer clay sticking to everything?

Do you ever get to a stage when rolling out your polymer clay where is starts sticking to *everything*? Your hands, your rolling pin, even the surface you're rolling the clay out on? 

This is happening because the clay is becoming overheated through continued manipulation from your hands and rolling pin. Here are our tips on how to return the polymer clay to a non-sticky condition:

• Put the clay to the side for an hour or two and don't touch it. This will allow it to cool down.
• If you're under a bit of time pressure, place the clay in the freezer for 10-20 minutes to allow it to cool down. 
• If your clay is naturally sticky, like a fresh bar of Cernit polymer clay, use a technique called leaching to remove some of the moisture from the clay. This will result in it being less sticky. We have a blog post coming out next week teaching you how to leach polymer clay.
• If you are working in a warm environment, turn on an air conditioner to cool the room down. 
• If your hands are naturally clammy and warm, cool them down before conditioning your clay by putting them in cold water or placing them around an ice brick. 

Sticky clay can be very frustrating, but following one or a couple of these tips will return your clay to a workable condition in no time!