Red Starfish Polymer Clay Pendant

Materials:

premo! Sculpey® - White, Cadmium Red Hue, Cadmium Yellow Hue, Turquoise

Makin’s® - Sea Shells Push Mold

Makin’s Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine®

CreateAlong.com Magic Transfer Paper 

CreateAlong.com Round clay cutters in progressive sizes 

Clay roller

Sculpey® Bake & Bond 

Sculpey® Etch & Pearl tool 

DecoArt® Metallic Lustre™ - White Frost 

White satin cording

PYM II Sealant Spray

Instructions:

Condition and roll white clay starting on setting #1 and ending onto setting #2. (Or hand roll to a little less than 1/4”.)

Cut out desired pattern from Magic Transfer Paper (this set of pre-printed beach/ocean themed papers is from a Create Along Box - individual sheets in various patterns, or unprinted for printing your own designs, are available at createalong.com) 

Place face down onto rolled clay.  Burnish to be sure paper is completely covering the rolled clay without any air bubbles, etc. (I begin by rolling with a hand roller, then using my fingers to gently press and further burnish.) Let set at least 15 minutes.  You will begin to see the paper change color a bit, the pattern will become a bit more obvious as the paper absorbs some of the oil from the clay.  

Add a few drops of warm water to the surface of the paper.  Let it set until you see the magic start to happen - the “paper” will turn back into “pulp” and be raised up.  CAREFULLY use your fingertips to brush away the pulp.  If needed, add a tiny bit more water and repeat until all pulp is gone and pattern is transferred to the clay.  

Amazing detail!

Use desired size round clay cutter to cut disc from the patterned clay. 

Make starfish using red clay and sea shells push mold.  Makin’s® molds are flexible, so it is easy to remove the molded elements before baking.  (Tips:  If clay is “warm” and resisting being removed, place in the freezer for a minute or so and then it will easilycome free.   You can also dust the mold with corn starch before molding…). 

Add a touch of Bake & Bond and place molded star fish onto center of sea shell patterned disc. 

Use clay machine to roll conditioned turquoise clay on setting #1.  Cut a disc with a slightly larger circle cutter.  Place white disc with starfish centered on red disc.  

Roll conditioned yellow clay to setting #1.  Use small etch & pearl tool to create tiny with yellow clay and mount around outer edge of white patterned clay.   Bake according to manufacturer instructions.  Let cool. 

To make bale, roll yellow clay again, cut a strip and coil one end.  Use a touch of Bake & Bond and mount coiled end (coil facing inward) on front, top center of pendant.  Bring down over the back, leaving an unglued space at the top for the cording, and add Bake & Bond and mount the end to the back of the pendant.  Bake according to manufacturer instructions.  Let cool. 

Add a touch of White Frost Metallic Lustre™ to highlight the details of the starfish and the pearled edge, and the edges of the bale.

Spray with PYM II sealant spray. 

Add white satin cording.  

Colorful Octopus & Mermaid Tail Polymer Clay Pendants

One basic design is modified into to two unique pendants using fun push molds to create colorful summer pendants.

Materials:

premo! Sculpey® Cadmium Yellow Hue, Turquoise, Fuchsia, Orange, White

Sculpey® III - Candy Pink 

Sculpey® Souffle - Pistachio 

Clay roller

Makin’s Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine®

Clay blade 

Sculpey® Etch & Pearl Set 

Sculpey® Bake & Bond 

DecoArt® Metallic Lustre™ - White Frost 

PYM II Spray 

Octopus mold 

Ultra-fine silver glitter
Circle cutters 

Plastic wrap 

White satin cording 

Instructions:

OCTOPUS PENDANT 

Condition a full package of turquoise clay.  Add about 1 tbsp of ultra-fine silver glitter and

blend until glitter is incorporated into the clay.   Roll on first (widest) setting of clay machine.

Select desired size circle cutter for base of pendant.   Place plastic wrap over the rolled clay and cut circle (plastic wrap will give you a beveled edge when using clay cutters). 

Use octopus mold (I created my mold using a metal charm and Amazing Mold Putty™) to make octopus in desired color - I made 3 pendants and used Candy Pink, Cadmium Yellow Hue, and Orange for mine.   

Place octopus onto turquoise clay disc. 

Choose which complementary colors you wish to use for the color octopus you chose to make.    For the pendant with the pink octopus, I chose to make a yellow base.   Condition and roll yellow clay on first setting of clay machine.  Place plastic wrap over rolled clay and use a circle cutter slightly larger than the turquoise circle to cut a yellow circle.  

Place the turquoise disc with the octopus centered on the yellow base. 

I chose orange for my decorative pearled edge.  Condition and roll orange (or your choice of color) using first setting on clay machine.  Use smallest Etch & Pearl tool to create enough pearls to surround the outer edge of the turquoise circle.  Add a bit of Bake & Bond and add the pearls.

Bake according to manufacturer instructions.  Let cool.

To make the bale, roll orange (or your color choice) clay using first setting on clay machine.  Cut a rectangular strip about 1 1/2” long.    Add a slight coil to one end, apply a touch of Bake & Bond to the top center of the turquoise disc and place the coiled end of the clay over it, then fold backward and add Bake & Bond and mount to the back.  DO NOT ADD BAKE & BOND to the TOP of the pendant, and allow your piece to stay above the pendant to allow for adding cording.    Bake according to manufacturer instructions.  Let cool. 

Use fingertip to apply a light coat of White Frost Metallic Lustre™ to the surface of the octopus to highlight the details.  Add a touch to the pearls and the outer edge of the base disc also.   

Spray with PYM II and let dry.  Add white satin cording. 

MERMAID TAIL PENDANT 

premo! Sculpey® Cadmium Yellow Hue, Turquoise, Fuchsia

Sculpey® Souffle - Pistachio 

Clay roller

Makin’s Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine®

Clay blade 

Sculpey® Etch & Pearl Set 

Sculpey® Bake & Bond 

DecoArt® Metallic Lustre™ - White Frost 

PYM II Spray 

CreateAlong.com Mermaid tail mold

Ultra-fine silver, green, turquoise glitter
Circle cutters 

Plastic wrap 

White satin cording

Condition a full package of turquoise clay.  Add about 1 tbsp of ultra-fine silver glitter and blend until glitter is incorporated into the clay.   Roll on first (widest) setting of clay machine. 

Select desired size circle cutter for base of pendant.   Place plastic wrap over the rolled clay and cut circle (plastic wrap will give you a beveled edge when using clay cutters). 

Use mermaid tail mold to mold tail using pistachio clay. 

Use fingertip to apply touches of green and turquoise ultra-fine glitter to surface of tail.  

Place tail over turquoise disc.  Use same sized clay cutter to cut off the extending portions of the tail.  

Choose which complementary colors you wish to use for the base of the pendant.  I chose fuchsia.  Condition and roll clay on first setting of clay machine.  Place plastic wrap over rolled clay and use a circle cutter slightly larger than the turquoise circle to cut a fuchsia circle.  

Place the turquoise disc with the tail centered on the fuchsia base. 

I chose yellow for my decorative pearled edge.  Condition and roll yellow (or your choice of color) using first setting on clay machine.  Use smallest Etch & Pearl tool to create enough pearls to surround the outer edge of the turquoise circle.  Add a bit of Bake & Bond and add the pearls.

Bake according to manufacturer instructions.  Let cool.

To make the bale, roll yellow (or your color choice) clay using first setting on clay machine.  Cut a rectangular strip about 1 1/2” long.    Add a slight coil to each end.  Add a touch of Bake & Bond to the left and right top edges of the tail (not in the center….) Place the coiled edges over the Bake & Bond, allowing the center to bend upward to create the bale.  Bake according to manufacturer instructions.  Let cool. 

Use fingertip to apply a light coat of White Frost Metallic Lustre™ to the surface of the tail to highlight the details a bit more.  Add a touch to the pearls and the outer edge of the base disc also.   

Spray with PYM II and let dry.  Add white satin cording. 

Etched Sand Art Vase - DIY Video

In this week's episode of When Creativity Knocks - part of our Flower Festival Series - I share an unexpected option for decorating an etched glass vase - sand art!  Sponsored by Activa® Products, etchall®, and JudiKins™.

Published in Just Mixed-Media Magazine Vol. 4

Happy mail!  I recently discovered I have 15 projects, one etchall® etched glass project and 14 polymer clay jewelry projects made with Makin's Clay®, and oven bake clay, featured in Just Mixed-Media Magazine Vol. 4! Thank you Scott Publications for sharing my work!

New Pendants in Etsy Shop!

There are now 8 NEW hand-made, polymer clay pendants available in my Etsy shop, along with 30 other items including my Kitty for A Cause Ring Bowls!

Japanese Influenced Polymer Clay Pendant

The "Japanese Influenced" Create Along Box from CreateAlong.com was full of amazing products.  this pendant uses a variety of items from the box, along with some tiny red faux gemstones from the Dragonfly Dreams box I received last month.  

Materials:

premo! Sculpey® - Black, Cadmium Red Hue 

premo! Sculpey® Accents™ - Gold

Sculpey® Bake & Bond Adhesive 

CreateAlong.com 

• Ginkgo Silkscreen Stencil 
• Ginkgo Texture Sheet 
• Deco Disc Lotus Flower Stamp 

Red Faux Gemstones 

DecoArt® Multi-Surface Satin™ - Gold 

Clay roller 

Circle cutters 

Clay blade

Black satin cording 

Judikins™ Gel de Soleil UV Resin
PYM II sealant spray (optional)

Instructions:

Roll black clay to a little less than 1/4” thick.   Silkscreen with gold paint and Ginkgo silkscreen.  Let paint dry. 

Use circle cutter to cut disc from silkscreened clay. 

Roll gold clay to a little less than 1/4” thick.   Dust Deco Disc with cornstarch, tap to remove excess.  Stamp rolled clay with Deco Disc.   Use round clay cutter to cut out stamped Lotus flower. 

Roll red clay to a little less than 1/4” thick.  Use Ginkgo texture sheet to texture rolled clay. 

Cut out a circle the same size as the silkscreened circle.   Use clay blade to cut circle in a little less than half - one side will be slightly larger than the other.  Apply a little Bake & Bond to to back of the smaller section and mount over the silkscreened disc.  Cut a portion of a smaller circle and mount as shown.  (This will help support the lotus flower.)

Apply Bake & Bond and mount lotus flower centered over edge of red clay - off center on pendant as shown.  

Use Bake & Bond to apply red gemstones to lotus flower as desired.   

Bake according to manufacturer instructions.

Roll black clay to a little less than 1/4” thick.  Use Ginkgo texture sheet to texture rolled clay. 

Cut disc the same size as the original silkscreened disc, apply Bake & Bond and mount to back of pendant.  To create bale, roll a small piece of gold clay and cut a rectangle, roll to create a tube.  Use Bake & Bond to mount to back top of pendant.   

Roll black clay and cut thin strip width of the two stacked discs and mount to outer edge of pendant.  

Bake according to manufacturer instructions.  

For finishing the pendant, I tried it two ways.  For the first, I applied Gel de Soleil UV resin over the entire pendant and cured. It has a great glossy shine all over and catches the light beautifully.

For the second pendant, I covered the black silkscreened portion of the pendant with scrap paper, sprayed the remainder of the pendant (front and back) with PYM II sealant.  Then I applied the Gel de Soleil UV resin just to the black silkscreened portion.  I love the finished result - the black looks lacquered but the texture and details of the other elements is better highlighted.

Add black satin cording. 

Would you like to join the fun and receive an inspiring box full of polymer clay supplies each month?  Sign up to receive your own Create Along Box- Follow this link.