New Polymer Clay Necklace

Tide Pools, Statement Polymer Clay Necklace

Done! 

I am very happy with the way my new organic polymer clay necklace turned out.  Not only is it pretty (if I may say so myself), but it is also surprisingly comfortable to wear.  I will have to write a separate post to brag about the construction of this necklace.  For now, let's just admire my new creation.

Tide Pools, Statement Polymer Clay Necklace

The biggest polymer clay element is made using my openwork technique.  The flat green element is textured (stamped) with a round metal finding.  The brightest red one is a polymer clay disk with holes shaped over a domed form and backed with a flat disk. The remaining four are made using the techniques described in my Sea Creatures tutorial.  All elements were made out of yellow polymer clay and colored with acrylic paints and alcohol inks.  This process is also covered in my Sea Creatures tutorial.

Tide Pools, Statement Polymer Clay Necklace

New Necklace - Work In Progress

I am working on a new polymer clay necklace combining my Openwork Pendants and Sea Creatures techniques.

I think I will name it Tide Pools.

Here are a few (not all yet) elements for this future necklace.   I am so excited to see how it is turning out.  So many textures, patterns, colors, and yet it should all work together.

To give you an idea of the size of these elements, here is the biggest one in my hand:

I am a bit intimidated by the construction stage.  The design I have in mind is quite complex and unusual.  I hope I have enough engineering skills  to actually make it happen...

Polymer Clay Texture Ideas: Leaves

Some leaves are better than the others for creating texture on polymer clay.

Look for smooth (with no little "hairs") stiff leaves with deep or protruding veins.

I found these leaves on a bush in Brookside Gardens.  Wish I knew the name of the plant...

What to do with your leaf-textured polymer clay sheet?  They can be used in many ways to make beautiful jewelry and home decor items.  A few ideas to get you started are described in my tutorials:
Polymer Clay Pendants Tutorial Leaf Imprints and Silver Frames

In this tutorial, I describe how to make and use both positive and negative texture plates using natural leaves, how to showcase their texture, and how to make pendants framed in hand-made bezels.  By the way, making the bezels, in my humble opinion, is the most valuable part of this tutorial: I am showing my extremely simple, no-soldering, method of making custom-shaped bezels, texturing them, and adding patina.

Hand-made Stamps for Polymer Clay, Workshop

I made a few more demo pieces for my class at Master Class Camp in July.

Here is my new stamp.

It started with this sketch.















...And here are a few designs made with this stamp.

Spaces are still available, and it is not too late to register if you are interested. 

Registration Form

Destash: Lots of Polymer Clay and Jewelry Making Stuff

etsy.com/shop/PolymerClayTutorials

In the process of cleaning my studio I am listing a bunch of polymer clay and jewelry-related tools, materials, and magazines in my Etsy shop.  Please check it out and see if you can use any of these things.

People who took my classes know that I am a minimalist by nature and use very few tools.  So, the tools listed for destash are either brand-new or very gently used.  Most of them are listed with a good discount.

The magazines and books are mostly my contributor copies (where my article or a piece of my jewelry was published).  I've probably flipped through them a couple of times, so again - all publications are in a very good shape, listed at discount prices.

Hand-Made Stamps: a Few More Projects

I want to show a few more pictures of pendants made with my metal stamps.  All of these were obtained with some of the stamps in the last picture.

I can teach you how to make and use these stamps in my class at Master Class Camp in Laurel, MD on July 8 and 9, 2015.  Spaces are still available, and it is not too late to register.  Here is the link to the registration form: https://creativeartsfests.wufoo.com/forms/znmjqnl176o6ft/

First Place in Bead Dreams Polymer Clay Category

My Openwork Necklace took the first place in Bead Dreams 2015, Polymer Clay Category!

Here is the link to the results page:
Bead Dreams 2015 Ribbon Winners.

I cannot wait to see the pictures of other winning pieces.  I bet they are going to be breath-taking!

Edited to add: Link to a few variations of the Openwork Pendants technique:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/eugenascreations/