diy clay feathers

i don't know about everyone else but i'm still totally in love with feathers.  well technically i had a fascination with them since i was small child before they were cool and adults were telling me that they were infested with germs and parasites...  but anyway, when i saw these ceramic feathers i knew i wanted some!!  these feathers are $42 for the set of 5 ceramic ornaments-pretty steep but you can make them less...waaay less.

i made mine out of some cheap-o air dry clay but i was really wishing i had shelled out for some more sculpey.  air dry clay has a tendency to get all crackly if you don't finish fast enough and it doesn't hold texture nearly as well as sculpey does.  plus it warped when it dried *sigh*.  that'll teach me to try and save some money lol.  but i think the warping makes it look somewhat more featherish?  i think it'll still make a nice pendant or some other accessory.  now i'm just wondering i should add some color to it...maybe a soft blue or gray?  i will def be making more of these with some better quality clay.  

if you want to make your own all you need is some clay and a toothpick (one of those metal ceramic probe thingies would probably work better but i think i left mine in storage...).  start by taking a small piece of clay and flatten it in the shape you want your feather to be in.  i started by tracing where i wanted the center quill of the feather to be and pressed down everywhere else so that the quill was the only raised area.  then just use your toothpick and make lines down on either side of the quill.  it'll probably look weird at first but the more lines you add the better it looks, and don't worry about making every line perfectly parallel no one will be able to tell when you're done.  drill a hole, cure the clay and now you have a new feather pendant!!

on a side note...can anyone guess what i had for dinner last night, breakfast and lunch today?  and will probably have again later as a snack?  smores...that's right i had smores for 3 meals in a row...  it did lack some authenticity since i was making it over my gas burner in the kitchen but hey it was still deliciously sweet and toasted.