DIY Marbled Pendants

Okay, so earlier this week we established that I am basically obsessed with shrinky dinks right?  Well I just really can't help myself, I've been using them again!  

 Does anyone else see a dragon in this one or is it just me??

 

First, check out this video tutorial on how to marble glass with nail polish.  I saw something similar a while back on Pinterest but I couldn't get a good handle on how it actually worked.  The video makes it seem really easy but it shows the general process.  

I didn't actually take any photos during because you have to move really fast to get them to turn out...I mean really fast...no dilly dallying allowed here.

 There is a lot of trial and error involved in this, or at least for me.  The video makes it look really simple but it took me about a million tries to actually get one to turn out well.

I used an old jar lid with water to make mine.  You really don't need much water maybe 1/2", just enough to keep the nail polish suspended and keep it from touching the container bottom.

The video says to use a few drops of clear nail polish first which honestly did not work well for me.  I think the problem was that my clear polish is supposed to dry in 60 seconds, so it formed this kind of dry film almost instantly when it hit the water.  And when the polish is dry it causes problems...I ended up just using a drop of the blue polish first, which spread out completely and then did alternating drops from there.

You will have to play around with your polish a bit because each polish has a different consistency and will spread differently.  For example, the blue polish spread really quickly but the silver was thicker and slower moving.

But you want to do it as fast as you can because once it starts to dry you won't be able to run your toothpick through it to get the marbling effect.  It basically becomes this dry nail polish film on top of the water which is basically useless.  Which happened to me a LOT.  But don't give up!  I could only make 2 the first night I tried and when I tried again the next day I cranked out the next 4 pretty quickly.

Oh, and to dip the pendants, I just used a little bit of clay, stuck it to the back and dipped.  You do want to dip at an angle to avoid air bubbles then I just gently dabbed the water droplets with a paper towel so it could dry.  

I think I will have to play around with this technique more...once you get the hang of it it's really fun to keep making them.  They could make really unique little charms for favors or gifts too. 

Linking up here. 

DIY Bunting Necklace

Have I mentioned lately how much I like shrinky dinks?  Or how much I like buntings?  Well I do, like them...a lot.  There's about a million different thing you can do with shrinky dinks and buntings just make me happy.  They're always so cheery. 

 

So I'm combining the two...into one awesome shrinky dink bunting necklace!   Sorry for the lack of 'before' photos it seems a bit weird to take photos of something that's clear...  But basically, cut out some triangles, punch holes, and bake as instructed. 

 Once they're cool, you can paint them with some fingernail polish and add your jump rings. 

You could even rearrange the triangles if you feel like something more tribal...  

And that's it!!  Linking up here. 

pencil urchin spine pendants

i've only recently discovered sea urchin spine jewelry-am i out of the loop?  where have these things been all my life??  i love the subtle color changes, and how varied the colors and textures can be on these spines.  you can do a simple google image search for some inspiration.

i thought one might be too lonely so i made three...the shape is fairly simple to achieve-mine are roughly pinkie finger sized.  texture is always a plus but the main focus is how you paint them.  i think these could be really cool with a more modern paint job (taped off lines with bright colors and such) but i tried to go for a more natural look, which was actually somewhat difficult.  i'm not even sure i achieved the look i was going for:/

i think the colors i used were a little too bright compared to real urchin spines and i wish i hadn't left a white band on all three but they still make for an interesting necklace.


be sure to view the whole mini series for more ideas on clay jewelry!!

antler pendant

here's part two of my mini series on making jewelry from one pack of sculpey.

i may have 'lost' the photos of the process for this one (in other words i forgot to take them)...but here's the result!!  fake modeling grass makes an interesting backdrop for white jewelry oddly enough, especially nature inspired jewelry.

 

 and for scale here it is in the palm of my hand:

i found that this piece depends heavily on texture to really bring it to life.  however, you could leave it fairly smooth and pain it a neon color (which seems to be all the craze lately).  i had originally planned on using some neon highlights but i thought it might detract from all the texture i painstakingly added.  

if you want your own little antler pendant, start by shaping a small piece of clay in the antler style of your choice.  again you can leave it smooth or you can add lots of texture (my sculpture prof back in college was all about texture and i think it's rubbed off on me lol).  i used a tooth pick to get all the grooves and to make all the little pits and knobs.  

Tip:  if you want a wider grooves just sand the tip of your toothpick down.  

deer antlers also tend to get somewhat knobby near the base so you can add in some of those as well.  then add a slight curve to each of the prongs and bake/dry.  

Tip:  if the sculpey starts getting too warm/tacky pop it in the freezer for a couple minutes to stiffen it up again. 

i painted my antler white and sealed it with some mod podge-i like the simple, almost ceramic look it has.  

be sure to view the whole mini series for more ideas on clay jewelry!!

linking up here:

diy dip-dyed feather pendant

this is part one of my mini series on making jewelry from one pack of sculpey-you can find the original post here.

 

start by deciding on what shape you want your feather to be.  trace/draw your pattern onto a piece of parchment paper and cut it out.  roll your clay into a flat thin rectangle slightly larger than your pattern.  place your parchment paper cutout on top of your clay and use it as a guide to cut out your feather.

Tip:  for large flat pieces such as this, it's helpful to keep the parchment paper cut out on the back of your piece to keep it from sticking.  it makes it much easier to handle while you're working on it; it's easier to pick up (you won't have to worry about distortion when a piece gets stuck), and you can just peel it off before you bake.

next, roll a thin clay snake for the quill of the feather and attach to the top of the main piece.  using a toothpick or needle tool, make lines outward away from the quill.  then drill a small hole so you have something to hang your pendant by.

bake or dry your clay.  you can either leave your feather white or you can paint it for a pop of color.  i went for a dip-dyed look with mine.

be sure to view the whole mini series for more ideas on clay jewelry!!

jewelry ideas with sculpey

so i'm starting a new 'mini series' on jewelry ideas from one pack of sculpey.  i will only be using a single pack of sculpey and paint (and carving/texturing tools).  this pack of sculpey costs only $3 and you can make many different types of jewelry from just one little pack!!

 dip-dyed feather pendants 

(i know i've posted this before but i included a photo tutorial this time)

antler pendant

simple white antler pendant with lots of texture

pencil urchin spine pendants

shaping these pendants is relatively simple but painting them is the tricky part

i will be making the links for these projects live as soon as i finish typing the post/tutorials.  after these 3 projects i still have about half a package left of sculpey so i will post more projects as i finish them.  and since i only used half a package, all three of these projects only cost about $1.50 in clay!!