CREATIVE CRAFTING

Posts Tagged ‘Jewelry’

Polymer Clay is a fun medium to use because it is easy to mold and it can be cooked in your oven. When making jewelry, and you have run out of beads that you want to use, take out your clay, and make beads. Here are some techniques that will make your bead making more intricate and unique.

I found a technique for making imitation bone or ivory beads using polymer clay. You can also maneuver the clay so that it will take on a wooden look. You start the process by making beads the size you need out of white. Some artist like to use more cylindrical shapes as they claim it enables them to “carve” patterns easier than more rounded beads, for myself I didn’t see a difference. So use your own ideas on the shapes (more fun that way too!)

After the bead has been baked use a small knife to carve patterns. You can also use on of your pointed clay tools or a sharp needle also works well. Once you are satisfied with the carving use either a tan or light beige acrylic paints and lightly rub the outside of the bead. Do not rub so much in that the paint goes into the carving you made, that part should remain white. While the paint is slightly damp still use either a piece of paper towel or a napkin to remove any excess paint.

It is a little early in the season for flowers to be blooming in my gardens.  The daffodils are blooming of course, and the tulips are starting to bud.   But I am anxious.  I love flowers, they make me feel happy.

Polymer Clay also makes me happy..so why not combine the two.   I made Roses, Tulips, Dahlias, Canna and a few that I am not sure what they are, but flowers are free flowing, so I used my imagination.

Now that I have this veritable garden sitting in my hobby/computer room I am not sure what to do with them.  I will put some in little vases to either give to friends or sell at my yard sales this summer, but I think I will make a few more and make them into jewelry!

Each of these flowers is between a dime to a quarter in size, just to give you some idea.

Bats can add some spooky fun to your Halloween jewelry collection.  A couple of years ago a friend gave me these to use as a decoration for Halloween. With a little wire and some ear hooks, I quickly turned them into a pair of spooky Halloween earrings.  Which after I made them, remembered I didn’t have pierced ears!  So I gave them to my daughter in law, who turned them into a necklace.  (she doesn’t have pierced ears either).

So this summer during a boring, rainy afternoon, I got out my polymer clay and make a dozen or so bats!  I made them into earrings, necklaces and pins and sold them all at a garage sale.

I have a small bat cookie cutter that I used to cut out the bat shape and the rest was just filling in the texture and putting in a pair of orange eyes.   They were very fun to make, and a hit at my garage sale!

This fun project can take on whatever look you want. Whether it’s a marbled design or one of more solid color, kids will have a blast putting them together.

What you’ll need:

*  Modeling clay: Red, yellow, blue  (Polymer Clay can be used for this project, just follow package instructions, or if you prefer use any modeling clay.)
* Wooden skewers
* Clear crafting lace, or your choice of material to string the beads.

How to make it:

1. Pinch off small pieces of modeling clay, one pinch from each color. Start with red and yellow and knead the together long enough for them to form a marbled effect.
2. Once you have the desired effect, roll the clay in your hands into a ball.
3. Slide the clay ball on to a wooden skewer, twisting as you go to create the hole in the bead.
4. Repeat this process for as many beads and as many color combinations as you like.
5. Let the beads dry on the skewer; be sure that they are spaced enough apart so that they are not touching each other.
6. Remove from skewer when dry, about 3-4 hours, and thread onto crafting lace. Tie and wear!

Tips:

* These beads make cute key chains as well, key chains are available at your local craft supply store.
* Make solid colors from the three primary colors by continuing to knead the clay past the marbled stage.
* Small items like wiggle eyes, mini beads, sequins, etc can be added to the beads right after threading onto the skewer and will stay in after they have dried.

When did the habit of wearing jewelry begin? Who were the first to pierce their ears or wear colored beads around their necks? Where did it start? Have you ever wondered about any of this when you are making jewelry or putting it on? I have; but then I tend to like the history of everyday life, so I looked into it.

I spent some time last month at the Detroit Art Institute and with every exhibit there seemed to be a piece of jewelry or ornament of some kind. While all were different according to region and time period, all of the ornamentation had something in common; it was made by someone who wanted to create something beautiful.

Recently in a South Africa cave jewelry has been dated 75,000-100,000 years ago and were made out of Mollusk shells that had a hole drilled into the center and then were strung on a strip of leather or something I don’t really want to think about. It is thought that jewelry from this time was worn more for function such as holding clothes on rather than decoration. After some time it became more decorative and used for spiritual purposes, status symbols or a way to ward off evil and/or illness.

In ancient Egypt, gold was standard in jewelry making, and was often used to create everything from necklaces to head ornaments. When the tomb of King Tutankhamen was excavated in 1922, it was discovered that the Egyptians used gold to adore the tombs of the deceased. The ancient Egyptians were also some of the first to include gemstones in their jewelry, and they mainly used turquoise, amethyst, and lapis. They also used the process of enameling.