OC-jewelry15

Glue	Polymer Clay in different colors	Gold spray paint
Gold powder	Small pearls	Necklace fastener
Eye pins (for earrings)	Earring wires	20 or 24 gauge wire
Dental floss	Craft knife	Ceramic tile (for baking)

ITSY BITSY LEAVES: The itsy bitsy leaves are created by taking a piece of clay about one half the size of a pea and making a small leaf shape. The leaves do not have to be exact. Make indentations on each of the itsy bitsy leaves mimicking the veins.

JEWELRY BASES: Each of the jewelry pieces in this patter is created/assembled on a piece of 1/8 inch flat layer of flesh-toned or beige polymer clay. You will lay the upper layer mold pieces on top of the flat base and will cut around the shape with your craft knife when the piece is fully assembled.

COILS: The edges of several of the jewelry pieces are made by rolling out a long coil of clay the diameter of a shoe lace tip. You will follow the shapes in the illustrations, fitting the coils to create the shape of the piece. Just cut a piece of coil the approximate length called for in the jewelry piece, smooth the edge and fit as needed. The coils do not have to be "perfect".

CUTTING OUT THE JEWELRY PIECES: After you complete the jewelry pieces by following the instructions on each piece, you will cut the base layer of the clay around the perimeter of the jewelry piece, slowly and carefully, so the base is the exact shape as the jewelry design up to the top layer.

BE SURE TO PRINT YOUR PATTERN, AS THE PATTERN URL IS CHANGED TO PROTECT THE COPYRIGHT.

THE PATTERN COPYRIGHT COVERS ONLY THE MANUFACTURE OF THESE DESIGNS UNDER ANOTHER'S NAME. YOU ARE FREE TO MAKE THE JEWELRY DESIGNS TO SELL AT SHOWS OR ON YOUR WEBSITE.

Make a 1/8 inch flat base layer of flesh-toned or beige clay as indicated above. Using the mold, make a pink fancy button for the center. Add a tiny maroon ball to the very center of the fancy button.

Using the green polymer clay, make a long coil of clay, as indicated in the techniques section above. Following the drawing to the left, create and position four separate coils around the pink fancy button.

Using the mold, make two small leaves and place them on the sides as indicated. Make four Itsy Bitsy Leaves as indicated above, and place as indicated in the illustration above. Following the cutting instructions in the techniques section above, cut out the jewelry piece and bake according to the polymer clay manufacturer's instructions.

Mix green and white polymer clay until it marbelizes. Using the mold, make a cabochon and place on an 1/8 inch base of green clay. using the mold again, make four large leaves and place around the cabochon as indicated in the illustration. Make four Itsy Bitsy Leaves also as indicated. Place two pearls at the base of the large leaves. Push in and make indentations for the pearls. Remove the pearls. (They will be glued into place after the baking.)

Roll out two long coils of light green clay. Lay the coils side by side and twist. Wrap the twisted coil all around the jewelry piece. Using the craft knife, cut out the base of the jewelry and bake according to the polymer clay manufacturer's instructions. When cool, glue on the pearls and brooch pin into place.

Roll out 1/8 inch flesh-toned clay as your base. Using the mold, make two pink hearts and a small berry. Roll out a long black coil. Following the illustration to the left, cut and lay the coil as indicated, creating the design.

When finished, cut around the design with your craft knife and bake according to the polymer clay manufacturer's instructions.

Roll out two long thin coils of green clay. Laying both side by side, twist to make a braided effect. Following the illustration to the left, wrap the braided coil around itself to the desired shape.

Sprinkle the tops with Gold Powder and bake according to the polymer clay manufacturer's instructions.

When cool, glue the earring posts to the back of each earring.

Using the mold, create three roses from pink clay and create three medium leaves from green clay.

Arrange as indicated at left.

Make a small loop out of the thin wire and insert in the top of the charm. Make the loop large enough to fit into a chain or your choice of a ribbon, etc. This can also be a small brooch.

Bake according to the polymer clay manufacturer's instructions. When cool, glue jewelry finding to the back.

Roll out a 1/8 inch flesh-toned clay base. Using the mold, make four diamond shapes, three roese and five or six Iitsy Bitsy leaves.

Roll out a thin coil of green clay. Following the diagram to the left, place all of the items as indicated.

Using your craft knife, cut around the finished jewelry piece. Bake according to the polymer clay manufacturer's instructions. When cool, glue the jewelry finding to the back.

Using the mold, make 10 medium leaves out of green clay. Place the first five leaves in a star pattern creating a bottom layer. Place the second five leaves on the top layer, having each of the leaves of the second layer "point" between the leaves of the first layer.

Dust each leaf with Gold Powder. Roll up three itsy bitsy berries and place in the center of the brooch. Bake following the polymer clay manufacturer's instructions. When cool, glue the jewelry finding to the back.

Roll out a 1/8 layer of pink or flesh-toned clay. Cut a random shape and "crumble" the clay, creating nooks and crannies. Dust lightly with Gold Powder. Using the mold, make roses, large leaves, medium leaves, buttons, ect., creating your own design for each unusual, one of a kind brooch.

Dust each of the flowers and leaves with Gold Powder.

Bake according to the polymer clay manufacturer's instructions. When cool, glue the jewelry pin onto the back of the brooch.

Using the mold, make six maroon diamonds and two medium green leaves. Make one berry in green. Place as indicated to the left. Deepen the lines in the diamonds and dust each piece with Gold Powder. Bake according to the polymer clay manufacturer's instructions. When cool, glue the brooch pin onto the back.

Beginning with a 3 inch eye pin, add one pearl, then a small ball of marbelized clay slightly bigger than the pearl. Then add three random "clay shapes", two pearls, another marbeleized ball. Space te shapres loosely an dmake sure that a little bit of the eye pin wire sticks out of the last marbeleized ball. After baking, you will add the last pearl with glue to hold it in place. Add the ear wires after the earrings cool down from baking.

With this method of building the earrings, you can creat hundreds of designs by changing the size, color and order of the beads.

Roll out a 1/8 inch of light colored clay to form the base. Texturize the base by lightly "stabbing" holes in the base. Using the mold and light-colored clay, make a cabochon, three roses and five Itsy Bitsy leaves. You will need to make two small hand-made hearts for this piece as well.

Following the illustration to the left, place the pieces as indicated, starting with the cabochon, adding the roses, leaves, coils and hearts. Cut out with the craft knife and bake following the polymer clay manufacturer's baking instructions.

When cool, spray paint the piece with gold paint. When dry, rub black acrylic paint over the piece and wipe off, giving the piece an aged look. Glue the attachment pin onto the back.

Using the mold, make three hearts and two roses and one Itsy Bitsy leaf. Using a needle, make beading holes through the center of the hearts and roses. In one of the hearts, insert a wire loop through the heart so it will hang from the front of the necklace and allow you to add a bead and an Itsy Bitsy leaf at the bottom of the hanging heart.

Mix black and pink clay and make two medium round beads, two small round beads, and two long beads as shown in the illustration to the left. Make sure to put the threading hole through the beads.

Bake all of the beads. When cool, measure out a pleasing length of dental floss, picturing where the necklace will lay on your neck or chest. Tie one end of the floss to the jewelry clasp. Thread the pearls onto the dental floss. Keep adding beads as indicated making sure the heart charm in front is in the exact middle of the floss. Follow the same pattern for the second side of the necklace. At the end, tie the floss to the other end of the jewelry clasp.

Buttons: Using your imagination, layer clays, mix clays, using clay canes and create custom buttons. After removing them from the mold, poke two holes in the hole dents with a needle. Make sure the holes are even from front to back. Bake the buttons according to the polymer clay manufacturer's instructions.

Cabochon necklace charm: Roll out a 1/8 inch layer of dark polymer clay. Marbleize clay and make a cabochon. Lay on the base and put a coil of clay around it. Using a wire, make a loop and thread through the base layer and behind the cabochon so 1 inch of the wire sticks out from the bottom. Thread pearls and beads ending with a small leaf at the bottom.

Cut out with the craft knife and bake according to the polymer clay manufacturer's instructions.

FINISHING THE PIECES: After cooling from baking, you can spray the jewelry pieces with a high gloss or matt finish sealing spray.

Bas Relief Bracelet

Supplies:

Polymer clay in various colors

Acrylic Paints in various colors

Xacto knife

Small scrap of screening

Character Face Mold

Clay Gun (optional)

Pasta machine (optional)

Timer

Faux pearls

Jewelry Push Mold (optional)

Using your Character Face Push Mold, push out a face. Slice off part of the back of the face and a small part of the side of the face. You want the face to look to the side, not straight forward. Place the uncured face off to the side and prepare the bracelet base.

You will need two measurements: The first measurement you need is the circumference of your wrist, plus one inch (or an additional 1/2 inch or so if you want more of a *bangle*); and the second measurement is the thickness of your wrist (how large of an opening would you need to squeeze the bracelet on)

Using your clay-dedicated pasta machine or your clay-dedicated rolling pin, roll out about a 1/8 thickness of clay. Neatly cut out the rectangle the size of your first measurement. Cut out a slightly smaller piece of flexible screening and lay this on top of your rectangle of clay.

Cut out another rectangle of clay the same size as the first, but cut out a circle to embed your character face into. Lay this second rectangle on top of your first and smooth the edges to permanently attach.

Using your clay gun, extrude several long coils of clay and twirl two together and twist. Attach this element around the circumference of the bracelet. Blend the clay along the edges to firmly secure one to the other.

Using your clay gun, extrude thin spaghetti coils of clay in a blonde or brunette color. Using the reference picture above, drape the hair along the entire bracelet as shown. If you do not have a clay gun, simply roll out many long thin coils of clay and drape one at a time until you get a pleasing arrangement. Using your jewelry push mold, push out several small leaves and add along the bracelet in between the hair strands.

You can also use the back of bead-topped pin to push in holes along the bracelet and you can glue in faux pearls when you are done curing the bracelet. There are no pearls in the above-bracelet, but when you begin to design your own bas relief bracelet, brooch and necklace designs, you can add jewels and pearls to them as well.

Once you are happy with the final design, either stand the bracelet up and wrap into shape, or wrap a piece of cardboard into the shape of the bracelet and wrap the bracelet around that. Either way, you will want to make sure your bracelet is secure enough to take the heat from the curing. Depending upon what type of polymer clay you have used, follow the manufacturers directions for curing the bracelet. ALWAYS USE A TIMER WHEN CURING POLYMER CLAY!

Using your acrylic paints, paint the eyes white and allow to dry. Paint irises blue or brown. If you are nervous about getting them even, you can lightly pencil in the irises so you have a line to follow. Make sure you paint over the lines. Paint a smaller black pupil. You can add a tiny *catch light* in the eye by putting a tiny, tiny white dot of paint on the intersection of the pupil and the iris at the 2:00 position. Paint the lips a reddis-brown. If you have a steady hand, you can outline your eyes with a tiny liner brush in black, but if you do not have a steady hand, this is really not necessary.

Once your bracelet is fully dry, you can spray the entire bracelet with an acrylic matte or glossy spray finish. For added strength, you can also coat your bracelet with a porcelain coating used in the silk flower industry that is used to harden flowers. You paint it on, it is a little pinkish when painted on, but dries clear and very hard.

Character Face Brooches

Supplies: Character face push mold, white polymer clay, Wrapping paper, decorative edge scissors, white sticker paper or a used or unused page of white labels, a blue feather, a strand of faux pearls, red, white and blue acrylic paint and a waterproof black majic marker, glue gun or goop glue.

Cut out a 3 inch by 2.5 inch rectangle of wrapping paper. Using decorative edge scissors, cut out a strip of decorative white sticker 3 inches long. I use the edges from my postal labels; they are adhesive, very narrow and long enough to cut a 3 inch long piece of decorative edge. Place this edge along the top of the 3 inch side of the wrapping paper. Fold the wrapping paper in an accordian-fashioned fan.

Squeeze the fan together in the middle. Glue the bottom side to the top side at the last panels. This creates the background for the character face.

Using your push mold and white polymer clay, roll up a ball and push into the face mold. Take another ball of clay and roll up into a ball and gently push against the back of the clay in the mold. This acts as a handle and will help you pull out the face without distoring the facial features. If you only have fleshed colored clay on hand, you can make the face in flesh-colored clay and paint white when baked.

Following your polymer clay manufacturer's instructions, bake the face in your oven and allow to fully cool. Paint the face with blue and red, following the photo above. When dry, outline the colors in a black water proof marker.

Glue the cured, painted character face to the fan. Glue a small feather behind the head in the crevace of the fan. Cut a piece of pearl strand the size of the perimeter of the face, and glue to the outside of the face.

When dry, glue on a brooch pin to the back. If you wrapping paper is thin, you might need to make a firm circle of polymer clay that can be glued to the back of the fan, on the back of which you can glue the brooch pin.

Roll out a large thin circle of clay, the diameter of which is 4 or 5 inches. It should be randomly shaped as shown above. Then randomly fold the pancake of clay into and onto itself. You will want to create folds, valleys and crevaces. You will be placing the jewelry shapes and pearls into these crevices, so try to make as many as you can. Each brooch you create will be a one of a kind.

Then using your character face mold, make a face from flesh-colored clay. Attach the face in the center of the now-folded brooch base. Roll out a thin "cuff" of white clay and lay over the face as shown in the illustration. This will be the hat brim. You can add a small round cap to finish the top of the hat. Using your jewelry mold, make various leaf, rose, button shapes and randomly attach in and out of the crevices. Leave space to add the pearls after baking.

Follow the clay manufacturer's instructions, cure the brooch in your oven and allow to fully cool.

Using either a glue gun or goop glue, put glue into the remaining crevices and add as many pearls as the glue will grab. Add them all around the brooch and along one side of the face.

Jewelry Making Techniques

Bas Relief Bracelet

Supplies:

Character Face Brooches