• Sculpey E-Z Release Push Mold - My Pets
• Assorted Premo! Sculpey colored clays of choice plus White 5001 or Pearl 5101
• Black hole-less glass beads for eyes
• Black telephone wire or other black wire (Artistic Wire)
• Round nose and chain nose pliers
• Floral or other scrap wire
• Buna Cord and rubber gaskets or "o" rings that fit the cord snugly
• Brass rod or knitting needle the same diameter as the Buna Cord
• Super Glue Gel
• Baking Surface (index cards on a cookie sheet or glass baking dish)
• Elastic jewelry cord
• Sculpey Super Slicer blade
• Empty Paper Towel roll or other cardboard tube

Directions:

For Blended Canes:

• Make Skinner Blends (for directions on making Skinner Blends, click on Gingerbread Candy House Project by Tamila Darling) between white/pearl and each color you want to use. Follow all steps. Roll your stretched blends from light to dark.
• Reduce each Skinner blend cane to roughly 5/8" in diameter. Cut off 1" length and reduce that section to 3/8" in diameter. The larger cane will make the fish bodies, while the smaller cane will make the fish fins.

For Each Fish:

• Slice a 3/8" length section from the large cane. Shape slice into roughly the fish shape from the mold, warming and softening the slice as you work. Press the clay into the fish mold, filling all the spaces. Cut away excess clay if necessary by carefully running your blade across the surface of the mold.
  
• With your thumb or forefinger, pull clay lightly away from the edges f the mold to create a neat edge around the fish so no trimming will be necessary later. Smooth the back of the fish so it looks neat.
• Place the mold in the refrigerator for a few minutes to make unmolding easier. Then, twist the mold like an ice cube tray to release your fish.
• Pick up one tiny hole-less bead with the pad of your index finger and place over eye socket. Carefully push bead into clay using cuticle stick or knitting needle.

For Each Fin:

• Slice 1/8" length section from a small cane. Cut slice into fourths. Shape quarter slice into roughly the fin shape, warming and softening the piece as you work. Press into the mold, placing the lighter point in the pointed part of the fin.
  
• As with the fish, use your thumb and forefinger to pull clay away from the edges of the mold so no trimming will be necessary.
• Unmold the fin after cooling. Using a clay shaper, cuticle stick, or knitting needle held at a 45 degree angle, make an indentation in the body of the fish behind the gills. Pinch the light, pointed end of the fin into a point, and then place the point into the indentation. Press firmly without destroying the shape or details on either fish or fin.

NOTE: Make two fish for earrings, 4 fish for the bracelet, and 5 fish for the necklace, all form assorted colors of Skinner Blend Canes.

For Earring and Necklace pendant fish:

• Cut a 2-inch piece of black wire. Bend wire 90 degrees in the middle. Wrap around round nose pliers to make a loop, then wire wrap a few times to make a hangman's noose. Bend excess wire 90 degrees so that it lies parallel to the original stem wire. Trim straight wires to 1/2 inch.
• Insert both ends of wire into fish body behind upper fin with loop perpendicular to fish.
  

For Bracelet fish (curved):

• Using a fine needle tool, pierce each fish carefully from mouth to tail. When needle tool emerges from the tail, remove it, and drill back in the other direction from tail to mouth.
• Place a scrap piece of floral wire through the hole. Place the fish over the cardboard tube, and bend the sides of the wire gently downward, creating a slightly curved fish. Insert jpeg step5curvedfish
• Hold fish up to wrist to see how much more or less curve you would like.

Bake necklace and earring fish on a flat surface on an index card. Bake bracelet fish on a cardboard tube WITH WIRE STILL INSIDE. Bake all fish for 30 minutes at 275 degrees F (130 degrees C) in a calibrated oven.

For Spacer Beads:

• Take scrap clay and marble lightly together. Roll into a smooth ball, and then into a short cylinder. Pierce cylinder with needle tool, then with brass rod or knitting needle.
• Roll cylinder gently while on the rod, from the middle out to the ends to make a long, thin tube of clay. Twist clay slightly as you lengthen until you have a pleasing swirled or striped pattern.
• Bake clay on rod on cotton batting or accordion folded cardstock for 30 minutes at 275 degrees F (130 degrees C). remove clay tube from rod while still warm. Cut 3/4" lengths from the tube for spacer beads. Cut a few 3/4" beads in half for smaller spacer beads.

Finishing and Assembly:

• For a shiny finish, coat all fish and spacer beads with Future Floor Polish or other polymer clay safe acrylic finish using a soft-bristle brush. If desired, bake finished pieces again for about 10 minutes. Allow to dry or cool completely.
• For the necklace, string the middle pendant fish first with a rubber o-ring on either side, string on the next o-ring, spacer bead, and o-ring. Position this set some fixed distance from the middle fish. Continue to string pendant fish and spacer beads (bounded by o-rings) until satisfied.
• When satisfied with placement of all beads, make positions permanent by placing a very small dot of super glue gel between cord and o-rings. For a no-clasp, long necklace, cut Buna Cord at an angle and glue together seamlessly with super glue gel. Alternatively, make a clasp from clay and wire, or add a clasp finding made specifically for jewelry cord.
• For the bracelet, string curved fish, spacer beads, and other glass beads of choice onto elastic thread. Finish with a knot hidden inside a bead.
• For the earrings, attach fish pendants to purchased ear-wires, or make ear-wires out of black wire. This shows the strip 1/2 way rolled up.