Tamila Darling
This project is so different you’ll think you’re scrapbooking, not playing with polymer clay.
Getting Started
Preheat oven to 275 °F. Test temperature with oven thermometer for perfectly cured clay. Condition all clay by kneading until it’s soft and smooth or running it through the Clay Conditioning Machine for several passes on the widest setting. Fold the clay in half after each pass and insert the fold side into the rollers first.
Step 1 Polymer Clay Paper Sheets
Lazy Skinner Blend Polymer Paper:
Violet, Ultramarine Blue Hue, Sea Green & White. Condition each color of the clay and using a Sculpey Blade cut 5" strips the width of each to match the chart as shown below. *Note these can be approximate, exact measurements are not required as clay will be blended.
Step 2 Polymer Clay Paper Sheets
After laying out the strips, cover approximately 1/3 of the strips as shown, fold in half and run through the Clay Conditioning Machine on the thickest setting. Continue this until the clay is blended to your liking. You can slightly overlap the colors by taking the lower half of the blend and slightly crossing over the edge, run through the machine.
Step 3 Polymer Clay Paper Sheets
Repeat the process several times for a more blended sheet or only a few for a more striped effect blend.
Step 4 Polymer Clay Paper Sheets
Once satisfied with your sheet, run through on a #3 setting and one final time on a #6 to give you a paper sheet of polymer. Cut the polymer paper sheet into sections so they fit onto a sheet of white copy paper, placed on a cookie sheet. Place a second sheet on top of the clay to sandwich it in between the paper. Run your hand across the paper to ensure the clay is flat.
Step 5 Polymer Clay Paper Sheets
Lazy Skinner Blend Polymer Paper:
Fuchsia, Orange & Cadmium Yellow Hue. Condition each color of clay, then using the Super Slicer cut strips of each to match the chart as shown. Use the same process as steps 1-4 above, until you have the blended sheets sandwiched between typing paper and place these on top of the first set of sheets.
Step 6 Polymer Clay Paper Sheets
Plain Black Polymer Paper
Condition one half block of Black clay until it becomes soft and smooth in consistency using a #1 setting on the Clay Conditioning Machine. After clay is well conditioned, change the setting to a #3 to make the sheet thinner. Finally run the sheet through the machine on a #6. Place onto a sheet of white copy paper. Place a second sheet on top of the clay to sandwich it in between the paper. Run your hand across the paper to ensure the clay is flat; place these on top of the blended sheets.
Step 7 Polymer Clay Paper Sheets
Black with White Embossing Powder Polymer Paper:
Condition one half block of Black clay until it becomes soft and smooth in consistency using a #1 setting on the Clay Conditioning Machine. After clay is well conditioned, change the setting to a #3 to make the sheet thinner. Add approximately one teaspoon of white embossing powder to the top of the clay sheet. Fold in half and run through the Clay Conditioning Machine until the powder is well mixed into the clay. Repeat this process with a 2nd teaspoon of powder. Finally, run the sheet through the machine on a #6. Place onto a sheet of white typing paper. Place a second sheet of paper on top of the clay to sandwich it in between. Run your hand across the paper to ensure the clay is flat; now REMOVE the top sheet of paper. **If you do not remove the paper it will dull the effect of the embossing powder during the baking process. Place these sheets on top the prior polymer paper sheets you made, making sure that the sheets with the embossing powder are on the top of the stack and open to the oven heat.
Polymer Clay Tube Beads
Condition Black clay and run through the Clay Conditioning Machine on the thickest setting. Using the Super Slicer cut the sheet lengthwise on a 45° angle. Wrap the clay around a bamboo skewer and cut off the excess, again at a 45° angle. This is so the two sides of clay meet uniformly and can be easily, and smoothly attached together. Blend the seams together well and gently twist the skewer to make sure the clay is not stuck to it. Place on the baking sheet with your polymer paper.
Baking Polymer Paper and Beads
Place the cookie sheet containing the polymer clay paper sheets, and tube beads in a preheated oven at 275 °F for 20 minutes. Turn off oven and let all the items cool inside the oven for approximately 30 - 45 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven. The clay pieces should be slightly warm still, but not hot. If they are hot, let them cool a little longer on the counter and then separate all of the clay beads from the skewers and the polymer clay paper from the copy papers. This is easier to do when the clay is still slightly warm.
Step 1 Pendant Piece
The first piece of polymer paper to be cut is the Black with white embossing powder. Using the ripple blade scissors, cut a triangle shape 3" wide on the top edge and 3" long tapered to the bottom point.
Step 2 Pendant Piece
Place the cut triangle on top of the Fuchsia, Orange & Cadmium Yellow Hue sheet. Make the placement on the sheet so that all of the colors show over the edges of the Black piece at one point or another. Hold the two pieces together firmly in your hands and begin to cut the colored layer so that approximately 1/8" to ¼" of the underlying colored clay is showing around the edges of the top layer.
Step 3 Pendant Piece
Take the cut colored triangle piece and lay on top of the plain Black sheet. Once again, hold the two pieces together firmly in your hands and begin to cut the Black sheet so that approximately 1/8" to ¼" of the underlying Black clay is showing around the edges of the colored layer.
Earring Pieces
Repeat the same steps as the pendant, making the starting layer 1" by 1 ½", only cutting the top two layers.
Embellishment Pieces
Using the ripple blade scissors, cut thin strips of the multi-colored sheets approximately 1/8" to ¼" thick, and set aside. Punch out 2 - 3 circles of each color from the sheets with the small circle punches and set aside.
Step 1 Assembly of the Pendant and Earrings
Sparingly use super glue to attach each layer together. It's better to add glue than to have to get rid of excess. After each layer is securely glued to one another, place precut strips on top of the pendant and select the color gradation you like. Cut the pieces to fit and glue down. Place the dots on the face of the pendant and arrange in a random pattern. Glue each dot to the face of the pendant.
Step 2 Assembly of the Pendant and Earrings
Repeat the process for the earrings, gluing the two layers together. Arrange short strips and dots on the face of each and glue down.
Step 3 Assembly of the Pendant and Earrings
Lay the pendant face down and measure the length of the top. Cut to length a pre baked tube bead with the Super Slicer. Apply glue to the back of the pendant and firmly attach the tube bead to the back of the pendant. Let the glue thoroughly dry before moving.
Step 1 Stringing the Necklace
Measure a length of black pony bead lacing to where you want the pendant to hang. Take the beading wire and string through the lacing leaving at least 1" excess on each end of the lacing.
Step 2 Stringing the Necklace
Thread the wire covered with lacing through the tube bead on the back of the pendant. Thread on a crimp bead to one end and run the wire through the 6mm double ring and back into the crimp bead and then into the lacing, smash the crimp bead with your pliers. Repeat this process on the other side using the lobster clasp instead of the 6mm double ring.
Step 3 Stringing the Necklace
With a 3" piece of wire thread on your charm and then string on your crimp bead, then run the end of the wire back through the crimp bead to form a 3/8" loop and then smash the crimp bead and trim off the excess from each end.
Completing the Earrings
Glue the posts on the back of each earring; at this time, you can pick the direction you want the earrings to hang.
White Embossing Powder
Bead stringing wire- black .018" diameter
Super Glue
Lobster clasp-nickel plated
1.3mm crimp tube silver- 2 pieces
6mm double ring in nickel plate- 2 pieces
Post earrings and backings
Pony Bead Lacing in black
Scissors
Ripple Blade Scissors
Small Circle Paper-punch
Flat head or crimping pliers
White copy paper
Baking sheet
Bamboo Skewer
