Super Sculpey® Ultralight Ombré Earrings

Getting Started:

Please make sure your work area is covered and you are not working on an unprotected surface. We recommend working on the Sculpey® Oven Safe Work Mat, wax paper, metal baking sheet, or disposable foil. Uncured clay may damage unprotected furniture or finished surfaces. Be sure to cover your crafting area
appropriately.

Start with clean hands, unwrap and knead clay until soft and smooth, or condition by running clay though a Pasta Machine. We recommend using a designated machine for clay purposes only. When working with multiple colors, clean hands with soap and water or baby wipes (we have found that baby wipes work best) before switching colors. Shape clay, pressing pieces firmly together.  Wash hands after use.

Baking (also called Curing):

Begin by preheating oven to 275 °F (130 °C). After you are done creating; for best results bake clay on an oven-proof surface such as metal, aluminum foil, an index card or the Sculpey® Oven Safe Work Mat at 275°F (130 °C) for 30 minutes per ¼" (6 mm) of thickness according to package directions. Oven safe glass or ceramic surfaces are also acceptable for baking; however please note that the baking times may take longer as the glass or ceramic surfaces take longer to heat up. For best baking results, use an oven thermometer. DO NOT USE MICROWAVE OVEN. DO NOT EXCEED THE ABOVE TEMPERATURE OR RECOMMENDED BAKING TIME.

Sheet 1/16 bar Ultralight (UL) to a little sheet about 3” square.

Designer’s Note: the Sculpey Color Tints can be a little messy. You may want to wear nitrile gloves for easy clean up.

Make sure the tints are well mixed. If you can’t hear or feel them shaking in the
bottle, submerge in warm water for a few minutes. Then shake them up and dry
the bottles off.

Place two drops of each color directly on top of the UL clay. Place them next to each other with colors matching.

Carefully fold the sheet of clay touching yellow to yellow, red to red, and blue to blue. Press the fold shut tightly.

Roll the clay to seal the layers together and to slightly stretch the clay.

Fold again in the exact same direction. When we fold, the yellow should stay in line
with yellow, red with red, and blue with blue.

Roll up the clay along the fold. Roll the clay gently to help move the tints throughout
the clay. Allow the clay rope to lengthen slightly.

Shorten the rope by rolling on the work surface while adding pressure from both ends.

Continue rolling and twisting slightly to blend the colors.

Flatten the rolled clay to show the stripes.

If you would like to keep blending more, you can fold the sheet matching like color to
like color.

Then flatten again.

You can repeat this process of folding and rolling flat as much as you like to keep
blending.

Once you are ready to use the sheet, flatten it once again with the roller until it is
only 1/8” thick and about 3” wide. Bake the sheet following the baking
instructions for Sculpey® UL. We will cut the sheet into strips after baking.

Allow the clay to cool completely. Then use the Clay Blade to cut across the stripes
creating strips that are 1/8” wide. The best way to cut the strips is to
carefully cut straight down using even hand pressure on the top of the blade.

You will need between 6 and 8 strips per earring depending on how full you want
them.

Organize 8 strips on their sides as shown and bend them into a U shape.

Lay a hoop earring over the top of the clay so that you can see how the clay strips
need to be trimmed.

Use the Clay Blade to trim the strips at angles.

Each strip will need a hole through each end. They can be poked with a Needle Tool.

OR - you can drill the holes if you are comfortable with the Dremel drill method.

String one end of each strip onto the hoop.

Then carefully string the other end onto the hoop in reverse order.

Once the strips are strung onto the hoops, you can fan them out as desired.

Here’s a look from the side to show the layering of the strips.

If you like you can organize the strips so that the left and the right earring feature
either the same color direction or the opposite color direction.