premo! Frosty Snowflake Mica Shift Pendant

Getting Started Polymer clay may stain. CLAY MAY DAMAGE UNPROTECTED FURNITURE OR FINISHED SURFACES. DO NOT USE polymer clay on unprotected surfaces. We recommend working on the Sculpey ® clay mat, wax paper, metal baking sheet, or disposable foil. Start with clean hands and work surface area. Knead clay until soft and smooth. For best results, clean your hands in between colors. Shape clay, pressing pieces together firmly. Bake on oven-proof glass or metal surface at 275°F (130°C) for 30 minutes per ¼" (6 mm) thickness. For best baking results, use an oven thermometer. DO NOT USE MICROWAVE OVEN. DO NOT EXCEED THE ABOVE TEMPERATURE OR RECOMMENDED BAKING TIME. Wash hands after use. Baking should be completed by an adult. Begin by preheating oven to 275°F (130 °C). Test temperature with oven thermometer for perfectly cured clay. For best results, condition all clay by 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.

Use the Acrylic Roller to flatten ¼ of the block of Pearl and ¾ of the block of White Translucent. Stack one color on top of the color and roll together through the Clay Conditioning Machine one time. Add a small drop of the To Dye For to the clay and use your fingertip to spread it over the surface of the clay. Sprinkle a small amount of the PearlEx onto the clay and use your finger to spread it over the surface. Fold the sheet of clay in half and run it through the Clay Conditioning Machine; repeat this process until the dye and powder are thoroughly mixed into the clay. You will need to keep adding small amounts of the PearlEx and conditioning it into the clay. Note: If you add too much powder at one you may end up with a mess. When the clay compresses through the rollers of the Clay Conditioning Machine the excess tends to “puff” out of the sides or top of the folded clay. You need to have a good saturation of the powder for the mica shift to work well. A good way to tell if you have enough it to make a test piece so you can see if you have enough powder or not. If you are not satisfied with the blue tint of the clay you can add a little more of the dye and condition it in

Once you have your frosty blue colored clay ready roll out a sheet on the widest setting of the Clay Conditioning Machine and fold it in half. Use the Acrylic Roller to gently roll the surface of the clay smooth. Position the snowflake embossing stencil onto the surface of the clay so that the snowflake design you want to use is centered in the slab of clay. Roll the Acrylic Roller over the surface of the stencil in multiple directions until the clay is pushed through the cut out. Gently lift the stencil off of the surface of the clay. Note: The stencil will be pressed a little into the clay and removing it too quickly may distort the snowflake image or even bend the stencil.

Use your Super Slicer blade to slice off the clay that pushed up through the stencil so that the surface of the clay is level. If you’ve sliced the clay away but there are still some spots that are slightly higher or lower don’t be overly concerned. You are going to be doing some sanding later on in the project; the sanding will smooth out those spots. Note: If you prefer to do a little more refining now you can use the Acrylic Roller to smooth it out. Roll in different directions over the design but do not apply pressure when rolling, let the weight of the roller do the work.

Step 4Slide the crystal onto the head pin, with the wider portion of the crystal towards the end of the pin, and use the round nose pliers to wire wrap a small loop at the top of the crystal. Use the side cutters to cut two oval links off of the chain. Cut the link towards one of the narrow ends so that the piece that comes off looks like a horseshoe. Slide the crystal onto one of the links and the ring onto the other link.

Pick up the link that has the crystal hanging on it with the needle nose pliers and dab a little bit of Bake N’ Bond onto the cut ends of the link. Position the link so it lines up with one of the points on the snowflake and is in about the middle of the thickness of the pendant. Gently push the link into the clay going as far in as you can but still leaving enough space so the crystal can swing freely. Pick up the link that has the ring hanging on it with the needle nose pliers and dab a little bit of Bake N’ Bond onto the cut ends of the link. Position the link so it lines with the point on the opposite side of the snowflake and is in about the middle of the thickness of the pendant. Gently push the link into the clay going as far in as you can but still leaving enough space so the ring can swing freely.

Soak the sandpaper in a dish filled with water until the backing softens. Hold the pendant and the sandpaper either in a dish filled with water or under a running faucet. Note: Sanding in water will keep polymer dust from getting into the air and also help keep the sandpaper from getting it clogged. Keeping the sandpaper from getting clogged will help it last longer. Start with the 400 grit sandpaper and sand in small circles over the entire top surface and a little over the outside edge so it rounds down a little bit. Once you have an even smoothness continue the process with the other grits going in order of: 600, 800, and 1,000. Once you have sanded through all of the grits rinse the piece thoroughly and dry. If you want to give the piece a nice satin sheen you can use a swatch of denim to lightly buff the surface. Note: You can also buff to a glassy finish using a buffing wheel but you may find that the glare from such a glossy finish distracts the eye from the mica shift effect. Once you have your piece sanded and buffed slide it onto the finished chain and you’re done.

Getting Started Polymer clay may stain. CLAY MAY DAMAGE UNPROTECTED FURNITURE OR FINISHED SURFACES. DO NOT USE polymer clay on unprotected surfaces. We recommend working on the Sculpey ® clay mat, wax paper, metal baking sheet, or disposable foil. Start with clean hands and work surface area. Knead clay until soft and smooth. For best results, clean your hands in between colors. Shape clay, pressing pieces together firmly. Bake on oven-proof glass or metal surface at 275°F (130°C) for 30 minutes per ¼" (6 mm) thickness. For best baking results, use an oven thermometer. DO NOT USE MICROWAVE OVEN. DO NOT EXCEED THE ABOVE TEMPERATURE OR RECOMMENDED BAKING TIME. Wash hands after use. Baking should be completed by an adult. Begin by preheating oven to 275°F (130 °C). Test temperature with oven thermometer for perfectly cured clay. For best results, condition all clay by 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.

Use the Acrylic Roller to flatten ¼ of the block of Pearl and ¾ of the block of White Translucent. Stack one color on top of the color and roll together through the Clay Conditioning Machine one time. Add a small drop of the To Dye For to the clay and use your fingertip to spread it over the surface of the clay. Sprinkle a small amount of the PearlEx onto the clay and use your finger to spread it over the surface. Fold the sheet of clay in half and run it through the Clay Conditioning Machine; repeat this process until the dye and powder are thoroughly mixed into the clay. You will need to keep adding small amounts of the PearlEx and conditioning it into the clay. Note: If you add too much powder at one you may end up with a mess. When the clay compresses through the rollers of the Clay Conditioning Machine the excess tends to “puff” out of the sides or top of the folded clay. You need to have a good saturation of the powder for the mica shift to work well. A good way to tell if you have enough it to make a test piece so you can see if you have enough powder or not. If you are not satisfied with the blue tint of the clay you can add a little more of the dye and condition it in

Once you have your frosty blue colored clay ready roll out a sheet on the widest setting of the Clay Conditioning Machine and fold it in half. Use the Acrylic Roller to gently roll the surface of the clay smooth. Position the snowflake embossing stencil onto the surface of the clay so that the snowflake design you want to use is centered in the slab of clay. Roll the Acrylic Roller over the surface of the stencil in multiple directions until the clay is pushed through the cut out. Gently lift the stencil off of the surface of the clay. Note: The stencil will be pressed a little into the clay and removing it too quickly may distort the snowflake image or even bend the stencil.

Use your Super Slicer blade to slice off the clay that pushed up through the stencil so that the surface of the clay is level. If you’ve sliced the clay away but there are still some spots that are slightly higher or lower don’t be overly concerned. You are going to be doing some sanding later on in the project; the sanding will smooth out those spots. Note: If you prefer to do a little more refining now you can use the Acrylic Roller to smooth it out. Roll in different directions over the design but do not apply pressure when rolling, let the weight of the roller do the work.

Step 4Slide the crystal onto the head pin, with the wider portion of the crystal towards the end of the pin, and use the round nose pliers to wire wrap a small loop at the top of the crystal. Use the side cutters to cut two oval links off of the chain. Cut the link towards one of the narrow ends so that the piece that comes off looks like a horseshoe. Slide the crystal onto one of the links and the ring onto the other link.

Pick up the link that has the crystal hanging on it with the needle nose pliers and dab a little bit of Bake N’ Bond onto the cut ends of the link. Position the link so it lines up with one of the points on the snowflake and is in about the middle of the thickness of the pendant. Gently push the link into the clay going as far in as you can but still leaving enough space so the crystal can swing freely. Pick up the link that has the ring hanging on it with the needle nose pliers and dab a little bit of Bake N’ Bond onto the cut ends of the link. Position the link so it lines with the point on the opposite side of the snowflake and is in about the middle of the thickness of the pendant. Gently push the link into the clay going as far in as you can but still leaving enough space so the ring can swing freely.

Soak the sandpaper in a dish filled with water until the backing softens. Hold the pendant and the sandpaper either in a dish filled with water or under a running faucet. Note: Sanding in water will keep polymer dust from getting into the air and also help keep the sandpaper from getting it clogged. Keeping the sandpaper from getting clogged will help it last longer. Start with the 400 grit sandpaper and sand in small circles over the entire top surface and a little over the outside edge so it rounds down a little bit. Once you have an even smoothness continue the process with the other grits going in order of: 600, 800, and 1,000. Once you have sanded through all of the grits rinse the piece thoroughly and dry. If you want to give the piece a nice satin sheen you can use a swatch of denim to lightly buff the surface. Note: You can also buff to a glassy finish using a buffing wheel but you may find that the glare from such a glossy finish distracts the eye from the mica shift effect. Once you have your piece sanded and buffed slide it onto the finished chain and you’re done.