Premo™ Rainbow Ball Earrings

Do not use unbaked clay on unprotected furniture or finished surfaces. Start with clean hands and work surface area. Good work surfaces include wax paper, metal baking sheet, or disposable foil. 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 dedicated pasta machine several passes on the widest setting. Fold the clay in half after each pass and insert the fold side into the rollers first.

Making the Rainbow Cane - Cut 1 section from each of the 7 main colors. Cut 7, 1 1/2" sections of White to use with each color, for making the Skinner blends.

Make the 7 Skinner blends using each color and White.

Create Skinner Blend Plugs. Fold each completed Skinner Blend, and thin it using the Clay Conditioning Machine, starting at the #1 setting, and ending at the #5 setting. Trim both ends of the long strip, begin folding it, accordion style, back and forth. Reduce each plug to a flattened rectangle bar, about 1/4" thick by 2" wide, with the white at one side of the flattened strip, and the dark at the other side.

Reduce each plug to a flattened rectangle bar, about 1/4" thick by 2" wide, with the White at one side of the flattened strip, and the dark at the other side.

Wrap each bar in a thin layer of Black clay, created with the Clay Conditioning Machine on the #7 setting.

Stack the seven pieces on top of each other as shown in the photo. Make sure all the edges meet. Wrap the entire cane in Black clay, rolled out on #6 setting of the Clay Conditioning Machine. Create a square cane.

Cut the square rainbow cane in half. Shape 1 half into a round cane, and reduce to approximately 3/4" round. Wrap the cane with a layer of White, Green, White, and Black.

MAKING THE RAINBOW EARRINGS - Using the Sculpey Bead Maker with the 13mm insert. Roll a piece of scrap clay until it is smooth and round, make 2 of these base beads. Cut 4 slices from the Rainbow cane and cover each 13mm bead. Roll the completed rainbow beads in the Sculpey Bead Maker again to smooth them, this time using the 16mm insert. Use the bead holder from the Sculpey Bead Baking Rack to pierce a hole all the way through each bead.

Use a Sculpey Etch & Pearl tool to make 5 tiny indents on each side of the bead, inside the black band area. This is where the seed beads will be placed. Squeeze out a small amount of Liquid Sculpey onto a piece of wax paper. Use a beading pin to pick up each seed bead, dip the bead in the Liquid Sculpey, then insert the seed bead into the indents on the sides of the rainbow beads.

Place the rainbow beads on Bead Baking Rack and bake as directed above. Remove from oven, use a heat gun around the seed beads, to ensure that they stick, and the Liquid Sculpey is thoroughly cured. Place beads in a bowl of ice water, briefly, to cool. You may leave the beads with a matte finish, or buff them to a soft shine on an electric buffer, as I did.

Place a small freshwater pearl on each headpin, then insert the headpin into the rainbow bead, add a seed bead and a Swarovski Crystal. Glue these in place with a good jewelry glue.

Bend the head pin into an ear wire shape, using a wooden clay tool as an armature for bending the wire.