Metal-look Paper and Ink Pendant with Silver Charm

 For those of you who have commented and had questions on my old blog and Facebook. This is for you.

Update: How I made my Pendants

1. I used a scalloped oval die to cut the shape into white Core'dinations Cardstock. Then I glued approximately four of the die-cut shapes together to make the pendant sturdy. I added small holes in the top
2. To color my pendants I used Tim Holtz Adirondack ink in Butterscotch, Stream and Wild Plum by just letting small droplets of ink drip from the bottle and run over the paper pendant.
3. I added Tim Holtz Adirondack Mixative in Silver and in Gold to the pendant in the same way I added the colored ink. It didn't turn out well and I had so much ink on my pendants, the color was turning muddy and they were taking too long to dry. I'm impatient so I pulled out the heat gun, during which I discovered the mixatives do not like heat and they began to bubble and boil. After the mixatives did their little dance, they dried solid and textured.
4. Intrigued, I added more ink and mixatives as I used my heat gun. The ink didn't smell very good being heated, but layer after layer I watched the little dance of silver and gold and the colored ink being moved around and trapped. The bubbling, boiling and the last little whips of trying to escape the heat is what gave my pendants the depth they have. I thought the result was fabulous.
5. Then I sealed the back and sides.
     

Original Post: December 22, 2013
I had a crafting accident last night and it was wonderful. Here's a peak at a few pendants that are almost finished.

I love happy accidents! 

Copyright © 2014 Angela Conklin - Heartedly Handcrafted

All Rights Reserved

Repurposing a Rubber Sink Mat for Crafting

     I came across this flower sink mat at T.J. Maxx. It was only a few dollars and I've gotten a lot of use out of it already. As you can see in the pics I have cut away some of the flowers. I used these in a project to give a flower-textural background. It's easier to use than a template with modeling paste as you have the perfect, in this case, flower every time. The mat/flowers can be painted, coated with gesso, given texture with modeling paste, used to embellish a card or tag, made into jewelry or you can even use it as a template to cover a large area with paint, modeling paste, and ink. It cleans up well and was a great find.
 

Fun with Polymer Clay: First Try

     If I can do it, you can do it. You can free hand the shapes or use cookie cutters. You can push your rubber stamps into it to make an image or just about anything with texture. You can mix the clays to make a swirling looks or roll different colors together to make a design. You can make figurines, jewelry, beads, decor, embellishments for crafts, decorate picture frames, anything you can think up. I love working with polymer clay. These are some of the first pendants I made. I chose jewelry so I would have some new things to wear and also because I lacked the imagination to think of anything else. Oh well.

     When I revisit making things from polymer clay I look forward to making my own shapes as I didn't really go beyond the cookie cutter shapes I had at the time.

Polymer clay is a wonderful medium to work with since it does not air dry quickly, crack when dry, holds it's shape when working with it and is very smooth. Plus it becomes quite hard after it's baked and it takes mica powders and paint beautifully, although there are some precautions.

     I had a few charms which were my inspiration for the design of my necklaces and hair clips.

Copyright © 2010 Angela Conklin - Heartedly Handcrafted
All Rights Reserved

I have worn the center pendant quite a few times and it always gets compliments.

Dragonflies are beautiful and I wanted to incorporate one on a colorful and interesting background. After some thought it seemed my best bet for making the larger background I wanted was to do a hair clip.

I got an offer for this necklace, but didn't want to give it up since it was the first one that I had ever made.

I would like to try this one again as it was not easy trying to roll the clay, loop it and twist it without deforming it, but I think it turned out okay

I love coming up with new designs and textures

I wasn't sure what I was going to get when I rolled some bits of clay into the black clay background. To me it looks like a shell.

I love trees. This is one of my favorite pendants.

The necklace above was some left over clay I had from another project, The black clay had groves in it and I had some rolled silver clay. So I stuck the silver clay in the grooves, rolled over it carefully and then cut the heart shape.

I was excited that a woman liked the earthiness of this pendant and wanted to buy it. Sold!