Polymer Clay Statement Rings

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a while!  I was really sick, and then I was in Portland, Oregon on vacation.  But it's okay, because I got vintage buttons!  No longer shall the button hoarders exclude me!    Anyway, I also want to let you know that we got featured on an awesome blog, Cool Mom Picks, which is very cool!

So here's a new tutorial!  I've been doing these weird bubbly doodles, and they inspired me to do a ring.  So here's what you do!

First, take your polymer clay, and soften a chunk, and roll it into a thin strip.  Make sure the ends are nice.

Make sure it fits around your finger however you like.  Mine wrapped around my finger about twice.  Then, take a piece of clay, and roll it into a sphere.  Crush the sphere, and roll it into whatever shape you like, making sure it's about 1/8th of an inch thick.  I made mine a long oval.

Now, take a new color, and roll a few spheres of different sizes.  Also do one sphere of yet another color (sorry I didn't include that in this pic.)

Then, cut the spheres in half, and make sure they stay round.  Then just press them gently onto the thin shape you made earlier.  Put the circles as close together as you can.  Try to fill in the holes as much as you can.  You may want to take some little bits of clay and fill in the gaps.

Now, roll up the strip you made earlier so it fits around your finger easily, and can slide off.  Press it to itself to make sure it sticks.  Press the new charm you made into the strip.  It's fine if the charm is bent, and you have to fill in more gaps.

Then bake it according to the directions with your clay (Oh, btw, I didn't have any clay baking mishaps!  Self high-five!)

And there you are! Weird doodle to Ring!

I did a few other patterns too!

And that's it!  Feel free to experiment!

-Amelia

Button Rings

So if you read my last post, you know of my recently acquired collection of handmade buttons.  If you didn't read it, go read it now.  Scroll down.  I'll  wait.  Okay.  Good.  So I decided to make rings from some of the buttons.  Here's how I did it.  First, I took a piece of wire and threaded it through each of the holes on the button.

Then, I wrapped each end of the wire back around my ring finger and through the other hole.

Then, I took the ends of the wire, trimmed them, and wrapped them around the main ring part of the wire.

That's it!  Simple, sweet, ADORABLE!  I've made four or five of these already.

-Amelia

Etsy!

This is just to let you guys know, I have an Etsy store now, so if you see something you like on the blog, you can probably buy it here at my Etsy store.  I'll be updating it and added new pieces a lot, so keep checking.  And if you like something that isn't for sale, or is sold out, comment on the post and I'll see what I can do!

-Amelia

DIY Polymer Clay Buttons

I keep seeing cute projects labeled "What to do with all you buttons" or "How to use up your button collection" and I started to get upset, because I felt like everyone was leaving me out of some secret club of button hoarders or something.  I have no buttons.  So I decided to remedy that problem.  First, I grabbed a block of clay.

Then, I took a chunk and moled into a sphere.  Your's can be however large you like.

Then, I used my thumb to crush the sphere until it was about 3 or 4 millimeters thick.

I rolled the circle along the table on it's side to flatten them, and then used a toothpick to put two holes in it.

I made quite a few of these, and experimented with color, shape and size.

I like them, and now I'm part of the button club!

-Amelia

Polymer Clay Flower Ring

On Etsy here.

So more polymer clay.  I had it out from the last post, and I saw a tutorial on Maria Just Do It!  for a cute polymer clay ring.  So I grabbed a purple block, and started to sculpt.

I then softened a chunk, and molded into a circle.  Then, I squished it into a flat circle.

I cut the edges off into a square, then cut each corner towards the center.

I then folded over one of the corners across it's own tab to the center.

I also pressed the center in with a little glass bead.  Then, I rolled out some more polymer clay into a long thin strip.

I then wrapped the strip around my ring finger.  It was long, so I wrapped it around more than once.  Then I toasted the clay.

I took my body sparkles (yes, I have body sparkles)  and glittered the flower.  Then, I painted the flower with my sparkly purple nail polish,

Then, I used Gorilla Glue to glue the ring part to the flower part.

It sticks really well, but takes forever to dry, so be careful.  Then, glue on a little bead.

Whoop! There it is!

-Amelia

Faceted Bead Necklace

On Etsy here.

I saw this faceted necklace tutorial on Childerhouse I liked how it looked, and as you know I have an extensive collection of polymer clay.  So I grabbed a block of purple and got started.

First, I just softened a chunk of clay, and rolled 3 small and equal balls.

Then, I used a butter knife to press the sides and make it faceted.  I did it unevenly, because I think it looks cooler that way.

Okay, so if you've read my earlier post, you know I've had some issues with polymer clay.  Well, this time, even though I didn't burn the beads, I did forget to poke holes in them.  Okay, so just so you know, you HAVE to use a toothpick to put a hole in the beads before you bake them.  I know it seems obvious, but mistakes have been made... by me.  So be careful.

So those are my new beads.  Then, take a piece of wire, and put it through the beads.  Just tuck the wire into the beads on both ends.

Add chain to the necklace, and you are DONE!

So it's cute, and really happy.  Speaking in terms of color.

-Amelia

Mouse Pad Earrings

On Etsy here.

This is, yes indeed, another pair of earrings.  And these ones are made of...  A MOUSEPAD!  Yep, I have an old mousepad.  It's black on the front, and maleable white on the back.  I like it.

Anyway, I wanted to do sort of long triangular earrings.  Elegant, but modern.  So I took my scissors, and cut two long triangles (surprise!)

Then I used a needle, and put a hole in the top (the tip at the top of the two longer sides.)  Then, I cut off the very tip so that it's a flat top over the hole.  Then I just put on two jump-rings in each.

Then I just put an earring back on each triangle.

I think they are really cool, and will go well with black and white outfits with red lipstick.

-Amelia

Anthropology Knockoff Knockoff Necklace

On Etsy here.

I saw an Anthropologie knockoff on the Quiet Lion Art Blog and I decided to do a knockoff.  Yes, a knockoff of a knockoff.  Don't judge.  Okay, so I have a lot of these simple glass beads, and a huge tangled mess of wire.  Gaze upon the tangle.  This is what happens when you don't take care of your wire.  Be careful.

Anyway, I cut about 3 inches of the wire off, and flattened it out.  I also gave it a little bit of a curve.

I then I put a little loop on the end of the wire by folding it over, and twisting the leftover wire around.

I don't know if you can see it, but the loop is there.  Anyway, then I added the beads.  I did it asymmetrically.

I then tied up the other end by trimming the wire and bended it over, and tucking the end into the last bead.  Then I just added the chains.

It doesn't look much like the original, but it's different in a good way.

-Amelia

Ribbon and Chain Charm Bracelet

I had a cute heart charm bracelet.  The charms broke off, but the chain is cute and pink, and I like it.

So I took some of those T-Shirt ribbons I mentioned in my last post, and wove them through the chain.  First, I just put it through once.

Then, I doubled it over, and sewed up the doubled up part with black thread.

I then simply threaded it back and forth, and knotted it at the end.

I took another ribbon, and tied it up at the end, then knotted it at every inch along the chain.

I attached some jump-rings, and some cute charms.

There it is.  You can't see all of the charms, but I will let you know they are cute.

-Amelia