I think it is amazing that after over 25 years in a craft, I can still come across something that blows my mind. That’s how I felt the first time I realized a couple of years ago that I could use more than one stamp on the same sheet of clay. First stamping a texture then stamping a pattern.
So I returned to it yesterday in order to show you another neat little trick I figured out.
First, if you want to recreate these earrings – here is what you will need:
- 1/2 block of Sculpey Premo Bronze (although any natural(ish) color will work)
- Pasta machine, blade, baby wipes – basic clay tools!
- The Sculpey texture sheet with woodgrain (although the dandylion would be cool too!)
- Small piece of texture like course sandpaper. I use Safety Walk tape from Home Depot because it doesn’t shed like sandpaper and I can use it over and over and it goes through the pasta machine!
- Assorted colors of Pearl Ex – I used the new colors because they were still on my desk: Knox Gold, Green-Gold and Hot Copper (I basically would put this color on EVERYTHING)
- Sculpey Tools cutters – the teardrop and circle cutter set (I use the 1.5 inch teardrop and the .75 inch round for this project)
- Sculpey Satin glaze – love the new bottle, but don’t store it next to your LS or you *could* get it mixed up with them (several times for me so far)
- Acrylic paint – mine is Barnwood by Folkart (and it’s a perfect color for adding lowlights to LS Greige Granite or Premo Grey Granite) and a small brush
- Small spray bottle of water
- 6 antique copper-toned or gold-toned eyepins, ear wires and instant glue
- Optional: Acrylic roller or Coffee Tamper
Step 1:
Sheet out the conditioned Bronze on the #2 setting on your pasta machine (my machine widest is 0). Lightly spray the stair tred texture with water and roll both back through the pasta machine on #2.
Neat trick #1 – I use my NCT color circles to write the layers numbers and include in a photo step so I can remember what layers I’m using.
Step 2:
Lightly spray the wood texture with water and place face down on the sheet of textured clay.
Step 3:
I like to use my coffee tamper to embed the stamp into the clay. I can slide up back and forth on the stamp and press in areas that have more detail.
Step 4:
Remove the texture and look at your twice textured clay! Here is a photo with the left side piece of clay only stamped with the wood texture and the right side double stamped. The double stamped version looks more natural to me. We will only need ONE of these double stamped textures to make both earrings.
Step 5
I have the new Pearl Ex colors, so I decided to LIGHTLY add some to the surface of the clay (after it dried from the water from stamping!). I used Knox Gold, Green/Gold and the Hot Copper – all VERY sparingly! Notice I only touch my finger into the powder that is in the lid – never directly into the powder container.
Step 6:
Okay, enough of that nonsense! Let’s see how it looks before we cut..
Step 7:
I’m going to position the third from the largest teardrop cutter so that the fatter tip of the cutter is right through the center of that knothole feature. See how it looks like it isn’t long enough? Yeah, doesn’t even show once it’s cut. Cut it out and set aside.
Step 8:
Neat trick #2! Spin the sheet of clay around and position the same part of the cutter right next to where you made the first cut. Now we will have two pieces that are not quite matching, but have the knothole feature.
Step 9:
Before you set aside the remaining sheet of clay, use the smallest circle cutter to cut two circles out of that clay remaining on the right side.
Step 10:
I always bake my clay and then put the holes in after baking. If you prefer to place your holes before baking, put one small hole at the top of the teardrop and two holes (top and bottom) in each circle.
Once the clay has baked and cooled, apply a very thin coat of the Satin glaze to the top surface of the clay. I prefer to do this with just a small drop of glaze touched to my dampened finger. That way, the glaze is only the surfaces that have the Pearl Ex on them and not in the lower parts of the texture. Neat trick #3 – accidentally get a glop of glaze in a texture? Hold it up and blow on it HARD – just don’t blow it towards anything good..or a dog..they don’t appreciate that blast of glaze. WHY DO I GLAZE NOW? To protect the Pearl Ex so that in the next step when I apply the paint and wipe it off the upper surfaces, I don’t contaminate or wear off the Pearl Ex. I also like the contrast of the glossier surface with the matte painted parts of the design.
Step 11:
Once the glaze has dried, apply the Barnwood paint with the small brush liberally to get it into the texture grooves. Use a folded baby wipe to immediately wipe the upper surfaces clean of the paint.
Step 12:
Once the glue has dried, I drilled my holes and assembled the earrings.
Ironically, I don’t wear earrings because I have a tattoo on my ear (it’s called a helix tattoo) and I only wear small studs in my other ear.
But I love to make earrings!
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