DIY: Polymer Clay Necklaces

My style has been evolving lately. One weekend, I went through my entire closet and purged a lot of clothes that I have not been wearing and gave them to Z's sisters, dedicated one bag to selling in my upcoming store, and then another to donate to the Salvation Army / Goodwill thrift stores. I gave away three whole bags of clothes! I have been horrible at cleaning out my closet and would just hoard things just for the sake of saying "Hey! I might wear this in the future..." It felt amazing to get rid of some of my material things for a more minimal and stream-lined wardrobe. My closet is still a work in progress, but I can find things and decide what to wear in the morning that much faster than before. 

I have been opting to wear more 100% cotton "mom jeans" in that they are ultra durable, high-waisted, fit more straight legged, and then taper down at the bottom with a petite rise length. I've been collecting vintage Levi's in the 501 and 550 (my favorite even though it's been discontinued and a rarer find) styles from various sources in dark and light washes.  I know these jeans may not be for everyone, but they are so comfortable to me that it doesn't really matter if they give me mom-jean-butt. I love them! I will usually wear a basic shirt tucked in and some clogs or ankle boots. I really wanted to add more visual interest to my daily looks, so I decided to make statement clay necklaces that I have seen everyone wearing...also because I secretly want to dress like a 90's art school teacher / pottery professor.   ;)

With that image burned into your minds, here is my first run at making clay necklaces. I really wanted a semi-circle clay piece with a marbled effect to imitate beautiful porcelain ones I had seen online. After a quick trip to the craft store, I took out the clay and experimented with different mixing effects and methods of creating semi-circle tube structures and beads. I think that next time, I will have more refined pieces since I actually made these necklaces without the use of a rolling pin. Why? Well, because sometimes I like to make things exceedingly more difficult for myself than they need to be! (But perhaps because I only had the use of a near-by cup) Also, I would like to try out different bead shapes and apply various textures to the clay. Please remember this was my way of creating these necklaces, but I am sure there are probably better (ah!), easier ways of creating them if you Google around the inter-webs. (I recommend this one too!)

So without further adieu, here's my first try (Sorry I am horrible!) at making necklaces,but I hope to try again soon! It was a nice break from my daily routine to sit down and be more creative during the weekend. Enjoy!

SUPPLIES:

• 2 colors of polymer clay (Fimo or Sculpey are good. You can find them at a craft stores.)
• Metal skewer (or other metal rod about the same thickness)
• Something to cut the clay with (I have a blade like this one but an Exacto knife or something similar would work fine)
• Rolling pin (Not pictured)
• Wax paper / foil for baking 
• Various cords to string your necklaces: suede / leather cording
• Beads or copper metal tubes to embellish your pieces (Optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Massage the clay in your hands until it’s soft enough to work with. For the color that you want less of, use a ball about 3/4″ in diameter. The other color should be about 1 3/4″ in diameter.

Roll each ball of clay between your hands until it’s slightly oblong (oval). Roll them out with a rolling pin. Roll from tip to tip of the oval, if that makes since. You want to make the shape longer. Once the clay is pretty thin (around 2mm), cut off the edges so you have a clean rectangle. Gently press the two rectangles together (see below). Use your finger to carefully smudge the crease to hold the two rectangles together, but don’t go overboard or you’ll destroy that nice straight line. The two rectangles will adhere securely in a later step when you roll it out some more.

Place the skewer on one of the long sides of your clay. carefully wrap the skewer with the clay. Cut off the extra. The edges should overlap just slightly.

Use the palm of your hand to gently roll the clay wrapped skewer on a clean surface. This will flatten out the bulk where the two edges overlap and start to blend them. Use your finger to smudge the clay to get rid of the seam.

Once the seam is gone, roll the clay wrapped skewer under your palm some more to make the shape clean and consistent and to get rid of finger prints

Use your cutting tool to cut off the uneven edges. You’ll have to work your way around the skewer carefully since you can’t cut through the skewer. I did this while it was still on the skewer so I wouldn’t squish the opening with the blade.

 Bend the shape to create a smile. :) Place it on a cookie sheet and bake it at 275˚F for 30 minutes.

Before the clay cools, you can also take your Exacto knife again to the end edges to make sure they are nice, clean cuts. Once cool, thread a chain through the opening and wear your lovely new necklace! I tried both a short chain and a long chain. Both have a pretty different look, so hopefully my pictures here will help you figure out which chain length you prefer. Below are the finished necklaces:

Summa Summa Summertime

I am absolutely smitten with Esther (via Esther From the Sticks) and her beautiful vintage-inspired swimsuit creation. I've been looking for a nice swim suit that shows off just the right amount of skin and this suit would be perfect. The detailing of the black buttons down the front adds the perfect flair to the suit. I can't wait for Esther to open up her etsy shop, but until then make sure to check out her blog and other sewing creations here.

All photos via Esther From the Sticks