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Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Earthtone Faux Agate Bracelet by Cindi Bisson


Earthtone Faux Agate Bracelet 
Designed by Cindi Bisson

I love to experiment and try new techniques with working with Makin’s Clay®.  Pinterest is a great source of inspiration for new things to try.  Our Pinterest Board is full of projects featuring Makin’s Clay®, and also pins featuring other techniques that would be great to try with Makin’s Clay®.    

The original project that inspired my version can be found here on our Pinterest board.   I loved her original color palette, but did not want to just copy her, so I went with a more earthtone feel.  

Materials: 

Makin’s Clay® - White, Terra Cotta, Persimmon, Straw, Peach, Adobe Brown
                        - Cutting Mat
                        - Clay Tools 
                        - Circle Cutters 
JudiKins™ Diamond Glaze™
Jump rings, closure, jewelry pliers

Instructions:

I began by following the instructions from the original project from Pinterest, but I altered the color scheme a bit.  

Cut a piece of the white clay about 2” x 1/2” thick, then cut pieces of all the remaining colors approximately 1” x 1/2” thick. (Note:  I  made enough faux agate to make multiple beads for later use - you can modify the portions of each color as needed to make smaller or larger quantities.) 

Roll each color to approximately 1/8” thick.   

Roll the white clay into a tube.  Then begin rolling the other colors over the white clay, overlapping the colors in some areas, until all the colors are in a single “tube” - I started with lighter colors and worked to the darkest.  

Roll the tube with your fingers until it is about 1/4” in diameter. 

Cut the tube into smaller workable sections (I cut mine at about 3”).  

THIS IS WHERE I FOUND I HAD TO MODIFY THE INSTRUCTIONS TO GET THE RESULT I DESIRED WITH MAKINS CLAY®


The original instructions state to then cut the small sections of tube in half and roll.  I did not achieve results that I was happy with using this technique, so I modified it a bit.   

Cut small sections of the tube about 1/4”.  Flatten slightly with
fingers, then roll very thin until desired effect is achieved.  Use circle cutter to cut rolled clay.

I found that by rolling the clay very thin I got a better, blended result more true to the agate effect I was hoping for.  However, by rolling it this thin it mean the pieces were not usable as beads - so I created base pieces. 
 
Roll solid colored coordinating clay to approximately 1/8”
thick.  Cut circles with circle cutter.  

Layer each thin piece of “faux agate” clay onto a base piece.  No additional adhesive is necessary as clay is fresh.  If clay has begun to dry, add a small amount of water with your finger to adhere layers, or use Beacon® Tacky Glue.  

Use fingers to gently pull and elongate circles to create more  natural “agate” shapes.  

Use pin to make holes where desired.  I
made two on opposite sides for attaching jump rings for the project I was making. 

Let pieces dry 24 hours. 

Add jump rings and jewelry closure.   To add
a glossy finish similar to that of true agate, apply a layer of JudiKins™ Diamond Glaze to each piece.  








1 comment:

Unknown said...

I really like this...the coloring looks like shells I found on the beach..BeautifulL

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