Stamped Butterfly Pendant by Cindi McGee

Stamped Butterfly Pendant 

Designed by Cindi McGee

Spring is here and that means butterflies begin to appear again and dance among the flowers.  The soft coloring of this pendant is from oil pastels.  Thanks to Design Team Member Carole Monahan and her "Dreamy Pastel Statement Necklace" made with Pan Pastels, I was inspired to pull out my oil pastels and revisit using them to color sheets of Makin's Clay®!  They were the perfect option for this blended, soft background color.  I am also sharing a new "technique" I discovered for shaping Makin's Clay® once it is dry...... 

Materials:

Makin’s Clay® - Natural or White 

Makin’s® Ultimate Clay Machine™

Makin’s® Cutting Mat 

Krylon® Silver Leafing Pen 

Clearsnap® ColorBox™ Crafters Ink - Purple

Pentel® Oil Pastels 

Sizzix® Big Shot 

Sizzix®  Bigz Die - Butterfly, Flower, Leaf & Shamrock

JudiKins™ Floral Wave stamp 

JudiKins™ Tidy Tray 

Fine paintbrush 

Heat tool 

Small glass beads - clear and pale blue 

Connie Crystal purple crystal bead 

Silver jump rings, jewelry wire, jewelry pliers, silver eye pin, silver closure 

Tapestry needle or tiny hole punch

Instructions:

Roll Makin’s Clay® in Ultimate Clay Machine starting on setting #1 and ending at setting #2.  Let  dry 24 hours. 

Die cut butterfly from dry sheet of clay using Sizzix® Big Shot™ and die.  

“Scribble” with purple and teal blue oil pastel crayon on both sides of butterfly.  

Use fingertip to gently blend colors together.   I added a bit moire of the purple in the center of my butterfly as shown. 

Stamp both sides with the background stamp and purple ink.  Use heat tool to dry.  Now this is what I discovered and think is really nifty.... While clay is still warm from heat tool, bend wings upward and place between two objects to keep there while clay cools.  The wings will remain lifted once the clay has cooled.   You can re-shape/bend DRY Makin's Clay® by heating it with a heat tool!

Use fine paintbrush to apply Krylon Silver Leafing to outside edge of butterfly. 

Cut jewelry wire to desired length for pendant.  Place glass beads in Tidy Tray, bead entire length of wire with clear and pale blue beads in a random pattern.  Add jewelry closure. 

Make a small hole in head of butterfly with a tapestry needle or tiny hole punch.  Add silver jump ring.

Place purple crystal onto eye pin with clear glass bead.  Add to center of necklace.  Add jump ring to eye to hang butterfly.

Spring Pansy Earrings DIY Video by Cindi McGee

In this DIY video, Cindi McGee shares how easy it is to make these spring pansy earrings by layering Makin's Clay® in our Floral push mold.  

"Marsala" Necklace & Earrings - How-to Video

Cindi Bisson shares a two piece jewelry set featuring twisted Makin's Clay® beads in Pantone's 2015 Color of the Year - Merlot!  Find out how in episode of Creatively Crafty with Cindi Bisson -

More Projects from New Port Sales Classes featuring Makin's Clay®

We are half way through our 3 day class in this week long series of classes Cindi Bisson is teaching at New Port Sales.   Yesterday and today, students created a textured Makin's Clay® charm bracelet accented with Clearsnap foiled adhered with Beacon Adhesives Tacky Glue, decorated flower pots with push molded flowers, created a faux leather bracelet stamped with JudiKins rubber stamps and accented with DecoArt paint, created a coiled clay necklace and matching earrings with Connie Crystal accents, made faux stone pendants, created black & white floral pins with Sizzix products and JudiKins stamps, and created canvas paintings with liquified Makin's Clay®!  They've been busy and have one more day with us tomorrow, then a new group will be here for a 1 day class on Friday.

Makin's Clay® Groovy Flower Earrings

Whenever I’m working with Makin’s Clay® and have leftover clay after I finish my project, I either use that clay with a Makin’s Brand® push mold to make flowers or other pieces for use later, or I roll it to at least a #7 setting on my Makin’s Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine (I roll some to a #8, some to a #9 - so I will have random thicknesses to work with) and let it dry to be die cut or punched for later use.    I love having a stash of pre-prepared Makin’s Clay® goodies ready for use for projects at any time. - Cindi

Materials: 

Makin’s Clay® - Natural 

Makin’s Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine 

Flower punch 

Small hole punch 

Beacon Adhesives 527 Multi-Use Glue
Connie Crystal - 8 yellow, 4 green crystals

Earth Safe Finishes Iridescents by Ann Butler Designs - Sunshine, Limelight, Tangelo, Lilac, Berry

Instructions: 

Punch out several (at least 6) flowers from sheet of dry Makin’s Clay® (any light color - Natural clay rolled to a #7 for these flowers). 

Place onto scrap paper, use fingers to apply Earth Safe Finishes Iridescents by Ann Butler Designs randomly onto front and back of each flower.  I wanted to achieve a bit of a “tie dyed” effect so I let my shades overlap and blend into each other somewhat.  Let dry. 

Punch small hole in end of one petal of each flower.  Add silver jump ring. 

Use Beacon Adhesives 527 Multi-Purpose Glue to add a yellow or green Connie Crystal to the center of each side of each flower.  Let dry. 

Cut two pieces of three links from silver chain.   Add one flower to each link.  Add silver french wires.  

"Season of Green" Earrings

“Season of Green” Earrings

Designed by: 

Cindi Bisson - Behind These Eyes™ 

www.fatcatcreations.com 

March is here and as St. Patrick’s Day approaches, many, whether Irish or not, begin wearing green in celebration.  These “Season of Green” earrings which combine the sparkle of Connie Crystal with the texture of hand-made Makin’s Clay beads, along with a touch of the Leprechaun’s gold of course, are a great enhancement to any green ensemble whether formal or casual. 

Materials: 

13mm Green Connie Crystals 

120g Green Makin’s Clay® 

Makin’s Professional® Ultimate Clay Extruder Deluxe Set 

Makin’s Professional® ClayCore® Extruder Adapters - Set A 

EarthSafe Finishes Iridescents by Ann Butler Designs - Green 

Scissors, jewelry pliers 

Goldtone jewelry head pins, French earring wires, goldtone bead findings

Instructions: 

Place each green Connie Crystal onto head pin.  Add gold finding bead.  Set aside. 

Place green Makin’s Clay® into Ultimate Clay Extruder, add ClayCore® adapter over clay,  place square extruding disc into cover and screw on to extruder.  The ClayCore® adapter lets you extrude beads with the holes already in them.  

Extrude square clay bead until all clay is used.  Remove from extruder. 

Use fingertip to apply even coat of green Iridescents to all sides of extruded bead.  Let dry approximately 24 hours.  

Use scissors to cut individual 3/4" beads. 

Add clay beads above gold findings on pins.  Add small gold beads on top.

Use jewelry pliers to coil remaining ends on pins and add to French earring wires.