Blended Earrings - A Twist on the Skinner Blend by Lisa Haney

Blended Earrings 

Designed by Lisa Haney

Lisa Haney is sharing these fun summer earrings with a great blended clay ` similar to the Skinner Blend - but with a unique twist!

Supplies:

Makin’s Clay®

White

Black

Recommended Makin’s® Tools

Makin’s Clay® Cutter Set –  Round (Large)

Makin’s Clay® Cutter Set –  Flower (Small)

Makin’s Clay® Roller & Cutters Set

Makin’s Clay® Mixing Ruler™

Makin’s Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine®

Makin’s Professional® Cutting Mat

Other Materials:

Corn Starch

Ear Wires

Jump Rings

Oil Paints

Paint Brush

Pliers

Small round cutter

Method

  

Create a sheet of white Makin’s Clay® by running it through the Makin’s Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine® on the largest setting, #1.    

Cut the sheet into two 1 ½” x 3” pieces using the roller cutter from the Makin’s Clay® Roller & Cutters Set.

Paint one color of oil paint making a triangle shape across the top of

one of the pieces and another color across the bottom.

Place the other piece over the top of the painted piece.  Run the whole thing through the clay machine   The longest edge should go into the clay machine first.

on the largest setting.

Fold the bottom of the piece up to the top always lining up the sides and run through the clay machine.  Repeat until the sheet is completely blended.  Be careful to never turn the sheet so that only one color is touching the rollers (usually it is the longest edge that goes into the clay machine first.)  There should always be two colors touching the rollers like in the picture, red on one side and yellow on the other.  This is similar to the Skinner Blend.

If the clay gets sticky, rub it with a little corn starch.  (This is corn starch is a small sock.)

Once the sheet it blended, move the setting of the

clay machine down one setting at a time until the clay has been run through the #4 setting.

Create a sheet of black Makin’s Clay® by running it through the clay machine starting with the largest setting.  Move the setting of the clay machine down one setting at a time until the clay has been run through the #4 setting. 

Cut out two large circles from the shaded sheet using the large round cutter from the Makin’s Clay® Round Cutter Set.

Cut out two small flowers from the black sheet using the small flower cutter from the Makin’s Clay® Flower Cutter Set and two flowers from inside of the circles. 

Remove the shaded flowers from the circles and replace with the black flowers.  Cut small dots from the shaded flowers and put on the black flowers as centers.

Poke a hole in the top of the circles with the stylus from the Makin’s Clay® Mixing Ruler™.  Let dry 24 hours.

Add jump rings and earring wires then enjoy your new earrings!

Never Grow Up Flower Memory Frame by Lisa Haney

Never Grow Up Flower Memory Frame

Designed by Lisa Haney 

Supplies:

Makin’s Clay®

White (comes in the Memory Frame Kit)

Recommended Makin’s® Tools

Makin’s Brand® Memory Frame Kit

Makin’s Professional® Cutting Mat

Makin’s® Push Mold - Florals

Other Materials:

Beacon™ Tacky Glue

Cardboard

Exacto Blade

Oil Paint - Burnt Umber and a set of colors

Paint Brush

Paper Towels

Picture

Poem

Rubber Gloves

Scissors

Method

Open the Makin’s Brand® Memory Frame Kit and remove the white clay.  Open the clay with the scissors. 

Mold leaves and flowers using the Makin’s® Push Mold - Florals.  I made six each of five different   I bent the leaves to give them some shape.  Set aside to dry.

flowers, 50 bigger leaves, and several smaller leaves.

Cut a piece of cardboard which fits into the shadow box side of the frame (about 6 6/8” x 5).  Lay the picture in the center of the cardboard and trace around it.  Draw a line ¼” toward the center.  This will be the frame for the flowers and leaves.

Lay the cardboard on the Makin’s Professional® Cutting Mat.  Cut  Discard the center piece.

the center piece out with the exacto blade.

Begin gluing the flowers and leaves to the frame with the Beacon™ Tacky Glue.  They should hang over slightly on each side of the frame.  Because the flowers and leaves will be flexible, they will bend when the frame is inserted into the Memory Kit Frame.

Continue until the entire frame is covered.  Set aside to allow the glue to dry.

Glue leaves to two flowers and also set aside to allow the glue to dry.

To antique the frame, put the rubber gloves on and begin painting the frame with the burnt umber oil paint.  Make sure paint into the crevasses.

Immediately rub the oil paint off with a paper towel leaving it in the details and the crevasses. 

Complete the whole frame.

Do the same for the two flowers.

Put a small amount of green oil paint on a paper towel and rub it onto a leaf.  Immediately rub it off. 

Continue with other colors until the whole frame has been painted.  Repeat any colors if they get painted over or are not dark enough.  Let dry.

Repeat with the two flowers.

Tape your picture at the back of the frame on the shadow box side..  Slide a plastic mat over the picture.  Gently push the flower frame into the memory frame until it is pressed against the plastic mat.  Slide another plastic mat into the front of the frame.

Add the poem to the opposite frame (not the shadow box side) using the picture mat to frame it.  Slide a plastic mat over the top of it.  Cut a piece of the double-sided adhesive tape from the Memory Kit and attach it to the small flowers.  Attach the flowers to the plastic mat on the poem side.

Use a different mold and repeat the whole process for the other sides of the frames!