Nature's Path Pendant

Clay is such a wonderful medium. My definition of clay has always been "that magical stuff that dreams are made of." Since leaving my clay background as a full time, production potter for over 25 years - for papercrafting, I have not looked back. Yet, on occasion I have missed the versatility of clay and especially the use of negative and positive images in mold making.

Introducing our newest set, Nature's Path, which was made especially for polymer clay, precious metal clay (pmc), art silver clay, etc.  Nature's Path also works beautifully on paper!

Working as a potter was a messy job. Clay dust was everywhere and I was not a neat potter at all. I got wet clay in in my hair, on my face, down my legs and up past my elbows. 

Now I have discovered polymer clay. Just 25 minutes in a toaster oven at 275 degrees and it is done!  At one time I was such an art snob that I never would have considered using "plastic clay." To me, if a piece of clay was not fired to cone 10 in a reduction atmosphere then it was not "real." Boy, have I come a long way :)

 Instructions:

With only three woodsy peg stamps, Nature's Path turns polymer clay into a beautiful piece of jewelry!

Materials -
You will need the Natures Path peg stamp set
Clay and accessories
Exacto knife
water and a fine mist sprayer is helpful
acrylic paint
foam or small artist brush
plastic clay-making tools are helpful
fine sand paper
a toaster oven
goggles or protective eyewear
and some heavy-duty glue (I like to use E6000 or a similar glue)

 

Because we want the images to be raised instead of concave, we will first make a mold out of the polymer clay. I love molds. You can re-create the same design over and over with a single mold.  Just think of the jewelry you can make to sell or give away.  Rubber Stamp Tapestry is an angel company which means that you can use our images to make products to sell.  Not all rubber stamp manufacturers are angel companies so it is a good idea to ask before using rubber stamps to make items that you intend to sell.

When choosing rubber stamps for polymer clay, I have found that the more detailed the better.  Since our images are tiny and highly detailed, they lend themselves well to polymer clay and the mold making process.

Back to the instructions.

Take the pendant and lay a  piece of narrow ribbon (I use an organza) inside the pendant. This ribbon will help you remove the clay once it is baked.

This shows how to use the ribbon before filling the pendant with clay. This helps when removing the clay from the pendant.

Now fill the space with clay.  Make sure the clay is not above the rim of the metal. (I like it only slightly recessed) Spray the clay with water, which will serve as a release agent so the rubber will not stick to the clay. Then use the stamps in the set to create your own little garden!

Bake the mold. Leave the clay inside the pendant to bake it, making sure not to heat the polymer clay over 275 degrees (for 25 minutes) to avoid the release of fumes. Bake it on a piece of cardstock or cardboard.

After completely cool, remove the baked clay from the metal heart, using the ribbon.  Remember, this clay will bend and it has a lot of flexibility.

Next, place the ribbon back in the pendant and refill the pendant with polymer clay and spray lightly with water. Then place the baked mold over the clay filled pendant and press until the excess clay squishes out of the sides.

This images shows a differently shaped pendant for the purposes of illustration. I used a clay tool to remove the excess clay as shown in this photo.

Gently remove the mold (the top heart). Bake the resulting piece inside of the pendant at 275 degrees for 25 minutes.  If you are unsure about the temperature, use an oven thermometer.  Do not over bake or heat over 275 degrees. Cool completely and remove from metal pendant.  Lightly sand edges with fine grade sand paper.  At this point, before putting the clay back inside the pendant, is the best time to add color to the clay.

 

  
It it better to first remove the fired clay from the pendant before working with color, to avoid painting the metal.  If you forget (like I did in the above photo), no big deal, just scrub the paint off with a plastic dish scrubber.

Next, take a piece of foam and some thinned acrylic paint and colorize the clay, working the color into the recessed areas of the clay. Do this quickly because acrylic dries pretty fast. You can use either a brush or a sponge. Spray lightly with water to disperse the color before the acrylic starts to dry. For quick drying, you can put it back in the oven for 4-5 minutes.  Cool completely.

Lightly sand the outside rough edges and surface with a fine grade sandpaper and then glue the heart into the pendant. Mount the pendant on a chain and you are ready for the party!

 

Nunn Design’s Pateras are gorgeous! They are cast in pewter and plated in precious metals and are made right here in the USA and you don't have to worry about lead or other toxic materials. You can see the rest of the Becky Nunn's findings that we sell here. 

I sure hope you enjoyed this new adventure and that you will stay tuned. We have great plans for other pieces of jewelry and paper crafting embellishments... in clay!

Until next time...
Happy Stamping from Susan and rest of the gang at Rubber Stamp Tapestry!

 

Comments

[Traci Starkweather (Traci S.)]

How beautiful! And, how informative! This is so pretty! I loved when you put the green color on it...it really revealed all of the details...beautiful!

He IS Able,
Traci S.

[Michelle Adams]

What a TERRIFIC tutorial and project! Just beautiful...I'm going to have to try my hand at this! :)

[Julia]

Love is Susan!!!! Absolutely beautimous!

[Carolyn]

Thank you for such clear directions on your tutorial. when I saw this my son and I got started- he knows more about working with clay than I do, however neither of us understood about making the mold to get a raised design. Now that I understand that I can't wait to try some things again. We also experimented with combining clay colors and stamping with Memento inks and RST stamps right on Sculpey clay and Femo clay-fun! And we really liked the results.

[sue w]

Fantastic! I'm not much for polymer clay .... I always seem to burn it if you can believe it so I haven't used it in years. You heart pendant is just lovely.
stamping sue
http://stampingsueinconnecticut.blogspot.com/

[Mary Lou Knapke]

lovely

Mary Lou

[Sarah B]

so pretty and just my style! The tutorial was nicely detailed and those helpful hints to help us avoid mistakes.....thanks

[Catharine]

Great detail - thank you for the insight. Never thought of doing that... A whole new world is opened up....

[Mildred]

This looks like fun! Beautiful detail on the heart.

[Audrey Joy Rollins]

I'll love working with a new medium. Great tutorial! So pretty!

[Debbie From Missouri]

Once again, you have found a way to incorporate something I already have just sitting around waiting for the perfect project...I really like this one, too! Thanks

[BarbaraB]

Double WOW! That looks so awesome.

[Jan Koennecke]

Another great idea to use our Peg Stamps for! Its beautiful!

[Joan]

WOW ... what a great tutorial! Loved the new use of your delightful stamps.

[Barbara Dashwood]

Thank you for the precise directions on this beautiful project. I have read numerous books on this subject but never really felt ready to take the plunge. Having all the tools right there, and at a reasonable price, was also helpful. Looking forward to seeing more clay projects.

[Elizabeth]

What a lovely pendant. I have'nt worked with Sculpey since the early 1980's; it always smelled up the house! Can't wait to try the new Sculpey and your stamps to do this! Thanks for the mold info also; that was something I never knew about before. Congrats on a lovely project!

[Susan]

Hi Sue and Elizabeth,

If you are unsure of your oven temp, or think you are burning the clay, it is best to use an oven thermometer. I am not sure if they have changed the formula or not but my clay does not smell at all - before, during or after baking.

Thanks so much for your input. Maybe Sculpey III is a better formula than the previous clay.

[Pauline]

Thanks for such a detailed tutorial. I have some clay and I have some RST peg sets. Just need to acquire some pendant frames. Then it'll be play time!

[Heather B]

WHAT an excellent tutorial!! I jumped over from pinterest, and was joyous to find how simple it is to make molds from your stamps... I have several, but have no been able to get the kind of results I want, but this way is EXCELLENT! Thank you so much- I'll be back, and buying, in the future!!! (yes, you can stick my email on a mailing list for your stamps and findings if you'd like! They are so gorgeous!)