Tutorials

Today I wanted to share a step by step picture tutorial on how to make clay embellishments for your cards and scrapbook pages. 

 I used white Sculpey Premo clay. You need to sit on it for a half hour to warm it up. I ran it through my pasta machine that I use just for clay. Run the clay through on setting #1 about 20 times to soften and condition it and to get all the air bubbles out. Or do it by hand and roll the clay out with a rolling pin. My pasta machine has a motor on it so it usually just takes a few minutes.

Lay the clay out on your work surface and cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Take a rubber stamp(deeper etched stamps work best but I've used all kinds)and stamp it onto your versa mark pad, then stamp onto your clay. You need to play around with the pressure. The clay is soft at this point and you may need to slowly peel the clay off of your stamp. This is where your patience comes into play

 

Using eyelets, place onto your clay and push down. I then picked the cut out clay up and poked through the eyelet with a stylus. I've forgotten a couple holes and found they still poke out after they're baked as long as the eyelet has gone all the way through the clay. 

 

I used perfect pearls powder to paint the clay. Use a dry brush. I used about 4 different colors on each piece.(Any kind of bronzing powder will work) I then used my stylus to press indentations where I wanted the rhinestones to sit. You'll have to glue them back in securely after the clay cools completely. I used SU crystal effects to glue them in. Just flick the stones out and place a small drop in the indentation. I save all my broken jewelry and with a fine wire cutter I open the prongs and pry the rhinestones out to use them in clay making.

 I bake my clay in a toaster oven that I use for clay. Follow baking instructions on pkg. Mine were baked at 275 for 30 minutes. Do not touch the clay until it has cooled. I've read somewhere not to use your regular food oven or baking trays that you cook food on.

 I used a background Christmas stamp from a 4 sided stamp block to make the heart.(Stampendous Holiday quad cube) 

 My favorite color combination in pinks and coppers.  I also made the paper using dye inks, metallic pens, and a plastic page protector.

 Clear as mud? And yes I will do a tutorial on the paper soon.