Making a Simple Heart a Bit Fancy

Hearts have always been one of my favorite things to make...well, hearts and flowers.  I can remember playing in mud when I was a child and making flowers and hearts. I loved playing in mud!  This is a simple little tutorial on how I throw a heart together.

I used Premo! Peacock Pearl right out of the package.  After conditioning the clay, I took about 1/8th?

of the package and chopped it up with my blade.

Pick up all the little pieces and smoosh them together.

This will give your heart a lot of depth and marbling from the mica

that is in the pearl clay.....LOVE IT!

 Roll them into a  smooth ball.

See the blues/turquoise and greens? Yummy!

With the ball of clay between your palms, roll it back and forth putting more pressure

on one side of the ball to make a teardrop shape.

I made this funny little tool to help create the cleft in the heart, I also use

a needle tool on occasion, it just takes a bit more smoothing to get the lobes

just right.

You just press the tool in to the wide part and toggle it back and forth until

you get it opened up to your liking.

 Notice that it isn't perfect, but it is a good start. :)

Smooth out and round the lobes

Until you get them to the shape you are happy with.

Next you need to decide where you want the hole. For this heart, I wanted the hole

straight through the lobes. You could also go straight down through the cleft and out the

point...or any which way you want your heart to hang.  Also,  you can insert a bail for hanging

if you so wish.

To pierce a bead it is best to use a drilling motion starting on one side and piercing part way 

through, turn it over and line up your needle and work the other side in the same way

until it comes out the first hole.  

I enlarged the hole with a bamboo skewer, then left a piece of a skewer in to keep the hole

and to hold as I decorated it.

At this point, smooth your fingertips over the heart like you are gently petting it

to erase the fingerprints.

 Collect some canes and clay to see what you want to use to

decorate your heart.

I chose a pink flower cane and a purple flower cane that were sitting in my

cane box just waiting for their moment in time.

I can't tell you how old these are...probably 5 years old or so.

 I like to do a bit of manipulation to the cane slices.

My "tools" are actually handmade glass ink pens from Italy. :)

Make up some bitsy little leaves from green.

Sweet!

Roll out a thin snake/vine and lay it on the heart then decorate with

cane slices and leaves to your heart's desire. hehe...get it?

Cure it according to the package's direction, put it on a ribbon and wear it proudly.

If you make a heart, I would love to see it!!
Check out my About Page and let me know what you think.

blessings, Zuda Gay

How To Make A Hibiscus

I have been working on a custom order this week making some hibiscus pendants in several different colors. I made my first hibiscus as a special request for a customer because it was one of her favorite flowers. It has never been one of my favorite ones to make. But! as I was working on them this week I came up with a different way to put them together than what I was doing and now I am enjoying making them. :) Yay! So, I just thought I would share my newly found process on how to make a polymer clay Hibiscus Pendant.

As with every pendant/focal I make, I begin with scrap clay. I have decided that this pendant will take the amount of clay of one 40mm circle and one 30mm circle of clay rolled on #1 of my Atlas Pasta Machine.

Smoosh the two circles together and roll into a smooth ball.

I take my petal cane and cut off several slices then run them through
my pasta machine on #5 or so.

Then use the flattened slices to cover the ball.

Roll it smooth.

Flatten the ball into about a 1/4" thick disk.

Using a rounded end of a tool or pen? make a crater in the center.
Insert bails. (I use the plastic from a bacon package to build my flowers on)

Cut five petals from your cane. (about 2-3mm thick)

Flatten out a bit with your finger tips then lay the petal in your hand.

I use a moistened nightlight bulb to rub across the petal to flatten it a bit more and
smooth it out.

Make waves or scallops around the edge of each petal by pinching and twisting a bit.

Over lap the side edges of the petals lightly pressing to get them to stick together.

When you get to the last petal, tuck it under the edge of the first petal to
complete the circle.

Center your circle of petals on top of your base making sure you have them
arranged in the way you want them.

Using the end of a tool or pen push the center of your petals down into the
crater you made in the base.
Gently press your petals down onto the base.

Make a pistil and put the end in the hole you made in the center arranging it the way you want.

Finished Hibiscus Pendant ready to be cured.

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. The techniques I used to make the petal cane may be found in many places online. Here is a great link: Donna Kato Petal Cane

blessings, ZudaGay

Count Down and A Little Sculpted Leaf Tutorial

August 19th count: 994! The person who buys the 1000th item will get to choose a free item from my shop. AND....there will be a give away here.
The count down (or up) is at 990....only 10 more items sold to reach 1000!!!

This is a little tutorial for making a somewhat realistic sculpted leaf. You may make a leaf any size you like with these directions. This one is quite small, I think it ends up being less than 1/2" long. I will put these leaves on the top of a pod bead. I think they add just the right finishing touch! You will need Polymer Clay and a needle or needle tool.

Roll a smooth ball of clay. This one is about the size of a very small pea.

Place your finger on the side of the ball and roll it back and forth
to make a teardrop shape.

Flatten your teardrop into a leaf shape.

Using a needle tool make a crease down the center of the leaf.
(my needle tool is a needle that has been baked in a clay snake for a handle)

Using your needle tool make veins on one side of the leaf
with the point of the needle touching your center line and
angling with the point toward the base of the leaf.

Press veins into the other side.

A leaf with veins.

Run your needle tool down the center from point to base to make the veins line up
and to give a crease to fold the leaf so it looks realistic.

Fold the leaf on the crease and
squeeze the point then give it a little turn or twist to make it look realistic.

Finished leaf ready to decorate a bead.

The leaves are going on top of a little pod bead.

Placing the sculpted leaves on a pod bead with the needle tool.

Finished bead ready to cure.

I hope you enjoyed this little leaf tutorial. If you have any questions about it or about working with polymer clay, I am happy to help!!

blessings, ZudaGay