Polymer clay pendants for Happy Daze

Hi everyone and Happy New Year :D
For my NEW technique this week I coloured white polymer clay using perfect pearls pigment powders.
I used white clay and manipulated it until it was nice and soft. I put my perfect pearls on a piece of clingfilm and squished the clay in to it, then neaded it in.
Polymer clay is much softer than it used to be so is much easier to get to a workable texture.

I added in some clear glitter to see how that would look baked, you can't really see it though on the front of the piece, but I rather like how the back turned out with the crinkles from the clingfilm :DIt could quite easily be made in to a reversible piece by adding detail to the back (which I have just thought of now by the way LOL ).

While the clay was still unbaked I cut it in to the shape, made my hanging holes, then pressed my butterfly stamp in to it.

I baked it according to the manufacturers instructions and left it to cool.

Once cooled I added alcohol inks, I started with greens and blues all over but didn't feel the text stood out enough, so I covered it in black soot.
I then removed the excess by wiping over the surface with a paper towel with a little bit of blending solution on leaving behind the ink in the stamped image.
I added a little bit of perfect pearls to the butterfly.
When everything was dry I coated it with layers of Lisa Pavelka resin.

I tried a couple of other pieces some succesful, others not.
This is the same blue as my main piece but I added beadazzles to it...
This piece didn't work so well as I added the resin just to the indented area first and it puddled the alcohol ink ...And these little birds turned out rather nicely.
The one on the left is just the perfect pearls, the one on the right is swiped over with black ink.

The great thing about this technique is that you only need to buy white clay and colour it any colour with your mica powders.

Whats your something new going to be this month?
Upload it to the launch post on the Happy Daze blog to be in with a chance of winning this months prize :D

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Edited to add - everybody seems to love that little bird mould so HERE is a link for it. Its only a little mould though probably about 2cm max accross the widest point

Naughty or nice???

The challenge this month over at Happy Daze blog is all to do with Christmas. Anything you have made to give as a gift, to wrap your gift in or label your gift.

This will also tie in very nicely with Tim's 12 days of christmas tags, so if you are planning to follow Tim and do the tags this year do check out the shop for many of the must have items you will need. If you do take part in his tag challenge please share them will us by uploading via the linky at the bottom of the POST.

I made a really sweet Nughty or Nice Santa Pin made using Lisa Pavelka Resin Pink Paislee Father Christmas around the world Paper a gold bail like this one corked Vials Christmas muse tokens platinum stickles
I covered the domino in the Around the world paper, add stickles to the edges then covered it in the Lisa Pavelka resin, set for 10 minutes in your UV lamp box, add the bail to the back and there it is a lovely altered domino ready for hanging. Add various beads to a length of chain using jump rings and attach the muse token to the bottom. In the little corked vial add your naughty and nice list and hang this from a length of beaded chain. Hang them along the pin in the order shown, or mix them around it's up to you. A fab pin to brighten up your christmas.

Don't forget to hop on over to the HAPPY DAZE blog to check out the other DT's fabby creations to inspire your Christmas crafting :D

Are you taking part in Tims 12 tags of Christmas?? I had planned to, but haven't even got one done yet!!! :-O

Don't forget to visit the SHOP for all your essentials :D

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Edited to add - this is now on sale in my Folksy shop HERE if anybody is interested :D

Dreamy butterfly tin for Happy Daze

Well, I was already to share a cute altered domino necklace with you this week until I checked the blog and spotted that Moira and Carol had already beaten me to jewellery pieces!!! LOL

But never mind, it spurred me on to finish this sweet little tin instead :D

It started life as one of these plain little silver coloured hinged lid tins.

I covered the lid with Tim Holtz tissue tape in a random pattern to create a collaged effect. I used alcohol inks sponged on to the tape to colour it, then used a fine brush to add colour to the butterfly.

When it was completely dry I gave it a couple of coats of Lisa Pavelka resin - this is the stage that it has sat on my table for for about a month, not the resins fault as it was cured, I just couldn't decide where it was going next!!!

So I set it in front of me last night and stared it out for a while.

Then I had a look in my cupboard, then stared some more!

Then it hit me like a lightening bolt and I reached for my jewellery making boxes and hunted out the perfect metal leaf charms and lush lucite flower beads (I'm not sure what lucite is but they do look like plastic to me haha :D)

I added some pearls, buttons , lace and some teeny alphas and bobs your uncle - one sweet little tin that would be great to give a tiny gift in or just as a gift on its own .

Pop on over to Happy Daze to see most of the products I used on this project.

Check back tomorrow and I will show you the cute necklace you can see on here along with a few others :D

Hugs'n'snogs,

Julie xx

Happy Daze Dangly things challenge

This is my piece for the current dangly things challenge, if you want to be in with a chance of winning a £15 voucher with free P&P visit the blog post HERE


I used the fabby Lisa Pavelka resin to create my piece which is sooooooo clever!!!
It sets in 20 minutes with a UV light so makes it perfect for layered projects like this one.
If I had used normal two part resin it would have taken me days to make this piece and would have stunk the whole house out - this is odour free :D

Visit Lisa's website HERE to see some amazing video demoes on how to use her brilliant product.

I used a clear acrylic shape as a base (I think TH fragments would work well too which I must try) and added Prima Reflections rub-ons on each layer to create a 3D effect and beadazzles and glitter to the layer on the back.

I used a connector similar to this one set in the resin at the back of the piece above as a bail and a proper bail like this one on the example below.

You can add in extra embellies before you set the resin like I have done above without glue and they set solid.
The little flower over hanging the edge was supported with a little blob of plasticine while it was cured.

Moira has a fabby selection of jewellery finding and charms HERE if you want to create your own little wearable masterpieces




Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx