I know my job is awesome, when I get boxes filled with all of these goodies in the mail!
Plaid has a fantastic new line of Martha Stewart jewelry items available at Michael's.
The possibilities are endless!
I actually have spent the whole past week playing with each of these items in the kit and making all kinds of new custom jewelry for myself.
I love the product line, and know you will too!
I was excited to try out the epoxy clay and woodland mold.
These are the supplies that you will need for the first step:
work mat
epoxy clay (I used white)
silicone mold
silicone tip brush
olive oil
Use your silicone brush and brush olive oil in the recessed areas of the mold.
Rub olive oil on your fingers to make the epoxy clay easier to work with.
Mix equal parts of the epoxy clay and the activator together by pinching off a small amount of each piece and rolling them together until fully blended.
Press clay into the silicone mold. Clay should be level with the top of the mold.
Smooth the backs of the clay with olive oil and your finger to get out any lines and bubbles.
Here is the silicone mold completely full with clay.
If you want to use your clay pieces as pendants, poke a hole in the top of them with a toothpick.
Clay pieces take about 24 hours to dry.
While waiting for the clay pieces to dry, I used Martha Stewart jewelry enamel on these two gold acorns that came in my box of goodies.
Here are the supplies you will need to paint them:
jewelry enamel activator
jewelry enamel (I used orange and green mixed)
small brush
work mat
toothpick
Mix two parts activator to one part enamel color on your work mat.
Use your toothpick to swirl together until a uniform color is achieved.
If you want a more translucent color, you can apply your enamel immediately after mixing.
If you want a more opaque color, let your mixture thicken for 2-3 hours before applying.
The thicker mixture is better for curved surfaces, and since an acorn is curved, I let my enamel thicken before applying it.
Use your small brush to apply the enamel.
Let dry.
After 24 hours, my clay pieces were finished!
They pop right out of the mold.
I used a light gold glaze to paint these pieces.
When you use the glaze, you don't need an activator.
Just paint as normal.
However, if you want to achieve an antique finish, you can wipe the piece that you are working on with a clean rag while still damp.
I gathered a few of my jewelry making supplies from my kit to finish off my custom bracelet.
For this step I used:
round nose pliers
charms
toggle clasps
jump rings
my enamel painted charms
and my epoxy clay painted charms
I laid all of my pieces out and played with the pattern until I found a pattern that I liked.
I used my round nose pliers to open the jump rings and connect the pieces together.
I used two jump rings to hang the epoxy clay charms and the charms that I painted with enamel.
This is my completed bracelet.
It was so much fun to try out all kinds of new jewelry making techniques.
I know I won't look at a plain piece of jewelry the same way anymore!
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