PENDANT 101

Many have asked me to show how I made my pendant. Hidden Magic or what ever you want to call it, here's how.

I was using Barbara McGuire's rubber stamp sheet as usual. I always get the best result because the stamp has deep groove, perfect for this technique.
I hope it is clear and easy enough for you to try and make your own.
I will finish the necklace and will post on my other blog www.silastones.blogspot.com
Enjoy.

Now the question about the copper mesh sheet. My pendant is quite big and flat, sometime i can bend it after baking so I was afraid that it might snap. (Bend& Snap; you get it, right) So I put the copper mesh in between as a reinforcement for the pendant. Any thin mesh sheet will do. I just have copper mesh . Also the Fun wire is good for reinforce the part that sticking out or a loop. Fun wire is the flexible wire covered with plastic, so it bake right into the clay.

Another mistakes that I made were sometime, after covered the color sheet with black clay, I cannot tell which side was the front side , or with the round pendant, I cannot tell which way the skinner blend was going. A small mark on the black clay would not hurt.

Instead of Skinner blend sheet, you can put layers of clay instead, so you will get Mokume gane effect on your pendant. Look up our French clayers, they have different way to play with this technique. And you, yes you, don't be afraid to try something new, something different and don't forget to share. :)

One more thing. Before you start shaving the raised parts, let the pendant sit for a while after stamping. It will be easier to cut if you let the clay firm up a bit, or put it in the fridge for a while if you cannot wait that long. I kept my studio cool, because, as a woman with Menopause, I always feel warm and I have cold hand (with warm heart, of course).

The Skinner blend sheet has been through the Pasta machine at the thickest setting. My PM thickest might be thicker than most. I am using Imperia PM, that's why put 2 sheets together to make sure I have enough clay to shave off. Run Black and White sheet seperately through the thinnest setting, then put them together and run back through PM again. Depend on what kind of PM you are using, you might try to run them through the secon thinnest setting.