Polymer Clay -Icecream Earrings

Jewelry Making - Earrings ---- jewelry-making-jewelry-making-earrings

What you need

Beads – any colors you like (glass, plastic, etc)
Earring wires and eyepins
Polymer clay – any brand – colors of your choice for ice cream and tan for cone
Liquid polymer clay
Clay knife or plastic knife
Toothpick or bamboo skewer
Acrylic roller or dowel (optional)
Work surface – ceramic tile, file folder or wax paper
Oven for baking

Instructions

Steps:

1. Condition each color of clay until soft and pliable by rolling and squeezing in your hands.  Test to see if it cracks when you bend it – that means it needs more conditioning!
2. Roll out an even log of tan for the cones.  Cut the log in half and continue to cut each piece in half to get even pieces of clay.
3. Gently press on one end of the small log as you roll to make a cone shape & set aside.
4. For a swirled effect, roll out a log of your first color (I used 2 shades of pink) and a log of your second color & twist together.
5. Continue rolling it into a ball and twisting the clay until you get the look you like.  Don’t go too far or you will blend the colors like paint!
6. Divide the pink clay in half – one for the “scoops” and one for the “melted” part.
7. Roll out an even log from one half of the pink clay and divide it as in step 2.
8. Roll each piece into a ball for the scoop.
9. Slice off a bit from one side to make a flat surface & set these aside.
10. Roll out the remainder of the pink clay into a log and divide into sections as you did before.
11. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten it with your fingers.
12. Using your toothpick or bamboo skewer, press in around the edges to make ripples – it resembles a flower shape.
13. Place a drop of liquid clay onto the flat end of the cones and attach the flat pink piece.  Add another drop of liquid clay and attach the pink scoops.
14. You may now scratch lines in the cones for added detail, if desired.
15. Insert an eyepin or wire to the top of each ice cram cone (or poke a hole through the top to make a “bead”.) You may need to trim the wire a bit first.
16. Bake according to the manufacturer’s directions.  You will need to add a drop of clear glue to the eyepins once cooled, as the clay will not adhere on its own.
17. Glaze if desired.  I use varathane – found in most hardware stores.  For small projects, use the clay manufacturer’s glaze.  The bottles are smaller & more affordable!
18. Attach your charms directly to the earring wires by opening up the ring at the bottom or add an additional eyepin with beads for sparkle!
19. Enjoy your new piece of jewelry for yourself or give as a fun & whimsical gift!

 

***Experiment with different sizes to create matching accessories!

 

 

 

 

 

***TIP***

 

***SAVE those pieces you trimmed off and roll them together to make swirly accent beads!

***Dark colored clay, like red, green, etc. can leave some pigment on your hands.  To help keep lighter colors from turning pink, etc.  handle most of the light clay first.  You can also use baby wipes to clean your hands and tools (alcohol is a solvent for the clay) or wear latex gloves & switch in between colors.

***Once you use cookie cutters, pasta machine, etc for clay, it is recommended to no longer use it for food.  Shop around for inexpensive cutters at your local craft store.