"Decorating Tips"

Good grief......how DOES the time go by so fast? Has it really been a month since my last update here? Maybe I should just aim for a monthly post...hmmmm, I might be able to do that. :)

Well, today I thought I would share how I make a pendant. I have had an obsession with these lately. I just love how they turn out and there is something about creating them that I find very relaxing. There are endless combinations of colors and patterns. And it's the making of all these patterns that I wanted to share with you today. So I'll get started.....

First, chose your colors. I usually pick 5 - 7 colors. Today I choose these 6. Light gray, a sort of an orange-y tan, black, dark brown, light brown and light tan. Very earthy.

I rolled out the colors with my pasta machine and cut out various sized circles. I then fit all the circles inside each other and lightly pressed them together. The smallest circle here is 3/16" and the largest is 1-3/4".

Now, these are some of the tools I use for making the patterns. A sewing needle, a small nail, the head of a straight pin, a small screwdriver (the kind used to repair eyeglasses) and a pen cap. Nothing professional there, just some things I found around the house.

Now.... these are what I just discovered. Cake decorating tips! I have a whole set that's been sitting in the back of a kitchen drawer for years. I can't believe I hadn't thought of them sooner.

I decided to test them out and see what kind of mark they would leave. These are the 7 I decided to keep on my work table. Their cake decorating days are over!

This is what the pendant looks like after decorating it.

After it has cured in the oven and cooled off I apply white acrylic paint. Wipe the paint off the surface with a damp rag so that it remains only in the textured marks. And this is what you get.

Now, I start with the back. Just because it's the back doesn't mean it should be left plain! I rolled out some of the dark brown clay and pressed it onto the back of the pendant, making sure there were no air bubbles trapped.  Then I got busy decorating it with my circle cutters and cake tips. It went back into the oven for curing. After it cooled, I painted it, just like I did on the front.

Now my pendant is reversible! All that's left to do now is drill a hole and attach it to a necklace. These a few other ones I've made. See what I mean? The possibilities are endless! Not only are they great for necklaces but earrings and ring dishes as well.

Necklace with 2-3/8" pendant

Earrings with 1-3/8" pendants

4" Ring Dish