From Leftovers to a Leaf

The end of August and the temperature outside this morning was 62!!!! Mother Nature's way of saying, "hang in there, Fall is coming". This time of year, after a long, hot and humid summer, I'm always wishing for Fall weather.

But enough about the weather, onward with what this post is all about.

Anyone who has ever worked much with polymer clay knows about "leftover scraps". Whether you're making canes or veneer sheets, you are always left with bits and pieces.  There are plenty of ways to use up those scraps, just do a search and see what pops up.

But here's a quick showing of what I did with mine.

This is a what I had leftover from making my Wallflowers.....oh wait.... I forgot to tell you about those! Next post, I promise..... (You can now find it here)

I took my leftover pieces and smooshed them all together, rolled them into a log (forgot to take pictures) and then rolled the log flat through the pasta machine on the thickest setting.  I ended up with a sheet that was about 5" x 7". I cut this sheet into thin strips, turned them on their sides and reassembled them. You can find the complete tutorial (with pictures!) on The Polyclay Forum here.

This is the sheet after I cut it up and reassembled it. Aren't those patterns the coolest!

Next, I cut the sheet on a diagonal, flipped one side over and lined up the two halves. Then I cut out a leaf shape. I inserted a "vein" of a contrasting color, draped it along a glass bottle (so it wouldn't be flat) and baked it.

This was a very thin and fairly fragile piece that needed extra strength so I added another layer.
Well, I just so happened to have more scrap clay which I had already mixed together that turned out to be a pretty good color match.  I cut out a slightly larger leaf shape from it and placed it on the bottom of my patterned leaf. Then back in the oven to cure.

I ended up adding one more layer. This one bigger still and made from metallic bronze Premo! clay.

After another curing, lots of sanding, the adding of feet, and "aging" the bronze with acrylic paint I was finally done!

There you have it. My Fall inspired leaf dish. Thanks for taking the time to read about it. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments. Next up, Wallflowers!!!