Easy Steps for a "Let It Snow" Pendant and Necklace

This is a winter necklace is a little thing I whipped up for myself one afternoon.  I thought I'd share a basic how-to for this "Let It Snow" design!  Although it not in my shop at Bee City Studio, there are other necklaces available if you would like to shop now.

One nice thing about snow-themed items is you can wear them all winter!  This pendant is inexpensive to make and lots of fun.  The supplies you will need are as follows:

Pendant:

Mold putty

Plastic snow flakes (I got mine at Walmart in an end aisle, displayed with packages of novelty buttons)

Polymer Clay - grey, blue, silver or while - I used silver

Metallic paints - I used Ice Blue, Midnight Blue

White craft paint

Varathane Glossy Sealer

Tools:

Pasta machine (or your fingers, be prepared to really work them)

Glass or plexi-glass as a rolling surface

Plastic or acrylic rolling tool

Round cutter (I used a lid from some candy sprinkles)

Hand drill or dremel tool to make the hole after baking  - OR

Plastic straw to make the hole before baking, if you don't have a drilling mechanism.

Pro Tip:  Ensure all your tools are clean and free of tiny specks of dust or crumbs, or dried clay.

Let's get started!

Making the Mold:

Take equal parts of your two-part mold putty.  I used about 1.5" balls of each for my mold.  Blend well until you cannot see evidence of either separate color.  Continue mixing for about 30 seconds to ensure a great blend.

Use your hands and make a rectangular shape with the clay, like you would work with a hamburger patty.  Place this between two stacks of playing cards10 cards thick (10 cards on each side).  You will use these as a leveler when you roll out the putty.  (Note photo.)

Use the roller and roll out the putty.  The cards will give you the thickness, you will be using these as a guide.  If you want a little thicker pendant, increase the cards to 15 cards thick (15 cards on each side).

Choose how many snowflakes you would like to have in your mold.

Once you have your putty rolled out, place your snowflakes in any pattern you like, understanding that where you place them will be how you mold will look.  Place them face down, and use the roller over the top of the mold and the snowflakes to push them evenly into the clay.   DO NOT UNMOLD THEM NOW.  Wait until your mold is fully set.

Let the mold sit according to your package directions.  My directions said 30 minutes.  Some mold putties take less time.  

Remove the snowflakes from the mold and set aside for something else.  (You will be able to use them again.)

Preparing the Clay:

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F.  Work your clay while it is pre-heating.

If you  have worked with polymer clay in the past, you know that it needs to be warmed up and "worked" before using.  You can do this by running it through a pasta machine at the largest setting 15-20 times.  How many depends on your clay.  Once it is pliable, you can stop.

If you don't have a pasta machine, you can do this with your hands, however, you will need to break off small pieces and work your way through the clay, eventually combining it and working it as a unit.

Once pliable, work your clay into a patty that you will then roll over your mold with playing cards at 15 cards thick.  This will give you a nice impression of the snowflakes on top of a nice pendant base.  (If you want something more delicate, just reduce the number of cards both for your mold putty, and for your clay.)

Before you roll with your roller, you may want to use your fingers to ensure that the clay is in the mold to get the most detail (push lightly) just to ensure the clay gets into the detailed areas.  When you roll the clay, you will be making the back flat.  You could use a textured roller if you wanted the back to be something more than plain.

Carefully remove the clay from the mold.  Use your cutter to cut out your pendant, judging what part of the design you want to include in your pendant. 

Pro-tip:  You can coat your fingers with corn starch, or wear rubber gloves, to avoid finger prints when handling the clay.

If you want to make your hole with the straw, do it now, before baking.

You can see I used an extra bit of mold putty to make a single snow flake, so in the future I could just have a single snowflake pendant.

Once you cut out your pendant, you may need to trim it.  You can use a clay tool, or an exact knife or any other tool of your liking.  I used a micro knife.

Lay a  piece of  fabric on a cookie sheet, and place your pendant on it.  This will keep it from getting shiny on the back during baking. (No photo.)  I use an old placemat because it fits on my baking tray.  275 degrees is a low oven temp, and I have never had any issues with putting cloth in the oven, however, I would recommend the non-flammable material.  (This is not my tip, I got it from a YouTube video a long time ago.  I'm sorry can't give credit, because I don't remember whose video it was.)

Bake for 30 minutes for every 1/4".  I baked mine for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Adding Details to the Pendant:

If you did not put a hole in it before baking, use your hand drill or dremel tool to place the hole in the baked clay.  

For each of the blue metallic paints, Mix a solution of 2 parts paint 1 part water - this will be like a runny paint.  

Use a brush to brush the paint in between the snow flakes.  The paint will pool around the snow flakes like a wash - this is as it should be for this design.  Use your artistic flair to decide where you want the darker paint and where you want the lighter paint - there is no right or wrong way, just do as you like. 

Let dry.  If you don't like the color blend, simply paint over it.  You will want the clay to show through slightly, which is why this is watered down.  

Next take the white paint and thin it slightly with water.  This should not be as thin as the wash you made with the blue paints.  Paint the snowflakes.  Let dry.

Seal with the sealer using a paint brush, getting into the recessed areas, too.  Let dry.

Your pendant is finished.  

Necklace:

I did not give full instructions here on how to make a beaded necklace, as the focus is on the pendant.  However, YouTube has many how-to videos if you need detailed instructions on making the beaded portion of the necklace. 

For a simple necklace, insert a jump ring in the hole of the pendant and put the pendant on a chain,  Even a ball chain would look cute!

But if you want a little more bling, gather some beads of your choice and make yourself a fancy necklace.  General instructions are below:

Supplies for Necklace:

Three large beads - I used two large silver beads and a fancy polymer Bali-style bead

Medium-sized Beads -  How many depends on how long you want your necklace.  I varied the blue colors I used, but you could use any color that will coordinate with your pendant.  

Silver jewelry wire (I used Parawire) or eye pins (if you wish) to make bead units (for linked necklace).

Stringing wire (for strung necklace)

Crimp beads (for strung necklace)

Silver-toned jump rings 

Silver-toned chain

Tools for Necklace:

Round-nose pliers

Chain-nose or bent-nose pliers

Crimping Pliers

Wire cutters

General Instructions for Bead Units:

This is the method I used.  Make bead units and attach with jump rings.  Connect three or four bead units on each side.  Attach a chain to the top of the bead units, and suspend the pendant from the strand.  If you want a focal bead above the pendant, make it its own bead unit and attach the bottom to the pendant, and the top to the two bead strands.  This is how mine is made.

General Instructions for Stringing:

There is no wrong or right way,  You can see the beads I chose in the final photo.  I wanted a blue/green/silver theme for mine.  You can do whatever colorway you like for yours.  

For a simple necklace, simply string your beads in a pleasing pattern, crimp the ends of the beaded strand, and attach jump rings on either end.  Attach a chain to the jump rings on both sides.  

Ensure the total necklace length is long enough so that the necklace slips over your head.  The final length is up to you.  I like mine fairly long, especially with a bigger pendant.

All you have to do now is wear it with pride!  The mold is reusable, so you could make some earrings to go with it, or make more pendants for your friends and family.

I hope you enjoyed making this wintery necklace.

Thanks for visiting the Heart of the Hive!  Please share the buzz!

Gleam on!

Janet

 

If you would like to shop for jewelry you can shop now from Bee City Studio.