Day 1 – 100 Days of Clay Play

We all started our challenge today – to create something using polymer clay each day for 100 days. I wanted to start with something I would manage to make without too much thinking – based on an idea I have seen on Pinterest. I wanted to create a pendant so I can practise shaping the pendant into a 3D globe half (or whatever the technical name is) instead of a flat item.

Day 1

Technique: Make a pendant with circle inserts
Win: Mostly

Challenge:
• Create a shape that can be formed into a pendant
• Insert circular shapes into the piece

Lessons Learned:
• Making a shape that I need to lift off my working surface to manipulate is more difficult than I expected.
• I need to do a LOT of work on my finishes. I tend to bump the edges, which makes them wiggly and uneven.
• Inserting shapes looks beautiful, but because I have to pick up the piece to do it, I need to be very careful not to distort the shape or size. I find this especially tricky with smaller pieces.

• Due to the fact that I battled with keeping the inserts the right shape and size, I found that there were gaps between the edge and the insert. I decided then to make a sort of base inside the pendant to hold the inserts. This worked quite well, but I discovered another challenge – I need to use less glue.

Confidence Level: 6/10

Notes:
• I made the surface shiny using my battery-operated polishing head and a tiny blob of Zam-Buc, a South African eucalyptus ointment. It gives a soft shine without making it overly glossy.
• I also learned one technique for tying a knot at the top of a pendant.

Seeing what everyone else is posting is so much fun – each item is magnificent and inspiring.

I look forward to this challenge, and will continue to post as often as I manage to create.

Have a lovely week, and take care of each other.

xx