Star Flowers

 

These star flowers are made from a cane end and a solid color of clay extruded using a small diamond shaped disc from Makin's Clay.

Start with a cane end.

One end.

Same cane just the other end.

 

 

 

Add a solid piece of black clay to one end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Reduce the clay so it fits in the barrel of the extruder.  Cane end goes in first.

Makin's Clay has two diamond discs.  The one on the right, the smaller diamond, was the one that was used.

The clay was extruded into a diamond-shaped cane.

I think it came out raggedy because I didn't warm up the cane end before I used it.  The clay was a couple of years old!  I used it anyway and put the scrappy looking end towards the center of the flower.  The center gets covered up with a crystal or a ball of clay.

Start cutting the end that came out of the extruder first which should be the solid color end.  Cut one inch pieces off until you start seeing color.  Before cutting, press one of the tips of the diamond down on a glass cutting surface (the diamond has four sides, press one of the sides flush with the cutting surface.)  This helps with distortion as you cut.  If the petals do get distorted, use the side of a blade to straighten the tips.  A thinner blade works better to cut with.

Cut eight petals about 1/16" or 1 1/2mm thick (or bigger if it makes them easier to work with.)  Arrange four of the petals like in this picture.  There are different ways the slices can be arranged.  They can be mirrored, with the same end pointing to the center or they can all be put the same way all the way around.  With the side of a blade, push the edge so it is straight.  This will help the two halves fit together.

Arrange the other four slices and straighten the edge.

Pick up one of the pieces with a blade, take it off of the blade with your fingers, and match it up to the other half.  Place a blade flat on top and press down to make the petals uniform and help them stick together.  It is also helpful to gently press down and to the center to help the petals stick together.  Add a crystal or a small ball of clay in the center of the flower.  I like to add one to both sides.  Use a blade to pick up the flower, otherwise, you may pull off a petal.

These flowers are in order from one end of the diamond cane to the other.  See how the outline is darker at the beginning?  If the chunk of clay was not added, there would be less definition between the petals. 

 

Memorial Day Earrings

Memorial Day Earrings

by Lisa Haney

 

Red, white, and blue earrings for Memorial Day, how patriotic is that?  These earrings were so easy to make.  And, because I used Makin's Clay they are lightweight and comfortable to wear. 

 

 

I rolled out the red and white clay on a #4 setting on my Atlas pasta machine.  I cut strips from each color then laid them side-by-side making stripes.  Next, I rolled out the blue clay and butted it up against the clay stripes.

I placed the entire piece between two sheets of hamburger paper, then, with a bone folder, I rubbed the clay together so the seams would join.  I did this to the front and the back. 

Using the large cutter from the Makin's Clay Star Cutter set, I cut out two stars from the patterned sheet.  I poked holes in the top of each.

Using Kemper cutters, I cut out six small stars and glued them to the bigger stars.  I added the earring hooks and jump rings. 

This is another pair of earrings I made using Makin's Clay, their texture sheets, Waves and Stripes, and the Makin's Clay Star Cutter Set.  I rolled out the blue and red clay and textured the blue with the Waves texture sheet and the white with the Stripes texture sheet.  I cut out two large blue stars and two large red stars.  I trimmed the red stars to be a strip down the middle of the blue star.  From white clay I cut out two small stars for the center of each earring.