Fathers Day Card
By Susan Johnson
Amate Studios
Supplies:
PE60600104 Neck Tie Pendant
Silver Brad
Tie Backing
Mod Podge Paper Glossy
Cardstock
Patterned Paper
Typing Paper
Dazzle Tac
Glue Dots
Your Favorite Paper Glue or Tape
Bone Folder
Instructions for the Neck Tie Pendant;
- Trace pendant and cut out a template with typing paper.
- Trace template on patterned cardstock and cut out.
- Attach cardstock with Mod Podge Paper Glossy and coat the top. You do not have to coat the top if you want to cover it with an epoxy or UTEE.
- Bend or cut the ends of the silver brad off. Glue brad to the pendant with Dazzle Tac.
- Attach tie backing to pendant with Dazzle Tac. Set aside to dry.
Instructions for folding the Shirt:
Practice on typing paper first. Thinner paper is much easier to use. If you use cardstock you will need to use the bone folder as you go and attach glue dots to help make it stay down.
- Using a full sheet of paper
- Fold Paper in 4th's length wise
- Fold the two sides towards the center
- Fold back the top edge by 3/4”.
- Fold the corners in so that the corners meet at the centerfold 3/4” down from the top folded edge.
- These folds will make the sleeves. Measure up 3 ¾” from the bottom of the paper in the center (where the edges of the paper meet). From that point, make the triangles folding outward as shown.
- Fold the bottom edge up and wedge it under the collar flaps before creasing it. The front of the shirt from the top of the shoulders to the bottom is approximately 4 ½”
If you want to make a smaller shirt that would fit on a normal sized card, use a piece of designer paper measuring 4¼” x 5 ½”.
- Fold Paper in 4th's length wise (tall)
- Fold the two sides towards the center
- Fold back the top edge by ½”.
- Fold the corners in so that the corners meet at the centerfold ½” down from the top folded edge.
- These folds will make the sleeves. Measure up 1 ½” from the bottom of the paper in the center (where the edges of the paper meet). From that point, make the triangles folding outward as shown.
- Fold the bottom edge up and wedge it under the collar flaps before creasing it. The front of the shirt from the top of the shoulders to the bottom is approximately 2 ¼”.
Layer the card as desired. Glue shirt to card then attach necktie pendant through the shirt. On this card I found some fonts that I liked on www.dafonts.com and printed them out.
Special Thanks to Cosmo Cricket and Piggy Tales for supplying paper for this project.
Confetti “Glass” Bling Ring
Ó Lisa Pavelka, 2008
Turn Amate ring findings into incredible faux glass artwork using polymer clay and a few tools/products to create a stunning fashion statement that will fool the eye. Here’s one of my favorite and easiest faux Dichroic effects for clay. A decorative stripped, clay border rounds out the piece for a fresh and funky look.
Materials
Amate Oval ring finding # SO50600303
Fimo Soft clay in white and black (1 block each should make over 12 rings)
Fimo Decorating Gel (liquid clay)
Lisa Pavelka Clay and Craft foils (for this project we used Rainbow)
Lisa Pavelka Poly Bonder Glue
Lisa Pavelka Magic Gloss
Lisa Pavelka UV Cure Lamp (Optional)
Tools
Clay dedicated pasta machine
Clay Blade (from Covered in Clay)
Liquid clay dedicated paint brush (these can’t be washed after use)
Small ball tip stylus tool
Scrap paper
Smooth ceramic tile for work/baking surface
Oven thermometer
Resources
Covered in Clay: Lisa Pavelka Products, 877-411-5472, www.coveredinclay.com Staedtler: Fimo Clays - 800-776-5544, www.staedtler-usa.com
1. Condition the clay by kneading in your hand and roll a small sheet of black clay on the largest setting of the pasta machine (1.5” x 1.5”), working with the scrap paper between the clay and tile to prevent the clay from sticking.
2. Place foil (colored side facing up) down, over the clay. Press on the foil with your fingertip in any one spot with your fingertip. Hold your finger in place for 10-15 seconds to warm the foil. With a quick, backwards motion, rip the foil off as fast as you can. This should leave small, random speckles and bits of foil in place, appearing like confetti. Foil scraps work best for this project, but if you are starting with a fresh piece of foil, it may take several attempts before you begin to see bits of foil adhere. You’ll find that once the foil begins to stick, the areas around the exposed Mylar backing come off easier onto the clay.
Tip: Firmer clays don’t work as well for this technique, so Fimo Soft is recommended. The softer and warmer your clay, the better the foil will release.
If your clay and foil are particularly stubborn, rub the tiniest amount of liquid clay into the surface of the black clay with your finger. The less, the better. This will add some tackiness to the clay surface and make adhering the foil a bit easier.
3. Continue repeating Step 2 until you have covered an area large enough to fit into the ring setting. You may choose to cover all of the clay with foil, or leave some of the black background clay exposed.
Tip: Create an interesting textured effect by pressing a piece of coarse grit sandpaper down over the foiled clay.
4. Press the bezel edge of the ring down, into the foiled clay, using it like a cookie cutter. If the clay sticks in the ring, use a toothpick or craft knife to gently lift it out.
5. Apply a thin coating of Poly Bonder glue to the bottom, inside of the ring. Gently press the foiled clay oval into place.
6. Bake the ring with the clay inside for 5 minutes in a preheated 230°F oven.
7. While the ring is baking, make a striped loaf of clay following these steps:
Stack a 2” x 2” sheet of white clay (rolled through the largest setting of the pasta machine) over a 2” x 2” sheet of black clay. Roll these combined sheets through the largest setting of the pasta machine to thin.
For fine stripes, cut compressed sheet in half and stack these again with the colored stripes alternating. Run this stack through a second time through the largest setting of the pasta machine. For wider stripes, only run the compressed stack through once.
After choosing the thickness of your stripe settings, cut the compressed clay sheet in quarters and stack with the colors alternating to form a striped loaf.
Cut several thin (1/16” thick) slices from this loaf Make sure the stripes are laying horizontally when making your slices. If they are standing upright during slicing, distortion will occur.
Run the slices through the 4th largest setting of the pasta machine to thin and even them. The stripes should be facing vertically or up when doing this step.
Cut strips from these stretched sheets. They should be slightly wider the bezel edge of the ring. Glue them all the way around the edge, with the stripes alternating continually. Use the glue very sparingly, applying on a very thin line. If you can see the glue, you are using too much. You may need to trim off an outer strip or two if the ends don’t alternate when they meet or if they appear distorted.
8. Trim the excess clay from the top and bottom of the bezel edge with the clay blade.
9. Coat the foiled clay with a very thin layer of the liquid clay (Decorating Gel) and re-bake in a preheated 230°F oven for 20 minutes. The liquid clay protects the foil colors from fading. Over-baking or using polymer clays that bake at higher temperatures may result in the fading of the foil color. This can be corrected by coloring over the foiled areas after baking with bright colored permanent markers.
10. When the ring has cooled completely, Press it down into a large ball of scrap clay to secure it and hold it upright. Pour Magic Glos resin into the center of the ring, filling it until it forms a slight dome on the surface. Be sure not to overfill. Pass the open flame from a lighter or butane torch over the resin several times to pop any trapped air bubbles that may have formed.
11. Set the ring outside in the sun or under the UV cure lamp for 15-20 minutes until hard.
Tips: When setting the ring under the light or in the sun to cure, check the resin at 3 and 5 minutes to make sure new air bubbles haven’t formed. This can happen if the clay isn’t glued down securely. When the resin seeps down, under the clay, new pockets of air may be dispersed to the surface, but this can sometimes take a few minutes. It’s a good idea to pass your heat source over the resin again several times at these intervals to pop any additional air bubbles that may be there, but not visible.
For a more pronounced cabochon or domed effect, additional, thin layers of the gloss can be added after each curing and re-cured for a more dramatic effect.
Lisa Pavelka is an award winning artist, author and television personality. She has several instructional books and DVDs in addition to contributing regularly to numerous magazine. Her Q & A column can be found in every issue of Polymer Café Magazine. She teaches throughout the world. To see more of Lisa’s work or learn about upcoming classes and workshops, visit: www.heartinhandstudio.com
