This project is perfect for a breezy summer outfit. The dainty leaf charms work on a necklace as well as for a pair of matching extra-lightweight earrings. Use the template on page 140 to make all the leaves uniform in size and shape.
Skill level: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour plus curing time
Supplies
♦ Disposable gloves
♦ 1 oz. (30ml) plastic measuring cup
♦ Disposable wooden stir stick
♦ Marker
♦ Two-part clear resin
♦ Two-part epoxy clay (white)
♦ Protected work surface
♦ Wet wipes
♦ Printed template (see page 140)
♦ Heavy-duty plastic freezer bag
♦ Craft knife
♦ White pigment powder (optional)
♦ Jump rings
♦ Chain
♦ Lobster claw clasp
Mike Mihalo
Gay Isber
1. Print the template on page 140 and place it inside a heavy-duty freezer bag. I’m using one of my own template sheets, which looks different from the one in this book, but the leaves are the same size and shape.
Gay Isber
2. Mix some clay, divide it into little balls, and roll snakes. Trim short pieces of the clay using a craft knife and follow the template to create leaf shapes, complete with a central vein. Insert jump rings at the top, making sure they are well embedded in the clay. Add a gentle dusting of white pigment powder if desired.
Gay Isber
3. Then mix a small amount of resin. Pour the resin slowly into the leaf forms you made. Allow to cure, then slowly and carefully peel the pieces off the plastic. Adorn a gold necklace with the delicate finished leaves.
VARIATION
Use white clay and white pigment powder to create a bead to match the leaves. Roll two equal balls into a shape you like. Insert a piece of 20-gauge wire through the center of the bead and allow the clay to cure. Attach one end of the wire to an earring hook and the other end to a small pearl dangle.
Gay Isber