Gold & Pastel Clay Necklace

I’m currently on a bit of a pastel kick (along with the rest of the western world it seems), and gold too, I’m loving my gold saltwaters. I’m not one to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe in the latest trend though, preferring to just keep my basic jeans and shirts in neutral colours, work with what I’ve got and all that. So when I came across these pastel hued clays in Spotlight I knew I could turn them into something to add to my jewelry collection.

To make this necklace you will need the following…

– oven bake clay, I used Sculpy which I found in Spotlight
– gold craft paint
– paintbrush
– thin ribbon or cord, I used a 2 ply satin crochet thread
– wooden skewer
– a bowl or oven dish
– an oven!

Pull off small amounts of your clay, in hindsight it would be better to carefully measure how much you are using in order to get your balls all the same size. I kept having to add some clay, remove some clay, to get them a uniform shape. Roll your clay into little balls in your palms, you might need to just work the clay a little bit first to warm it up and make it pliable. This clay can stain your hands or unfinished surfaces, so start with the lightest colour and work your way to the darkest, unless you want a marbled rainbow finish! Actually the blue clay was sort of metallic so I got a few swirls in that one. Make sure your hands are clean to start with too, especially if you start with the white clay as it will show up lots of imperfections. Try and make your balls as smooth as possible, with no cracks or seams.

Once you have your (sort of) same size balls you can push the wooden skewer through each of them. Be careful doing this, your balls will get a little misshapen and flattened, you will have to try and re-shape them a bit on the skewer. Make sure they’re a little separated, the clay is likely to expand. Place the skewer across a bowl or baking dish in order to not get flat-bottomed balls.

Bake in a low temperature oven for about 20-30 minutes, my oven was at about 90 degrees.

I made an extra white ball as an afterthought to add a pop of contrast. After the ball was baked I painted with a gold acrylic craft paint. Pop the ball on the tip of the skewer to make it easier to paint. Metallic accent – tick!

Thread all the balls onto your ribbon or cord, you can make it as long or as short as you like but I made mine long and just tied it in a double knot so you can slip it over your head easily. You can also get proper jewelry chain and clasps from Spotlight too.

Perfect handmade Christmas present or a teachers gift for a pretty on-trend Miss. Sure beats another ‘world’s best teacher’ mug.