kaleidoscope clay pendants +diy

A kaleidoscope of color and sparkle!



These fun pendants are great for summer - the mix of color, texture and material make for a totally multidimensional piece. This is a great way to use up all of your "bead soup", or random beads that are laying around in your stash, with no real home.



I was inspired to make these pendants from looking at Indian clay beads (commonly called Kashmiri beads), of which are totally bohemian-chic and right up my alley. I love the almost random patterns and mix of colors, something truly Indian in aesthetic.
         

These pendants are like one large Kashmiri bead, and you can customize every part to suit your tastes. The ones I made merged contrasting pink and green for that pop of color. Be adventurous and try out different combinations!



I'll show you below how to make your very own piece of wearable art, and give you links to where you can find these materials. Let's begin!
    

Step 1: Gather materials. Needed are flat nose pliers and wire cutters, 4mm and 6mm silver jump rings, seed beads (mine from Cousin Corporation), a paintbrush, shimmer eyeshadow (not pictured), glass rhinestone cabochons (specifically 4mm glass pointed back rhinestones from Pandahall), polymer clay (make sure it is oven bake, I use Sculpey brand from Michaels craft stores), rhinestone trim (specifically 4mm emerald rhinestone cup chain from Pandahall), silver cable chain and a clasp.



Step 2: Create a teardrop-shaped pendant out of your clay. Make it fairly thick, like 1/4" to 1/5". Clip off a small length of rhinestone chain and press firmly in the clay. I did a half-circle pattern.



Step 3: Clip off another piece, balancing out the first, and press firmly at top. Press in jump rings, and decorate with your seed beads and your rhinestone chatons.



Step 4: When you've feel you've decorated your pendant enough, trim the outside of the pendant with the crystals again, pressing in firmly. I did the bottom half with rhinestones, and the top with seed beads. Press EVERYTHING in the clay firmly to make sure everything is embedded.



Step 5: Create a hole through the pendant with a sewing needle. I also used this needle to create dot decorations in the clay by pressing lightly. Dust your pendant with eyeshadow (I used shimmery green eyeshadow to match the green clay) and rub the eyeshadow on the surface of the clay. This makes the clay super shiny and adds a glittery surface texture. Bake the clay at 120 degrees or so for 30 minutes. It all depends on the thickness of your clay. I would check periodically, making sure it hardens up. When finished, add your pendant to an eye pin and create a top loop. Add this pendant to an 18" piece of chain and finish with a clasp to complete.



These are the perfect rainy day craft - I could totally spend the whole day making these in all different colors, shapes and sizes! I'll leave you with more inspo pics to finish. Remember, if you follow this tutorial, post your finished creation to your Instagram account and tag me @quietlioncreations. I'll repost you!!

COPYRIGHT

Because I take all photos for my blog, the images within this post are all copyright Allison Beth Cooling for Quiet Lion Creations. If you'd like permission to use a photo, email me at allison@quietlioncreations.com