Polymer Clay Feather Necklace

Happy Monday!  It has been raining like crazy all weekend and I've been busy painting cabinets.  I can not wait to be done with that project.  While sitting last night watching Downton Abbey I thought "hey...I should throw something together for a post tomorrow since I'm seriously slacking".  So I did.  I love making my own necklaces since it's hard for me to find the length I like.  I made this Polymer Clay Feather Necklace last night in 30 minutes, and today I'm sharing it with you.  This is an easy project and a great way to get a custom piece for your wardrobe.  

What you need:

-  Polymer Clay

-  Accent Beads

-  Length of Jewelry Chain

-  Jump Rings to match Chain

{I prefer thicker ones so it holds up well}

-  Head Pins

-  Pliers

-  Clasp

-  Xacto Knife

-  Paper Clip or Toothpick

-  Rolling Pin

Start by rolling a big chunk of your polymer clay out to a thickness of about 1/8" thick.  Next cut your feather (or leaf) shape.  Remove excess clay.  Using either your toothpick or straightened paperclip create your center vein line on the feather from top to bottom.  Then begin making all your feathering lines.  Do that until you get the look you want.  Lastly make a hole with your toothpick or paperclip at the top of the feather for your jump rings.  Bake for 10-15 minutes at 275 degrees on parchment paper.  Watch closely that they don't burn.  

{Note:  My peach clay turned bright orange when baked, so I decided to use a white feather instead.  And unfortunately my toaster oven that I was using is acting up and burned my tips a tiny bit, not too noticeable though.}

Once my feathers were cooled I gave them a quick coat of clear nail polish just to give them a nice sheen.  That step is optional, but I think it looks better.  Now you will need to cut a length of chain for your necklace, unless you bought one that is already the length you want.  I cut mine to 35" since I have big boobs a bigger bust.  Typically it's about 30" in length for a nice long necklace.  I then attached my lobster claw clasp to one end of the chain and the large matching jump ring for the clasp to latch on to on the other end of the chain.  I then attached a large jump ring to each feather and closed the jump ring using my pliers.  

I then grabbed some coral colored stone beads, I strung them on a head pin with a small seed bead on each end.  I closed the top of the head pin to create the loop for my jump ring, you can see how to do that here.  I also made a small head pin with some natural pearlized stones.  I attached all my charms to a left over toggle clasp piece.  Then I attached the toggle clasp piece to my chain with another jump ring and I was done.  Very easy late night project.  This would be a fun project to make for a girls craft night.

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