Guest Artist ~ Nancy Nycz

Welcome to Wednesday Women

Let's give a Warm Welcome

to our

Guest Artist

Nancy Nycz

FAUX RED BAMBOO CORAL NECKLACE

by

Kathy Nycz

SUPPLIES

Ranger Melting Pot

silicone craft sheet

silicone spatula

clear embossing ink

ultra thick embossing powder in clear and red hot

flex

black embossing powder

molding compound for making silicone molds

beads and focal piece for molding

size 0 metal knitting needle or bamboo skewer

clay or styrofoam

.015 beading wire

complimentary beads for necklace

clasp

crimp beads

glue on pendant bail

pair of ear wires

2 - 2 in. eyepins

2 - 1 in. headpins

toothpicks

small brush

Diamond Glaze

chain nose pliers

round nose pliers

small pearl

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat your melting pot on the highest setting.

Following the instructions for the molding compound, make molds of the beads you want to duplicate and a mold of whatever you want for your pendant. I used Mold n' Pour for the rose mold and Amazing Putty for the bead molds.

Fill the melting pot to the fill line with half clear and half red hot UTEE. When melted, gently stir with the spatula to mix, add the flex and allow the flex to melt. Stir again.

If you want to darken the red, lightly sprinkle black embossing powder into the melted UTEE and stir. Add only 1/8 teaspoon at a time so you don't darken it too much. When you have the shade of red that you want, pour the melted UTEE into the pendant mold, set aside to harden. When completely hardened, pop it out of the mold.

It takes some practice to do a bead so don't get discouraged if they don't come out right. The beauty of making anything with the melting pot and UTEE is that if you don't like the results, you can always throw the piece back in the pot and remelt it.

Starting at the point, coat about three inches of the knitting needle or skewer with clear embossing ink.

Carefully pour the melted UTEE into the bead mold and fill almost to the top of the mold but not level with the top. If your mold is filled to the top, when you insert the needle to make the hole the UTEE will overflow. Insert the coated needle or skewer into the center of the UTEE in the bead mold. Make sure the needle presses against the bottom of the mold so your hole will go all the way through the bead. Hold the needle in place for a count of at least 50 seconds or until the needle stands in the mold by itself. 

 Let sit for maybe another minute and then pop the bead out of the mold, push the needle to make sure the hole is all the way through, remove the needle and then push it in the bottom hole so that the hole is uniform all the way through. If you let the bead harden too long with the needle in it, you won't be able to pull the needle out. The bead should still be warm, but solidified when you remove the needle. If your bead should get stuck on the needle, put the bead on the needle back in the melting pot and it should melt off. You can use a heat gun to melt any residue UTEE off the needle.

When you have ten beads and a pendant you like, clean out the pot with paper towels while it is still on. Be careful not to burn yourself. When your pot is cleaned out, shut it off.

Put your beads on a toothpick and brush on a thin coat of Diamond Glaze to give your beads a shine. Stick the toothpicks in clay or styrofoam and let dry.

DRYING BEADS

 Brush Diamond Glaze on the pendant. If the glaze puddles in the creases of the pendant, brush it out so it isn't too thick. Let dry.

Glue a pendant bail on the back of the pendant. I also glued a pearl in the center of my rose. Then string your necklace with complimentary beads of your choice. Save two of the faux coral beads to make matching earrings.

View more of Nancy's gorgeous pieces of artwork on her blog:
http://kathnan.blogspot.com/