You probably have a handprint of your little
one recorded in plaster somewhere but it's not
exactly something that you can carry with you.
With this fingerprint pendant, you can create a
precious keepsake as well as a one-of-a-kind
piece of jewelry!
*click on pictures to enlarge*
Mothers Day Gift: Fingerprint Pendant Tutorial
Materials:
white polymer clay*
32" waxed string or your preference**
round wood toothpick or skewer
smooth round-bodied pen
trimmed plastic lid
wax paper to work on
1: roll a small ball of clay (about a ½" in diameter)
2: use your round pen as a rolling pin and gently
roll the ball to ¼" in both directions
3: using your "rolling pen" create an oval shape
4: shape the upper portion of your pendant as
seen above - I use my pinkie fingers
5: use the wood skewer to make a hole for
stringing; roll the skewer between your fingers
at the same time as you rotate it around the
hole to get it nice and smooth
6: take your child's finger and press down into
the clay to make a nice clean print
7: once your happy with the print it's
ready for baking
8: use your plastic disc to transfer the pendant
to your baking sheet; follow the directions for
your clay; for mine, I bake it in a 275˚ oven
for 15 minutes
9: after the pendant has cooled you can string it;
fold your string in half and put the loop through the
hole from the front to the back then pull the two
loose ends through the loop and knot the loose ends
If you would like to add a sealer then do
that before stringing. Make sure you use a
light coat or the fine print lines will be lost.
(This pendant is different from the one pictured in the
previous steps and is not my preferred oval shape.)
10: All done and ready to wear!
These little pendants are great as ornaments too!
*I experimented with several kinds of
polymer clay and found that Original Sculpey
and Craft Smart (from Michael's) worked the
best to get a detailed fingerprint. Also, they
are a bit softer so you don't have to mash
your child's finger for the sake of art.
**You can use any type of "string" that you
would like. Satiny rat tail will give it a dressier
look. I like being able to slip the necklace
over my head but if you want it shorter
you'll have to add a clasp to the ends.
This tutorial is entered in the Mother's Day Your Way contest.
