Craft Wednesday!

Larks in Flight

I came up with this idea a couple weeks ago. I was thinking of those necklaces where moms put little beads or things that represent each one of their kids so I thought, "What about a set of birds with the mom in front?" So here it is.

We'll go through the steps so you can make your own.

Start off with some clay. I bought this at Michaels. Look for when they have it on sale for 1.25 or less.

I used one brick. Now you have to condition it because it is a little hard when you first open it. 

So  I like to squish mine into a ball and knead it for about 5 minutes.

Next you need to roll it flat. Be sure to do this on a smooth surface, you can even put it on parchment paper so you don't get any residue. I rolled mine to about 1/4 inch.

Then you need to come up with the design for your bird. I freehanded it and tried to decide on one I liked, then I looked them up on the computer so I would get the right ratio in size between the wings and the head. Then I colored it in so I could see what it would look like dark.

I place my drawing on top of my clay and outlined my bird so I wold make an imprint on the clay.

After I make the imprint then I'll cut it out.

I cut mine at an angle kind of reminding me of the angle of an airplane wing.

I used a bone folder to add details in mine and I ran my finger along the edges to round them and smooth them a little bit. You can use a pencil or any other tool to add details that you want.

I used some thin wire and measured for an oval that wasn't bigger than my bird and with a little extra so I could tie it.

I twisted the wire together to make a loop then I tucked the end flat and trimmed it off with my wire cutters.

Sorry about the fuzziness, my lighting was really low. So I pinched the wire in the middle so it formed two loops and then I used the pointy end of a pencil to round out those two loops otherwise they were kind of squished.

 

Then I put a small piece of clay over the center and Gently smoothed it into the rest of the clay. You want to make sure that it is blended in well so it doesn't pop off later.

I then repeated this with two more birds, but I made each bird a little smaller .

For the necklace, I used black glass beads.

I used a white floss for the string and a screw clasp. I threaded my clasp then I close the thread with a crimping bead by squishing it with my pliers.

I used mostly the seed size beads but added in a larger bead every inch. I realized that I didn't take a picture of when I added on the birds. I went through one loop then circled back through that loop so it catches on itself  then I went across to the other loop and did that again. I put seed beads in between the birds.

And there you have it. I'm going to try this with some other shapes that interest me, if you make one send me a picture so I can add them on. Thanks and have a great Craft Wednesday.