Waterfall Necklaces with the New CaBezel Molds

I've been having fun making pendant pieces using the new CaBezel molds by Wendy Orlowski.  These ones have a hole in the center and I just love the new shapes.  They will be available soon at Shades of Clay and also in several sizes for each shape.  I can hardly wait and really excited to create with those as well.  I am thinking the smaller shapes would make great earrings to match the pendants.

I like to create the Bezel parts of the molds first so they are ready to fill with our various designs.

So all of these pieces that I created are interchangeable with a snap embedded into the back.  I shared a mini tutorial on how to do this in a previous post here.  The nice thing about making them interchangeable instead of adding a bail is that they can be worn in a variety of ways.  Every person has different preferences when it comes to wearing a necklace including size, color and even style.  With this method, we can create the art and the customer can decide how they want to wear it. 

I was photographing some of these pieces to list in our online store and made a cool discovery.  When I added them to our snap base with a chain tassel I noticed the chain would fit through the center hole of the pendant piece creating a cool waterfall effect!

No matter which shape I used, the chain fit through the hole and was perfectly balanced!

If you would like to create your own interchangeable snap necklaces we have several findings available in our Supply section of our online store (click on the photos for more info) with several items on sale until the end of the week or while supplies last.

Basic Snap Base Link with 2 Loops

Basic Snap Pendants

Snap Base Pendant With Attached Tube Bail

And to get you started, check out my Interchangeable Polymer Clay Jewelry in a Snap tutorial.  I share lots of tips and tricks on working with the metal snaps such as adding your clay creations, baking and finishing.

My tutorial (part 1 & 2 combined) is 25% off until the end of the month and you will receive your bonus personalized coupon code for 20% off your first purchase of snap supplies!

Snap into Spring!

It is springtime and we have been busy creating new designs in  spring and summer colors.  Our online "webstore shelves" are filling up with more items and our "Snap Decisions" Collection has expanded with even more selection.

We have also added more items to our "Snap Supply" section.  Some of our favorite items are now available in multiples and items such as the blank snap bezels are in larger bulk quantities.

Did you know that our snaps that we sell will fit into other commercial brand snap jewelry?  And, did you know that there are several snap jewelry companies that all take the same size (regular - not mini) snap?

When I first discovered the snap jewelry findings (over a year ago), I came across only two companies that sold them and now several more have sprouted up since.  This is all very exciting as more people will be looking for other pieces to expand their interchangeable jewelry collection!  We have many snap base findings available that are similar to what the other companies offer but the main difference between our "snap designs" is that they are all original and handcrafted works of art instead of mass produced by a factory.

The snaps are also so much fun to make.  I haven't found a clay technique that will not work with them yet!

If you would like to make your own "snaps" with polymer clay and need some ideas or help to get started, my tutorial can help you a lot.  I show how to "prep" the snaps so you can add any of your clay designs to them without the need for any glue.

And if you would like to make your own snap base findings from clay, my second (part 2) tutorial will show you how.

So for this month only, we are having a huge promotion on both our tutorial and our snap supplies to get you started.

Purchase our combined part 1 and 2 of our Snap Decisions tutorial for only $10 U.S. ($13 Cdn.).  That is like buying Part 1 and receiving Part 2 for free.  This special offer is available from our Etsy Shop (as an instant download) and on Artfire where both tutorials will be sent out by e-mail.

And to get you started with your own snap supplies, receive 10% off your entire order from our online store by using the coupon code:  Aprilsave10  

This offer is good until the end of April and remember that our online store is in Canadian dollars.  This means for fellow Canadians, you do not have to pay the high exchange for U.S. prices and if you are from the U.S. you can save even more, as for every dollar spent in our store, only costs you about 76 cents!

So join the fun and snap into spring!

"Snap" Jewelry Video

Launching our new interchangeable jewelry line is one of the most exciting things I have done since discovering polymer clay.  I am always receiving compliments on whatever pieces I am wearing (usually a necklace, bracelet or ring -- even hair barrettes) and love seeing their reaction when I pop one of the "snap" art beads out to show them how they interchange!

The next exciting thing I did was write and publish my tutorial to share with you.  We have received a lot of positive feedback from other polymer clayers who are just as excited about this new concept and the wave is growing and getting bigger!

My tutorial is available in two parts.  The first part is creating the actual "snap" art beads.  I show several methods for this as well as other tips and tricks so you can be creating your own snap designs in no time!  The second part is creating your own snap bases from clay.  This is especially cool for those who don't want to use a lot of the commercial type snap bases and would like to create their own unique look.  You can also purchase both parts 1 and 2 together at a reduced price available in our Etsy shop (as an instant download) or in our Artfire Studio which is sent out by e-mail but perfect if you are from Europe and do not want to pay that extra VAT tax.

If you are curious about the new "snap" jewelry and how you can use it to create your own polymer clay designs but still not quite sure about it yet, my friend Wendy Orlowski from Shades of Clay made this video that gives you a bit more information and a short little demo to make a simple "snap" cabochon.

We have received another large shipment of snap supplies and our online store is fully stocked up again along with a few new items.  Thinking of buying some of the supplies but still not sure what to get yet or probably need some more?  Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to receive updates on new items, sales and special savings!  (click here)

Mica Shift Buttons and Snaps in Blue Raspberry Sorbet

We just finished making a large batch of our Sorbet Flower Buttons as a custom order for Heather's Fabric Shelf.  They will be used in a special kit that she is putting together for her store.  They were made using Dan Cormier's mica shift technique using his peeler which is such a helpful tool.

We had some patterned slices left over and were wondering how the mica shift would look as "snaps" for our jewelry so did a bit of experimenting.  We added some Swarovski crystals which gives a bit more depth and were quite happy with the results.

The cool thing with the interchangeable snaps is that any technique can be used for them which makes them so versatile.

We are slowly adding more snap findings to our online store and if you would like to know about any new items added, sales or events, you can sign up for our news letter here.

If an invite does not pop up when visiting our site you will find the form on the front page here.