Playing with Silkscreens

I first learned screen printing in art class many years ago so I was curious about applying it to polymer clay.  I thought using the new Sculpey silkscreen kit would be a good way to start and so we gave it a try.  We really liked the paint that came with the kit -- especially the silver and some of the patterns were very intricate and was impressed with the fine detail they gave.

We had a lot of fun trying out the different patterns and experimenting with different colors.  Helen Breil gives a good basic tutorial and tips on coloring on her website here.

The disappointing thing, however, was after using some of the patterns from the Sculpey kit repeatedly, we noticed the silkscreens were quickly deteriorating and the backing was pealing off. We were extremely careful handling them and would put them in water immediately after each use so the paint would easily wash off.

I really love using the texture sheets by Helen Breil and decided to give her new silkscreens a try.  As soon as I opened the package and handled them, I could tell they were a much higher quality from the ones that were in the Sculpey kit.  We made a few buttons to start.  These are both curved into a concave shape.

We then decided to make some of the prints into snaps for our Snap Decisions interchangeable jewelry.  These ones were made with silver paint and then mica powdered.  The buttons above were left smooth where the ones below were textured so gave a more muted softer look which reminded me of a silk fabric.

Here are some of the snaps in a few pieces of snap base findings.  I love how they can be interchanged and worn so many ways.  We have these and many more styles to choose from in our online shop.

"Snaps" worn as a Ring, Necklace or Hair Barrette

We are working on getting in more snap supplies and have added another Snap Starter Kit (#5)

The single and double loop snap links (#6 & #7 above) have turned out quite popular so we will have them available in bulk when our order arrives.  They work great for making your own bracelets or as earrings:

These starter kits are at a reduced cost and a great way to sample some of the findings or if you would just like to create some interchangeable jewelry for yourself or as gifts.  We created them to go along with my latest tutorial:  Interchangeable Jewelry Pieces from Polymer Clay ... in a Snap!!!

And there is still time for a chance to win (out of 3) our part 2 tutorial.  You can read all about it on a previous blog post here.