DIY: Sunset Blends in Clay

In polymer clay clay, mixing colours can be a bit of an art. The manufacturers offer their picks which change on a fairly random basis. Artists get to mix and mix again to meet whatever needs they have. Need a perfect periwinkle? Try mixes of Premo Turquoise and Fuschia. Too much of the Fuschia and you get more of a lavender. It’s still lovely though.

Mixing the colours for blends can be even more interesting since you’re planning for a whole colour range then. I’m fairly boring and work, mostly with dark to light blends, primarily with white, ecru or grey on the light end and out of the package colours on the dark end. Meg Newberg does some fancy colour work to get the pretty sunset shaded blend above. She offers a quick picture step through and a print out for the Skinner layout. Her Etsy shop contains further tutorials that use this blend or ones like it. By itself, this blend would be fabulous for backgrounds of pieces. Use a silhouette design on top of this to make a great tropical or landscape scene for pendants.

This week’s Book Review Wednesday pick is Air-Dry Clay Making Handbook by Jacalyn K. Myron, and this is another one of those crossover craft books that could easily live in more than one corner of CraftGossip.

It is not strictly a jewelry making book, but the cover does mention jewelry projects, and air-dry clay is a lovely material for making lightweight pendants, charms, ring dishes, earrings, beads, and little decorative pieces. So I’m letting it sneak into the Jewelry Making series because, honestly, half the fun of handmade jewelry is experimenting with materials that were not necessarily “jewelry supplies” to begin with.

Air-dry clay is especially appealing for beginners because you do not need an oven, kiln, torch, or specialist setup. You can shape it, texture it, let it dry, sand it, paint it, seal it, and turn it into something sweet and useful. It is very approachable, which makes it a nice option for crafters who want to try clay jewelry without jumping straight into polymer clay baking or resin mixing.

This book looks like a practical beginner guide covering air-dry clay techniques, tools, tips, and projects, including jewelry, home décor, animals, figurines, and small sculptures. I like that mix because it gives makers room to play. You might start with a simple ring dish or pendant and then wander off into little bowls, ornaments, charms, or handmade gifts.

For jewelry makers, I’d see this as a gentle introduction to clay-based accessories. Think handmade pendants, textured earrings, little clay charms, or small dishes for storing rings and earrings. It would also pair nicely with our Jewelry Making projects and the more clay-focused ideas here.

My Shellie-style take? Air-Dry Clay Making Handbook looks like a calm, beginner-friendly craft book for anyone who wants to try clay without too much fuss. It may lean more general craft than pure jewelry, but there is enough jewelry potential here to make it useful for makers who enjoy handmade accessories, gift projects, and pretty little things made by hand.

You can find the book here: Air-Dry Clay Making Handbook.

Have you read?