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Today's lid is a fantasy in foiled clay. Stripes and circles were spliced together over a clay background and melded with an acrylic roller. The clay was set into a metal bezel ring and surrounded with stripped polymer clay along the edge. The setting was attached to the lid embellished with raised, foiled clay in a party-themed, confetti theme pattern. After curing the clay, a rounded, cabochon finish was created by applying Magic-Glos (Tm) UV resin inside of the bezel ring.
As evidenced by several earlier creations seen in this project, celestial motifs are a favorite theme in my creative work. I made a fabulous find in the form of a key chain that I received from a promotional give-away. I removed the sun finding from the base it was attached to and remove the center insert. The finding was ideal for re-purposing as the focal point for a lid. I glued SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS flatback crystals to the center and placed the finding over a millefiori cane pattern made from sunset colors. The rim is crackled gold leafing over black polymer clay.
Foiled polymer clay strips are woven in a basic over and under pattern. The weave is loose to reveal the underlying negative space of the textured clay foundation. The sides are a border of micro clay beading attached to a heavy-duty adhesive tape.
Crystal-encrusted mesh by SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS floats above a holographic foil foundation creating a world of sparkly goodness. A barely-there clay border conceals the mesh ends while flatback "chessboard" crystals are aligned side-by-side to create a reflective border. Shine on!
Clay bubbles appear to glow and dance above the surface of a textured clay base. After foiling black clay with solid colors, baked clay circles are highlighted with Magic Glos (TM) UV resin. A metallic finish was given to the smooth clay border using metal clay foil and "over-baking" at high heat until the pattern faded.
A Cloisonne focal bead is front and center on today's lid. An elaborate frame of millefiori cane slices and SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS flatback crystals establishes a boundry between the lid and the stripped watercolor wash clay pattern.
Gears and sprockets from my Micro Elements Watch Parts line are attached to a Vintaj copper disc. Screw post construction using hardware (also from the Micro Elements line) attaches a large copper gear and SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Keystone crystal to the lid allowing these components to spin freely in a kinetic dance around the lid. Nailheads and flatback crystals further adorn the watch components. Finally, the rim is covered with a kaleidoscope millefiori cane design.
An iridized glass donut bead from Fire Mountain Gems serves as the main focal element of this lid. A millefiori cane slice flower is set into the center and accented with a SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS crystal. Pearlidescent clay foil is applied to black polymer clay, giving it an abalone shell tonality. The texture is created with a small bowled smoothing tool. The effect mimics the appearance of spoon-carved wood. Polymer clay stripping sits along the edge separating the rim and lid, bringing all the elements into harmony. When the jar is turned in a hand, the light refracts off the surface with an interference color-changing effect.
I used a mold to create this delicate face with Art Clay World Copper Clay. I used a background of clay that features a fractured water color wash look. I make these by combining clays with both soft and firm consistencies. When mixed, they blend with a varied result. The inability to control the outcome often means I continue to blend the clay until complete mixed, using it for another application. In this case, I was thrilled with the design that emerged. The border was made using metallic copper clay in the Ropes and Braids border mold.
A Tierracast open ring is transformed into a "porthole" type window. On the other side of the rounded glass-like pane (made using Magic Glos (TM) UV resin) is a mokume gane backfill. The monochromatic theme is continues along the lids's edge with a simple gradient cane border. The rim is covered with embossed aluminum sheeting, pulling all the effects in a cohesive design.
