Clay Rosette Tutorial

    

CLAY is the love!!! I've recently discovered that polymer/clay has so many possibilities! I just had to do something with it, so I made rosettes. (If you've ever made fabric rosettes, it's basically the same concept). Once you've made the rosettes you can add jewels in the middle, or dust it all over with glitter. I for some reason didn't, but seriously glittery rosettes?! I mean how cool would that be?!

Here's my Step-by-Step/Picture-by-Picture process of how I made a clay rosette. :) 

FIRST, before you start, the polymer has to be warm. 

If it's not pliable enough, it will start to get little cracks on the edges. It takes a while to get warm so me being my ridiculous self found that the best way is to put it in one of your pockets. Body heat people!! haha I personally put it in my back pocket and sit on it.... I'm clever, what can I say?! :P 

***Thanks to Susannah Flautt Photography 

for taking all the pictures of my step by step process!! She is a fantastic!***

HERE 'TIS!!

Take a small amount of clay and 
roll it into a ball.

  

       

Roll it out into a "snake". ;)

 Using some sort of smooth, rounded tool,
 roll it out flat. (about 1/16'') 
(make sure your tool is smooth 
or it will obviously make marks 
in the clay.) The thinner you make this 
strip the more delicate your rose will look!

These next parts you'll just have to watch. 
The key is make it the most tight at the bottom 
of the rosette.

A few times while making your rosette 
you're gonna want to pinch one of the layers.
It will give it a more real effect and also help
 the rose look more open.

See how the two pinches makes it 
open up more? 

At this point I sometimes pull
 the "petals" back a bit to make it
 look more open.

Make sure there are no gaps on the bottom

or else the outer petal will wobble and 

not be super secure after you bake it.

 GENTLY squoosh the bottom together....

...and voila! :) They will ALWAYS turn 

out differently every time you make it so it's
 always fun to see the finished product!! <3                             

Put Parchment paper on a cookie sheet
 and cook your rosette at 275 degrees for 15 
MINUTES. 
(unless the package of your clay says something different.)

These are the first ones I did. :) I'm just so proud. *tear*.... 
okay not really. Honestly I didn't let the clay warm enough 
so there are weird little breaks in the "petals" when I rolled it out. You can see if you look closely.
*FYI: When you bake them, the color tends to darken. 


Now that you've made the rosettes, you can turn them into anything! 
My personal favorite....

EARRINGS! 

....and it's all "For the Love of Clever" :)