folded liquid clay mandala earrings

Protect your work surface with a disposable cover, such as wax paper (or disposable foil).
TIP: Work on a metal baking sheet (wax paper or foil). Uncured liquid polymer clay may damage unprotected furniture or finished surfaces. Be sure to cover your crafting area appropriately. Stir liquid clay completely. Wash hands with soap and water (or baby wipes) after use.

Squirt a small amount of navy metallic liquid clay into the middle of the largest mandala shape.

Spread the liquid clay all over the mandala, filling in all the details with either your fingertip or the squeegee included with the mould. Add more liquid clay as needed to make sure all the tiny details are filled.

Squeegee off the excess liquid clay from the filled design with the included squeegee.
TIP: To get the design of the mandala even more perfect, fold a single paper towel into a thick pad. Moisten the pad with just enough alcohol to make it damp. Swipe the pad across the filled design once or twice gently. This will clean the little windows in the mandala.

Preheat your oven to 275 °F [130 °C] for liquid shades and 300 ºF [149 ºC] for clear and bake the mould.
TIPS:
- Bake for 15 minutes if you are using the liquids as a glaze or in thin pieces less than ¼" [6 mm]. For thicker pieces that are ¼" [6 mm] or above, bake for 30 minutes. If you are baking on a ceramic tile, then you will also need to bake at 30 minutes since it will take longer for the tile to heat up. This will ensure the proper fusing of the liquid material.
- It is important to use an oven thermometer when you bake the liquids so that you can ensure your oven is at the correct temperature.
- Do not microwave the liquids.

Once the mould is completely cool, remove the mandala by gently flexing the mould.

Repeat Steps 2-6 to create a second mandala.

Bend one of the mandalas in half and secure the top and bottom lobes together with a 6 mm jump ring using flat nose pliers. Close the jump ring.

Position the jump ring that you just secured in Step 8 at the top of the mandala. Carefully pinch the extreme left and extreme right lobes toward each other and downward forming a “fortune cookie” style fold. Secure these two lobes to each other with another 6 mm jump ring.

Repeat the folding in Steps 8 and 9 for the second mandala.

Connect an ear wire to the jump ring at the top for each earring. Insert a headpin into each of the crystals.

Trim the tails of the headpins to ¾" [1.9 cm] above the crystals with wire cutters. Curl a little loop down in the tail to just above the crystals with the round nose pliers.

Finally, connect the little loops to the mandalas at the bottom jump ring with the flat nose pliers.

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