Polymer Resin Butterfly with Rhinestones

Take half a block of black clay, start rolling it out with a rolling pin, and when it’s thin enough, run it through the pasta machine starting with the widest setting. Next to it, prepare the translucent, uncolored dough by running it through the pasta machine from the thickest setting to the thinnest. The translucent clay needs to be as thin as possible; you can run it through the machine between two sheets of parchment paper to make it even thinner and, most importantly, to protect it from getting dirty.

Place a sheet of gold leaf on the black sheet. Run a card over the gilded surface after first placing parchment paper underneath to smooth it out. Place your sheet of translucent clay on top of the gold leaf, then run the card or a rolling pin over it again. Set aside.

Using the remaining black clay, prepare a new sheet with a thick ridge using the MAP. Place the silk-screen on top of the polymer clay, then spread the white acrylic paint over the surface using a card. Immediately remove the stencil to wash it under soapy water.

Prepare a color gradient by making two cylinders—one brown and the other copper. Place the two colors side by side, then roll them out before placing the whole thing in the bread machine. Allow the clay to pass through the clay sheeter about 15 times, folding it back on itself and always running it in the same direction—the lengthwise direction. If you’ve never made a color gradient before, you can use this video for guidance.

Take your two wing-shaped cookie cutters, then cut out these two shapes from each sheet of clay. Cut out two wings from the color gradient and two more from one of the pattern sections—either the polka dots or the zigzags. You’ll need four wings to make a butterfly.

Take the sheet with the gold leaf, then use an oval-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the body of the butterfly. Cut the shape into 3 parts, then insert a black strip into each cut that is the same height as your sheet. Roll it out to reform the oval and join the sections together, keeping baking paper on the surface the entire time.

Place the oval cutter on a piece of black clay to double the thickness, roll it out with a rolling pin, place plastic wrap over the cutter, and then place the oval cutter on top again.

Flatten the tip of the oval shape with a ball tool. Shape a small black ball, form it into a triangle, and taper it by cutting it lengthwise into two parts. Place it in the hollow of the oval shape.

Place PureCrystal rhinestones where the eyes would be on the black head, pressing them in slightly. Cut a 4-cm piece of copper wire, and pierce the head just above the eyes to create the butterfly's antennae.

Work on the surface you’ll use to heat your jewelry so as not to distort it later. First, position the wings with the patterns facing each other, then use the ball tool to flatten the center to fuse the two parts together. Place the body on top of the wings, press down gently, then place the other wings on top of the first pair, and press down again without deforming the assembly.

Bake at 120 degrees for 20 minutes in a conventional oven.

Remove your pieces from the oven and work on the backs of the butterflies by filling in the gaps with black clay to reinforce the structure. You can take this opportunity to sign your creation on the unbaked parts using alphabet punches. Press the flat part of the pendant clasp into place, then return your butterflies to the oven for 30 minutes at 120°.

Remove the pendant clasp, apply a dot of glue, and reattach it; do the same for the eyes. Cover your entire butterfly with UV resin, working one section at a time and spreading the resin with a toothpick. Cure the resin under the lamp after covering each section by pressing the on/off button twice. You can also apply resin to the underside of your butterfly, but this uses quite a bit of resin, so it’s not required.

Take 4 cm of faux fur yarn and cut the fibers in half lengthwise. Attach this collar around the head using dots of glue.

Thread the Miyuki beads onto the copper wire, then at the end, either apply a dot of glue or a drop of resin and cure it under a lamp. Thread a chain through the pendant clasp, and your creation is complete.