Creating Mixed ˜Media

Jewelry with Metal,Clay,

Wire,Resin & More

cynthia
thornton
Owl
ojime
necklace¬

T
his time the message
gave 2 days to prepare.
I bought a new dress and had
everything packed in my
bag, including the hot chocolate
& the banana bread when Tom arrived
promptly at four.
“We are headed to a very rural part of
Tuscany, to see a lady who enjoys cooking,
I’m told.” Tom smiled at my expression,
which must have been rapt.
“Well, let’s go! I’m ready!”
We stepped into what looked like the
background of a Da Vinci painting,
undulating hills, bay trees, and rosemarY
bushes. I breathed deep while I followed
him to a stone house. The woman who
answered the door looked ordinary
at first, but as we spoke, her image blurred
& I could see her hooved feet & spiraling
horns nestled in her thick red curls.
She said her name was Layla in a faded
brogue and led us into her kitchen. It
smelled like heaven. Bread rolls emerged
from the oven, crusty & fragrant,
while lobster simmered in butter and
garlic. She asked us to set the table, & we
jumped into efficiency. We dined on
colorful plates topped with salad & pasta
heaped high with the buttery lobster.
I nearly moaned in absolute happiness.
We lingered at the table for a long time,
& she told us stories of her youth, about
being wild in her mother’s country,
& the dangers of dragons. I brought out
may 24—
my banana bread and chocolate,
& she praised me until my face burned
with pleasure. I was surprised to notice
2 owls roosting in the rafters of the high
ceiling, hooting to one another . . . She
noticed me looking. “Ah, you see my
lovely darlings! They are my happiness,
those two!”
“They are so beautiful!” I said simply.
Then, with hesitation, I asked, “Are they
magical?”
“Why, yes! They can make human faces if
they want to talk to me. Hey, Sally! Joe!
Let’s show our new friends your faces.”
The owls shivered, ducked their heads
under a wing, then pulled them out to
show childlike faces, smiling down
at us.
We clapped for them & they began to sing
bawdy songs, fit for sailors. We laughed
until our sides hurt, they were so good.
Then Tom played along with them,
strumming his guitar and singing.
“Let’s open a bottle of my neighbor’s
brew,” she was already uncorking a bottle
before I could answer.
“I suppose it couldn’t hurt,” I said,
thinking about the colors she wore & her
beloved owls. Coppers and blues,
maybe deep reds. I wanted to capture
her easy laugh, gypsylike flair & of
course her lovely owls.
Owl
ojime necklace¬
A sweet owl is sculpted
from layered polymer
to look like faux ivory and
finished with cabochon
eyes, in the style of antique
Japanese ojime beads.

materials
13 faceted 6mm carnelian rounds
1 sterling silver bird clasp
12´ (32cm) of sterling silver
20-gauge wire
3 ½˝ (9 cm) of sterling silver 4x6mm
cable chain
4 vermeil 10mm Thai flat rounds
3 faceted 9mm turquoise
round sleeping beauty
36 vermeil 3mm cornerless cubes
1 6x8mm CZ
1 sterling silver 4mm Thai eye bead
3 5mm jump rings
2 gold 5x10mm paddles
Techniques Used
Create faux ivory from polymer clay

finished size
21˝
 Component
M
1~ C ondition the polymethod
2~ F orm clay into a fla er clay and create sheets of faux ivory.
ttened egg shap
mandrel. e and pierce it
3~ Build the with a
barn owl with tw
for wings an o flat teardrops
4~ Press cabo d a heart shape for the face.
ch
5~ Shape a sm ons into clay for eyes.
all teardrop
6~ F ire according to man of clay for the beak.
ufacturer's
instructions and
finish as desired
.

Stringing Instructions
1~Using 2" (5 cm) of wire, form a simple
loop. Attach to half of the toggle. String
1 vermeil 3mm cornerless cube, 1 faceted
6mm carnelian round, and 1 vermeil 3mm
cornerless cube. Form another simple
loop. Repeat twelve. Attach each link to the
previous loop to create a wire-wrapped link
chain. Set aside.
2~ Using 1½" (4 cm) of wire, form a simple
loop. Attach to the remaining half of the
toggle. String 1 vermeil 3mm cornerless
cube, 1 sterling silver 4mm Thai eye bead,
and 1 3mm vermeil cornerless cube. Form
another simple loop. Attach to the end of
13⁄8" (4 cm) length of chain.
3~Using 2" (5 cm) of wire, form a simple
loop. Attach to the chain formed in Step
2. String 1 vermeil 10mm Thai flat round.
Form a simple loop. Attach to a ½" (2 cm)
length of chain. Using 2½" (7 cm) of wire,
form a simple loop. Attach to the last
link of the chain. String 1 vermeil 3mm
cornerless cube, 1 faceted 9mm turquoise
round sleeping beauty, and 1 vermeil 3mm
cornerless cube. Attach to a ½" (2 cm)
length of chain.
4~ Repeat Step 3 twice. Connect to
the previous lengths. Using 1½" (4 cm) of
wire, form a simple loop. Attach to the
last link of chain. String 1 vermeil 10mm
Thai flat round. Close with a simple loop.
5~ Using 3" (8 cm) of wire, form a simple
loop. Attach the ends of both halves of
the necklace. String the ivory owl ojime
bead. Form a simple loop.
6~ Open one 5mm jump ring. String 1
vermeil 3mm cornerless cube and 1 gold
5 × 10 paddle. Close jump ring. Attach
the loop from the previous step and ½"
(2 cm) length of chain. Open one 5mm
jump ring and add 1 gold 5 × 10 paddle.
Close the jump ring. Attach to the first
link of the chain. Open one 5mm jump
ring. Add 1 vermeil 3mm cornerless cube
and 1 CZ. Close ring on the last link of
chain.
 Sunset
baubleS
necklace¬

window
heart
of the

pendant

studded
bead
"

bracelet

EmbelliShed
egg pendant
 urban the Nixie's
Faery earrings
necklace

contents
 Part I — Introduction:  Part III — Projects
Finding inspiration & creating Studded Bead Necklace £ Embellished Egg
meaningful works Pendants £ Petal Cascade £ Owl Ojime
The Sketchbook Necklace £ Sculptural Scrimshaw Collar
£ Drawing £ Window of the Heart Bezel Pendant
£L  ook Books & Inspiration Boards £ Woodland Wings £ Sunset Baubles
£ Deconstruction £ Luelle’s Corsage Cuff £ The Nixie’s
£ Symbolism Necklace £ Dogwood Necklace £ Time
£A  List of Universal Symbols and Memory Necklace £ River Bed Rings
£ Urban Faery Earrings £ Lila’s Garden
 Part II — Everyday Alchemy: £ Tide Pool Treasures £ Melusine’s Gift
Understanding the magical properties of £ Rainfall Necklace £ Magpie Pendant
wire, polymer clay, precious metal clay, resin £ Mirabelle’s Locket
& more
£ Polymer Clay  Part IV — Inspiration Gallery
£ Precious Metal Clay £ Basic Techniques
£ Designing With Clay £ Glossary
£ Resin £ Resources
£ Molds £ About Green Girl Studios
£ Contributors
 create
meaningful
mixed-media jewelry
Cynthia Thornton of Green Girl
Studios brings the magic of her design
process to her first book filled with mixed-
media jewelry techniques and projects
plus her own drawings and watercolor
illustrations.
Enter the fantasy fairy-tale world of
Green Girl Studios, where every charm
has a story and each piece of jewelry is
filled with magic. Presented in the style of
an artist’s journal, jewelry artist Cynthia
Thornton combines her love of storytelling
with a wide variety of innovative jewelry
techniques. The book includes watercolor
illustrations and enchanting design
sketches by the author, and each project
features it’s own fairy-tale introduction.
Discover the secrets behind new and
innovative techniques for creating mixed-
media jewelry with resin, PMC, polymer
clay, wire, and more. Learn Cynthia’s
signature techniques for mold-making and
stone setting, bead making, and creating
custom jewelry components. All basic
techniques are accompanied by step-by-
step photography.
Following the technique section, create
over 20 projects ranging from the
delightfully simple to exquisitely ornate.
Along the way gain valuable insight
into Cynthia’s design process for giving
each piece of jewelry its own magic and
resonance.

About the author Paperback

Cynthia Thornton and her husband, Greg Ogden, 8½ × 10¼, 160 pages
started Green Girl Studios in 1997. Cynthia is the 200 photographs
designer for this unique and popular bead-making Illustrated throughout
and jewelry studio. They attend over 35 bead shows $24.95, ISBN 978-1-59668-157-6
a year. With over 100 designs, they sell beads all Available October 2009
over the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia,
and Japan. They live in Asheville, North Carolina.