By: Sandra Blackwell, Artistic Guide

The weather finally turned warm here, and I have been working on my patio.  I planted a beautiful fern next to my fountain, and created this necklace to remember how nice it feels to sit outside next to my garden. 

Supplies:
Stamps:
Fern stamp  with two sizes of ferns (unknown)
Inks:
Olive Adirondack dye ink pad (Ranger)
Embossing ink pad (Ranger)
Other:
1 small domino and  1 medium domino
Metal sheet about .75 inches by 1 inch
Metallic beads
Clear Dimensional Magic (Plaid)
Gold and copper fine line embossing powder
Copper or other metallic seed beads or small holeless beads
Heat gun
Smallish paint brush
Anti static pounce bag
Cording or chain to hang pendant from

Directions:

1. Press small domino to ink pad.  Smear the ink around with your finger.  An uneven coat adds interest.  Wrap the ink around the sides, making sure to get color on the corners.  Dry the ink with your heat gun.
2. Pounce both the large and small domino with the anti-static bag.  On the smaller green domino, stamp smaller fern image with embossing ink.  Pour copper embossing powder over fern image.  Tap the back of the domino to shake off excess embossing powder.  If that doesn’t get rid of the excess, blow sharply at the domino.  Sometimes you have to use a very fine paintbrush to remove the excess. 
3. Using heat gun, emboss the top of the domino.  I covered a clipboard with foil to use for embossing things like this.  After the embossing powder has melted, DON’T touch the domino.  It will be HOT.  (Don’t ask how I know this).
4. While the small domino is drying, stamp the larger fern image onto the larger domino, using the same Olive color.  Hit briefly with the heat gun to dry this ink.



5. Pour some copper embossing powder onto a coffee filter.  Tap the edges of both dominos onto the embossing pad, being sure to get the corners.  Then dip lightly into the pile of embossing powder.  Tap  off the excess powder.   Carefully set them on the clipboard, and heat.  Don’t forget to let them cool a few minutes.



6. Cut the piece of metal sheeting slightly narrower than the larger domino, and about an inch long.  I used some copper sheeting I had around, but you could use any metal that you can bend some, but don’t easily…perhaps a soda can?  Wrap one end of the metal around the handle of a paint brush as shown.  This will make the bale of the pendant.



7. Using a few drops of dimensional magic, glue the bale to the top, back of the domino.



8. Next comes the hardest part!   Let it dry for at least 20 minutes.  Put it down.  Walk away.  Don’t touch it.  If you mess with it, it will just get goopy and you will get angry.  (Trust me on this!) You can speed drying time up a little if you use the heat gun from a distance.  Don’t get too close or it will bubble the Dimensional Magic.
9. Using a few drops of Dimensional Magic, place the smaller domino on top of the larger one.  Let this dry for 20 minutes or so.  
10. Spread a thin coat of dimensional magic over the front and sides of both dominos.  Drop a few of the metallic beads on the top of both dominos.  You may need to put a few small drops of Dimensional Magic where the beads are to make sure they hold.



11. Let this dry for at least 20 minutes.  I like to put a thin coat on the back as well, and to save drying time, I hang the domino on the paint brush handle between a couple of bottles.  You will need to let the front dry a few minutes before coating the back, so the beads don’t fall off.  The picture shows what happens when you hang it up too soon.



12. I suggest letting this dry at least overnight at this point.
13. I used a piece of rat tail cording rubbed in the lettuce ink to string the necklace from.  I tried a copper chain but liked the informal look of the cording instead.  I like the pendant to sit at choker length, but if you could certainly use a longer cord or chain.  Every time you wear it you will think of being outside in the summer.