Antique Eye Lense Pendants
Submitted by:Libby White of Random Art Designs
Webmasters note: This is a really simple project that is a quick way to make a unique piece
of jewelry. Think of what a wonderful Mother's Day gift this would be. Any mother would treasure one of these forever!
Click here for an enlarged view
You can obtain these inexpensive lenses from Libby at Random Art. Just click on her name above to email her. Some of them come without the hole to put a chain or ribbon through, but she can make the hole for you. Be sure to ask her to do that if you want.
Supplies needed:
1. Antique Eye Lense
2. Goldens Regular Gel Matte Adhesive
3. Gold Leafing pen
4. Antique photo reduced in size
5. Fancy background paper
6. Embellishments such as dried flowers, beads, gold leafing flakes, etc. Whatever you chose.
7. Velvet Paper (optional) for backing
DIRECTIONS:
1. Wash the lenses and dry it well to remove dust and fingerprints. If part of
the lense is frosted, that is the side that you will collage onto and the
frosting will disappear.
2. Now find old photos, magazine or stamped images that you want to use as your
focal point. Take the pieces you want to use to a photocopier that can
reduce the images, our Kinko's colour copiers do this. Make several sizes
of the pictures so you can play around with them. I like to tear the images
out instead of cutting them, it gives them a more interesting border. I
often run a Krylon metal leafing pin around the edges of my image.
3. Lay your lense on the decorative paper and trace around it. Then cut out the circle.
4. Using Golden's Matte Gel, paste the focal image onto the background. Now
you can paste more images or dried,pressed flowers and ferns, specialty
threads, mica, glitter or anything else that will not make the piece bulky.
Let all of this dry, it dries quickly as shown below.
5. Add a generous layer of the Gel
onto the entire face of your small collaged piece, being careful not to
dislodge any of the parts. Now push the gelled side of the collage against
the lense. (Don't forget to put the collage against the frosted side of
your lens if you have that kind) Gently push the collage with your fingers
so that any extra Gel is pushed out the edges of the lense and wiped away.
Try to also push out any bubbles you can see thru the lens but don't worry
if you can't get them all out.
6. Lay the lense onto the velvet paper and cut the circle piece for the back and adhere it with Golden's Gel.
Variation Views:
Click here for an enlarged view - The main image in this piece was an old cabinet card that I scanned
and reduced in size then printed on my deskjet. I used coloured
pencils to add some colour to her face. I poured Diamond Glaze onto
the glass of the lens then put in the photo, face down, I used a
toothpick to smooth out any bubbles that formed under the picture.
While the glaze was still wet, I added several colours of Judi-Kins
Roxs. To my surprise the glaze pulled some of the colour off the Rox
so I used a toothpick to swirl the colours. I let all of this dry
overnight. When it was dry I dapped Brilliance pad ink onto the back
of the piece, let that dry and then added a layer of gold from the
leafing pen. I glued some beaded ribbon to the bottom/back of the
piece.
Click here for an enlarged view - This image is from a Christmas card a friend sent of her girls so this is going to be a surprise gift for her. I used Gel medium to glue the
image face down to the back of the lens. Next I used the gel to glue
a piece of purple lace to the back of the lens, over the image.
Finally I put another layer of gel onto the back and sprinkled glitter
over it. Let dry overnight and ready the next day.
Click here for an enlarged view - This piece is very simple but shows that you can do some 3-D in your
piece. I used 24 guage coloured wire and made a shape. I hammered it
flat so it would fit into the piece. I put a layer of gel medium on
the back of the lense, put in the wire piece, and added the image of
the girl. I then took a piece of Christmas wrap that I had gold
embossed some french words and I used gel medium to glue this to the
back of the lense. Let dry overnight. To finish the piece and make it
ready to wear, I put a jump ring thru the hole in the handle and then
ran ball and chain thru it to make it a complete necklace.
Click here for an enlarged view -This is the most detailed piece I made. It is one of my favorites and
shows that you should never throw anything away. This lens was
cracked when I recieved it in the mail. I liked the line of the
cracks and it was stable in the frame so I decided to use it and I
think it added an antique look to the piece. The image of the little
girl is an actual tintype that I got off of Ebay. I trimmed the tin
with scissors and used gel medium to glue it onto the back of the
lense. I added alittle glitter on the excess gel. Next I carefully
used gel medium to glue a butterfly wing to the back of the lense.
You have to be so gentle with this, the gel tended to grab the wing
and it tore easily. When this was all dry, I used a gold leafing pen
to colour in the part of the lense that the image and wing didn't
cover, then I carefully glued a piece of mica to the back of the lense
to protect the wing. I took some black satin ribbon and ran it thru
the hole in the handle to make the piece ready to wear.
Many Thanks to Libby White of Random Art Designs for sharing this fabulous idea! Just click on her name to send compliments, thanks and technical questions.
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