Polymer Clay Backed Glass Tile Pendant Tutorial

by Johnnie Lanier
(Bloomington, Indiana)

I love the look of glass tile pendants, but not so much the lack of backing. Most tutorials I have found have you seal back of the paper with whatever adhesive you used on the image to stick it on the glass tile. That leaves you attaching a bail to the sealed paper backing. I made one of these and the pendant bail tore the paper and came off of the piece after about a week. Bummer. How is the bail supposed to stay on there without a strong surface to anchor it? I knew there must be a better way. Here is a step by step tutorial on how to create polymer clay backed glass tile pendants.

Supplies:

• Glass tiles (I got mine on etsy - 23 mm squares

• Glossy accents or Translucent Liquid Sculpey (TLS)

• Images to fit your glass tiles (I use inkjet on matte paper)

• Craft Knife

• Cutting mat

• Polymer clay

• Eye Pin and jump ring, or pendant bail for attaching pendant to chain

Instructions:

• Glue image on to glass tile; zig zag the adhesive on the image and place the glass tile (rough side down), pressing firmly. Here, you want to make sure you press out any air bubbles that may form between the glass and image. Pressing firmly on the glass against a flat surface usually does the trick. If not, pick up the piece and run your finger across the back of the paper.





• Let the tiles sit for 20-30 min (you can use a heat tool to hurry this along) before trimming the image. Use your sharp craft knife and go around the perimeter, cutting the image as close to the tile as possible.



• Condition your clay and roll it to a medium thickness with your pasta machine or acrylic roller. Trace your glass tile onto scrap cardstock and cut out a template for the clay backing. Cut 2 squares for each tile. This will make sense in a minute…



• Bend your eye pin, making a “W” shape. This keeps the finished pendant from spinning on the pin. Lay the bent wire on a clay sheet, make sure to center the loop at the top. Add a line of translucent liquid sculpey, then a second clay square. This gives extra security to the wire. You don’t need the glue to go out to the edges because raw clay sticks to raw clay, so the 2 sheets will adhere to one another without adhesive. TIP: Carefully sliding your clay blade under the squares helps lift them off of the tile without stretching them.









• Next, zig zag the TLS (adhesive) on the top square. Place the glass tile on top of this (wearing gloves to avoid fingerprinting the raw clay). Lift the piece and mold the clay around the edges of the tile with your fingers.







• Add texture to the clay backing using a rubber stamp or other textured surface. This is my favorite way to get rid of imperfections and marks in the raw clay.



• Bake for 20 minutes at 275° or per instructions.

• Remove from oven and let cool.

• To finish pieces, sand with 400 grit or finer, wipe away debris with damp cloth, and buff with soft cloth (I use denim).

• I sealed these with Future Floor Finish. You can see the effect. The top tile has no FFF.



• You are done! Let the sealant dry completely before handling.

Add a jump ring to the loop and you can attach your beautiful, durable glass tile pendant to a your cord or chain.

Johnnie Lanier
Saved By Love Creations