Polymer Clay Necklace 2018 Year of the Dog

Celebrate the Chinese New Year and make your own Polymer Clay Necklace 2018 Year of the Dog ?

It’s very simple to make this necklace but first, let’s learn a bit about the Chinese New Year celebrations and the symbol in this necklace…  just in case you decide to make one and wear it so you will  have an answer, if someone ask you what the symbol mean!?

This post also explain why I am using the metal blue and black colour in this polymer clay necklace.

Chinese Lunar Calendar

In 2018, the Chinese New Year begins on Friday, 16th February. The New Year date changes every year as it is based on the Lunar Calendar. Many people use the Chinese Lunar Calendar to choose lucky dates as for marriage, start a business and so on.

In the website Travelchinaguide you can find an interactive calendar, your lucky dates for the Year and travel arrangements if you decide to go to China!

2018 – The Year of the Dog

There are 12 animals representing each month of the year and they are also zodiac signs:

1 – Tiger 寅, 2 – Rabbit 卯, 3 – Dragon 辰, 4 – Snake 巳, 5 – Horse 午, 6 – Goat 未, 7 – Monkey 申, 8 – Rooster 酉, 9 – Dog 戌, 10 – Pig 亥, 11 – Rat 子, 12 – Ox 丑.

Source: Fengshuibyjen

In this website you will find one of the fables why the dog became one of the animals symbols. Interesting enough it has to do with dogs chasing cats.??

The “Yang Earth Dog” Energy

It will be easy to understand the energy associated with 2018 Yang Earth Dog, if we pay attention on how a dog behaves:

Sometimes they are full of energy

and at other times they just want to sleep.

Therefore this year you might want to do many things and you may feel that  you are not getting anywhere however it could also represents that you are making the foundations for 2019, the year of the Water Pig. So the most important thing is to remember the dog’s characteristics and just carry on.

Symbol & Elements

The year of the dog in fact is called:  “Yang Earth Dog” and 2018 is connected with the element earth. The main colours for 2018 are also be connected with earth: Wood and Water elements. So, green, blue and black

Polymer clay necklace 2018 Year of the Dog

Materials I used:

• Polymer Clay Premo black
• Pasta Machine or Acrylic roller
• Metal cutters
• Daler Rowney Acrilic paint Mars Black
• Daler Rowney Acrilic paint Metallic Green
• Daler Rowney Acrilic paint Metallic Blue
• Paintbrush
• Leather cord necklace
• Sculpey Gloss Glaze

Instructions:

• After conditioning the polymer clay, roll it through the pasta machine on the thickest setting or use a roller
• Using a big circle cutter and a small circle cutter make the shape of the pendant

• Bake at 275 for 50min to 1hour (depends on your oven)

• Mix 50/50 of the colour above and paint the polymer clay pendant. Let it dry

• Using a small painting brush, paint the symbol above with black acrylic paintbrush and let it dry.
• Add the leather cord.

I hope you like the polymer clay necklace 2018 Year of the Dog and if you have any question please add your comments below.

Happy New Year!?

Lia?