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  Leaf Impressions
Designers: Ann & Karen Mitchell
Create a Bold Jewelry Set to
Go With Your Fall Fashions
 Decorations for Halloween and Thanksgiving are popping up everywhere. As we settle well into fall and break out the sweaters and jackets, it’s time to create some personal ornamentation. Bolder jewelry pairs up well with the increasing layers of clothing. Why not create something reminiscent of the season that will work perfectly with your wardrobe? For this dramatic bracelet and earring set, you will combine bold autumn hues with leaves in this simple yet striking project.
Ironically, this technique was originally inspired by an Easter egg dying process we learned from our mother in our childhood, and we still use it. She would boil brown and red onion skins for hours to produce a deeply tinted water base egg dye. We would scour the yard for leaves and flowers with interesting silhouettes, and put the in a small container of water to keep them fresh. Next we would place the plants flat on the surface of an uncooked egg, and wrap them with a tightly stretched square of pantyhose tied with thread to keep the plants in place. Our mom would boil the eggs in the onionskin broth, and then peel the pantyhose and leaves away. The final result was a rich brown egg with yellow, green, and sometimes blue leaf and flower impressions. Over time, we learned which plants would leave the best silhouette, texture, or color. When we first started making polymer clay jewelry professionally almost 17 years ago, we had very few tools (no pasta machine), and only our past knowledge of Easter eggs, crafts, and baking to draw from. This project concept takes us back to some of the earliest pins, pendants, and earrings we made, yet with a new twist.  Although we have chosen earthly fall tones, a change in the color palette could make an attractive set for any time of the year.
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Ann and Karen Mitchell are sisters and partners in 
