I thought about doing a tile backsplash for the stove, but after doing some searching online for ideas I decided to try making a three-dimensional backsplash out of polymer clay.  I used the leftover clay from my failed attempts at making a kitchen sink to make a mold using a necklace and a scrap piece of wood trim.

I flattened out the clay and then lightly marked the size of the area I wanted with a piece of wood.

Since I plan to wear the necklace again, I couldn't cut off the bail so I used it as part of the design.  I pressed the pendant into the clay in all four directions to get the impression of the bail on each side.

I cut 45° angles at the ends of the strip wood and then created a loose frame around the medallion.

To finish off the corners, I pressed the tip of the pendant into the clay.

After baking and letting the mold cool, I used the good unused clay to make the backsplash.  When I had attempted the kitchen sink, it was the first time I had worked with polymer clay in a long time.  I didn't realize just how much dust gets into the clay and especially shows on the white clay.  I tried washing and using a clean paper towel, but even that left dust on my hands.  I found that if I washed and then let my hands air dry, there was virtually no lint and what little there was could easily be lifted out with the edge of my fingernail.

I coated the mold with a dusting of powder (Crabtree & Evelyn Almond, if you're wondering - it was what I had).  I then pressed the mold onto the freshly rolled out clay.

Most of the detail transferred, and for anything that didn't, I used some sculpting tools to enhance the design.

I cut the excess off the sides and brushed on some color using powder created from scraping artist pastels.

Not a bad first attempt, but it was too thick to use above the stove and I wasn't sure about the color with the rest of the kitchen.  It would make a nice wall hanging as is, though.

I had a bit of clay left, so I rolled out another thinner section and repeated the process without the artist pastel color.

I am not sure about the size for a backsplash in relation to the rest of the setup.  It's a beautiful piece, but it just seems out of place with the rest of the design.  I had planned to add some small regular tiles around the medallion to keep it from appearing to float on the wall, but I still think I might prefer something a little more subtle.  Once I build the range hood, I'll get a better idea of whether this piece works or not as a backsplash.  Either way, I love both pieces as wall art.

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