The new series

I've been playing with some pendants that I call my White and Black series. They are little pieces that I just sit and natter with. I like how they are turning out and hope that someone else will like them enough to purchase one at my new Etsy shop. They are very calming to make. By the time I got to the tenth one I finally had a process going where I could do them without any finger prints or gouges. Sometimes my fingers just feel so large.......

Dipping my pieces

I finally got around to trying dipping my finished clay pieces in Future instead of painting it on. Wow, what a difference. I love the look and feel it gives. I have wire shelves in my studio closet so I just set up a little dipping station in there. that way I can close the doors while it dries and keep the dust off of the pieces. I used paper clips to attach the stuff to the shelves and put a pan underneath. I used a loop of wire around my cuff bracelets and that worked well too. When I got ready to bake them I just hooked them on the rack in the big oven. Check the photos of the bracelet and heart below, those were taken before I dipped them.

Pop can bracelet

So, after much talk on the clay-polymer Yahoo group about the pop can bracelet I had to try it. It was first done by Sydnee Holt in a segment on Carol Duval, I found it on the DIY site under Polymer Clay. It really is quick fun decorating it. The only work I need to do on it is to sand the edges, they are a bit sharp. After it's sanded I can dip it in Future acrylic floor finish and then it will be done.

Chrysanthemum cane

I finally got a link for the tutorial on how to make the chrysanthemum cane. I love the look of this cane and apparently there are many ways to make this one. Once you make it you start thinking about all kinds of different effects you can get with it. Here is the link to the cane instructions in case your interested. The translucent clay in the cane really enhances the affect and no cut of the cane is ever the same. Here I made a heart and a pin with the cane ends, I can never just wad them up and throw them in the junk pile. No wonder I have no junk clay to use for bead cores.

Stained glass cane

I used Lorrene Davis' "Stained Glass cane" technique featured in the Spring 2006 issue of PolymerCafe magazine today. I didn't get the cane to look exactly like Lorrene's but I still love it. I covered a bracelet blank with the cane. I love the way it came out. Also shown, another bracelet blank I covered with the "happy accident" mentioned earlier on my blog, I knew that cane would come in handy eventually.