For this week of my 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge, I made beads using my violet colour palette. I reduced and mirrored my flower cane to form a pattern like you’d find on fabric.
Floral fold beads by Cate van Alphen
I made fold beads. They are smaller than I’ve made previously because I wanted to keep them under an inch, so they don’t become focals.
Floral fold beads by Cate van Alphen
I also made some triangular pillow bead headpins. I even sanded the fronts! Unfortunately the sanding rubbed off some of the silver coating on the copper wire, but as long as I add a bead or wrap the top I think they’ll be ok.
Polymer clay headpins by Cate van Alphen
Of course I couldn’t decide if the triangles should point up or down, so I made some of each.
Triangle pin pair by Cate van Alphen
The backing colour is the colour I mixed from the cane ends. It’s not strictly in the palette, but I thought it was pretty. It makes me think of lavender soap.
Polymer clay headpins by Cate van Alphen
Fulgorine 
The fold beads look like magical seeds and the triangles like deelicious sweeties! Very nice.
Ooo, I like magic beans 🙂
😀
Here’s a suggestion for you – when you sand this type of bead you an avoid rubbing the finish off the wire if you wrap the part lowest to the bead in a little piece of painters tape. If the tape isn’t left on the wire too long it won’t leave any residue. I hope that helps you 😊
Thanks I’ll try that. I enjoyed making these so I’ll probably do more 🙂