The end of the rainbow

Tags

beads, handmade, polymer clay, retro beads, scrap clay

The scrap ends of my rainbow cane had some lovely colours, so I couldn’t look at them sitting on my board for long without wanting to make something new with them. I decided to make some of my round natasha beads. I mixed some the bright colours with white to get some tonal variation in the finished beads.

These beads are ridiculously complicated to make, involving an extruded cane cut into cubes, assembled into bigger cubes, then cut into natasha beads and then made round. Halfway through I realised I liked the cube format too, so after much deliberation I decided to keep most of them half formed.

I’m still not sure which I prefer…

I also used Fiona Abel-Smith’s tutorial to make another extruded cane with the rest of the scraps and a few others lurking on my table. I like the vintage granny square look that these have. I textured the surface of these beads to add to the textile impression.

Thank You Rainbows

Tags

cane, earrings, handmade jewellery, polymer clay, rainbow

Here in the UK rainbows are now a Thing. At the start of lockdown, children put them in the windows of their houses for others to spot on their once-a-day-permitted exercise outing. Now they are everywhere, from painted rocks to banners with messages of thanks to the NHS and key workers. As lockdown eases and I can (often) look at them without crying, I have decided to make my own rainbows.

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Polymer clay rainbow beads by Cate van Alphen

Believe it or not, it took me ages to work out how to make a cane without a background. I even bought extra translucent clay so I could build up around the outside of the bow to make a square cane that I could reduce. While I was waiting for it to be delivered I was inspired by a solution that made me feel pretty silly…

All I needed to do was make a bullseye cane around a transparent core and it was already ready to reduce. Then, if required, I could remove the central core and cut the circle in half. Voila – a backgroundless bow! It actually took me a whole weekend to mix up 14 colours for this: the seven main rainbow colours and then seven intermediate colours to blend. You can just about see them on the big cane, but it’s not really visible on the reduced rainbow bead. But they are so cute and tiny, I don’t really mind.

I made myself a pair of earrings with my first rainbow beads where I left the translucent clay core. The main lentil beads are hollow so these are really nice and light to wear. I forget that I have them on (not so good when trying to put a mask on/off for shopping)!

So once again from me: Thank you NHS and key workers.

I wish you all a happy day. Stay safe.

I finished a… thing

Tags

abstract art, bead, freeform beading, handmade, mixed media, polymer clay

A few years ago I made a Bead Habitat. You may have noticed that all the pictures are fairly tightly cropped. This is because I hadn’t finished the edges.

I had intended to frame it as a picture to go on the wall, but my mother objected, saying that it was too tactile for that and needed to be explored closely rather than hung from a wall. After that it got buried under all the debris on my beading table.

As part of my recent tidying, I came across it again, and decided to finish it. I’ve done a bead edging and a backing fabric to hide my workings. I had to try really hard not to embellish the back too!

I’m not entirely sure what it is. It’s a kind of sculptural, 3D painting, abstract, mini landscape, ornament… thing. It’s purely decorative and quite small, so I’m thinking of it as “coffee table jewellery”.

It’s a mixed media piece including some of my polymer clay beads and components, silk covered wire, embroidery and glass beads on fabric.

Let me know what you think it is. Sometimes feel that I don’t make these things, I’m just there when it happens. 🙂

Wire crochet earrings

Tags

earrings, giveaway, jewellery, polymer clay, wire crochet

This year I signed up for the Polymer Clay Adventure. I’m generally not very good at following a tutorial literally, but I thought this year it would be a good exercise to try a run through at least once.

The first tutorial I had a go at was a combination of polymer clay beads (by Kira Slye) and wire crochet (by Yoola). I almost managed to make something similar.

Earrings by Cate van Alphen

I used carved beads (from another of the retreat tutorials) for these earrings. I didn’t have gold hooks so I made some spirals that I attached to steel studs. I thought the focal beads were a bit too chunky so I added another bead to give the earrings more length.

I also made a pendant with a stamp textured bead. When I made this bead I thought the edges were a bit fat so I pinched them and added a slight wave. Some of the purple coating had cracked off the wire by the time I worked the bottom row, but I thought it picked up the gold mica on the bead quite nicely so I still used it.

I made another pair of carved beads, this time in silver, since I thought the first ones were a bit fat. I included some black beads in the wire crochet but they are a bit too similar to the bead colour and don’t really stand out.

By the time I got to the next silver carved bead my fingers were objecting to the crochet (I think my wire is too hard) so I decided to weave a little cap instead. I also scribbled in some scratches. This is purely for textural effect and is in no way related to the fact that the bead got scratched while I was working on the wire weaving. 😉

I also made a pair of purple beads similar to Kira’s, but I haven’t yet decided what to do with them.

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Giveaway

If you’d like any (or all) of the pendants and you are willing to pay for the postage*, pop a comment here on my blog before the end of January. If more than one person wants a pendant I’ll do a random selection.

*Shipping is from England (95p to UK, £3.15 to US addresses).

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Polymer clay challenge week 38

Tags

2016PCchallenge, beads, necklace, polymer clay, retro

This week I have made some beads using the canes inspired by the vintage teacup I’ve been working with. So far I’ve made one necklace.

The beads have different patterns on either side so the look changes depending on how the beads are flipped.

I plan to make some more beads using the canes, and I have made some accent beads to go with them when I do.

Remember it’s nearly time for the Art Charm reveal :). I’ll be showing the fairy tale inspired charms I made along with links to see what the other participants have made. This will also be the start of the auction to benefit Beads of Courage, so be sure to come back on 30th September.

Week 36 – Anti-vessel

Tags

2016PCchallenge, headpin, polymer clay

This week for my Polymer Clay Challenge, I have unmade a vessel. I wrote previously about how I am fascinated with pottery shards, and this week I finally got around to combining them with polymer clay.

I have made a few headpins. These were from a vintage teacup that died of natural causes.

I textured the backs with a stamp and antiqued them with acrylic paint.

I think they are quite successful. The polymer clay seals the razor-sharp edges nicely.

I think I can hear the earring muse calling. 🙂

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Polymer clay challenge – week 23

Tags

2016PCchallenge, ArtVessel, mokume gane, polymer clay

So I am still running late for showing my weekly 2016 Polymer Clay Challenge projects. My vessel for this week, 23, looks a bit of a mess, but it is a work in progress.

I have partly covered a glass jar with a sheet of polymer clay mokume gane facing inwards. I plan to build something up around the outside leaving some of the glass open to show the interior pattern.

Polymer clay beads by Cate van Alphen

For the last couple of weeks I have been trying to clear away some of the scrap on my work board, so I also made a few beads while the bottle was baking in the oven.

Polymer clay challenge – week 16

Tags

2016PCchallenge, beads, polymer clay

My vessel for this week currently has plaster drying on it as I left it a bit late before starting. I am still finding this challenge to be hugely out of my comfort zone. This week I did manage to make some beads as I find those relaxing, so that’s what I have for my 2016 Polymer Clay Challenge.

Polymer clay components by Cate van Alphen

I really enjoyed the shape of the beads I made for my Art Bead Scene earrings, so I made a few more in a succulent blue-green colour. I added a subtle glaucous edging with some blue interference mica powder.

The pendant started off as a way to use up some of the extra glaze from last week’s bowl, and when I got it out of the oven to put the beads in, I thought the greens went well together. So I added an organic, slightly ruffled edging in the same clay as the beads.

I’m planning to make a few more beads, and then I should have enough to make a necklace.

Happy New Year

Tags

2015PCchallenge, 2016PCchallenge, ArtVessel, handmade bead, polymer clay, spectrum

I’m starting the New Year with a look back at the old year. I took part in Katie Oskin’s 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge which I combined with my idea of dividing the year into blocks focussing on each colour of the spectrum. Each week I made bead components*. Look at the pretty gradient that they make!

Some of the components need reworking, but I’m pleased to say that I managed to make something every week (despite moving house in the middle). I think perhaps this exercise needs another iteration since one of my objectives was to develop a more homogenous body of work. Maybe I should choose my favourite component from each block and make a version in each colour palette? But that’s not my challenge for 2016…

For 2016 I plan to make a vessel each week. I’ll probably start with covering my collection of glass jars, but I’m also hoping to make items of jewellery like inros.  I’ve made a group on Flickr if you’d like to join in (it’s not limited to polymer clay since although that’s what I work with, I love to be inspired by other media too).

I hope my year, and yours, will be filled with beautiful things!

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* I have a page dedicated to the Spectrum Year project where you can click on the thumbnails and find my colour recipes. I am working on adding some of these beads, and jewellery made using the colour palettes, to my Folksy shop.

Polymer clay challenge week 52 – toggle

Tags

2015PCchallenge, clasp, handmade bead, polymer clay, red, toggle

For the last week of my 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge, I have made an old school bar and loop toggle clasp.

Polymer clay toggle by Cate van Alphen

It’s pretty chunky and mostly red.

Polymer clay toggle by Cate van Alphen

I wanted a contrast between the pattern on the side and the front as the bar will be seen side on when in use. I’m mostly happy but I think it could do with another iteration – the stripes in the bar are a bit thinner than I’d imagined.

Polymer clay toggle clasp by Cate van Alphen

The hard part was carving the polymer clay to look interestingly irregular without ending up a wobbly mess. Maybe it could do with a touch more wobble? 😉

This is officially the last week of my Spectrum Year, but I’m sure I will be making more as I feel I’ve barely scratched the surface. For 2016 I plan to make a vessel every week. Have a look at the Flickr group I’ve made if you’d like to join in.

Until then,

BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR!