Mosaic Pendants

Tags

Art Deco, handmade, mosaic, pendant, polymer clay

The Thunderbird necklaces from my previous post have now evolved into these mosaic pendants.

Polymer clay mosaic pendants by Cate van Alphen

Initially these started because I decided to squish all the off-cut scraps from making the Thunderbirds into some fresh raw clay to make new sheets to use for mosaics. I had yellow and orange on my table at the time so that’s what I made. Because I didn’t know how the baked scraps combined with new clay would hold together when cutting into tesserae I decided to make some simple geometric shapes. I also added some deco beads for shine and to give a contrasting texture.

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So, yes, I do have a favourite child here – the yellow and orange one appears in every photo! It’s the last one I made and I like the Art Deco look. I also used some bigger off-cut chunks (from carved beads) with fewer deco beads hidden in the spaces.

Pendant closeup.

The edges of the tessera are pretty rough. I could probably improve this by warming the clay before cutting, or sanding the edges, but I quite like them like this. I think it adds character. Anyhow it’s very fulfilling when all the little pieces come together and seem to fit.

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Shards

Tags

Art Deco, Charity Auction, necklace, polymer clay, upcycle

Here’s my next selection of items available for sale in my Charity Auction. I didn’t make them specifically for the auction but, since they were made from shards of accidentally smashed crockery, I thought they were appropriate. They are a symbol that perhaps something can be salvaged from destruction.

Orange shard necklace by Cate van Alphen

This wire choker necklace has a focal pendant made from a piece of broken saucer. I have finished the sharp edges with orange polymer clay and added a gold shimmer. The necklace also has magenta dyed stone beads and matching polymer clay spacers.

Quirky hair clip by Cate van Alphen

My next shard creation became a hair clip. It includes an arrow shaped piece of floral ceramic edged with gold coloured polymer clay and accompanied by a blue rose and a small red glass nugget. The moulded flower shape originally came from a vintage brooch.

If you like any of these items please consider bidding generously – all the proceeds will go to the British Red Cross who are assisting the survivors of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Name the bead

Tags

Art Deco, artisan bead, bead, Cate van Alphen, handmade bead, patchwork bead, polymer clay, retro

I rarely make the same thing twice, however I have found myself going back to these polymer clay beads a few times. They are quite fiddly to make so I find them a good way to relax.

I think of them as patchwork beads, mainly due to the process I use to make them. The name sort of works when I use a mix of colours like in these earrings.

Patchwork bead earrings by Cate van Alphen

But when I use more homogenous colours it doesn’t really describe how they look.

I can’t quite think of how to describe them. They aren’t really geometric enough to be Art Deco. Retro? Nouveau Deco? What do you think?

Peacock wedding

Tags

Art Deco, bead, brooch, cabochon, fringe, paua shell, peacock, pin, wedding

I’ve been a bit quiet on my blog because I have been focusing on my sister’s wedding. I made the dress and the jewellery. Since we have now enjoyed the big day, I can share some photographs.

The theme was 1930s/Art Deco/peacock.

The cabochon is blue paua shell, and I used a lot of crystals and faceted silver beads for the fringe.

Congratulations! I wish you many beautiful and happy days together. 🙂

 

 

Old is the new new

Tags

Art Deco, bead, bead embroidery, christmas gifts, flower, Jamie Cloud Eakin, kaleidoscope, mandala, new year, painting, plans, polymer clay, print, UTEE

I have been reflecting on what I liked about last year, and thinking about what I would like to achieve in 2014…

I’ve had a pretty good run with the Art Bead Scene challenges; I think they really helped me to focus on a project (and the deadlines made me finish). So I’d like to carry that on in the new year.

I have been playing with one of my new Christmas gifts, a melting pot, to make the earrings above (here’s a tutorial for the UTEE headpins). I’d like to experiment some more with that.

Since my playtime has been reduced/fragmented (with our new baby), I’ve mostly been making earrings, as they don’t take too long to finish. I’d like to think a bit bigger this year, and maybe spend some time exploring each idea. I’d like to work on something more substantial, something I can look back on and think “Wow, I did that!”. Another of my Christmas gifts was “Dimensional Bead Embroidery” by Jamie Cloud Eakin. That seems like a good place to start.

My sister is getting married later this year, so I have been helping her design some Art Deco invitations. I’ve been surprised at how much I actually enjoyed doing vector drawings again (it’s amazing how university can suck the fun out of things). So I have been dusting off my old print account on Deviant Art, and I’ll try to do some more paintings (digital, traditional, polymer clay or even a mix!).

I’m pleased to say I still like some of my old images. See?! I’ve been designing canes since ancient times BC (Before Clay). Now I just need to improve my cane building skills. 😉

So for 2014 there will be peacocks, Art Deco, bead embroidery, cabochons, complex canes, digital paintings, art beads, wonky UTEE AND … unexpected treasures I haven’t even thought of yet.

Happy New Year!

May every day be joyful and precious.