Polymer clay challenge week 16 – focal

Tags

2015PCchallenge, bead, focal bead, green, handmade bead, polymer clay

So my grand plans for a fancy start to green have been slightly postponed because I’m spending a ridiculous amount of time painting skirting boards in our new (200-year-old) house.

Green polymer clay beads by Cate van Alphen

I managed to make these two hollow focal beads because I had the blank cores ready to be decorated. So all I did was extrude a snake and mash it together to form a cane. They have a velvety matt texture with a dusting of green iridescent mica powder. No sanding, see?

Hollow beads by Cate van Alphen

The beads are pretty chunky and make a noise when you shake them. I was experimenting with making a rain bead (a mini rain stick that is round) which is why I had the blanks on hand. The sound is ok but not like rain. I think a length of tube is required to make the right sound.

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Polymer clay challenge week 12 – bead

Tags

2015PCchallenge, bead, Cate van Alphen, handmade bead, polymer clay, polymer clay beads, yellow, yellow beads

This week I made yellow beads for the 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge. I made some more of my patchwork beads.

Yellow patchwork polymer clay beads by Cate van Alphen

Yellow patchwork polymer clay beads by Cate van Alphen

They’re beads, they’re yellow – enjoy!

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?

Polymer clay challenge week 7 – toggles

Tags

2015PCchallenge, bead, button, Cate van Alphen, handmade, kaleidoscope cane, polymer clay, shank button, toggle

The biggest challenge with blogging something I’ve made every week is not the polymer clay but the photography. Waiting for a sunbeam, so I can photograph using natural light, in Northern England is difficult. In winter it’s even more unlikely. A sunbeam in England, in winter on a Tuesday or Thursday morning (when someone can look after my girls) is practically impossible. So I have had to resort to using a flood lamp for taking my photos, and the results are a bit grungy.

Kaleidoscope shank button clasp by Cate van Alphen

I made a shank button using the kaleidoscope cane I made earlier. I love how the shank button structure doesn’t interfere with the kaleidoscope design.

Shank button clasp back by Cate van Alphen

I liked the button so much I even signed the back ;).

I also made a wire hook which was a bit of a trauma. I wanted the wire to be flat. Previously I have used a DIY hammer (with clunky results), so for my birthday I got a nylon hammer specifically for wire. Unfortunately, this did not have any visible effect on the wire despite whacking it gently, harder, with venom and even asking my husband to have a go. I can only assume it’s the wrong type of hammer because it’s a hammer – there isn’t much scope for user error. Is there? In the end I resorted to using the DIY hammer again.

Polymer clay buttons by Cate van Alphen

I also made some regular buttons and a toggle bead. To make the buttons, I used the edges of the kaleidoscope sheet I made for the shank button. Because I had laid the cane slices over scrap “mud” clay I had to add a layer of clay to the back and edges of the buttons. I used orange because that is supposed to be my focal colour, but after I had made a few I thought brown would have given more definition.

Polymer clay challenge week 4 – beads

Tags

2015PCchallenge, art bead, bead, handmade, polymer clay, stroppel cane

This week for my polymer clay challenge I have been making beads. I made some spacer beads in different shapes.

Back in week 1, I made a Stroppel style cane using the leftover gradient mix from my colour block pendant. This week, I made a set of round beads using the cane.

And I also made a set of tile beads to go with the toggle I made last week.

Polymer clay challenge – week 3

Tags

2015PCchallenge, art bead, bead, brown, button, handmade, orange, polymer clay, retro, toggle

This week, for my polymer clay challenge, I have made toggles. I wanted to make a toggle to go with my retro beads from last week.

The decorative dot conceals the holes of the button. But it also caused some technical difficulties.

I ended up making three toggles because the first hole was too small to account for the bump on the button. So I made a new thinner button without the dot, and added a stripe of the patterned clay to the brown frame to link the two pieces.

Then the second toggle frame was too big and it got scorched in the oven so it’s now covered with mosaic made from scraps. Although the colours seem to be departing from orange, I think this one is my favourite. It just goes to show that  mistakes are often opportunities with polymer clay.

Which one is your favourite?

Polymer clay challenge – week 2

Tags

2015PCchallenge, bead, bracelet, brown, handmade beads, orange, polymer clay, red, retro

My orange colour palette includes orange and chocolate brown which is a colour combination that screams “retro” at me. So for this week I used one of  the techniques from Syndee Holt’s class in the Virtual Retreat.

See the black bracelet with wasabi and cerise dots on square tiles (bottom left)? Retro – right?

I made little polymer clay tile beads featuring central dots of contrasting colours. The beads have two parallel holes and a flat back so they would be ideal for use in a bracelet.

 

I couldn’t resist doing several colour combinations…

I’m not sure that the red beads play very nicely with the others though.

What do you think – is the red too loud or does it add a nice bit of pep?

Christmas gifts given

Tags

art bead, bead, Cate van Alphen, earrings, flower, jewellery, phoenix, polymer clay, polymer clay bead earrings

Here is a proper look at the polymer clay bead earrings I made as Christmas gifts this year…

Pharaoh’s flower necklace by Cate van Alphen

I made a pair of earrings to go with one of the first necklaces I made back in 2009 (dodgy photo is from then too!).

Pharaoh’s flower earrings by Cate van Alphen

Next I made a pair of earrings to go with the necklace I made for the May ABS Challenge.

Blue and gold earrings by Cate van Alphen

Finally I was commissioned to make a pair of earrings like my phoenix charms but with a black background. The front of the earring features a feather and the back has the phoenix.

Midnight phoenix earrings by Cate van Alphen

Copper and orange

Tags

Autumn in the air, bead, copper, dangle, earring, lampwork, orange, wire wrap

Is that Autumn in the air, or just Summer having a cold shower?

I used a pair of (non pedigree) lampwork beads and this free tutorial to wrap the dagger beads to make these copper and orange earrings.

Patchwork, dangles and spangles

Tags

bead, blue, cane, earrings, handmade, kaleidoscope, patchwork, polymer clay, purple

Here are some of my latest earrings…

These earrings feature a pair of my handmade polymer clay patchwork beads.

Patchwork earrings by Cate van Alphen

These are extra long earrings with sliced kaleidoscope cane beads.

Long earrings by Cate van Alphen

These earrings have crystal spangles, just to rhyme with dangles. 🙂

Crystal earrings by Cate van Alphen

And because every day needs more sparkle.