Here’s a video tutorial where I make dreadlock beads. Of course this technique could be adapted to other large hole beads, or even smaller ones for jewellery making.
Video Tutorial – Dreadlock Beads
14 Sat May 2022
Posted in How to
Tag Archives: handmade beads
And now with more ‘shrooms
27 Thu Jan 2022
Last year I worked on a red mushroom cane using the colours from my Red Palette. I started off by creating a vector image of my design so that I could test how the pattern would repeat. It took me ages to get the cane built as I wanted to follow my sketch quite accurately, and I was pleased with the finished result.
Here are some finished earrings that I made using my mushroom cane. I’m still tweaking the sizing for some of these components and refining the domed stud attachment but I am happy with them as prototypes.
This year I have decided to choose some pieces of my art to get printed as greeting cards. While my mushroom vector sketch had enough detail to be used as a cane, I thought it was a little bland when enlarged to the size of a card. Therefore I decided to add in more details and some texture to the background incorporating scans of monoprinted paper. I didn’t particularly intend to make it psychedelic, but I suppose stereotypes happen for a reason! What do you think – is it fun or bonkers?
By the way, I have done a lot of the work on these projects during my Tuesday morning livestreams. You are welcome to join me for a chat or you can watch the videos on catchup (they remain available for 2 weeks).
Carved Bead Video
29 Wed Jul 2020
I have finished editing another video which has been quite a feat now that it is school holidays. It’s an offshoot from my previous tutorial where I go off on a tangent and start carving the beads.
Here are some boho earrings I made using the finished beads.
I hope you find it interesting.
New video tutorial: heishi beads
16 Thu Jul 2020
I have finally managed to get another video tutorial filmed and edited. It’s a pretty simple tutorial since I’m still practising the video making. It’s mainly a tip I learned the slow way when making the heishi beads for my Thunderbird necklaces.
Hopefully I’ll get some more tutorials made soon. That’s if I can figure out how to get a longer video clip off my phone!
Let me know if there are any techniques you would be interested in seeing.
Art Jewelry Elements Headpins
30 Tue Aug 2016
Posted in Art Jewelry Elements, jewellery
Tags
crochet, earrings, handmade beads, headpin, necklace, polymer clay
This month I decided to take part in the Art Jewelry Elements design challenge to make something using artisan made headpins. In an earlier post I showed the polymer clay headpins that I made to use for this challenge. I decided to make several so that I’d have scope to make something other than earrings. Therefore the first thing I made was a couple of pairs of earrings.
I bent the headpin wire into a circle and crocheted over it. I like the negative space that the circle creates. One pair of earrings had petals, and the other was just a simple circle.
Next I combined the petalled circle with the simple circle to create a necklace featuring a crocheted chain. There are a few things I’d like to do a bit differently, but it was so time-consuming to make that I’m not going to change this necklace. Perhaps one day I’ll have a go at making another version.
The yarn I used changes colour, so I decided to jumble the loops to create a patchwork contrast. I’d like to try crocheting from one end to the other to create a more subtle ombre effect. The other disappointment is that the chain links pretty much obscure the flower design. So I had a go at another pair of earrings to see if I could improve the flower shape.
I still need to think about how to link the flowers together without obscuring them to form a necklace. In the mean time I’m looking forward to seeing what the other participants have made.
Guests:
Alison Herrington
Renetha Stanziano
Karin Grosset Grange
Gloria Allen
Deb Fortin
Cate van Alphen
Mona Arnott
Shai Williams
Sarajo Wentling
Kathy Lindemer
Solange Collin
Brooke Bock
Melissa Meman
Patricia Handschuh
Tammy Adams
Melissa Trudinger
AJE Team Members:
Caroline Dewison
Lesley Watt
Cathy Mendola
Jenny Davies-Reazor
Susan Kennedy
Laney Mead
Diana Ptaszynski
Lindsay Starr
Niky Sayers
Polymer clay challenge – week 33
24 Wed Aug 2016
Posted in 2016 Polymer Clay Challenge, jewellery
Here are a couple of bracelets that I made using my polymer clay beads. Since I actually made them last week I’ll put them down for week 33 of 2016 Polymer Clay Challenge, even though this blog entry is a bit late for that.
I used the colours from my Yellow Palette.
Polymer clay challenge – week 24
18 Sat Jun 2016
Posted in 2016 Polymer Clay Challenge, Art Vessel, jewellery
My vessel is still a work in progress for this week of the 2016 Polymer Clay Challenge. I have now added a foil and plaster bandage armature around the glass jar. Hopefully next week I’ll be able to finish decorating it.
I also have a ballet time necklace and a pair of earrings that I made from more wonky cube beads. This time I alternated between drilling the beads face on and diagonally through the corners. Wonky beads make me ridiculously happy :).
Wonky bead necklace and earrings by Cate van Alphen
Pre-shop
09 Thu Jun 2016
Posted in jewellery
I struggle to find the time to complete listings for my online shops, but I can’t bear the thought of my jewellery being stuck in a box without any hope of finding a forever home (one person can only wear so many earrings). Therefore I have started adding thumbnails to my shop page with a contact form at the bottom. The idea is that if something looks tempting you can let me know and I’ll get the full listing done.
Faux fordite statement earrings by Cate van Alphen
Art Vessel – week 22
06 Mon Jun 2016
Posted in 2016 Polymer Clay Challenge, Art Vessel, jewellery, My work
So it’s nearly halfway through the 2016 Polymer Clay challenge and I am still finding my vessels something of a struggle. While it’s great to push the comfort zone, it has occurred to me that perhaps following the comfort zone for a little bit is how an artist develops their “look”. I’m imagining a miner following a mineral seam instead of digging through bedrock the whole time.
Currently my comfort zone is making earrings, so this week I have made a pair of “vessel” earrings.
Vessel earrings by Cate van Alphen
They are not particularly functional vessels, unless you need a place to transport a tiny fairy or perhaps you need to collect pollen like a bumble bee.
The green cup and saucer are polymer clay and the blue beads are glass. As usual they are on niobium hooks.
Green set
17 Wed Feb 2016
Tags
Here’s an earring and necklace set I made last year, but I’ve only just taken photos of it and listed it in my Etsy store. It features some of my stained glass polymer clay beads (here’s my free tutorial for the technique).
And in other news, I am still sanding my inro.
Fulgorine 