Sample Challenge – beads in progress

Tags

24ozPolymerClay, beads, cane, headpin, polymer clay, tutorial

I am continuing to work through my 24oz sample colours and I’ve nearly finished so I decided it was time to use up the scrap cane ends that I had created previously. I used a cane design by Fiona Abel-Smith which creates a colourful pattern that reminds me of crochet Granny Squares.

I made this cane and a few headpins and beads on a live stream earlier this week. If you are interested in how I made them there is a video still available. I haven’t even baked these yet (I like to fill the oven before I do so), so photographing them was a little tricky and is the reason there is glass in the background rather than my usual photo setup.

Of course I didn’t take into account that making a new cane from my scrap ends would result in new scrap cane ends! I think the last beads I make will end up mud tone that I need to texture for interest and add some colour with mica powders or paints.

Anyhow, I think I will soon be finished and able to show you the collection of beads I have made. Let me know if you are doing your own sample challenge as it would be great to share. Stay well, bye for now.

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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Art Jewelry Elements Headpins

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

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Polymer clay challenge – week 32

Tags

2016PCchallenge, art bead, charm swap, headpin, kaleidoscope, polymer clay

I have finally found some time to work with polymer clay, even though I haven’t worked on a vessel. I have signed up for this month’s Art Jewlery Elements design challenge to make something using art headpins, so I have made some using a polymer clay kaleidoscope cane.

Polymer clay headpins by Cate van Alphen

I tried to make several of them so I’ll have the option of making something other than earrings (although I have already siphoned off one pair for earrings). I also changed shape when I got bored ;).

Come back on the 27th August to see what I make using them.

In other news my Art Charms arrived today from Jennifer Cameron’s Fairy Tale themed swap, but you’ll have to wait until 16th September to see what I made for that.

Polymer clay challenge week 51 – bead

Tags

2015PCchallenge, damascus ladder, focal bead, headpin, polymer clay

I got a bit distracted with Christmas preparations, so my blog for the 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge is a little bit late this week. I made some headpins with the leftover damascus ladder cane from last week.

Polymer clay headpins by Cate van Alphen

I also managed to finish the focal bead from last week. The ends are now neater, but I think I prefer the darker scrap colour.

Polymer clay focal bead by Cate van Alphen

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you’ve had, or are having, a happy day. 🙂

Polymer clay challenge week 39 – WIP

Tags

2015PCchallenge, flower cane, fold bead, headpin, polymer clay

I’ve had to settle for a work in progress this week of my Polymer Clay Challenge. I was supposed to be making a focal using my new violet colour palette, but I got a bit waylaid.

Cat Therien’s frangipani cane

Every time I start a new colour palette, I think I should make a cane that I can use throughout the weeks that follow, but I’ve never managed to do it. After watching Cat Therien’s frangipani cane tutorial on the Virtual Retreat, I was REALLY itchy to make a flower cane.

I decided to start by mixing up decent quantities of polymer clay, since it’s really annoying to run out of a colour part way through a cane. Then I realised my work board was pretty clogged up with sheets of veneer from previous palettes and other scraps of clay. So I decided to use up some of the left overs.

Indigo mokume gane beads by Cate van Alphen

I made fold beads, and pillowed headpins. There are still some pieces of green kaleidoscope veneer that I haven’t used yet, and I want to do some sanding to finish them off.

Blue kaleidoscope cane headpins by Cate van Alphen

Finally I started to measure out my colours and when I got to the last one, magenta, I discovered that I didn’t have a lot of it left. This was a bit of a problem since all the colours in the palette use it (yes even the grey green)! I had to start the colour measuring all over again to make smaller quantities (I decided to keep the larger quantities I had already measured aside to finish when my new magenta polymer clay arrives). In the end, I managed to mix a little of each colour, but by this point I only had time to make two petals for my flower cane.

Flower cane WIP

So although I have made some things with polymer clay this week, my official target is still a WIP.

Polymer clay challenge week 29 – beads

Tags

2015PCchallenge, blue, Cate van Alphen, handmade bead, headpin, kaleidoscope cane, polymer clay

My daughter woke me up early this week so I made a kaleidoscope cane using my blue palette. Unfortunately I didn’t end up with that much time to actually make beads, so I’ve only got one pair of headpins to show for this week of the 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge.

Blue polymer clay headpins by Cate van Alphen

I cut the sheet of kaleidoscope pattern out of alignment (on purpose), so the patterns on each side are slightly different.

Kaleidoscope pins by Cate van Alphen

I made earrings using some of the green headpins I made and it was so much fun I think I’ll probably do the same with these.

Kaleidoscope headpins by Cate van Alphen