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Fulgorine

~ My adventures with polymer clay

Fulgorine

Tag Archives: purple

And another thing…

07 Fri Jul 2017

Posted by fulgorine in jewellery

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

British Red Cross, Charity Auction, charm, earrings, jewellery, keyring, polymer clay, purple

There are a few more items included in my charity auction that I’d like to talk about. Remember – all proceeds will go to the British Red Cross who are helping people involved in the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower.

Purple earrings by Cate van Alphen

Purple earrings by Cate van Alphen

I chose to make these purple beads into chunky earrings because the texture matched the wings of my Angel painting. They look like ceramic, but because they are made from polymer clay they are still light enough to wear as earrings.

Macrame bag charm by Cate van Alphen

Macramé bag charm by Cate van Alphen

This stone bead and macramé handbag charm was one of a pair of earrings, but unlike the purple leaf earrings above I was worried that they were too heavy to wear. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them because I liked them so I didn’t really want to dismantle them . After making the love charm for the auction, I realised the weight wouldn’t be a problem if it were a bag charm.

Stone keyring by Cate van Alphen

Stone key ring by Cate van Alphen

Its partner became a key ring – just to be different.

Purple bead earrings by Cate van Alphen

Purple bead earrings by Cate van Alphen

I chose the next pair of earrings because they were waiting on my desk for new photographs to be taken, and because there can never be too much purple.

Bauble pendant by Cate van Alphen

Bauble pendant by Cate van Alphen

This red, purple and green pendant goes with the earrings. It’s hollow polymer clay so it’s super light.

Please have a look at my other items and remember that if you do bid it will all be going to a good cause.

 

Polymer clay challenge week 47 – bead

26 Thu Nov 2015

Posted by fulgorine in 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge, beads, My work

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

2015PCchallenge, art bead, handmade beads, polymer clay, purple, red

This week I made some red spacer beads for my 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge.

Polymer clay beads by Cate van Alphen

Polymer clay beads by Cate van Alphen

They are not particularly exciting, but they do look like yummy berries 🙂

Polymer clay beads by Cate van Alphen

Polymer clay beads by Cate van Alphen

I did make some more interesting beads using the scraps of the purple palette left on my board, but since they aren’t red I’m not counting them officially.

Purple bead by Cate van Alphen

Purple patchwork beads by Cate van Alphen

Polymer clay challenge week 45 – toggle

13 Fri Nov 2015

Posted by fulgorine in 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge, beads, My work

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

2015PCchallenge, handmade bead, magnetic clasp, polymer clay, purple, violet

This week of my 2015 Polymer clay challenge I decided to have a go at making a magnetic clasp. I’ve always had trouble with magnetic clasps pulling open. I figured that two magnets are strongest when you pull them directly apart as opposed to bending them open like a book or sliding them sideways. So I tried to come up with a design where you have to pull the pieces apart as there is no sideways movement available.

Magnetic clasp by Cate van Alphen

Magnetic clasp by Cate van Alphen

The two pieces are a bit like teeth with interlocking roots. There is a tiny magnet in the centre. Both pieces are the same.

Polymer clay clasp by Cate van Alphen

Polymer clay clasp by Cate van Alphen

I’m pleased with how it looks, and it’s very satisfying to click the pieces together, but sadly I don’t think it’s strong enough to use as a clasp. It could be because there is still some scope to tilt the magnets apart, so maybe longer spikes would help? Or maybe the magnets are just too small? Maybe magnetic clasps just don’t work? 😦

Polymer clay clasp by Cate van Alphen

Polymer clay clasp by Cate van Alphen

I need to let the idea simmer for a bit. In the meantime I’m struggling with my red colour palette. I thought I’d add a sixth colour to match the previous palettes, but now some of the colours are not sitting together well.

Haloween humbug earrings (flashback)

01 Sun Nov 2015

Posted by fulgorine in jewellery, My work

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Halloween, handmade bead, humbug, Murano glass, niobium, orange, polymer clay, purple

I made these earrings a while ago, and I just realised I don’t think I’ve shown them here on my blog. They would have been a good post yesterday, for Halloween, but I’m not that organised!

Humbug earrings by Cate van Alphen

Humbug earrings by Cate van Alphen

The focal beads are polymer clay which I made earlier this year as part of my Spectrum Year. They remind me of mint humbugs. The amethyst and gold beads are Murano glass. They are on dark purple coloured copper wire which I have hammered to form a pin (I rather like the way the purple coating came off at the bottom to reveal the copper underneath).

These earrings are currently in my Etsy shop.

Polymer clay challenge week 43 – focal

29 Thu Oct 2015

Posted by fulgorine in 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge, beads, My work, Tutorial

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

2015PCchallenge, doughnut pendant, polymer clay, purple, violet

This week I made a purple polymer polka-dot pendant. 🙂

Hollow polymer clay doughnut pendant by Cate van Alphen

Hollow polymer clay doughnut pendant by Cate van Alphen

I have been rearranging my work room, so I had to keep things simple for this week of my 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge.

P.S. I wrote a tutorial a while back for making the hollow doughnut shape (just use your favourite method to decorate a sheet of clay). Here’s a polka-dot tutorial (it’s similar to what I did except I made some dents in my background sheet of clay first).

Polymer clay challenge week 39 – focal

05 Mon Oct 2015

Posted by fulgorine in 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge, beads, My work

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

2015PCchallenge, flower cane, focal bead, polymer clay, purple, violet

I have now finished my polymer clay focal beads for week 39 of my Spectrum Year (see the WIP in my previous post). The beads are thick slices of stylised flower cane. I drilled two parallel holes so they could either be used double stranded in something like a bracelet, or if only one hole was used for a necklace it would be off centre so the beads would not flip over.

Flower cane bead by Cate van Alphen

Flower cane bead by Cate van Alphen

They are a bit clumsy in comparison to what I had imagined. My slicing is still not very accurate – the lines framing the picture are wobbly and the bead slices themselves are not very straight or even. I think I could do with a cane slicer 😉

Flower cane beads by Cate van Alphen

Flower cane beads by Cate van Alphen

I suspect they would be improved with some sanding, but it will probably be ages before I get round to doing that. They are an inch square so they count as focal beads by my definition 🙂

Polymer clay focal bead by Cate van Alphen

Polymer clay focal bead by Cate van Alphen

P.S. The flower background is actually pale dove grey, not just poorly exposed photography.

Violet colour palette

25 Fri Sep 2015

Posted by fulgorine in 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge, Tips

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

colour mixing, colour palette, Fimo, polymer clay, purple, violet

I’m a little late with the start of violet since I wanted to finish my indigo beads. Here are the colour recipes I plan to use. I’m using Fimo Professional and the numbers represent percentages. Previously I wrote a post on how I mix colours.

Violet colour palette

Violet colour swatches

Light Grey

  • 95 white
  • 1.5 true magenta
  • 3.5 true blue

Grey Green

  • 61.5 white
  • 3 true yellow
  • 10 true magenta
  • 23 true blue
  • 2 true green
  • 0.5 black

Indigo

  • 30 true magenta
  • 70 true blue

Dark Purple

  • 59.5 true magenta
  • 39.5 true blue
  • 1 black

Violet

  • 80 true magenta
  • 20 true blue

Purple

  • 50 white
  • 40 true magenta
  • 10 true blue

 

Let the purple-fest commence. Yippee!

Another Oddment necklace

18 Sat Apr 2015

Posted by fulgorine in My work

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

art bead, boho, bronze, Cate van Alphen, gold, handmade, lampwork beads, necklace, polymer clay beads, purple

I had so much fun making my Oddment necklace, I made another one in slightly different colours. This necklace includes polymer clay beads made by Rebekah Payne which I won back at the start of 2014. Can you spot them?

Bronze Oddment necklace by Cate van Alphen

Bronze and Gold Oddment necklace by Cate van Alphen

I also included polymer clay beads that I made myself, glass lampwork beads and filigree metal beads which I reclaimed from jewellery that I found in the charity shop.

Oddment beads by Cate van Alphen

Oddment beads by Cate van Alphen

Here are a few more photos since the necklace looks quite different depending on the rotation around the neck.

Oddment necklace by Cate van Alphen

Bronze and Gold Oddment necklace by Cate van Alphen

Some of the beads I used to make this necklace are currently available in my Etsy bead shop.

Oddment necklace by Cate van Alphen

Bronze and Gold Oddment necklace by Cate van Alphen

I’m collecting up a few more stashes of beads so I expect there will be more of these necklaces soon 😉

Orchid evolution

12 Wed Nov 2014

Posted by fulgorine in Art Bead Scene, Challenge, My work

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

art bead, Art Bead Scene, Cate van Alphen, flower, focal bead, orchid, pendant, pink, polymer clay, purple

Back in 2010 I made my “Imperial Orchid” necklace. I really wanted to explore the idea further, but I never got round to it.

Imperial Orchid necklace by Cate van Alphen

Imperial Orchid necklace by Cate van Alphen

So this month’s Art Bead Scene challenge painting was just the nudge I needed.

Cattelya Orchid by Martin Johnson Heade

“Cattelya Orchid and Three Hummingbirds” 1871 by Martin Johnson Heade
Oil on Mahogany Panel, 34.8 x 45.6 cm

I started off making a pinstripe of magenta and lavender polymer clay as I could see those colours in the petals. Unfortunately the colours ended up too dark for what I was trying to represent from the painting.

Purple pinstripe orchid by Cate van Alphen

Purple Pinstripe Orchid by Cate van Alphen

For the next orchid I made a subtle marbled mix of white and a speck of the previous pinstripe cane. I dusted on the pink using mica powders. I was much happier with these colours, but I preferred the proportions of the previous purple orchid.

White Orchid 01 by Cate van Alphen

White Orchid no. 1 by Cate van Alphen

So I tried again, and made a third orchid…

White orchid 02 by Cate van Alphen

White Orchid no. 2 by Cate van Alphen

This time I was happy with both the colour and the proportions. It seems good things come in threes as today, for the third time, my work was featured on Polymer Clay Daily :). This time it was my Spectrum beads.

Polymer clay orchids

Polymer clay orchid evolution by Cate van Alphen

The outer two of these are now in my Etsy components store. I’m working the middle one into a necklace.

Patchwork, dangles and spangles

02 Tue Sep 2014

Posted by fulgorine in My work

≈ 3 Comments

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 bead earrings by Cate van Alphen

Patchwork earrings by Cate van Alphen

These are extra long earrings with sliced kaleidoscope cane beads.

Long earrings by Cate van Alphen

Long earrings by Cate van Alphen

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

Crystal earrings by Cate van Alphen

Crystal earrings by Cate van Alphen

And because every day needs more sparkle.

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Fulgor, n.
Dazzling brightness; splendor.
Fulgorine, n.
One who creates that which dazzles.

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