Polymer clay challenge week 52 – toggle

Tags

2015PCchallenge, clasp, handmade bead, polymer clay, red, toggle

For the last week of my 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge, I have made an old school bar and loop toggle clasp.

Polymer clay toggle by Cate van Alphen

It’s pretty chunky and mostly red.

Polymer clay toggle by Cate van Alphen

I wanted a contrast between the pattern on the side and the front as the bar will be seen side on when in use. I’m mostly happy but I think it could do with another iteration – the stripes in the bar are a bit thinner than I’d imagined.

Polymer clay toggle clasp by Cate van Alphen

The hard part was carving the polymer clay to look interestingly irregular without ending up a wobbly mess. Maybe it could do with a touch more wobble? 😉

This is officially the last week of my Spectrum Year, but I’m sure I will be making more as I feel I’ve barely scratched the surface. For 2016 I plan to make a vessel every week. Have a look at the Flickr group I’ve made if you’d like to join in.

Until then,

BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR!

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Polymer clay challenge week 50 – focal WIP

Tags

2015PCchallenge, crushed helix, damascus ladder, focal bead, polymer clay, red

I’ve had to accept a work in progress for this week’s focal bead. All the extra Christmas activities have been taking their toll on my time.

Focal bead WIP by Cate van Alphen

The pattern on the bead is a crushed helix (or reduced Damascus Ladder). I still need to finish the ends (I’m going to wrap a string of polymer around the domes) and sand the bead.

Maybe I’ll finish next weekend (sometime after I finish making Christmas gifts, and beads for next week’s challenge but before we go Christmas shopping)? Hmmm, ok, maybe not NEXT weekend, but surely before the end of the year? Oh wait, that’s only two weeks away!

Polymer clay challenge week 48 – toggle

Tags

2015PCchallenge, clasp, handmade bead, polymer clay, red, shank button

This week I made another jumbo shank button/clasp from polymer clay and wire. I used some of the scraps from the earlier mokume gane sheet with some slivers of skinner blend.

Red focal clasp by Cate van Alphen

Again I did two loops on the back, so one can be for the necklace and one for the clasp hook.

Focal clasp by Cate van Alphen

That’s it for week 48 of my 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge.

Polymer clay challenge week 47 – bead

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

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

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 patchwork beads by Cate van Alphen

Polymer clay challenge week 46 – focal

Tags

2015PCchallenge, mokume gane, pendant, polymer clay, red

Here are the first red components of my my 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge. I created the pattern using stamped mokume gane.

Polymer clay components by Cate van Alphen

I had intended to make the cabochons into pendants, but I’ve been struck down with they lurgy, so I’ve been sleeping instead.

Polymer clay pendants by Cate van Alphen

I textured the moon shaped pendant and sanded the doughnut smooth. I think the texture looks warm and fuzzy – perfect for the current chilly weather.

Red colour palette recipes

Tags

colour mixing, colour recipe, Fimo, polymer clay, red

Here are my colours for the red palette of my Spectrum Year. I had a bit of a struggle adding a sixth colour, but I decided on something eventually.

Here are the recipes using Fimo Professional. The numbers are percentages. I wrote an earlier blog explaining how I measure colours.

Light Grey

• 95 white
• 1.5 true magenta
• 3.5 true blue

Red

• 60 true red
• 40 true magenta

Carmine

• 20 true red
• 79 true magenta
• 1 black

Plum

• 19 true red
• 76 true magenta
• 5 black

Purple

• 50 white
• 40 true magenta
• 10 true blue

Blue Grey

• 65 white
• 10 true magenta
• 23.5 true blue
• 1.5 black

Orange flashback

Tags

Cate van Alphen, gold, kaleidoscope, kaleidoscope cane, orange, pendant, polymer clay, red

I have just found and listed this orange kaleidoscope pattern pendant in my Etsy shop.

Orange kaleidoscope pattern pendant by Cate van Alphen

I made the cane earlier this year when I was working with my orange colour palette, but in all the confusion of the impending move this pendant slipped between the cracks.

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?

Rose Garden Treasury

Tags

art bead, artisan bead, etsy treasury, floral, flower, lampwork, Paul Klee, pink, polymer clay, purple, red, rose garden, spiral

This month I have made another Etsy Treasury inspired by the Art Bead Scene monthly challenge painting. I loved the colours and the repeated spirals of the roses.

The Rose Garden, 1920
by Paul Klee
Oil on cardboard

‘ABS February 2014 Wishlist – Rose Garden’ by Fulgorine

Icy Floral Lentil Winter Hol… moonrakerbeads $10	Pink Hollow Glass Beads. Han… NadinArtGlass $24	Raspberry Pink Lampwork Spac… LoriBergmann $12	A set of 4 bicone beads, but… Shygarshop $8.5
Hand Dyed Silk Ribbon Garden… flowerseedpape… $4.5	Glass Headpins – Dotted tear… IcedMoments $5.7	Polymer clay buttons purple … Cofanetto $8	Dusty Red Fabric Roses Handm… BizimSupplies $15
SERENAS BLEND ROSES Unique A… SerenaSmithLam… $16	Polymer clay orange/pink fau… SpottedFrogDes… $3.99	a translucent red purple & y… PolychromeBead… $23	Glass pendant by Andrew Gron… AJGglass $30
Destash Polymer Clay Beads F… beadhappilyeve… $12.95	Handmade Lampwork Bead Set (… SilverReflecti… $37.5	Fantasy flower pendant in pu… APolymerPencha… $22	Embroidered Roses Garden Bro… GalinaPerova $42

ABS Ornament Blog Hop

Tags

abs ornament blog hop, christmas ornament, gold, hollow pendant, polymer clay, red, star

Hang on to your jingle bells, it’s the ABS Ornament Blog Hop! Here’s my polymer clay hollow puff star ornament.

I made two puffed star shapes (along the lines of the hollow doughnut but without the backing), and stuck them together with a piece of wire inside. Then I added a bead and a wrapped loop. I also used gilding wax in various shades of red to highlight the bumps and a coat of gold acrylic paint (wiped off) to fill the gaps.

But wait, there’s more! Get yourself a cup of chai and a mince pie and see all the other lovelies in the hop.

Wishing you peace and happiness.