03 Thu Dec 2015
Posted in 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge, beads, My work
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.
17 Thu Sep 2015
Posted in 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge, beads, My work
This week for my indigo colour scheme toggle I super-sized a shank button.
Indigo polymer clay toggle by Cate van Alphen
I made a hook from silver coloured copper wire.
Polymer clay focal toggle by Cate van Alphen
I made two loops at the back so one can be used to attach the beads and the other is for the hook. I thought it would give it a better “V” shape to a necklace than using only one shank. It also means that they are off centre so it gives the option to use the focal as a slider pendant without it flipping over.
Polymer clay and wire toggle by Cate van Alphen
30 Thu Jul 2015
Posted in 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge, My work
We were away this weekend, so I’ve kept my 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge piece pretty simple this week. I made a pair of shank buttons using the blue kaleidoscope cane from last week.
Shank buttons by Cate van Alphen
I think they’d make a nice pair of vintage style clip on earrings :). Maybe I should make another pair without the shanks so I can glue on earring findings?
Blue kaleidoscope buttons by Cate van Alphen
Like last week, I cut out the pattern slightly off centre – although I think I should have offset the pattern a bit more to get the asymmetric look I wanted.
04 Thu Jun 2015
Posted in 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge, My work
Tags
2015PCchallenge, buttons, Cate van Alphen, green, handmade, kaleidoscope, polymer clay, shank button
This week I made green toggles for my 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge. I do intend to come up with some more interesting mechanics for my clasps, but I haven’t had the time to experiment. So for this week I went back to making shank buttons.
Green shank buttons by Cate van Alphen
I did start making a wire hook to go with a button to complete the clasp, but then I couldn’t find my hammer to harden it (and add some texture). I’ll have to finish it later when I’ve unpacked.
Back of shank buttons by Cate van Alphen
The different designs all came from the same pattern sheet.
Kaleidoscope shank buttons by Cate van Alphen
I’ve just realised there are only two days left of green and I’ve hardly been able to give it a fair go.
19 Thu Feb 2015
Posted in 2015 Polymer Clay Challenge, My work
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.
