Wednesday, 29 February 2012

Pillow beads

Well, following on from my work in progress post which you can see here  I have been delaying posting them on my blog because I made a complete mess of them.  I had great difficulty in getting the 'pillows' to look right. 

You cut slices of the block which you can see in my link above, then using polymer clay you put some on in the middle, pinch the corners and then along the edges - sounds simple right?  The difficulty I found was getting them all uniform and squashing them into shape.  (And the fact that I have big hands and bent fingers doesn't help)  I am sure that my lovely Japanese daughter in law would be perfect for making these - she has such delicate little hands.

I am being brave posting some photos, I think that it is good sometimes to recognise failures, learn from the exercise and move on.

See what I mean!  I found it impossible to get them all of a uniform shape and size

All is not lost - they are brilliant for flower pot 'drainers'

This is a swirl of the left over bits of clay.  I like it because of it's colouring both sides which is totally different, and the fact that it has a lovely metallic sheen.    

Oh well - best not dwell on it.  I'll put these out of sight - out of mind, and use them when I am potting on some plants.

Next experiment - trying to make an Egyptian style death mask thingie - or a rose can - off to flick a coin!

Giveaway at Bead up a Storm

If you love beads you will love Bead up a Storm, and there is a giveaway too for a stunning large heart.

The lampwork beads are just stunning - if only I could make those!