An Autumn Bead Crochet Bracelet

Nov14

More bead crochet exploring. This time I used Perle Cotton 8 thread with size 6 glass beads. The black stripes on orange remind me of autumn and Halloween so I created a polymer clay pumpkin bead for the clasp.

So far, I like this thread the best in feel and ease of crocheting. The black color of the thread was a little tricky to find the stitch to go into but my hook slid into the stitch a lot easier than the C-lon cord. That was too stiff for my beginning skill level. This thread also gives a slinky supple feel to the finished bracelet which is a wonderful feeling on my wrist.

The loop for the clasp is a single crochet with the same thread. I then sewed terra cotta colored seed beads around the loop.

What I really loved in creating this bracelet is that it combined 3 techniques – polymer clay sculpture, bead weaving and bead crocheting.

I chose the blue graduated background because it reminds me of a clear autumn sky and it accentuates the orange beads. I love looking to nature for inspiration even in something simple like choosing a background for photography.

A Start to my September Journal Page

Sep24

The start of September. Meet the Goddess of the Harvest. She has a sweetly content look on her face because the seeds planted in the springtime are yielding a rich, abundant harvest.

I marbled some gold and black polymer clay in my pasta machine for her body. Her bone face cabochon was purchased years ago at the Whole Bead show in Providence and lovingly added to my stash to await the day it would be part of a creation. The variegated bead hank, purchased on my recent trip to Michigan, was originally intended for a bead crochet project but when I placed it next to the page, I thought it would make simply awesome flowing hair. Muted but rich shades of turquoise, green, brown and cream beads – the photo doesn’t do it justice. I have a whole evening free for beading!

Rainforest Choker

Sep19

Here’s my latest creation. This choker style necklace was inspired by a wonderfully inspiring and colorful book called Rainforest. It’s filled with gorgeous closeups of plants, birds, animals and insects found in the rainforests around the world. I highly recommend it to add to your inspiration library.

I made the polymer clay bead by covering it with canework and molding it into the oval shape. The cane itself is a Skinner blend bullseye plug separated into 5 pieces which is then layered and surrounded with a striped cane. I capped the ends of the bead with the same stripes. The cord is a woven herringbone tube strung on soft flex wire. The fit of the tube on the beading wire is tight so I was able to twist the tube. As I was stringing it, the tube kept twisting anyway so I figured that’s the way it wanted to be. Despite careful design planning, my jewelry sometimes develops a life of its own as I am creating it! I finished the choker with a button made from the cane and a simple beaded loop. Now, it’s time to make a bracelet and earrings to match!

A Goddess Gift

Aug29

Last Saturday at my polymer clay guild meeting, I created a little goddess for my Mom’s birthday. I used the spliced cane technique for her body and a mold for her face. She seems to be gazing heavenward doing some deep thinking, doesn’t she?

I learned how to create this cane last month at Klay Karma 2007. Diane from the CT guild generously shared this technique in a demo. I absolutely love the look and have many ideas swirling around in my imagination. My S.O. said it looks like she has flames on her. I’m thinking about making the Hawaiian Volcano Goddess, Pele, as my next project with this cane.

Klay Karma 2007

Jul28

The weekend before last I had the immense pleasure of attending Klay Karma 2007, a polymer clay artist’s retreat sponsored and organized by the Massachusetts and New Hampshire polymer clay guilds. To say that these ladies came together and organized a fantastic event would be such an understatement. The retreat was held at Rivier College in Nashua, NH, about an hour drive from my home. I arrived in the early afternoon on Friday and went in to register and get set up. I was greeted by a bunch of welcoming faces ready to direct me to where the fun would begin. Here’s Amy and Bette, both committee members.

I received a key to my dorm room and an enormous bag filled with all sorts of art goodies. I then moved on into the workroom where I got set up and then had a lot of fun greeting old and new friends. All of our meals were in the cafeteria in the same building and the selection of food was mind boggling, especially the array of delectable desserts. I especially enjoyed the chocolate cake and strawberry shortcake. The weekend was filled with creating and sharing, laughing and hugging, demos and learning new techniques. What I especially loved doing was walking around periodically to see what everyone was working on. Some ladies brought beautiful jewelry to sell and it was an eye candy feast!

I attended Klay Karma 2005 a couple of years ago and it was my first ever artist’s retreat. At that time, I found it very challenging to stay focused and work on anything because there was so much to see and do. This time I had a better focus on creating and I think it was because of the wonderful idea of the 1 inch swap. Before the retreat, participants were asked to make two 1 inch squares to bring in. You could make the squares any way you’d like, with any technique you liked. The only criteria was that the squares be 1 inch and no more than 1/8 inch thick. We dropped our squares into a glass container when we arrived and I was very curious about what would be done with them. My curiosity was satisfied when I visited my friend Amy’s table on Saturday and saw the gorgeous mirror frame she was making with all of the donated squares. The frame was later raffled off and Diane from the Connecticut guild won it amongst a lot of excited cheers and oh-ing and ah-ing. You can see a picture of it here.

During the weekend, everyone was walking around exchanging squares. Here is my collection.

Another thing I really enjoyed about going to Klay Karma is that it gave me the opportunity to spend more time with fellow members of my Rhode Island guild, Rita (top left), Dora (top right), and Toine (bottom). We meet once a month and it always seems like the meeting time flies by. Thanks for a great time, ladies!