Diana Laurence's Polymer Clay Gallery

In April 2007 I happened to discover online that all you needed to bake polymer clay was a regular oven. I had always assumed this medium was just as tricky as the ceramics I'd worked with in school and in the pottery shop, in other words, way out of my league. Having realized there was a possibility polyclay WAS in my league or thereabouts, I began to imagine the beads I could make myself (having already been two years at beaded jewelry). The first sites I visited on the subject predicted addiction; they were not wrong.

I started this gallery online after my first seven projects, seeing as my friend Jen was always so eager to photograph my work. (She's primarily a quilter, and her blog rocks...thanks for the pix, Jen!) If you have any feedback or questions, please email me.

Oh, and I write romance fiction too, see also www.dianalaurence.com. Scroll down to see
"Heroica's Bracelet" based on my novel Bloodchained.

Photos	Project No.	Project Name	Date	Time	New techniques learned	Comments
	Project #1	Red, black, white bead set (necklace and earrings)	3/19/07	2 hrs. clay, 1.5 hrs. assembly	Millifiore, twisted cane beads	My first project, it could have been worse!
	Project #2	"Frango Mint" bead set (charm bracelet, pendant, earrings)	3/22/07	3.5 hrs. clay, 1.5 hrs. assembly	Miniatures scupture, embedding wires	Beginner's luck, I love this set! I used a square wooden dowel to punch the "seats" for the chocolates in their box. By the way, the box of chocolates is 1.5" x 1.25", Update 6/12/07--wore this set to the Bead & Button Show and got compliments from both Lisa Pavelka and Christi Friesen!!! I died.
	Project #3	Wood leaves switchplate	4/2/07	2.5 hrs.	Faux wood, switchplate molding	For the living room I "carved" the leaves with nothing but a straight cutting blade and a dimple tool. I've since invested in a real craft knife, which helps!
	Project #4	Balinese silver and malachite set (pendant and earrings)	4/8/07	4 hrs. clay, 1.5 hrs. assembly	Faux balinese silver, malachite, use of embossing powder, poly glaze	I love malachite so much!
	Project #5	"Bar Scene" switchplate	4/14/07	3 hrs.	Clay textures (e.g., faux mini-cork)	For the wet bar
	Project #6	Chrysantemum cane heart paperweight (brown)	4/15/07	2 hrs. clay, .5 hr polishing	Chrysanthemum cane, heart shaping, wet sanding, buffing Update: more polishing with buffer drill attachment, finish with Future	I love the satin finish feel
	Project #7	"Rainbird" (the feathers are raindrops)	4/17/07	3 hrs.	Mokume gane, Skinner blend raindrop canes, incorporation of wire and beads	Wanted to try a critter sculpture
	Project #8	Stone wall switchplates	4/22/07	4.5 hrs.	Inclusions including herbs, multiple baking	I love collecting rocks so being able to make my own just blew my mind. Had trouble with the rheostat knobs; I couldn't simply use them as molds and had to bake them with the clay which of course melted them. I put new "insides" in after baking and rebaked.
	Project #9	Pastel whimsy bead necklace	4/23/07	3 hrs. clay, .75 hrs. assembly	Stamping, embossing powder, embellishments	Made these beads on an 80 degree April day (in Wisconsin that definitely puts you in a summer mood)
	Project #10	Cat Triptych	4/29/07	8 hrs.	Image transfer (using vodka); faux abalone, jasper, marble; incorporating oil paint, painting with acrylic paint; use of food processor to chop clay; gluing elements; hinges (designed them myself)	I wanted to try image transfers, so decided to do them with photos of our three cats. I chose faux materials to coordinate with the fur colors of the cats: abalone for our gray tiger striped shorthair Cody, jasper for our torbie Pookie, and black and white marble for our jellicle Selke.
	Project #11	Jasper set (ring and bracelet)	4/29/07	.75 hrs.	Future for polishing	Made with leftover jasper scraps from Project #10. Future floor polish sure works well for adding an even and subtle sheen.
	Project #12	Labradorite set (necklace and earrings)	5/7/07	3 hrs. clay, 1.5 hrs. assembly	Faux labradorite, baking wires, bead sanding and buffing, Future-ing wires	Set of labradorite with silver findings, dichroic purple seed beads, and gray freshwater pearls.
	Project #13	Rose quartz set (necklace, bracelet and earrings)	5/14/07	3 hrs clay, 2.5 hrs assembly	Faux rose quartz	Set of rose quartz with "caramel corn quartz," pearls, freshwater pearls, gold seed beads and garnets.
	Project #14	Jade and copper wire bracelet	5/21/07	1.5 hrs clay, 1 hr assembly	Faux jade	I was less than thrilled with this batch of beads so decided to quit with just a bracelet. It's not bad though, the wire's pretty!.
	Project #15	"Les Stroud" set (necklace, bracelet, earrings and bead ring) (Ring from Burgard Studio)	6/11/07	2 hrs clay, 1.5 hrs assembly	Faux lakestones	Inspiration for design, Riverstone Bead Company. Spiritual inspiration, Les Stroud (aka Survivorman) and his love of nature.
	Project #16	Carleton the Turtle	6/16/07	2.25 hrs.	Embedding of beads in clay, acrylic paint patina effect, use of Lisa Pavelka's Polybonder (when a curlique fell off!)	This project was pretty much taken piecemeal from Christi Friesen's awesome book Under the Sea. Thank you Christi for the amazingly clear directions that brought little Careleton into this world!
	Project #17	Lumpcats – Orange cat with blue mouse for my daughter Katie, brown cat with red yarn for my husband Davie, blue cat with pink ribbon for my friend Jen, white cat with blue collar and bell for my dad	6/19/07	3.25 hrs. for all four	Use of liquid polymer clay to mount whiskers, clay “yarn,” Pearl Ex powder for mouse highlights	These pieces are, again, ripoffs from the amazing Christy Friesen, as taught in her book Cats Big and Small. They are really quick and easy and no two alike! A great way to use up scrap clay...my dad’s white cat is covered with leftover chrysanthemum cane, a really lovely effect. Oh, and the three smaller cats have faux cats-eye beads for eyes. Makes sense.
	Project #18	Two Seahorses – Pendant seahorse for my daughter Amanda; standup seahorse for me with leftovers	6/26/07	1.5 hrs. for two	Getting better at using what Christi calls "lookat blends," insertion of support wire in standing seahorse, tried using gold acrylic paint sparingly for patina step	More great stuff from Christi Friesen's book Under the Sea.
	Project #19	Edgar the Codfish – For my husband Davie	6/26/07	1.5 hrs.	Hanging bead inside fish body (very tricky!)	Also inspired by Under the Sea. The heart was my concept though...Davie was inspired by the scene in "Deadliest Catch" when his hero Deckhand Edgar eats the still beating heart of a cod (those crazy crab fishermen!). He asked for a cod with a heart....
	Project #20	Organic Trinket Box	7/1/07	2 hrs.	Texture plates, painting with PearlEx powders, constructing boxes with clay, multiple baking, gluing stones to clay, baking on tiles	Used a sawed off cardboard nut can covered in foil for the form for the box sides. I was so thrilled at how this turned out as it is pretty much an original concept and design by me and therefore my first shot at truly being a polymer clay artisan. I’ve got ideas already for other versions and ways to improve the look and can’t wait to try them out!
	Project #21	Beach Box	7/8/07	2.5 hrs.	Faux sand (my invention), using foil for lid shaping	I made some improvements on the box technique for this one, like inserting the box bottom from inside to keep a clean edge outside. I really love the contrast between the “water” (polished with two coats of Future) and the “sand.” The sand is a mix of Granitex clay, smidge of brown clay, and brown art sand, really well blended.
	Project #22	Kanji Pendant	7/15/07	1.5 hrs. clay, 1 hr. beading and assembly	Stamping with PearlEx powder, using gold leaf	My first use of leaf and it really is a pretty venue for it.
	Project #23	Heroica's Bracelet	8/11/07	3.5 hours (for two)	Using metal bracelet form. This is another use of faux balinese silver.	I made a pair of these, which are replicas of the one worn by Heroica in my novel Bloodchained. One will be a prize in a contest for the book release. As maybe you can tell, I got a new digital camera!
	Project #24	Dichroic Switchplate (retired, because frankly I think it turned out ugly!)	9/29/07	2.5 hours	UTEE and foil to make faux dichroic glass.	This dichroic technique using UTEE (adapted from Lisa Pavelka) works great! In addition to using foil, I used metallic clay colors in the mix and also a bit of Perfect Pearls embossing powder. I was trying to do a sort of turquoise and natural clay Southwestern feel for this design, which really didn't work at all, but I'm very excited to have faux dichroic in my repertoire now!
	Project #25	Lion Candy Jar	10/7/07	2 hours	Baking clay onto glass.	It's another Christi Friesen style piece, from her cats book. I fashioned the lion head right on the side of this candy jar and it came out of the oven nicely affixed! This is for my new office, to entice my coworkers to visit and have a treat. (My company's logo/mascot is the lion so I collect them for the office.)
	Project #26	Miniature Garden	10/14/07	4.5 hours (plus a lot of shopping time!)	Mixed media.	This miniature garden incorporates some key elements made of polyclay, and was inspired by the designs of Bunnie Werth. My own invention is the pond, which is molded out of polyclay, decorated with small rocks and silk leaves, and filled with "Quick Water". The "gazing ball" stand is made of Granitex mixed with pearl clay. The stepping stones are also clay. I purchased the trellis, bench, and tiny cardinals from Bunnie's shop in Cedarburg, Wis., Newberry Thicket. The grass is sheet moss and other plant life is silk and plastic. The dirt is another cool product, "Looks Like Soil" from Natural Creations. All the supplies except the bowl (and styrofoam within) were purchased at Stein's Gardens and Gifts, which unfortunately only has stores in Wisconsin! I think this garden is one of the coolest things I've ever made!
	Project #27	Fall Jewelry Set	11/19/07	2 hrs. clay, 1 hr. beading and assembly	Makume gane beads.	Love how these came out; I felt artsy doing this set!
	Project #28	Night Flowers Switchplate	11/24/07	2 hrs.	Skinner blends.	Made this to replace the dichroic one (Project #24) and I like this much better!
	Project #29	Faux Christmas Candy	12/9/07	2 hrs. clay, 20 min. assembly	Striping, caning.	For my friend Jen's December birthday, a set for her and one for me! She was so determined to see if you could make ribbon candy out of polyclay, she actually found me directions online. I invented the candy cane (so obvious an idea, how can I call it "inventing"?), and also the design of the peppermint ring, which was a tiny bit cleverer.
locket open:	Project #30	Locket and Earrings	12/9/07	4.5 hours	Skinner blend with metallics, incorporation of wire, beads, and Swarovski crystal, scrubber texturizing, hinge/locket technique.	This is a technique from Mike Buesseler that I found in Polymer Pizzazz. I absolutely fell in love with his designs and I can't believe I pulled off one of my own! This locket may be my favorite project yet. The hinge is a pin backing with the pin and tang trimmed back. Brilliant. Doing this project made me feel like a genuine polyclay artist. I learned that going slow and being very careful with each step really pays off..
	Project #31	3 Prairie Style Switchplates	1/20/08	3.5 hours	Faux wood.	I designed these switchplates for our makeover of the second bedroom, which we're doing in Prairie or Mission style. I adore the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright, so I used some of his stained glass window designs for inspiration. These turned out just perfect for the room!
	Project #32	2 Butterfly Bookmarks	2/16/08	3.0 hours	Faux cloisonné using gold leaf pen, gold clay, watercolor markers, pearl powders, satin finish Sculpey glaze, and UTEE.	The design of these was suggested by Christie Friesen's bookmark but ended up going a totally different direction. Bookmark bases were made of a blend rolled thin and trimmed. I started out lightly etching the butterflies, baking, then going over the lines with gold leaf pen. I colored in the wings with marker and then highlighted with similar pearl powders, coated with glaze, and baked. This combination created a very nice enamel look but the gold leaf lines were blurry and the "enamel" needed more definition. So I used thin ropes of gold clay over the outlines and filled in with UTEE and rebaked. I also learned during this project that the Makins clay extruder does not work AT ALL!