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. So here for your enjoyment, are all the projects I've done to date...both good and bad.
If you have any feedback or questions, please email me.
this is page 1 go to page 2 go to page 3 go to page 4
Oh,
and I write romance fiction too, see also www.dianalaurence.com. Scroll down to see "Heroica's Bracelet" based on my novel Bloodchained. |
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| Photos | Project No. | Project Name | Date | Time | New techniques learned | Comments |
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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! |
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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. |
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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! |
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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! |
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Project #5 | "Bar Scene" switchplate | 4/14/07 | 3 hrs. | Clay textures (e.g., faux mini-cork) | For the wet bar |
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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 |
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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 |
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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. |
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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) |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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!. |
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