Polymer play!

Well....I turned 27 just under a week ago and got some £ for my b'day so I decided that I would realise a crafty dream and start to have a go at polymer clay bead making!

On Wednesday (29th) the day after my birthday I sat and browsed youtube and http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/ ALL day! and was truly inspired by the end of it! So inspired I went on a slight shopping spree! I bought a polymer clay starter kit, some traslucent clay, cutters and pearl ex from http://www.polymerclaypit.co.uk/ and may I say the service was first class! Thanks!

Yesterday, when I got back from my travels I could resist the urge no more and got down to business!!

I first wanted to make a simple 'swirl' cane and cut beads from this. But alas...this went sightly wonky! I reduced the cane too much and my beads turned to circles of around 1mm diameter! Never fear though as looking at the leaflets from the polymer clay pit I found out how to do classic millefiori beads and so used some scrap clay, cut up my cane and made this set...

My very first set of beads!!! Yey! I love these! These are my favourites of all the sets I did over these last two days! They are subtle yet funky! I will be keeping them myself and will make some jewellery for me from them!

Inspired by this I went on to also make this set yesterday too in the same way but using pink and purple cane work and a black background. I did not fully cover my bead this time and so you can see the background behind it.

This morning I decided that I wanted to try out my peal ex powders. I bought these as I want to do some faux stone work but thought I'd practice first. So, I made a bullseye cane and kneeded some blue/red pearl ex into the based bead which was white. I didn't want more rounds so I made squares. Not sure I like them. The pearl ex wasn't really as strong as I would like and they look like retro chewits to me.....well you live and learn!!

I had some bullseye can left so I reverted back to what went well yesterday and finished with some full milli rounds...



Here they all are waiting to be varnished...



All in all I am really pleased with my first attempts! I love the first set and the black and purple set! And its really relaxing rolling clay and painting the varnish! I need to work on my sizing, my centring and my holes but all in all.....good try!! :)

Just two tips...

1) Never put your hand under the blade! It hurts!
2) Never put wet varnished beads on paper...they stick!!

Arrr well....as I said....we live and learn!