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!

Earrings...using tan tastic lampies!

Some simple earrings I made from some fabby lampies! Handmade from a lady in Cornwall called Tania Grey - http://www.tanofcourse.co.uk/

She is one in a million and swapped some of her beads with me for some chain maille kits! They are to die for! I don't want to use them...I just want to sit and play!

Purple apricot....

Orange explosion....

Think Pink....

Chain maille makes....

Hey all,


Some more makes from me! This one is one of my first chain maille makes! Its not a new piece...I finished it in August on the same day I bought it from the BEADSISTERS stand at the Haydock bead fair but just haven't got round to blogging it!

I love this! It is so easy but effective! It funkys up chain maille! Fab!

Since this I have also done a necklace using 4 in 1 (Grrrrr...I hate that weave!) and a pair of earrings from the Dylan and Whyte book but they are still WIPs so will get them on as soon as they are finished!

CBC Beady Whisper

A long....long time ago...on a forum available to all at www.craftsbycarolyn.co.uk a beady whisper was started...well at long last the piccies are here!!!

The thinking behind it was that a group of us got together. I started it all off by sending Helen MC a piccy of a piece of bead work I had done. She made a piece in the same style with her own twist and flair, passed that piccy to Nigel (freebird)....and so on and so forth until it reach Nick (Purple Penguin) and the piccy are all revealed.

So here we are....

My piccy to start it all off - Joanne 1981's honeycomb braclet - using 6mm Czech class bicones:

Helen Mc's honeycomb bracelet using pearls:

Nigel (Freebird) Lovely natural flower necklace!

And finally.....Nick's (Purple Penguin) lovely natural thong necklace with glass beads:

Chain maille

I have at last mastered chain maille! With a little help from my friends at Uk Beaders and the two following links:

http://www.davidchain.com/byz_tut9.htm

http://cgmaille.com/tutorials.shtml

I can now do:

Shaggy Loops

Byzantine Weave

Helm weave

All very straight forward....see the pictures in the last post...but all very exciting! Chain maille is an art form I have struggled to master due to my AWFUL spacial difficulties! But now it seems to have clicked! I am very excited that I have lots of rings and 6 weeks off to play! Expect many photos to come!!

Next on my list....Rhino's snorting....just for the name!! :)

Bead Soup and CHAIN MAILLE...AT LAST!

I haven't blogged for so long! Why...because I've been beading! Haha! It's such a balance...to blog you need to bead...to show off your beading you need to blog! Darn life getting in the way!

Anyway, I have been working on some special pieces. At the end of June I received a package from Jean @ Bead magazine. The package was full of lovely beads! All completely to my taste! Lots of:

*Silver chain

*Silver earring findings, eye pins, head pins and lobster clasps

*Czech glass mix in Blue

*Purple Indian glass tiles

* A 'blue' kit full of different beads etc...etc..

all I had to do was to create lots of jewellery from it! Bead soup! I had completely free choice on how to use them and what to do, what to use and even whether or not I wanted to use my own beads in it.

I decided I wanted to use as many as I could and that I also wanted to use this time to create some pieces that really showed off my style and test out some new skills. Anyway...this is what I came up with...not sure when they will feature in BEAD but I will keep my eyes peeled, usually takes a few issues (4-6 months):

Blue byzantine weave braclet: Blue czech glass ovals and silver plated 6mm jump rings

Blue and white Shaggy loops bracelet:

The beginning of my helm weave necklace! With crackle glass 6mm blue rounds....a definate WIP!!

These three pieces are my real triumphs of the bead soup pieces! I have struggled with chain maille for a while and really decided that I would try my best to have a go and get my head around it! I am really proud of them!

A selection of earrings - Chain and blue czech glass earrings, touquoise glass and swarovski earrings and rainbow wire wrapped earrings:

Silver chain and pearl set - Includes a Y shaped necklace with grey 8mm pearls and 4 mm opal swarovski's and chain drop earrings with 8mm pearls and swarovski dangles.

Purple Indian glass focal Y necklace with silver connector wire wiggles and swarovski bicones:

Hopefuly Bead will like them! So....keep your eyes peeled!

How to cost/present your jewellery?!

Its often been a consideration of how to present my jewellery when selling it and how this contributes to cost. I like to create jewellery that is affordable, wearable and stylish but wont break the bank! So, I try to keep my costs to a minimum so I can pass it onto customers. I look at some people who make jewellery and the prices they offer their stock at and am amazed...ok, its hand made...ok they possibly use silver instead of silver plate but....wow. I know this a controversial topic and that beaders of the world will shoot me down but when you are trying to compete with shops to flog your stock then you must be competetive.


I think, when pricing my jewellery...would I pay that? Would I go into a high street store and pay that price?! Ok, I know they aren't really comparable, mine is hand made, by me, not a little boy in a sweat shop in china...and my materials are not bought in huge wholesale stacks but really are these things on our consumers mind when they buy the stock?! So...I tend to try and make and price my stock between £3 and £20 (£3 for earrings and £20 for a silver and swarovski necklace).

I try to think about what are my costs....how long did it take to make....and try not to charge more than X 100% of my material costs.

So...when it comes to adding in extras it bothers me...such as boxes for presentation or bags etc.

I want to make my jewellery look nice, I want it to look professional and people to get a good impression of it, however, every cost must be factored in. Its a true balancing act.

I have generally tried to avoid boxes and ribbon for my jewellery, although on request by a customer at Christmas I boxed a SILVER charm bracelet with a swarovski and silver charm cluster in a box, tied with purple ribbon (that was my most expensive piece to date....£35!) and nice, special pieces deserve a special touch I think.

My general, budget pieces are a little less packaged though and I think they still look nice.

I generally wrap them in tissue paper - silver or white and tape them. A special touch but not expensive. I generally do not factor this into my prices as it is negatable but looks like a little gift...

A set consisting of a swarovski necklace and earrings I sold at £15. I wrapped in silver tissue paper, the customer was happy and I did not have to factor in £2+ for a box...tissue paper...postage...which would have taken the set up to a price which was getting to the top end of my range and a price I would not feel comfortable charging...the same product but for £5+ more!?!

I did learn my lesson the other week though. A colleague at work offered me some organza bags for my wedding to put my favours in. I accepted and enquired about what she wanted for them. She said she did not want anything for them. Well, I thought it would be nice to pass some jewellery onto her so decided to give her a swarovski pendant....

I would normally retail this product for around £12 but in a tizz and with not having tissue paper in the house I just put it in a small plasitc pop shut bag that I received some beads in. On receving it I also did not explian to her that it was my pendant and about my beading and jewellery making....whilst grateful...I think she was a little confiused of where it came from and its quality! Eeek....a potenial cutomer lost by presentation.

So...what do you do?! The comission I have just finished for my friend and her mum I have used some of the organza bags procured from my colleage as it is for my best friend and her for her Mum's birthday present...no cost either but if I had bought them....then...but then it is special!!! :/

Conclusions then before I stray into my Derren mode! Packaging...makes your product look professinal...but cost is a factor....wthis eats into your profit or is passed onto your customers in an already competetive market....it needs to be a balance!