I wanted to try and create beads that had the same vintaged/antiqued look of the copper work that I do. After getting messy with paints I’ve done it and I love the results. Now I just need to be more adventurous with colours.

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Tiny baby Pixie

My beautiful girl will be four tomorrow!! Can’t believe how quickly the time has gone by! She is my constant inspiration. She brightens every day and I love her to bits.
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I thought I’d have a go at making a spirally version of my Enchanted Entwined pendants. I like how it has turned out. It’s pretty heavy though! There’s a lot of time and wire gone into this one.

Now I’ve had a go at making the beads, it’s time to incorporate them into my jewellery. It’s made me realise that round beads aren’t necessarily the shape for bracelets, I think I prefer flatter beads. I think the round ones will be more appropriate for necklaces. I am going to experiment further with the clay and see if I can make the perfect shapes for the kind of things I am making. That’s the joy of making your own beads, they can be made just the way you want.

I’ve been wanting to make my own beads for a while now but to do great things with polymer clay you need a pasta machine. I decided to treat myself after teaching my class on Saturday and so now the adventures begin.

The beads above are inspired by Ronna Sarvas Weltman’s book Ancient Modern. It’s a wonderful book full of great inspirations. I am sure I will be trying lots more of the ideas in the book.

The leaves below are from the book How to Make Polymer Clay Beads by Linda Peterson. I’m really pleased with how they turned out. I want to try some of the faux stones in the book too, especially the turquoise.

Twin Spiral Bracelet from the tutorial in Bead on a Wire.

I got a new book today, Bead on a Wire by Sharilyn Miller. I am a huge fan of her work, she makes the most amazing things from wire. I had a got at one of the projects in the book, the twin spiral bracelet. I love how it looks. I think I am going to adapt and change the design to make it more comfortable to wear but I love the idea. I can’t wait to try some of the other things in the book.

A few bird nests. Not 100% happy with them, will keep working on it!

I’m feeling a bit foggy-headed at the moment so new stuff won’t be listed in the shop for a day or two.

Here are a few bits and pieces I’ve made inspired by the work of Kathy Frey. I recently bought her book as I absolutely love her sculptural wire pieces. I like to be inspired by other people and then use that to create something of my own by it. I am a total book addict (Amazon would probably go bust without me!) and I really enjoyed reading through this one. I love all the ideas and the gallery of wonderful creations.

Sometimes it’s nice to make something totally different. I wanted a new pair of aladdin pants so I made these from some fabric that I bought ages ago. I always buy fabric on impulse and then never know what to make with it. I really need to use up my stash.

Back to the wire now!

I thought I’d have a go at making something different to usual. I bought the leaf beads for something else but once I’d got them home I changed my mind. I’m really pleased with how these have come out, especially as they’re the first tiaras I’ve ever made. I want to find some different leaf beads, maybe flowers, so I can try out more ideas.