Comments on: Making Polymer Clay Beads for No Reason Other Than to Learn How

By: Phaedrakat

Phaedrakat — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 08:31:01 +0000

I had forgotten about this post! I remember loving the message when I read it…it’s such a great way to learn and find your artistic voice. I had planned to follow every tutorial, and do every technique — practice, practice…until I had that big container of beads! Unfortunately, life and dozens of major obstacles got in the way for me this year. So I’m going to re-create my vow to follow all of Cindy’s videos. I still love the message of this post. It’s a fantastic (probably the best!) way to find your artistic voice, & discover your likes & dislikes when it comes to clay! I hope others follow the examples here…Now if I can only find a way to make this possible for myself, as well! :D

By: Cindy Lietz@Discover Your Unique Artistic Voice

Cindy Lietz@Discover Your Unique Artistic Voice — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 01:02:26 +0000

You are more than welcome Sandra! You are exactly the reason why I love my work… it is very satisfying to be doing something that brings artistic pleasure to so many people. Just like you. Keep on enjoying the Journey! :-)

By: Sandra

Sandra — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 02:14:33 +0000

I have come home from a week of R & R at our holiday place at the beach, where I took all of my clay, some clay books, a few of Cindy’s videos and had a great time just rolling, making, polishing and putting together a couple of pieces of jewellery, and then I wondered why on earth I was doing this. then I went to the computer looking foward to catching the latest video (which is wonderful), and just browsing thru the comments and came across the article “Making polymer clay beads for no other reason than to learn how” This article is great and gave me back my “that’s why I’m doing this. Its in us to create and this is my creative outlet. Thanks for all your inspiration. Cindy, your website is the bestest. I love it. And thanks for giving so much of yourself.

By: Cindy Lietz@Another Mother Daughter Story worth Reading

Cindy Lietz@Another Mother Daughter Story worth Reading — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 04:27:02 +0000

Wow! I wish everyone in the polymer clay community had the opportunity read all of these wonderful stories. They are SO touching and endearing. Thank you again everyone for taking the time to share your thoughts and emotions. I appreciate it and I’m sure many others do as well. BIG HUGS!

By: Elizabeth K

Elizabeth K — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:19:17 +0000

Hi Cindy and all, on my way to watch the Tribal tutorial I stopped to read all the comments re Make the bead and the purpose will come. In working with PC I have never thought that way so it is good that it has made me think. I just try every tut even if I don't think it is me, or have done it before, as every time I look I find something new from it. Even an inspiration I hadn't thought of before comes up. As to what to do with all the weird and wonderful beads I test out on, I just love having them around and they get used for something, even just to go back and to look at. As Cindy said, try everything as it all comes in useful sometime and expands your mind to becoming the creative artist you want to be in whatever medium. Every craft lends itself to some other craft and with Polymer clay you can usually find a way to incorporate your left overs. Recently I had my daughter here who does beautiful paintings and incorporates them in her journals. Now I am not one to give advise here, but she liked my extruder canes so much that I found a way to give her some for her journals. I sliced the extruder millifiore canes very thinly and baked them not really knowing what they would be like. Well I and her, we were tickled pink as they came out nicely and can be pasted on to her pages. I am looking to the future to see what they are like.

Here is a small example to show you what I mean, but by no means as good as some of them were. Hope you all great loads of interesting canes just to look at, remember nothing is not useful in our craft it is our love of what we do that builds up our supplies and we meant to have it all as we are all worth it, (like the Hair ad) LOL. Bye E.

By: lynn watts

lynn watts — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 03:22:18 +0000

I made some Memory Beads for my Granddaughter cause her GrandMother on her Dad’s side died. It ended up me making 7 all together for the rest of the family.It was greatly appreciated all the effort I put into each one, they all were different.

By: DawnB

DawnB — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 03:00:46 +0000

This is a great topic. I have boxes of beads, but haven’t done very much with them. I LOVE making them, but when it comes to wires and chains, not so much. LOL I’ve made a few pairs of earring which I wear regularly and hubby even sold quite a few pieces I’d put into something (earring, bracelets, etc.). I just like getting my hands in the clay! I made a concerted effort to put together a necklace and earrings for my niece for Christmas which turned out quite well. It made me realize that the beads need a vehicle. They’re not fulfilling the joy and purpose I intended when they’re sitting in a box.

By: Cindy Lietz@Win Some Polymer Clay Beads

Cindy Lietz@Win Some Polymer Clay Beads — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:11:31 +0000

Your feedback on this everyone was wonderful to read! We are alll on a creative journey and sometimes I think we put too many restrictions and limitations on our learning. If we try and learn from as many ideas that cross our path, that we can… we grow.

So that people can try every technique that comes out, I try and keep the projects/canes/techniques small and with as many uses and variations as possible, so that you never feel like you time or supplies have been wasted during the learning process.

I love it that this point came through for you all. Just do it. And before you know it you will become a great bead artist!

By: carolyn

carolyn — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:26:29 +0000

Thanks for this post! I’ve not been with Cindy very long and have been trying to work my way forward from the beginning. Now I realize that I have to do double duty – one of the older video lessons PLUS the newest one. I had thought that I would just work my way through all the videos from the beginning, but this isn’t working. It is like taking one step forward and two steps back. I’ll never get ‘caught up’ this way.

And thanks for the reminder about the book beads. When I first saw that video I thought how perfect they would be for making little Bible bookmarks for my church sales … and then I forgot all about them. So, that’s my goal for today: make a book bead today before the new video comes out tomorrow.

I’ll also start making those color cards ‘dots’. For that I had been waiting until I could print all the cards and then start making the dots. That’s not going to happen either, so I’ll also make a couple color dots today.

This is great! Now I won’t be wandering around this empty house wondering what to do besides housecleaning! If I carry through with this I will have something to look forward to each day and this will help me through my grief over losing Don. I feel really connected to this new (to me) community and thank you all.

By: Shannon L

Shannon L — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:36:31 +0000

This is a great point. As much as I try to add meaning to my clay work, I sometimes forget that the best, most finely executed ideas didn’t just happen. They came from periods of time where simply playing, getting a feel for the clay, making mistakes, changing a technique and so forth were the bulk of time spent at the clay table. Thank you for reminding me!