Polymer Clay Rosary Beads | Real Flower Petals | Bake and Bond

Cindy,
I wonder if the texture of these beads should remain as part of their unique design. I have some meditation beads that are very textured and I love the feeling of them in my hands. Just a thought.

I like this idea! I'm going to have to buy some of the liquid polymer clay…you wouldn't have to use quite as many flower petals with this technique, right? That can make a difference depending on what the customer has saved. I'll definately try this out! What if you put a really, really thin layer of translucent clay over this bead? It would be terrible if the petals flaked off…

Ooh, I like. I'm also curious about a layer of translucent. Hmm, could you sheet petals between two layer of translucent and use that to wrap beads? Might have to try it sometime.

There does seem to be something missing in the bead but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe 'depth' is the word but I'm not sure. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with on this. As you say – playing is the thing.

If you keep the texture and they go through the tumbler they might break off because they might be catching on the rock edges. I only tried it with triple thick after tumbling the bead before adding the flowers. I didnt like the results of the triple thick the flowers still stuck out. I think I will try resin this next week.

Hi All,
I have done some experimenting with flower petal beads. Here is the method I use. Make a base bead with a light color. Make an ultra-thin sheet of translucent clay, spread a thin layer of liquid clay on it then place petals on sheet, then cover with another ultra-thin sheet of translucent. Use this sheet to cover the base bead. I do two layers. To add a little interest, use a translucent sheet with crackled foil as the first layer over the base bead, then the two layers of petals. I have also made a triple 'petal' sandwich with more liquid clay and petals, then another translucent sheet to hold it all together. I hope this makes sense.

The pics (pink violet petals) are made using the regular inclusion technique and the method I described above. The blue are from blue violets. I liked white for the base bead best. One of the pink beads had a black base and another had a red base.

I have not used the "bake and bond" but I wonder if it is any clearer or 'whiter' than regular Premo! translucent. I am a little unhappy about the yellowish color the Premo! turns after baking.

Does anyone else have a favorite translucent that doesn't turn darker when baked?

As always Cindy, you are doing things I am interested in. Keep up the great work.

It is good for the morale to see your experiments and to read that you are still trying to develop a system. Sometimes it seems like you know everything there is to know and then you hit us with this flower petal experiment. This gives us, at least me, the courage to try different things. If our tutor doesn't have all the answers, maybe there is hope for the rest of us! Thanks, Cindy, for being so human as well as extremely knowledgeable.

This has really peaked my curiosity. I'm definitely going to experiment with this technique. I was thinking that the bead may be smoother with a couple of coats of a glaze. I use the Studio by Sculpey Glossy Glaze. I think this would be a great idea to use with some of the flower petals that still have a vibrant color after they are dried. It would "show off" the color more instead of it being "buried" into the clay. I can't wait to try this out.

It is awesome to see such a great discussion happening here. Thank you everyone for your comments! It has got me thinking about somehow adding a layer of that UV cured resin I got the other day. Can't wait to get myself a lamp!

@Bette: Your beads are excellent! Love your idea. Regarding 'Bake and Bond', it is not yellow at all and is actually fairly clear when not too thick. Fimo Gel and Kato Clear are supposed to be a lot clearer but I haven't yet tried them yet, to confirm this. Premo Frost and Fimo Classic translucent are much 'whiter' than Premo regular translucent, so you may also want to try those. Keep us updated with your experiments. I love to see what everyone is trying out there!

@carolyn: Thanks for saying that. You should know that the day I know everything about polymer clay and what can be done with it, is the day I quit playing with it. Like I said before, I have a list of ideas and videos topics that will keep me busy for the next ten years with new stuff getting added everyday. I see myself learning new things, right along side, all of you guys. It is much more fun that way than being a 'know it all'! :-)

@Bette L: What system do you use to polish your beads? These are absolutely gorgeous!

Thank you all for the kind comments. I did not sand the flower petal beads. I wear gloves to keep fingerprints off when I do the final roll. To varnish (verithane or studio by sculpey) I string the beads on a thin wire suspended from my "helping hand", keep the beads from touching by putting zig zags in the wire then use a soft brush to coat, let dry and coat again. catch any drips with the edge of a torn paper towel. I wear gloves when I do this because it is a little messy and my fingers stick together if I don't.

@Bette: Genius! Never thought of putting zigzags in the wire to keep the beads apart. So smart.

I tried using the flower petals fresh and a red rose gave a purple tint to the clay. None the less it was pretty. I made 7 necklaces and bracelets when my Son-n-law's Mom died. They were for his family members and for my Granddaughter. I used the dried flower petals for all those items I made. I was unsure that everyone would like the ones with the fresh color tint over the dried one,since they gave me some of the flowers they got off the spray. Love all the ideas here.

I'd like to get some irridescent sparklet into the flower petal inclusion beads. What could I use?

@Cheryl Hodges: Donna Kato has some on her prairiecraft.com. I think this will take you there: prairiecraft.com/polyclay/IP.html
You can also just buy iridescent cellophane and cut it into tiny bits.

Thank you Carolyn. I was wondering would the glitter snow and the irridescent filaments work as well?

@Cheryl Hodges: I'm sure if you have the iridescent snow that would work just fine. I'm not sure what the filaments are.

I have a feeling that Cindy's upcoming Faux Opal tutorial, which uses Bake and Bond, will answer any remaining questions about what you can use with it (and how to use it!) Goo-oo Cindy!