“I love the idea of the baby necklace… many nurses would love to have one made for the parents of their little patients.” ~Katina-K
My younger cousin Hayven, just had another baby. And I must say she has chosen some wonderful names for both of her little ones… Olive and Ivy.
This is not too surprising since both her and her sister Tama, also have not-so-common names. Plus she has to compete hard with her darling cousin (me, :-), ever since Doug and I went with the names Willow and Fisher for our babies (who btw, are now both long past the diaper stage).
When we received the news about Olive, the latest arrival into Hayven and Alec’s young family, everyone was delighted! What a cute name for such a sweet little baby. And the perfect compliment to her older sister Ivy!
We will all get to see this new member of the family in a couple of weeks. So I thought it would be fun to give Hayven a baby gift, just for her. A tribute to both of her lovely daughters.
And that is the story of how this idea for my Polymer Clay Ivy Leaf Charm and Olive Bead Necklace was born!
I love the idea of the baby necklace, I used to work in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and know many nurses who would love to have one made for the parents of their little patients. ~Katina-K
This baby keepsake necklace idea is cute! It’s simple, yet people would have an absolute fit about it. A new parent would love to own one of these! ~Phaedrakat
Honestly as a bead maker, these types of opportunities do not come along often. There are not many times that names can be directly translated into bead shapes… and go together so well. I guess you could make Willow and Fisher Beads, but Cindy and Doug Beads..?! Can’t quite picture what they would look like.
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The Ivy Leaf Charm was created with a teardrop blend of Studio by Sculpey clays. Then using a real ivy leaf, the veining and shape were created. It was given a gentle curved shape in the baking process to give it more realism. As well, the copper loop was twisted to form a tendril accent, making it even more obvious that it is an Ivy Leaf.The Olive Bead was also created with Studio by Sculpey clay and given a stuffing of pimento and a star shaped opening in the back where the pit was removed. Olive beads are actually becoming quite popular right now because of the resurgence in popularity of the Martini. So I made a few extra Olives for earrings as well.
What’s neat about this necklace, is that although the beads are symbols of the names Hayven gave to her babies, it is also a lovely and wearable item on its own. To most everyone, this art jewelry piece will be a very pretty, nature inspired fashion accessory. But for those who are close to Hayven… well they will get to hear the endearing story of how this Polymer Clay Ivy Leaf Charm and Olive Bead Necklace, actually came to be! My plan is to include the Ivy Leaf Charm as the Bead Shape topic for the May 2010 video tutorial line up. And I’d love it if you would guys would cast your votes, opinions, feedback and suggestions, in the comments section below. |
Updated Schedule for the 4-part, May-2010, Volume-024 series:
(1) Cane Making: Leopard Print Cane [confirmed]
(2) Bead Shapes: Ivy Leaf Charm [proposed]
(3) Clay Techniques: [to be determined]
(4) Special Projects: [to be determined]
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| ** Did You Know… Members with current subscriptions to the weekly tutorial videos are always entitled to a 10% discount when purchasing 6 or more back issue packages in a single transaction. If you are interested, let me know which back issues you would like and I will send further instructions on how to complete your order. |
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I love the idea of knowing how to do different kinds of leaves. I could make fall leaves as “welcome beads” for my next year’s class. I am so happy about all the coming tutorials. I decluttered my living space and found my firewire, so now I can upload pictures of my beads! They are not great, but I want to be part of the fun.
Not sure where I’d find an Ivy leaf to copy, but I’m game… Maybe I could find some plastic ivy at the dollar store. So that would be a yes from me.
~Lisa :)
@Cindy – Wow, another absolutely beautiful piece of jewelry… I wish I had just half of your creativity!! Amazing!!!
~Lisa :)
What a lucky baby!! I love the charms and recognize how versatile they could be in creating all sorts of things. I’d love a tut.
What a wonderful idea to have something to match the names though it would be a problem for some – my children are Samantha, Stephanie and Brett – As usual the work is exquisite. Would love the tutorial
Well since “leaf”‘s part of my name it just has to be a yes from me! ;)
I love leaves! Yes from me.
What a fabulous and meaningful necklace! Just beautiful!
Nice idea. I’m in. Andrea
Yes please. Looking forward as usual to any video topic, and this seems very versatile.
By the way your copper findings are fab such a lovely finish to the necklace
@Carole Holt: Hi Carole! Haven’t seen you around here in a while. Great to see you again!
Yes from me too Cindy!
What a great necklace!
A big yes from me, and I’ve already got another idea for this leaf.
Make that a “yes” from me as well.
Beautiful Cindy…everything works so well. Love the colors; the black and copper findings; the design, it’s a really lovely piece AND has a special meaning.
I’m in for the leaf lesson too.
Yes for me I love leaves and the olive is just too cute. Only you could think of such a perfect gift for your cousin. I agree the black and copper just finished the piece perfect. Thanks so much Cindy.
Many Uuuuggs, Peggy
Yes on the leaf tutorial from me. I must say that is a lovely piece. I love the look of it and the story. What a wonderful gift.
Leaf and olive are great! And great idea for necklace too. BTW if any of you want to stock up on clay…I went to Michaels today and all clay is $ .99 each!
@Maureen: Hi Maureen, what city/country do you live in? Did they have Bake & Bond, or any of the Studio by Sculpey tools?
What cute little charms! The ivy leaf is so pretty — do we need a cutter for it? Or does this technique teach us to sculpt our own leaves? As for the olive, it’s adorable! My sister would love a pair of earrings made with these olives. I’ll definitely be making these! Your charm necklace is so cute. It makes me wish I knew an Ivy or Olive to give it to. I know your cousin will appreciate this lovely, precious gift with her baby name charms.
@Kat: You actually don’t need a cutter for this one. Just a real ivy leaf, (or a fake one as Lisa so awesomely suggested!). I think you’re really going to like how lovely this charm turns out.
@Cindy L: Sorry for my dumb question — the answer was in the article! I forgot what I’d read. I’d been up all night, unable to sleep with my back pain. Thanks for answering, instead of saying, “Read the article, please!” LOL. You wouldn’t say that. You’re an absolute sweetie! Anyway, I love this pretty leaf; it will be fun to make!
Thank you everyone for the great comments! I really appreciate you all!
Phaedrakat…sorry I just saw your post. I am in New Jersey, USA.
@Maureen: Thanks, Maureen. I was wondering if you happened to notice, does your local Michaels carry Studio by Sculpey tools, or Bake and Bond? Also, thanks for the heads-up on the clay sale! It hasn’t been 99ยข for a while…
I’m a little late on this one, but I vote YES!
The entire necklace is beautiful and so clever, but it’s the leaf that caught my attention. I love the shape of it and the copper tendril is genius.
Howzat! Cindy scores again! Yes please to the Ivy Leaf Charm. Such a charming story about baby Ivy and her sister Olive and I love that you made the ivy leaf bead using a real leaf as -what? a mould/mold? Or just inspiration for hand-sculpting? There are so many beautiful leaves we could use in this way (I think I’ve already rhapsodized about frangipani leaves!), once Cindy shows us how. Thanks, Cindy – not forgetting your hunky cameraman! Mary U.
@Kat: No Prob (as they said in the 80’s). I am so sorry to hear you’ve been having so much back pain. A lovely girl like you should live a pain-free life. I hope things get better for you, real darn quick! It has been harassing you for far too long!
@Mary: Thanks for your sweet comment! I am sure my ‘hunky cameraman’ Doug will be pleased when he reads this too! :-) And yes, the techniques I show you with this charm will work with any type of leaf. So a frangipani leaf will be perfect!
Sorry, Cindy, I got the names of those little girls transposed. Idiot moi! The new baby is Olive, her older sister is Ivy. How cute is that?
Hi Mary! Missed you and that pretty flower icon of yours… ;D
@Phaedrakat: Hi Pusskat, you are a darling. I considered changing my Gravatar to feature my companion, Miss Joan (named for J.Collins, another glam brunette), Queen of Cats, but after your comments, I’ll leave the apricot frangi there. Just catching on to your clever sign offs such as ;D and : ). Slow learner, me.
@Mary: Mary, although I love your pretty frangi, I will be happy to see whatever Gravatar you choose — it’s YOU I miss! Your frangi was just a quick way to identify you. I can find a new way (like reading your name, hehe, or learning to recognize your pretty Miss Joan!)
BTW, my little ;-D are not always the “proper” emoticons, but I like to put them in. It’s difficult to tell what someone’s mood is by simply reading the words. A wink ;-) is fun to use. I like to put one in when I mean “I’m saying this tongue-in-cheek” or “I’m just joking around with you…” And you’re not slow, you just haven’t been exposed to it. No worries!
Cindy – Obviously your whole family is creative. I just hope that you’ll be able to create a clay charm for whatever they name the next one. This necklace is something that could be added on to ad infinitum! I love it! And I’d like a tutorial on the ivy.