Go Figure… It’s Not Until the First Official Day of Summer that You Finally Get to See My Springtime Fuchsia Bead Collection:
Even though my seasonal clock is a bit off, I wanted to show you what I’ve been up to lately… making polymer clay beads using my spring color palette cane designs. Today’s article completes a 3 part series that should have given you some ideas for:
1) Mixing polymer clay recipes based on inspiration from a beautiful spring flower blossom;
2) Using these spring polymer clay colors to create some beautiful clay cane designs; and finally
3) Transforming the spring inspired cane projects into creative jewelry beads and pendants (see photo on this page).
All over the net you will find artists sharing their inspirational photos for other artists to get inspired by. Although these photos are very beautiful, sometimes I think there can be a big disconnect for beginner polymer clay artists moving from the inspiration stage to the point of actually making beads.
By walking you step by step through the process, you’ll be able to better translate that inspiration into something usable for your own bead art projects.
Keep in mind there are many more ways to be inspired by a photo than just the colors within it. You may be inspired by the shapes, the textures, the shading or even the subject matter of the photo.
The polymer clay beads I’ve shared with you in this article are just the beginning of many other spring inspired beads I intend to make. I hope this 3 part series of articles has given you some creative ideas to take away.
Do keep your eyes open through your journey of making polymer clay beads. You never know where your next inspiration is going to come from!
What a great blog! So useful! I’ve always wondered about polymer clay, and this looks like a great place to start (not that I really NEED another craft interest, but that’s beside the point, lol!) Thanks for visiting my Mama’s Magic blog and commenting.
So true Cindy – the journey is often a long one full of stunning objects which we often take for granted. Thank you so much for sharing!
@Jen: Thank you! You can never have too many craft interests! :-). Besides , I find that all your past crafts can be combined with polymer clay. Rubber stamping, scrapbooking, jewelry making, sewing (buttons) and especially altered art and mixed media. You can use most of the materials and tools with polymer clay and use what you make with most of the other mediums. A perfect marrige, so to speak!
@Lunes: You’re welcome Lunes. I always love getting your insightful comments, thank you!
Cindy Lietz’s last blog post..How To Make Polymer Clay Beads (Large Ones)
These beads are beautiful. Made me gasp when I saw the flower in the middle. Is there hope for me????
Mariane, there is definitely hope for you! The sheer fact that you are so willing to learn means that one day you will be a fantastic polymer clay artist!
Cindy Lietz’s last blog post..Mokume Gane Polymer Clay Canes for Pendant and Bead Jewelry Making
What gorgeous polymer clay beads! The roses — yummy! I also just wanted to point out that Cindy has made a video tutorial on how to make Silver Spoon Bails for Jewelry [VIDEO].
You can also just use the handle, like in this pendant. The link will take you to a video preview of the tutorial, as well as comments and feedback on it from members. There are discussions about where to find spoons/cutlery, how to bend them, and some beautiful examples, as well. Check it out, if you haven’t already. Have a great day!