Dried Flower Inclusions Can Help To Bring Healing to Sad Situations of Loss:
I received a sad email from a subscriber the other day. She told me about the unexpected loss of a friend and was looking for ideas about memorial jewelry. I encouraged her to think about drying some of the ceremony flowers from her friends funeral and do a polymer clay inclusion to make flower petal beads.
There is a book out right now that I’ve heard great things about, although I’ve not yet read it. The title is Bead One, Pray Too by Kimberly Winston, and I figured this would be an appropriate post to make mention of it.
The book talks about creating personalized strands of beads for the purpose of reflection and prayer. It has some good information on how to make both religious and non-religious forms of these meaningful pieces of art jewelry or prayer beads.
I’ve talked about polymer clay inclusion techniques in previous posts, but here’s a quick recap. You need a couple packs of Premo Translucent clay. Break up the flower petals into tiny pieces and knead them into the clay, making sure they’re thoroughly mixed and not all in one clump. Then roll the clay into balls in the palm of your hand. Get them as smooth as you can by putting cornstarch in your palm and rolling again. If you make loose pebble shapes it won’t matter if the beads are round or even the same size.
I think if you were to make a string of these memorial jewelry beads with the dried flower petals from a friends funeral, and then add other complimentary beads or memory charms, the effort would be very much appreciated by loved ones. Spending the time to make this project would also bring some healing to such a sad occasion.
If anyone has read the Bead One Pray Too book, please leave a comment below to let me know what you thought of it. Or if you have any other ideas or stories that you’d like to share about memorial jewelry or prayer beads, it would be great to hear them.
Cindy’s last blog post..Fimo Nail Art – Polymer Clay Canes for Fingernail Art Designs
I’ve read somewhere also about people who take fur from a pet that’s died and put it in a bead or cabochon as well.
That is a sweet idea Kim. Thank you for passing it on!
Cindy’s last post..Polymer Clay Leaf Beads, Cane Design and Handmade Jewelry
I just received this email and wanted to share it here to show how much importance can be placed on these “love one” or “memorial” beads. I’ve left out the name of the person do to the sensitive nature of the topic.
“Cindy…Thanks SO MUCH for the wonderful idea of the “loved one” beads. My Dad recently died and that is such a heart-warming thought to be able to have him around ALWAYS…thanks once again.”
I have a 14 year old Pomeranian with cushing’s disease. It is terminal for her and I’m just trying to keep her as happy as possible until her time. I am planning to cut some of her hair for a pendant inclusion. I had seen this book before and I thought it was a wonderful idea.
Thanks for sharing it.
Kim what a touching way to commemorate your special pet. You could also collect hair from her brush if you didn’t want to cut her hair. You could incorporate the hair into some translucent beads the same way I did the thread beads. If you want to learn more about that, click the link by my name.
“January 23, 2009
Kim @ 4:40 am
I have a 14 year old Pomeranian with cushing’s disease. It is terminal for her and I’m just trying to keep her as happy as possible until her time. I am planning to cut some of her hair for a pendant inclusion. I had seen this book before and I thought it was a wonderful idea.
Thanks for sharing it.”
When both my nieces reached the point of parting with their long hair, being the conveyance, I grabbed the excess, teasing them that if I could find a way to work it into something, they could have the result of showing folks of the future that they were born blonds.
Carol DuVal had an episode that week about tassle making. Hmmmmm. Took an old ornate small wooden finial, covered it in glue, poly designed the exterior and used their hair with a couple of their favorite ribbons as the tassle. So pretty. Their hair on them still curls in the moisture, and they LOVED them. Could even go further by tying beads at the ends of the hair strands.
That’s sounds really unique Jocelyn! I bet your nieces really treasure their gifts from you! Hair used to be used for all kinds of sentimental crafts in the Victorian times. That means, you girl are a Classic!
(You don’t have to put the whole quote in. @Kim will be fine.
**PHOTOS ADDED: Some flower petal bead, jewelry project pictures have just been added to a Spotlight Feature showcasing Marsha Nelson, a member who is very much appreciated here at this supportive polymer clay community. Click on the “Flower Petal Beads” link by my name above to have a look.
Saved a flower from a friend’s funeral Saturday. I just happened to stumble across your website. How long can I save this rose, keep its color before I even learn how to make a bead?
@Desiree: Hi Desiree! I’m sorry to hear about your friend. Saving a flower and making beads/pendant, etc. is a nice way to remember…
Cindy & Marsha made some comments at this link about how to dry your petals, which is the first, important step. You can add a bit of colored clay or inks later to make up for any color fading, if necessary. As for timing…if you take Cindy’s Polymer Clay Basics Course, (link at top of page) you will be able to make beads much faster! Cindy’s course is really great, and gives you the skills & confidence to jump in and start creating with polymer clay…
Good luck! ~Kat
Is it possible to dry “White” rose petals that will remain “White” for use in making polymer clay beads. they seem to turn dark, muddy color when dried.
Thank you,
Sammi
@Sammi: Yes you can dry White Rose Petals, if you dry them quickly before they get the chance to turn brown. You could get them freeze dried or you can dry them yourself with a microwave. Quite some time ago, I wrote an article that explains this process. Just click the link by my name to go straight there.
I wanted to say thank you for this post. My 6 week old daughter passed away on the 3rd of this month, and it’s been hard dealing with it. I have been working with polymer clay lately, and decided I wanted to make my own necklace in her honor. I already decided in a Robin’s egg with her birth stone to be the centerpiece, given her name was Robin, three “leaves” stamped with her initials, but knew it needed something else. I came across this and knew this was what it needed.
The natural and earthy look of the beads kept with the theme, and it felt right. My baby girl always struck me as the animal and nature lover, even with how tiny she was. It just shined through.
These beads will be perfect. I hate that I’ll be doing it, but it’s something meaningful to keep close to my heart, and it’s something I would not have thought of on my own.
Oh Portia, I am so sorry for your loss. You are so brave. Your project in honor of your daughter sounds beautiful. I hope it can help you work through your pain and help you to heal.
Just so you know, I do have a full video tutorial that shows you exactly how to make rose petal beads, that has far more information in it than just this article.
Let us know if you need any more help. There are so many kind souls in our community that will be there for you should you ask. Take care my dear.