Just A Little Carving Experiment

A few posts ago, I blogged about my primitive mudcloth beads. I recently got some micro carving tools from polymerclayexpress.com and made this experimental bead. I just carved into the surface before I baked it then rubbed acrylic paint into the carved part after baking. It was easier than carving through the black layer to reach the white underneath as I did in the mudcloth beads. I can imagine these type of chocolate colored carved beads being combined with brighter colored beads to create an eclectic necklace or bracelet.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Mokume Gane All Season Beads

Mokume Gane Beads. From top: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter

Here are some basic mokume gane beads I made last year. I was rifling through my bead stash and when I found these beads I made, I realized how they looked like the four seasons. I don't remember if it was a conscience thought or not!

I will be taking a mokume gane polymer workshop in April 09 taught by Julie Picarello. I am looking forward to it!

Blackbird Winter

Blackbird Beads- 1 1/2", 2 1/4", and 2".

The past few weeks there have been a flock of red winged blackbirds hanging around, singing their off-key song in a nearby spruce tree. The unusual thing about this is that you don't often see blackbirds in January and February here in Colorado at 7,900 feet. There are also robins around, which is almost as unusual.

I associate the blackbirds and robins with summer, so it lifted my spirits on cold winter days to see these birds, and I was able to help them out by sprinkling seeds on the ground below my birdfeeder.

The birds also spurred me into action to make a blackbird cane, something I have been wanting to do for quite awhile. So I got the cane made, reduced it, and applied it to the three different backgrounds. The bead on the left is more summery, but the middle and right hand beads represent blackbirds against winter colors and winter sky.