Finished Sculpted Bead!

I finished staining, sanding, heating and buffing this bead yesterday.  I have made quite a few other styles, but this was the only one like this with the batch.  I really like the earth tones that to me, look like bands of textiles wrapped around it.  I didn't want any sort of perfect caning, but just strands of color that look like fabric.  Each piece was carefully cut out and put in place and this is my own design.  Still for some reason, this reminds me of straw art from New Mexico.  No inlay here, but just the geometrical theme and colors.

I also finished some beads that I will add to a bracelet.  They aren't anything fancy, but I like the gold color and sanded, then buffed them to a nice shine.  I was trying to take some photos in the warm light right before sunset.  I was holding the beads on a denim shirt and one popped right off and went into a bush.  I had to shake and shake it.  Finally found it!

Rattesnake Accent Bead

In case you missed this in the other photo, here is a close up of a rattlesnake accent bead I sculpted.  It's really tiny and cool!  I will place that on the cord with the rattlesnake pendant.  One of my favorite tools lately seems to be the hair stick or chop stick.  If you use a crochet needle and press the clay, it can sometimes get stuck.  If you use the hair stick or chop stick, one side will be smaller and it will come off more easily.  This works great if you want pony size bead openings or centers.  Just say no to distorting your beads!!!

Hand Sculpted Southwestern Polymer Clay Focal Beads

These beads were entirely hand sculpted by me with an ivory blend base.  All the little piece were hand cut out and placed on the bead.  The spiral in the center was made with a stamp I hand sculpted.  These beads were shaped, baked, stained, sanded through four grits of wet/dry sandpaper, stained, heated again and after cooling, buffed to this shine.  There was quite a bit of labor and time involved in shaping the beads.  The details are all drawn freehand by me with a needle tool.  These have a Native American and Spanish Colonial feel to them.  They have been crafted to look like they have many years of stories to tell.

Trucks only!!!

I took this photo earlier today and this just looks like a pile of truck tires! The double wide bracelets are so chunky and I just love how they came out. I love the camper colors usually, but I love the hot pinks and greens here. Thanks for looking!

Sunset Spin Bead Bracelet

I can call this a sunset bead or I could call it my faux copal amber. I think either description works. I'm posting this because I really like how the colors came out. The spiral can represent your journey in life and some Native Americans believe the spiral is a water symbol. I pressed in some leaf designs on the back and I drew in some accent lines to define the areas where the colors are different. I call these spin beads because you can wear them either way. A little more fun and why not enjoy two different looks for the same money!

Nice Shine on that Faux Turquoise!

This is a faux turquoise bead that I made. I want you to see the recessed areas and matrix so it looks real. I do not use varnish on my beads like some people do. I used four grits of wet/dry sand paper on this bead, cleaned it and used a jewelers wheel to buff it to this shine. I added some darker clay to this bead and you can see some flecks showing.

Polymer Clay Diver Down Beads and Shark Jaw Knot Bracelet

I had the idea to make some diver down flag beads. These are supposed to look like black coral, red coral and ivory. I have hand etched or carved in some designs to add texture. I sanded and buffed these to a nice shine. The paracord knot is called a shark jaw and I have seen it referred to the piranha as well. I think it works well with the ocean theme.