Competition Beads!!!

Finally - I have settled on which beads I will enter for the Beads & Beyond Competition. Its a good job too seeing as I'm off away tomorrow and the deadline is the 1st December, it was a case of enter tonight or not at all! These pink rounds are not my entry (I havent nailed the shape yet) but they similar in theme to my entry. They took me AN AGE to make but I loved making them. I'm far from expecting to win this competition, there are some seriously talented lampworkers around, but I have enjoyed giving thought to my entry and pushing myself to try something new to me.

So once I have hit the send button on the e-mail to the magazine I need to pack! I'm going on an exciting new course called Red Hot Minx. Its a collaboration with Lampwork Artist Sally Carver and PMC Artist Leigh Armstrong. We'll spend two days playing with pmc, glass beads and also working with them together. I plan to spend my time experimenting with making a glass bead directly onto a metal clay core. Its been something I have wanted to try ever since I discovered Barbara Becker Simon. Her beads feature in this stunning necklace above. I'll take my camera and promise to post lots of pics when I get back! I cant wait!!!!!

Reconstituting Metal Clay

One of the great things about metal clay is that there is no waste. Even if your clay dries out completely you can reconstitute it back to workable state. Here I have outlined the method I use for reconstituting my clay - I'll talk through it step by step.

* Put all your dried clay into a pestle and mortar and grind it right down.
* This part isnt photographed - but pour your dust into a glass and get a stocking and pull it as tight as you can over the neck of the glass and SIEVE the dust back into the pestle and mortar. (Do this over a large piece of paper to allow you to catch any wayward clay that does not sieve where you want it to - just pour back in once you are done).
* Now you should have separated the fine power from any lumps which will be left behind in the glass.
*I take a double layer of clingfilm and depending on how much clay I am working with pop it into a little pot or dish.
* SLOWLY add water drop by drop and mix in to the powder. And Mix it all up.

I added a little too much water here so its sitting next to me open and as it dries a little I'm giving it a massage and folding the dried parts on the outer parts of the cling film INTO the clay. By tomorrow I should have a nice big ball of clay to play with. I'm a lazy reconstituter - it comes from the habit of just sticking holes into a lump of clay, adding water, covering and leaving it for a while, massaging, adding more water etc - It could take DAYS! So I dont mind that this method takes a day. I'm hoping it will be ready for me to use tomorrow.

Metal Clay Masters Registry

Its been a hectic few days but at the back of my mind all the time has been the Metal Clay Masters Registry I am working towards. I have a sketch book full of designs, and I think I am about ready to mock up my first pieces. If you havent heard of the Registry yet then rest assured you will - its the highest qualification in Metal Clay in the world. With 51 projects to complete in groups of 10, its a real challenge. Anyone can register, and its not tied to any one metal clay brand. It really is all about the art!

New Course Dates

I've been busy setting dates for 2009. Here are our regular diet of Metal Clay Classes, from left to right: UV Resin, Fingerprint Charms, Capturing Nature, The Magic of Art Clay, Ring Making, Hollow Lentil Bead, Silver Rose and the Level One Certificate. You will find the dates and more information on these courses here. We have still to set more Bronze Clay course dates and as if that wasnt enough I'm planning other brand new courses too. Any body got a cloning machine?

Chameleon Designs Swap

I think I may have mentioned before - one of the things I love about what I do is being able to give things away and participate in swaps. Yesterday I received this beautiful paperweight from Becky of Chameleon Designs. She took a shine to my Bronze Lentil Bead, and I to this pink glassy ball :) All of Becky's work is stunning. I only hope she like the Bronze Lentil Bead once it arrives!

Hadar's Book Arrived!!!!

Hadar Jacobson's new book :"Silver and Bronze Clay; Movement and Mechanisms" is GREAT!!! Full of lots of great designs split into different sections, Dangles, Hinges, Spinners etc. It has a full chapter on Firing Silver with Bronze and is simply overflowing with great projects!! I cannot recommend this book highly enough!! Get your copy here.

New Skill ? New Beads!!!

Well, I got my beads through the post following my lesson with Mindy Macgregor of Moogin Beads. She has the patience of a saint!!! Over and over again I tried with the hair thin stringer and over and over again I hashed it up! We practiced on a clear bead so I could just melt my mess in and start over. Eventually it seemed I was getting a little better until FINALLY It clicked!!! My euphoria was maybe a little over the top - I have a long way to go - But I HAD never ever had much success with stringer - and this stringer was SERIOUSLY thin! My beads from the lesson are above.

Since my lesson I've been practicing a little, first by pulling stringer so thin I find it hard to pick up and then decorating my beads. I've managed to produce these. I am quite chuffed. I love the colour too - CIM Glacier if you are interested!