Beads beads beads

I've been busy preparing my stupid presentation on my stupid creative trajectory for my stupid University visit where I'm gonna be all stupid.  I didn't realize just how much procrastination would be involved in putting this together. But I might be done so I snuck away to play with polymer.

OK, so now I have to come up with listings for these things as well as ... prices (*thunder sounds in the distance). Fuck. You guys! How what how? Like these I had to cook them, color them, sand them, seal them, that's not too bad.

But these for example are stuffed full of inclusions I had to slice and incorporate into the raw poly. OK, lemme tell you cuz it was fun. I found you could buy these finished canes on etsy for a buck a pop or less from, well I got mine from Malaysia but you know, land of cheap things produced en masse.

So I picked some who's colors I liked, sliced them in flakes lengthwise instead of perpendic like you're supposed to, chopped them a bit and mixed them up with some translucent clay that isn't that translucent, it's just sculpey. Anyways, when I faceted and painted them, now you can see all these neat bits that give it a whole extra layer of complexity.

And really the price is not about how much work I put in, it was all fun anyways. Prices, as we should all know by now, are about perceived value. Also there's a big random hole in the bead above right. Cuz I'm still new at this and well. That one bead has a big random hole. Should I remove it? The bead from the lot not the not the hole from the bead. I could remove the hole from the bead I guess.

 I think these big ol' gnome caps have to be my faves. I found this decade-old clay that worked great for this, held its shape real strong but wasnt' that impossible to condition. But yeah so I impressed this crackle texture with several stamps, then painted it this graduated color that lightened near the top.

But that's just cuz of the paint I happened to have on hand, I never have a plan. Then when they were done I remembered my plan was to facet. (Did I just say I didn't have a plan?) Oh well, all that painting and texture for nothing, but who cares, I'm experimenting. But then as I started faceting I saw that when the previous treatment was just left between the facets it looked 10x awesomer. When you experiment, and really any time, you have to let go of your previous work. It's part of letting go of that "I don't want to ruin it" instinct I'm always railing against. "I don't want to ruin it" will keep you in the ranks of the amateurs. But it will also keep you from doing this---

"Wait, what do you mean, Marina?..."

"These look fi-
OHMYGOD Penis Heads!"

I thought I was being clever coming up with a sort of split top thing. Next thing I know, wieners! Wieners everywhere! But hey, every mistake is a learning opportunity and here I learned not to make wienercaps. Maybe I should call them wienercaps. Cuz we all know how much we ladies like to have shlongs adorning our necks and lobes... ringing like bells, ding-dong. Shlong-a-dongs.

 You've seen these, I added another little mis-matched bead to this collection just cuz.

And you've seen these. Is it weird all these beads are already wired? Cuz I'm so used to, you know, wiring beads I ended up doing so in the making process, just to have something to hold on to.

Now for some you haven't seen-

 ZOMG Crackledrops! And yeah that one middle one has no crackles. I'm an artist I defy expectations!

Or maybe I'm just random. But also don't worry the super strong sealant keeps any cracks from just plopping off. What else?

OK so check it if I sell these with the tin you the buyer could make them into this. Ohmaigosh lookit my shmillustration how am I such an arteeeest?

Oh but plus I also have to destash in bead soups, inspiration kits and something I am marinating on which I'll call Stack Starters. Cuz the bangle stacks. Eh? Eeeeeh? Why hasn't anyone told me I'm clever yet?

I'm thinking of this one as an 'inspiration kit' because it has some very singular items that might cause you to make something you wouldn't normally. It includes a bead I made and this amazing antique rose carved bone from Kathystash as well as a gold-leafed shell and a bone cab with a leetle flower bud. So it's not destash in the sense it's not just a buncha things I'd just as well toss. Plus how it's united in color and mood. So how much should this cost?

Oh plus I gave those rose some pink glowy highlights. I need to crowd-source my prices, y'all. Or are you guys gonna be too polite to actually chime in with price points? How about you can say, "I imagine you could find that on etsy for $5 to $98" except you know, less of a range.

OK, the final inspiration kit might be too big. Cuz really there are really nice things here and it ... might end up being too expensive for a bead soup.

 I call this Stormy Skies. Cuz I can. Click for bigs.

 

I think this raku fleur-de-lis focal is from wondrousstrange. I backed it with a tin thats been sanded, oxidized and hole-punched then connected with wire links. To make something both protected and also just prettier. But you know, the original alone was probly $18, comparing whats in her shop now), so with the added work and all the rest of it? Anyone? 

So yeah guys help a sister out.

(I went to look for a relevant gif and instead spent an hour chortling on tumblr.) (I gotcher relevant gif right here.)

My Babies, my baby's babies.

Look at what one tute buyer, BellaLili, sent me!!!!

This is what she did with the Cosmic Rocks, completely foregoing the gold leaf and making it 200% her own. Lookit those crazy findings! Lookit the darkness of the putty! The chunky chunk of the stones! Way to go, I am bursting with pride. You can buy these beauties here.

Gail Taylor asked all about my Roman glass makes.- See, this is what they look like pre-solder. Well, that's one style, with thin wire. I also do thick wire and the latest ones have the wire around the edge to protect the thinner glass. I solder to keep it all together and to make it look interesting and organic. The oxidizer over that is what gives it the old look.
Gail also said, "you brighten my LIFE, not just my day."
!!!!!

OK so but Gail has become a regular etsybud and she shared this most amazing site you all have to run to right now- Fotofuze. It links directly to your etsy, downloads pix from your listings, and makes them AMAZING. You literally just highlight the item and it turns the image into a professional grade product photo and then updates your listing with it. To think of the YEARS of my life I suffered trying to do what this does in seconds! *tears out hair*

Fade and Remain wrote me the most moving comment and I just had to share it. "Sometimes I click over to your blog then get overwhelmed by what I'm sure I'm about to see and have to click away real fast because I just won't be able to stand all the pretty and fantastical and make-y-ness. After several days away, I took a deep breath and looked and I'm overwhelmed by all the pretty and just want to go to bed now. How do you live with all this!! So pretty it hurts. on"
I kept trying to picture her actually doing this, reacting this way to my makies. I kept thinking about it and trying to picture it... sigh. I love you guys.

Roman Glastravaganza

Wind and Water.
I just madephotoeditlisted soooo many things I can't even.

Looketdem ridges! Never seen nun like. Me sleepynotalkgood.

Made on request of friend so no you can't have.
Of Shimmering Rains.
These. See, with the tin? To protect, glass no break.

Shadow Veil. 
These no break with edge thing.
MerMaidens.
These no break with solder frame.

The Lover of the World. 
The faceted little lilac is one of my polybabies.

Other's a baroque pearl

Winding Creek. 
These with the longs.

The Strange Pull.
I coated these utee pins in epoxy resin so no break.

Salvaged sterling ear wires. Super iridescent glass.

Deep Space Love Story.
Crazy sparkle glass, real teeny rubies. Sterling.

Sister and her goblins are in for weekend so I have to go entertain. Maybe I'll teach them to twek?
Earthenware.
These have a dangle from the back of the post stoppers or nuts or whatever you call them.

Trust the Water.  
And these are my favorite of all because of the holey beach stones.

Really never know what's gonna look good or work or what.

The Enchantress. 
Check it these use a bunch of my polybabies.

See the faceted ones?
The Lost Self. 
Also these simple ones, one is shipwreck's and one is mine.

So I think I'mna have to start making bead soups to destash because all I wanna do is make polybeads now. Check out some.

Faceted, painted then sanded.


Used rock salt for those pits:
And regular salt for the surface. Then I shaved off some of the surface cuz they were looking sorta bubble-gummy. Then I attacked them with paints.

Twirls and facets and paint oh my.

Cap type things that are too thin and I have to either try again or fill with epoxy or resin to strongify.

It works really well when you just keep doing shit to them. like, use your acrylics and your alcohol inks and you knife and your textures...
Here's a bead cap texture Shipwreck sent me. Learned you can use a spritz of water as a mold release! That's what I gotta try more of. Got tons more but you get the idea.

I need me a little -