Beads, Beads, and more Beads!

While reorganizing my studio the other day, I was easily distracted when I came across my huge handcrafted clay bead collection. I have built up quite a large inventory over the past 10 or more years and just never got around to creating with them.  Some weren't finished (required sanding and polishing) and others just needed a touch up.  I decided to start working on them bit by bit.  It was quite the task and rather than get overwhelmed, I did a small amount each day over the past 6 months and now I have a nice supply ready to play with!  These are just some of the larger-size beads.

I happened to have emptied some bin-type containers so decided to use them for organizing.  I can hardly believe I ended up with 5 almost all filled.  Here are some photos to give you an idea.

I have some cool ideas for using these -- other than for regular jewelry pieces which I will share later.  I also have a huge stash of my rondelle spacer beads.  Each time I share the seasonal Pantone Fashion color clay recipes, I would make some spacer beads in my favorite colors.  I found these cute little plastic boxes for organizing them and now they are all in order and labelled with my clay recipe numbers to coordinate.

I have a tutorial lesson on how to make my rondelle spacer beads which you can find here (or click on the photo below):

The color recipes I used to create my beads are included in my Clay Color System which I also show how to organize all your clay.  It is more than just recipes -- it is a whole system and inspiration on how to create new colors and combinations.

My pantone color recipes are based on Kato clay but my new revised color system has been adapted to using other clay brands.  The colors may not come out exactly but will give plenty of inspiration.  Right now and until then end of April, both of these tutorials are on sale at 30% off.

I will be back later to share what I am creating with my beads.  Have a great weekend!

Pantone Spring Colors Innuendo and Dahlia

Some of the colors in this year's Pantone Spring & Summer collection are very powerful and yet quite uplifting and joyful.  Dahlia is a beautiful purple, just like the flower.  Innuendo is a rich magenta and actually quite similar to a past Pantone color from fall 2013, called Vivacious, but it is a shade lighter (less saturated).  So if you already have a batch of clay in the Vivacious mixed, it can be easily used as a substitute.

Here are a few clay pieces I made in these two colors.  The large circles in "Innuendo" with the white print shown below will be finished off into interchangeable "snaps".  The other pieces are the colors filled into our stainless steel post earrings.

So here are the color recipes using Kato clay.

Dahlia

3 parts Kato Violet
2 parts Kato Magenta

Innuendo

5 parts Kato Magenta
1/2 part Kato Red
1 part White Mix # 1-2 *

*Note: These base color mixes are found in my Clay Color System Tutorial.

Pantone Fall 2018 Fashion Colors

I have been away for a bit visiting family and celebrating my dad's 90th birthday.  It was a good break but with so many things to do and catch up on, it is time to get back into my regular routine at home.

I was putting off mixing up the Pantone fall fashion colors again as usual, as it is difficult to think about fall when summer is just barely starting.  As I am in several shows this fall, I am making up those new items right now.  I really loved the colors for this last spring which makes it even harder to switch gears but I decided to  carry some of them through into the fall as they fit in well with this new palette.

A few of the new fall colors are closely related to ones in the past and just needed a bit of tweaking here and there.  For instance, Red Pear is very similar to the Tawny Port from last year but has a slight more red tone.  Ultra Violet of course is included again as it is the Pantone Color of the Year.

So you will see some of these new colors popping up soon in my work which will hopefully inspire you.  If you are working with clay yourself and have my Clay Color System, I will be sharing these new clay color recipes next week.

Please note:  These lessons are NOT instant downloads but are sent directly to the e-mail address you provide under your shipping info.  This means if you are in Europe, you do not have to pay any VAT taxes.  And remember the prices are in Canadian currency so the amount works out less if you are more familiar with US dollars.  (Approximately $1 Cdn = 76 cents US)