Polymer Clay Beads on an Icy Monday Morning

Poppy canes - ready to be sliced to make beads and pendants

Well, it's a cold and icy Monday morning here in Stockport. Having just dropped my husband off at the station in a panic (I hate driving in ice), I am now safely home in the warm with a cup of coffee and my three cats (who refuse to venture out in the cold). I am feeling super creative at the moment and have lots of ideas for my 2014 ranges. The photo at the top is of polymer clay 'poppy' canes. I have made the canes, which hopefully look like poppies, and taken slices to make beads. The beads are currently baking in my new mini oven that I bought specially for my clay creations. The poppy cane is my first flower cane and I have a few more designs in my head which I am going to try out later today....once I have defrosted!

My new mini oven with a batch of beads baking inside

I have also made some polymer clay 'wood' canes....the idea being to create a wood effect from the clay. I saw the idea demonstrated by a lovely lady called Anne Murray at Dragonfly Beads. She had created some 'wood' beads and showed how to make the cane. I adapted her cane slightly and made my own range of pendants.....I decided to make mainly animals out of mine with my brand new cutters that arrived from America! I have posted a photo below of my first batch of freshly baked polymer clay wood animals and pendants. I have yet to sand, polish and varnish them but I was so excited that I couldn't wait to photograph them on my phone for Handmade Monday!

Freshly baked polymer clay wood effect animals

I think I will make necklaces with the chunky pendants, maybe on leather....and then make brooches and necklaces from the animals? 

I have my first fair of the year on 22nd March, the Homemade Heaven and Vintage Style fair. I attended one of these last year and was totally blown away by some of the stalls and the fact that they have an absolutely superb singer there to entertain everybody with songs from the 40s. It's not really my taste in music, but the girl is so talented it's a joy to listen to. This is the only fair I have booked so far this year, until the Christmas ones much later in the year. I am really struggling to find events I want to do....I wonder if I am being too fussy? I prefer really to do fairs that are handmade only and that limit the amount of stalls selling similar crafts. I have found in the past that I do much better at these type of events but they seem to be diminishing in recent years. Such a shame. 

I think I shall pop over and say hi to Wendy and the other ladies over at Handmade Harbour and check out Handmade Monday before my blog descends into a rant about craft fairs! lol! 

xxx