What's on my bead mat - September edition!

The kids are back in school, but the weather seems to be stuck in summer mode. A cooling trend has been predicted, but today was still quite warm. Strangely enough, we all seem to need the cooler weather to get our rears in gear, and start thinking about learning new things. Do you think it’s because we think fondly of school days, and still tend to slack off during the lazy days of summer?

Please excuse the sorry state of my bead mat, because I’m using my original, and it’s apparent that it needs a good cleaning! However, I’m excited to say that I learned something new (at least to me), at BeadFX on Sunday. Pearl Knotting! Bet you didn’t think that I would be eager to learn something so traditional, did you? I’ve been wanting to learn this technique for years! It’s a lovely, simple, meditative activity, and it was a joy to take another of Angela Peace’s (the knot master) workshops! I’ve been telling her that I’m “knot dyslexic” (translation – my intuitive right brain, seems to have trouble with repetitive knotting tasks) for a while, but in this case it simply wasn’t true! Despite having multiple strings of pearls in my stash, I decided that I needed to buy another for this project. I was tempted by blush and mauve, but finally settled on soft grey pearls, and I’m very happy with my choice! Inexpensive fresh water pearls + a sterling silver box clasp = a very sophisticated look….and it's always about the look!! I finished the necklace in the class, and then started on another, when I returned home. Everything was going along swimmingly, but then I made a fatal knotting error!!!! Oh the horror! I was about a third of the way through the pearls, when my piece slipped off the coffee table. Of course I was mid-knot, and it’s unfortunate that the knot tightened (and I do mean “tightened”) in the wrong place!!! I tried to correct it, but ended up splitting my twisted silk. At that point, I bundled up my pearls, and decided to call it a learning experience. Sigh! Onwards and upwards, and I’ll try again on another day.

Now on to Create Recklessly, Artist’s Concrete! I’ve used up my first container, and was able to purchase a second, when the last shipment arrived. I’m not sure why, but the other day I decided that I needed to make a small bowl out of the concrete (about an hour before I was due to leave for work). After all, I’m an experienced bowl maker, as I’ve made fabric, felt, and paper ones in the past. Epic fail!!!! I covered a small metal bowl with Saran Wrap, twisted and tied it off, and then turned it upside down, ready for the concrete. I must have screwed up the water to concrete ratio, as the resulting mixture was way too runny, for bowl making success. Not being one too waste product, I decided to see what happened if I used it anyway. I trowelled it on the bowl (with a craft stick), and although it did cling, it also puddled along the bottom. So of course, I let it dry! When I got home, I tried to unmold the bowl. Oh no! Not only was there a concrete lip on the outside of the bowl, there was also one on the inside!!! So the only way I could remove the bowl, was to break the concrete apart with my fingers. Not a terribly taxing task, due to the extremely thin layer that remained on the bowl. I will try again, and I do have a smattering of ideas (heh, heh, of course I do!) ……but what should I do with the broken concrete? I'd hate to just toss it! Broken concrete in a mold, perhaps?

Autumn is one of my favourite times of year, and I’m hoping for a huge return to creativity! As the leaves fall, it’s time to refresh our skills, take some classes, and get back to playing with our beads and supplies again. You know that you want to!!

A concrete idea!

Well, I couldn’t let Dwyn have all the fun, could I? I was the second person in the store, to nab a container of Create Recklessly, Artist’s Concrete, and I need to confess, that I’ve already used up half of my supply. This stuff is seriously fun to work with, and I’m just getting started!

Many of you know that I love to experiment, so instead of showing you my first efforts, I’ll show you a few of my final ones (okay, I’ll show you all of them, but I like these the best). The idea is not my own, as I did spot a YouTube video, that showcased this technique. All you do is dump some glass glitter (the coarser the better) in the bottom of a mold, and then pour the concrete over top. The concrete flows around, but doesn’t seep all the way through the pile of glitter. When the concrete is dry (wait for at least an hour), take it out of the mold, and then shake off any excess glitter, for a fabulous hollow, faux druzy effect!! It’s better to use a clean mold, as the concrete will absorb any dust, dirt, or leftover pigments.

I've heard that you could use Alcohol Inks (AI) to colour the concrete, but that you should be careful with the quantities used (of course, they didn’t provide the recipe!). I erred on the side of caution, and only used four drops of colour. Either the colour I chose (Adirondack “Pool”) wasn’t strong enough, or I should have used more, as the AI only lightly tinted the concrete (the second photo in the post is the one with the AI). However, I’m not too worried, as there’s plenty of time for further experiments. I didn't use any pigments with the heart mold, but don't you just love it? Even better, it was a freebie, sent with an on-line purchase.

By this time, I was getting tired of glitter (not really, but for the sake of science, I had to try something else), so I tried mica flakes, and then some tiny rocks (that I had purchased for my October, Bead Embroidered Pendant class). I’m not that thrilled with the blue mica, but I absolutely love the rocks!! The cabochon reminds me of a dragon’s egg, and now I need to buy a teeny, little dragon, to see if I can play mommy!

Next I dusted mica powders in the bottom of a couple of molds, and then poured in the concrete. The coverage on the face cabochon turned out a little spotty, but I do love the starfish, seashells and button! The white shell is natural, and is from the first batch of concrete that I poured.

Next up, open backed bezels! I dug into my stash (for a couple of them) and added some packing tape to the backs (making sure that I burnished it well, to ensure complete contact with the metal). These bezels are pretty thin, so I carefully dripped in a little concrete (with a toothpick), spread it out to the edges, then lightly dusted on a bit of leftover glass glitter. I rather like the effect, don’t you?

Back to experimenting! Rochelle had gifted me some rusty road kill (random bits, picked up at the side of the road), and I thought that one of the larger washers would be perfect in the bezel. I added it right after the pour, and to my surprise (silly me!), it started to sink!!!! Oh no, what should I do? Of course, I added another smaller washer, and this time, right on top of the first. Perhaps not a perfect solution, because the proportions are off, but I haven’t given up on the piece! I still have the option to either glue, or draw something on the concrete. It's interesting to note, that the rust has started leaching out into the concrete. I'm not really surprised, but it's something I hadn't considered.

These faces illustrate the fabulous detail you can get with this product. I used a bit of the plum pigment (Create Recklessly) in one of them, but feel that I should have actually added more. The bumpy, organic piece is from a mold I made from a Lychee Nut shell, that Pam gave me. Now for the downside - An imperfect mold = an imperfect piece, so don’t be surprised if some of your pieces don’t come out perfectly. Just remember to throw out those molds, and start again!

As you can see, I’m quite excited by this product. My ideas seem to multiply like rabbits, and I plan to continue to explore my concrete ideas, in a concrete sense! Will there be an Artist's Concrete workshop in the future? Keep tuned, but first I feel the need to play!