Hello again! And welcome to another post re-run. There's not all that much exciting and new in my studio these days—every day is all about making more of the same—sleepy critters, speckle beads, rustic tribal birds, leather feathers, etc, etc… and pressed flower beads. Lots of pressed flower beads.
I really love making them! Especially with winter quickly approaching—I want to enjoy the summer flowers just a little bit longer. And so, today's post is one of my pressed flower tutorials I first shared with you a year ago. I hope you'll enjoy seeing a behind the scenes peek at my work… and maybe you'll be inspired to try making some for yourself! Enjoy!
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I hope you all haven't gotten bored of my pressed flower beads already… I have two more how-tos for you today. These are quite a bit more simple than my last design, but they turn out looking like you put a lot of time into them. And it's all thanks to a nicely textured mold! :-)
Here they are…
1. Choose 2 molds (or texture sheets) of the same or similar pattern. Roll equal size balls of polymer for each bead.
2. Sandwich a polymer ball between the two molds.
3. Press firmly using a small glass dish so you get even texture.
4. Ta-da! your nicely double-sided textured currently hole-less bead!
5. Before removing the polymer from the mold, gently cut the hole — this way that pressure won't distort the texture. I used a large leather punch for my cutter.
6. Bake for an hour and cool.
Next, paint your donuts…
And enjoy that nice texture…
Now we're going to make some wrapped beads…
1. Chose a mold or texture sheet with a long or repeating pattern. Roll same size pieces of polymer — this time lengthen them into sticks.
2. Press firmly.
3. Wrap to form beads. I used a crochet hook for my beads.
4. Ready for the oven. Bake for an hour and cool.
Paint…
Go make something with them!!
See, that was pretty easy… and made some fun new beads! I hope you'll give these a try. What new creations have you been working on? Making anything with polymer clay lately?
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And… back to the studio I go… all the unfinished beads are calling me! Wishing you each a very creative weekend!
Rebekah Payne
Great tutorial ! You make it look so easy! I love how you painted the yellow flowers.
ReplyDeletethese are awesome - perfect for polymer clay newbies
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful!!!! I love these beads. I do have a question. After you paint your creations, do you seal them? If so, what do you use?
ReplyDeleteI sure do Katherine! I use Delta Ceramcoat matte interior varnish… I water it down and apply several coats to each bead and then once dry, I heat cure all my beads at 150° for 15 minutes.
DeleteAWESOME! Thank you, Rebekah. I would have never thought of watering down the varnish; nor of heat curing it. Your pressed flower beads are inspiring. Such a detailed tutorial makes even us newbies feel we can do it. Please keeping posting!
DeleteHi Rebekah! Beautiful beadie goodness! I love love your pieces! 'Hugs' to your horse-babies, too!
ReplyDeleteCan you explain your painting process? I love the way it looks - kind of like a wash of some kind. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry I missed your comment earlier! I use very thin, multiple layers of paint to catch the details of my sculpture or casting. Sometimes I do use them as a wash and will fill or flood the details—it just depends on the look I'm going for. Right now I'm not sharing any tutorials for my painting techniques, but the thing that I've found works best for me, is to keep the paint very thin. It's better to have it thin and gradually build up to the color or look you want. Hope this helps! :-)
DeleteIs there a tutorial for the for the pressed sunflower beads or a place to buy them?
ReplyDeleteHello Tammi! I don't have a tutorial for the daisy beads, but they are listed for sale in my shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TreeWingsStudio Right now I'm sold out of the yellow daisies… they should be back in stock in a couple weeks. :-) Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDelete