Coming out of lurkdom

Hi Cindy,

I'm pretty new to the group too so i'm not sure if there is a faq area or not...if you have any lampwork question I'm happy to try and help. Jewelry making and polymer are someone else's department!!!

Welcome and I look forward to seeing your jewelry/polymer!!!!

CIndy

Hi CindyB and welcome :)

It's true that the polymer clay group is pretty quiet these days. But a lot of folks on that group are also here. As a matter of fact, I'm just taking a break after sanding a bunch of beads, getting ready to start buffing; can't do lampwork to save my life, but I love coming here and looking at all the pretties that get posted :)

Again, welcome.

Cheers, Carla

C> Hi.

Oh dear. I don't even own a decent camera! LOL

Some day.

See? That's part of what I need. Is it really necessary to sand and buff polymer beads? I've got some that probably need it but others look pretty cool just the way they are.

I'm brand new at this bead making thing. I've been doing it all manually with makeshift tools. I finally bought a pasta machine and a slicer the other day but I'm nervous to try it, LOL. (I've done the same thing with candles. I've been making container candles for about a year now as well. I bought a mold around Christmas and, for some silly reason, I'm afraid to try it out.)

Sanding/buffing seems to be a personal choice. I like the hard glassy shine I get from sanding with multiple grits, then using a Dremel for buffing. I've also used a rock tumbler instead of sanding, but only if I've got a *lot* of beads to do at one time.

Some other handy tools I have are a cheese slicer, a grater, a mini food processor, a zester, small dental brushes (the kind for cleaning in tight spaces), and Tide stain brushes (modified, for sanding).

I make candles, too, with gel; constantly on the look-out for pretty glasses and bowls for that.

Don't be afraid of your pasta machine; pasta machines are our friends :)

Cheers, Carla

C> See? That's part of what I need. Is it really necessary to sand and

Hi, Cindy. Welcome, welcome! I don't make lampwork beads either, though I do love them and sometimes even purchase them. I make jewelry from purchased components or make my own charms and beads from metal clay. I also do off-loom weaving with seed beads.

I think you'll find lots of people here who work with polymer clay. Barbara makes some really amazing beads. I'm sure she'll check in with you soon. She was one of the first to welcome me when I joined the group.

I love that you admitted that you're not artistic. Neither am I. I bead for the love of the process as much as for the end result. And sometimes, I get lucky...

:-)

Thanks, Carla.

I took a look at your web site. VERY nice items. I like the way you play with color. That's where I have the most fun too. So far, I like pretty basic shapes, nothing fancy there. But color is my love, mixing odd combinations, variations of a single color theme, etc.

Maybe I'll dig out Hubby's old camera one of these days and post pics somewhere, when I have something that I'm not afraid for people to look at, lol.

Hi CindyB,

We're an eclectic group. Most of the group do not make lampwork, but it is probably our most common "eye candy".

We have bead-makers (PC, lampwork, PMC, beaded beads, drilled seeds, etc), silver workers, beadweaver, and stringers. And probably more variations than that. We also have many levels of skill. To para-phrase AA, we seek improvement, not perfection.

And yes, we are an interesting bunch -- especially if we leave out the dull bits of our lives!

And don't worry about "drawing a straight line with a ruler". Frankly, I've never known an artist who bothered with them.

Tina

Welcome Cindy!

Hi, Cindy. My lift story is posted here until another subject. LOL. Glad to have some fresh meat!!!

Becki

I saw that, Becki, and I'm saving it and the replies for when I dare to start using my pasta machine. My mom has been visiting for the past few days but maybe I'll get something done once she leaves tomorrow to go visit my brother. Ack. That came out badly. It was a WONDERFUL visit and I love my mom to pieces. But, I got precious little done - no laundry, no cleaning and definitely no beads or jewelry. Plus, I gave her my 3 favorite pairs of earrings that I've made, lol.