Never give up Millefiori Rose Polymer Clay Cane

Never Give Up!

That's my new motto, yesterday I set to work on a new pink millefiori rose polymer clay cane as my stock was getting low. 

Its been a while since I've been caning espeiscally my millefiori rose canes and it was a fail, not only did it turn out wrong but somehow I even got the colour wrong Oops.

Its not the best picture, but here it is...

Polymer Clay Millefiori Rose Cane hone wrong Oops

As you cane see I didn't even attempt to complete it as I didn't want to waster anymore clay on it, I was not a happy bunny that day.

So the following day I set about trying again and this time it went well the colour was just as I wanted and it turned out great, exactly what I need to replenish my stock.

Polymer Clay Millefiori Rose Cane Success!

So if at first you don't succeed Try, Try and Try Again

Polymer Clay Millefiori Rose Earrings

New to Lottie Of London my Millefiori Rose Earrings handmade from polymer clay using the millefiori caning technique, in beige tones perfect for the upcoming Autumn season.

Blast from the Past read more about my Millefiori Rose Canes Here

Millefiori Rose Canes Blog Post

Polymer Clay Millefiori Tree Pendant

Polymer clay Millefiori Tree Pendant handmade using my millefiori floral canes.

Polymer Clay Bird Bookmark handmade by Lottie Of London

New Pink Bird Beaded Bookmark handmade from polymer clay using my pink rose millefiori cane 

 

More of my Beaded Bookmarks

 

Polymer Clay Bookmarks By Lottie Of London

  #polymerclay #books #booklover #bookgifts #bookstagram #bookshelf

Polymer Clay Beaded Monochrome Necklace handmade by Lottie Of London

 Beaded Monochrome Necklace handmade from polymer clay

 #jewellery #jewellerydesigner #polymerclay

Polymer Clay Beads with Big Bead Little Bead

Well December's here and now the mad rush has started not only to get all your own pressies in but also for me to get all my incoming orders out.

But in between this mad rush I just wanted to let you know about my new partnership with Big Bead Little Bead.  I am very happy to announce that they are now stocking a selection of my handmade polymer clay beads.

Here are a selection of my filigree swirl polymer clay beads in black and white.

My Black & White Filigree Polymer Clay Beads

 And my traditional millefiori and klimt polymer clay beads in tones of bronze and beige.

My Bronze Millefiori & Klimt Polymer Clay Beads

Big Bead Little Bead is an online bead shop that sells a great selection of beads and findings for jewellery making but especially unique in that they stock a beautiful selection of handmade artisan beads ranging from ceramic, polymer clay, lamp work, paper beads and more.

White of Black Filigree Polymer Clay Beads Available now from Big Bead Little Bead

Offering a great opportunity to artisan bead makers to be able to show and sell there designs to a wider audience but also for jewellery maker/designer it is wonderful to be able to include some really unique pieces to your designs.

Black on White Filigree Polymer Clay Beads Available now from Big Bead Little Bead

I am really excited with this new venture and am looking forward to sharing my bead designs and working with Big Bead Little Bead in the coming new year.

 Have a great Monday Everyone and don't forget to check out more great crafter's over on Handmade Harbours Handmade Monday

Polymer Clay Millefiori Owls

Good Morning!

 A quick post to show you my latest Millefiori Owl Brooches

Pink Millefiori Owl Brooch made from polymer clay

I've had the idea for owl brooches for a while and kept playing around with ideas of how to make them, in the end it turned out to be quite a simple design.

Lilac Millefiori Owl Brooch made from polymer clay

I have decorated there bodies with my millefiori flower canes for a floral effect and added a wings in a matching shade.

Copper Feathered Owl Brooch made from polymer clay

This one I used some of my remaining feather cane and his my favorite as the cane was made with a mica shift clay he has polished up lovely.

Polymer Clay Owl Brooches handmade by Lottie Of London

So which owl takes your fancy?

Polymer Clay Whats Cooking

This week I've had a sort through my clay canes some have been dispensed of for scrap clay, but I've used some others for my polymer clay ear studs and rings.

Old polymer clay canes resigned to the scrap pile

You may recognise a few already as my millefiori studs and rings are proving quite popular I've had to make more for my Etsy Shop.  Some are new though, well new styles from old canes, once cooked I'll know which ones will work well or not.

Polymer clay focal's for ear studs and rings

I've also been playing around with some more clay firstly I tried out some rose studs in some alternative colours a dark blue and green brushed with gold, but I'm not entirely happy with these.

I also got my urchin mould in the post this week all the way from Canada as you can see below I had a little practice with them, its a fantastic mould though as usual my alcohol inking technique needs some work I always find my colours come out a bit too intense.

Polymer clay roses and urchins

I'm now awaiting another delivery of crystals to play with some new alcohol inks and more white clay so I should be having a fun week experimenting.

This post is part of Handmade Monday, why not pop on over to Handmade Monday and check out more great crafter's over on Handmade Harbours Handmade Monday

Polymer Clay Ribbon Necklace Comission

I missed last weeks Handmade Monday as I was busy working on a commission.

It was a replica of my turquoise and orange ribbon necklace made last year, I really like the colours on this necklace as they are so vibrant and the kaleidoscope cane used is one of my favourites and reminds me that I really need to make more of these canes if different styles, a blog post for the future.

Turquoise & Orange Ribbon Necklace handmade from polymer clay by Lottie Of London

I also took the opportunity to finish off my Turquoise Rose Ribbon Necklace that has been waiting for completion for a while.

Turquoise Rose Ribbon Necklace handmade from polymer clay by Lottie Of London

Turquoise Rose Ribbon Necklace handmade from polymer clay by Lottie Of London

Well that's all my makes for this week, why not pop on over to Handmade Monday and check out more great crafter's over on Handmade Harbours Handmade Monday

Polymer Clay Rings & Stud Earrings

Along with last weeks scribble necklaces I made last week, I had the chance to test out an idea that's been toying in my mind for a while, creating polymer clay rings and earring studs.

So once I purchased some ring bases and ear stud components I had a play around with some sizes to see what would work.

Polymer Clay Millefiori Rings by Lottie Of London

I decided on two sizes for the rings a small 20mm size and a larger 25mm focal decoration for the bead.  I choose to keep it simple to start and used my rose canes to decorate and shape the focal bead

Polymer Clay Millefiori Ring Sizes 20mm & 25mm by Lottie Of London

Polymer Clay Rings Klimt Design by Lottie Of London

I also had to play about with the earring stud size too and decided on a 18mm focal bead.  I had to test the fixings for both the rngs and the studs but I am delighted with the results for both.
 

Polymer Clay Millefiori Stud Earrings handmade by Lottie Of London

 I can't wait to try out some more designs and it will be a great use for all those canes I have stashed away.

My stash of polymer clay canes

A quick reminder my giveaway will be ending on Wednesday this week so if you haven't enter please do, pop on over to my GIVEAWAY BLOG POST to enter and be in which a chance of winning a pair of my Faux Jade Elephant Earrings

This post is part of Handmade Monday don't forget to check out more great crafter's over on Handmade Harbours Handmade Monday

Polymer Clay Valentine Jewellery

Its been another busy weekend this time I've been struggling to work with a dodgy internet connection not great when you have lots of internet work and uploading to be done Arrghhh! but luckily I got to take time out last night and went to watch Strictly Come Dancing at the O2 and although it was cheesy I thoroughly enjoyed it.

So back to work here's a glimpse of my Valentine Jewellery makes that I did manage to get uploaded and edited.

Red Rose Necklace handmade from Polymer Clay

Red Rose Charm Bracelet handmade from polymer clay

Burgundy Rose & Swarovski Bracelet handmade from polymer clay

Red Rose Heart Beaded Bookmark handmade from polymer clay

Red Rose Heart Brooch handmade from polymer clay

All my new Valentine Jewellery was made with the Polymer Clay Millefiori Rose Canes I made a couple of weeks ago.  I have quite a bit more but the slow connection means not everything has been edited and uploaded yet to my Etsy Store but hopefully the rest will be loaded once this connection has been sorted out.

Have a great Monday Everyone and don't forget to check out more great crafters over on Handmade Harbours Handmade Monday

Weekend Catch Up with Polymer Clay

Well I had planned to do a post on Faux Jade with polymer clay, but life always has other plans, well actually it was my hubby as he arranged a much needed night out the good old fashioned way of a meal and a film, which was wonderful.  He had bought tickets to see Les Miserable but the geek in me persuaded him that we should see the Hobbit as it won't be showing much longer, very enjoyable and 3D is highly recommended and enchanced by a good half bottle of wine.

Still I do have some polymer clay makes that I had have been creating over the last week, following my Polymer Clay Millefiori Rose Canes.

Millefiori Rose Cane Creations from Polymer Clay

Here are some pendants created from my red rose cane and I've incorporated a Zipper Cane as an edging.  The largest will be a brooch, but I'm still undecided on what I will do with the other pieces.

Millefiori Rose Cane Beads from Polymer Clay

This is a collection of beads I've created with the burgundy rose cane, I have plans for these to be teamed with some deep red Swarovski crystals I have in my bead box to create a bracelet.








I've also been working some colour mixing for the new Pantone Spring/Summer 2013 colour predictions, if you haven't seen the colours yet here they are.

Pantone Spring/Summer 2013 Colours

Source: pantone.co.uk via Clare on Pinterest

Below are my colour samples, not a bad match I think although you may notice Greyed Jade is missing, I must of got distracted.

Colouring Mixing Pantone Spring/Summer 2013 Colours from Polymer Clay

So what do you think of the colour predictions?  Emerald has been named as Pantones colour of the year for 2013, so expect to see a lot of it.  I don't have a lot of green in my wardrobe but I might just find a way to incorporate it into my accessories.  Do you love Emerald?

This post is part of Handmade Monday with Handmade Harbour why not pop on over for more crafty goodness.

Polymer Clay Millefiori Rose Canes

Caning is my favorite of the polymer clay techniques, I've had some great results from caning and also its the technique I find the easiest to do.


My plan for this year is to cane more, although I have quite a collection of canes already, as you can see

My Millefiori Polymer Cane Stash

I guess I should also make plans to use some of the ones I have already, but I want to learn more advanced canes like the shape shifting and kaleidoscope canes,

For now though as Valentines Day is just around the corner I have decided to make some more Millefiori Rose Canes, I have quite a few already in pink, blue and lilac but for Valentines I wanted a vibrant red and burgundy.

I first learnt how to make these canes using this tutorial 3D Rose Cane by Sigal Simovich,I really like this cane as I find the finished result always differ slightly.

Building my millefiori rose cane

And here's my finished cane once filled with translucent clay and reduced, I think with the vibrant red I made the cane with the whiter edges along the outside and with the burgundy I done the reverse with the outer edges darker.

Finished Millefiori Rose Cane made from polymer clay in Vibrant Red

Finished Millefiori Rose Cane made from polymer clay in Burgundy shades

Now its time to start planning what to make with my lovely new canes.

Resources including more rose cane tutorials

1. 3D Rose Cane Tutorial by Sigal Simovich
2. Rose Cane by Cristalline
3. TrueLiegh Rose by Leigh Ross
4. Rosebud Cane by Tami Shvat

This post is part of Handmade Monday with Handmade Harbour why not pop on over for more crafty goodness.

Creating a Handcrafted Item of Jewellery Part Two

Catch up on Part One of Creating a Handcrafted Item Of Jewellery

Following on from last weeks post ... Here is Part Two of creating and finishing my handcrafted Ribbon Necklace

12.00pm Its time to sand and buff my beads, I use three grades of sandpaper and warm water with a tiny amount of washing up liquid, to give each bead a good sanding

three grades of sandpaper are used on my beads

12.35pm Once the beads have been sanded they need to be buffed firstly with denim as this helps to remove any remaining dust and residue from the bead and lastly with my hobby tool to create a beautiful matte shine ready for varnishing.

Buffing my beads with my hobby tool

1.0pm Once varnished the beads must be given time to dry.


6.20pm Back again ! The beads are now dry and are ready to be assembled to create the finished necklace.

Everything I need ready for finishing my necklace

 The necklace is carefully strung together with ribbon with each bead secured into place

Curling the ribbon and securing each bead

7.45pm And here it is my completed handcrafted necklace, in all to create this piece it took me a total of 2 days to complete allowing for breaks in between when the beads needed cooling or drying.

Lilac Ribbon Rose Necklace

Lilac Ribbon Rose Necklace

Lilac Ribbon Rose Necklace

 KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED.....  Over the next coming weeks I will be entering my Ribbon Necklace into a free promotional draw both on Here and my Facebook page.

To view more of my Ribbon Necklaces and Bespoke Jewellery Here

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Creating a Handcrafted Item of Jewellery ... Part One

Todays post is all about how I go about making my Ribbon Necklaces, its not a tutorial but an example of the time, care and attention I take in producing my work.

My Yellow Blossom Ribbon Necklace

Why ? After the recent copying fiasco between a well branded high street store and a designer brand and the mixed feelings raised on the subject, I felt that it was worthwhile showing how much time and effort I put into making and creating each of my jewellery pieces and for my existing customers to show how much care and pride I take in my work.

So for Part One....

9.00am Saturday morning, the old man is off playing SWTOR (a geek thing sorry) on the computer, this means I can get to work on my new ribbon necklace.  I gather all my pieces of scrap clay, the colours needed for mixing and my lilac rose canes made before Christmas.

Everything I need prepped and ready

I need to measure out the base of my beads from the scrap, I'm actually getting a lot better at working out my sizes now and have been making notes for focal jewellery pieces such as my ribbon necklace and millefiori oblate necklaces.

With the base beads prepared its time to prepare my colours for covering, making sure the colour combination is correct and the clay is of the thickness for covering each bead.

9.15am with the colours prepared and rolled its time to start covering each bead, at this point its important for me to make sure the sizing of each bead is correct before the application of the canes.

9.30am With the beads covered and ready for caning I place the beads in the fridge to cool as this will allow for better cane application and stop the bead from distorting and I can have a cup of tea....

Beads are ready for cane application

10.00am The beads are ready for the cane to be applied each bead is covered with various sized slices of my lilac rose cane.  Once each bead is covered its time to create the bead holes and shape the darker purple beads into oblates.

10.40am Bead have been prepared, shaped and are ready for cooking.

Beads are ready for cooking

11.10am Beads are out of the oven and cooling down I like to cool my beads in very cold water this really helps when using translucent clay as it will make the translucency clearer.

So until Part Two Next Week....
Continue To Part Two Now

On My Worktop

Heres whats on my worktop today....

I've been working on another oblate necklace, a new flame red/orange millefiori cane and two colour samples of aqua green/peacock green and turquoise, I fancy trying my hand at some kaleidescope and shapeshifting canes in these colours too.

Things British this March

Spring is finally here, its beautiful outside but alas I am indoors blogging to let you know about my latest jewellery available for sale now at Things British.

Green Daisy Elasticated Bracelet

Millefiori Beige Thong Necklace

Millfiori Oblate Necklace

Just a sample of a few new items, I'll bring you more soon, I'm off to enjoy some sunshine.