I was distracted yesterday. First I was drawn to these faceted polymer beads from Lynn Lunger (UnaOdd). She bought herself a belt sander to be able to achieve that flat-sided effect.
She even has a rainbow version and more in her Etsy shop. Oooh, the possibilities. Would my husband notice the polymer dust on his belt sander?
Then I decided to tinker with the guts of this web site. Diving into the belly of the blog is a sure way to grind things to a halt. Bingo! All of this left me speechless (hence yesterday’s terse post). I thought those lovely hearts would speak for themselves but some of you thought I was ill or irritated. Not so.
It’s thinly disguised avoidance behavior. Finishing my Synergy slide presentation is looming large and everything else but that calls to me. Back to PowerPoint today. Wish me luck (and clairvoyance) as I predict the future of polymer.
Melanie West ,
Clean, simple patterns of nature… lovely work, Lynn! I especially like how you are using acrylic. 🙂
Cynthia, if it’s any compensation, you are not alone in the Synergy Presentation Crunch. I talked to two other folks in the same place yesterday. All this chatter about Synergy is getting me very eager to be there! Now go back to your crystal ball, my dear, and tell us where we’re headed. ;D
Kathi ,
I just awarded you the “Sunshine Award”!
maureen carlson ,
Cynthia, I think you have a good feel for the pulse of the world. Was reading my Minneapolis paper this AM where a featured article was about terrariums and how they are once again very popular. What popped into my mind but your Oct 22, ’09 post about Thyrza Segals miniature set designs. At the time I was surprised, but now I hear it is a trend.
Trust your heart, Cynthia. Cheers. Look forward to hearing what you have to say.
Jeannie ,
Her shop is like a breathe of fresh air. Things I’ve never seen done before.
Bravo Lynn
Tracy Crutchfield ,
Cynthia, thanks for all the work you put into this site, I look at it everyday!
Just an FYI, Harbor Freight has a table top belt sander that is very cool, I have one. It is only $34.99! Happy Wednesday, Tracy
Lynn/UnaOdd ,
Well, I wondered why my Flickr views were up! :^)
I have a combination belt/disc sander. I’ve actually been using the disc sander portion of it for these beads. The belt portion tends to grab things and fling them…lol.
It’s a fun technique, but I’m trying to deal with the tendency of the polymer to split when baking larger pieces. I’d love to do some really large scale crystals, but splits have frustrated me in several pieces.
Thank you for the unexpected feature!
Lynn
Sabine ,
I love the great find , the beads are very classy. I guess one could achieve similar results by slicing raw beads – less messy – I hate dust- and then tumbling. As for the mood of a post, Cythia, its a breath of fresh air to know that you have good and bad days just like the rest of us – and that you rise above it and still give us our daily fix of inspiration. Without you and your blog I wouldn’t be aware of all the generous creative polymer addicted souls like myself. Boy are we a creative communty.
Tish Collins ,
Hi Cynthia,
My husband works in wood also. Always have tons of different sanders around. Belt sander does work best, but your hubby WILL notice. I always get caught when I run out to his territory (the wood shop). If you do use clay on the sander, a belt cleaner (like an eraser?) gets it off so it doesn’t hurt his projects.
Good Luck, Tish
Adrine Avakian ,
I look forward to my Polymer Daily every day. It’s the highlight of my otherwise mundane disabled world. Thanks for doing this and keeping us enlightened. Maybe one day my pain will subside enough for me to clay something to contribute as my way of giving back to you for all your time and effort spent to make my day a little brighter. You are awesome.
byZarah.com ,
Ahh, these are gorgeous! Why nobody else does something like that. 🙂 Super cute little rocks anyway
Genevieve ,
I’m really excited by Lynn’s faceted pieces! Be sure to check her blog (http://unaodd.blogspot.com/2010/01/sneak-peek-faceted-polymer-and-wood.html ) for faceted rings!
Kate/OrganicOdysseys ,
I love these new pieces as well as her rings. So much fun when you have new tools and get over the fear of using them! 🙂 Now if I could just bring myself into using my new ones………………….
Jay King ,
I would suggest if folks want to try out belt sanders on polymer clay, they should consider spending a little more than is available through Harbor Freight. I wouldn’t sand PC without water, so I sure wouldn’t power sand without it. Google ‘wet belt sander’ and find one with a small motor. You don’t need a lot of power and you don’t need to breathe that nasty dust.
Bananalana ,
I like the simple but interesting form of the crystals. The clean surfaces are so wonderful. I just can’t stop thinking about this beautiful pendants <3