Roundabout polymer

Ottawa's Emma Todd provides a teaser for your weekend with her Roundabout beads. Stacked together, these flat swirls of polymer create a wonderful jumbled zigzag effect. She's a swirl expert and makes a big-holed round version plus pendants and beads that show real ingenuity.

I stumbled into Emma from fellow Canadian Claire Maunsell. Claire hadn't told her family that her story and polymer work would be in a book.

When the Global Perpectives book arrived in the mailbox, Claire snapped some candid shots of her daughter who was surprised to discover her mother's featured work and her story. "This is great, Mum – good for you," is high praise.

Claire also leaked that she's about to release a tutorial which further explains her hollow form technique for polymer. Her project in the book shows you the basics and it's based on her years of glass blowing.

Polymer hibiscus

Heather Powers calms our jitters with her Hibiscus Buds, part of the class offerings in her 3-day Inspired by Nature retreat in Michigan this October.

Her delicate polymer flower buds hug their petals around themselves. Topped off with leaves and wrapped with wire, they become pendants or charms to be mixed with an array of metals and bead components and gathered into autumn treasures.

Heather is a busy blogger, author and artist with sites on illustration, earrings and more. Her Art Bead Scene interactive blog has been around since 2007, celebrating the work of a group of jewelry designers who use art beads of all materials in their work.

Heather's sites are full of polymer creations, all inspired by nature in a way that reminds us to slow down and cherish the beauty around us. (These Midnight Garden Wafer Beads are a summer favorite.)