This slightly off-register look is very trendy. Switchplates from Alaska’s Katie Way are part of her inventory for the holiday show season. She applies the colors first and then stamps to her heart’s content, adding a wash of color to make the stamps stand out.

In Global Perspectives, Rebecca Watkins shows a similar method applied onto beads using dark powders to bring out lines drawn in the clay. The beads at the right were done by Zona Manualidades who got these terrific results by following Rebecca’s instructions in the book.

Then take a look at Kimberly Arden’s holly cane. She gets the same, coloring-outside-the-lines look on her canes. This seemingly spontaneous way of caning requires planning and I’m sure Kimberly has some tricks up her sleeve.

Looks like you’ll be seeing a lot of playful, off-kilter patterns in polymer. It’s a perfect time of year to give perfection a rest.