Colliding polymer trends

Big hole beads and flat disk beads are catching my eye. These red beauties are from Armenia on Silk from Armenia. I can’t tell you a thing about them except that they’re super textured and very cool. Good on you if you can figure out the site and tell us about them. (Check her info in the comments.)

Thanks to Maria Petkova here’s a link to Hasmik Soghomonyan’s Facebook page too!

Then Australia’s Wendy Moore shows up with these flat disks with decorated edges. She was inspired by Natalja Ivanková’s forget-me-not beads from last Tuesday’s post. Wendy made hers look like a version of Nepali Rai beads.

Hang on as we whirl from Russia to the US to Australia with a stop in Nepal. Put your own spin on this very wearable style.

You have helped the Samunnat ladies in Nepal raise $6,000 of the $10,000 they need for their building. Several guilds are holding fundraisers to keep the momentum going. Every bit helps and you can still donate any amount by clicking the donate button.

Your buddies from around the world will be at tonight’s free online tools party at Craftcast.

Picarello polymer

Julie Picarello sent out a spring newsletter filled with her updated palette of colors and mokume gane designs. Her book, Patterns in Polymer, is in its second printing and being translated into German. Customers swooped in to buy from her online shop so you’ll have to settle for just enjoying a look.

I found these soft soothing lovelies in her galleries here and here and a few more on Flickr here. Her tell-all video is a huge favorite.

Party tricks

Wednesday night at 8:00 stop in at another popular and free I love tools party over at Craftcast. Patrik Kusek, Robert Dancik, Barbara Becker Simon, Christi Friesen and Robert Diamante will perform tricks with their favorite tools. Did I mention the prizes and coupons? Sign up here.

Spiraling energy

Some happy polymer colors from Kimberly Arden to start your week. In the summer Kim and her husband work with boisterous energy and sell with enthusiasm at shows all over the midwest as they work their way down to their winter home in Florida. Let the energy of these simple spirals spill over you. More colors on Pinterest here.

Last call

Judy Belcher will scoop up the last bits of your data tonight. We want to paint an accurate picture of our community in a presentation at Synergy. Please stand up and be counted here.

Unforgettable polymer

Is it too early in the season for these forget-me-nots from Slovakia’s Natalja Ivanková? The clumps of colorful blooms seem to be woven together but it’s actually a more clever and simple construction.

Natalja has covered the edges of flat white polymer disk beads with tiny petaled flowers. The flat sides of the disks are stacked and strung to achieve the effect of a rope of flowers. Look carefully at her page and you’ll get the gist. The challenge will be to give the concept your own unforgettable style.

More spring possibilities

From Kopila Basnet, Samunnat program director – Since a very long time we have been working in Samunnat and thinking of a building but before it was always a dream. But when a local man said he was interested to give us land for our building, even then we thought it was impossible because it was too long for us to collect money for the building. But what we have learned now is that even when we thought it was impossible, EVERYTHING is possible because we are connected to you all.

Now we understand that Samunnat is not just in Birtamod but it is all over the world. It is in every people’s hearts. I’d love to thank everybody who has given us so much directly and indirectly to make Samunnat’s power grow and double. We will always feel you in our building. Contribute to the fund here.

Heartfelt polymer

Heather Millican’s pithy and positive polymer sayings bring Valentines week to a close.

Stamped and painted, the words she chooses nourish without too much sugar. They’re good for you. She distresses the background for a homey touch.

Data desires

You can fill the holes in the polymer community’s data by completing the demographic survey. Judy Belcher tells me that we need just a few final facts to perfect our Synergy presentation. With this quick (and last) survey you’ll check off which kind of odd duck you are or more precisely your age range, training, location, and a few other basics.

Judy loves charts and graphs and when hundreds of you respond, she’s in data heaven. Give that girl a thrill. Here’s the survey.

And speaking of thrills, don’t forget the ladies of Samunnat who are dreaming of the new home for their project. You’ve made real progress possible and we’re still accepting donations. CLICK to donate.

Striped trend


Diane Keeble	Margit Bohmer	Lynda Moseley

Diane Keeble has been playing with Lynda Moseley’s Controlled Marbling tutorial. So has Margit Bohmer. Then I spotted a few others. Do you smell a Monday trend?

Polymer artists will stampede whenever someone shows them how to make good use of the pile of ugly scrap they’ve accumulated. And Lynda’s write up mentions that her blending method includes using Pardo translucent (another trend, right). Keep your eye on these soothing stripes.

Wood and polymer

Da Muse shows Tatjana Raum’s wood and polymer sculptures in her Saturday post. Don’t miss it.

Big faux

More faux batik beads from Pavla Cepelikova in Prague. These are hollow big beauties that will have you wondering which layer came first.

If you simply must know the answer, you may have to navigate to her Etsy site where she sells the tutorial for her solution to the problem.

Sweet wet kisses

Those vacation kisses from my grandson proved problemmatic and I’m recovering from his cold. All in all, the cold is worth it.

The power of black

Small dots of color pop against the black spirals on this hollow bead from Janine Muller. We forget about the power of black until we see an eye-catching treatment like Janine’s

There’s no indication as to how she made it hollow. Wouldn’t you like to know? Maybe she’ll tell us. Or wander through her site and watch her experiment.

Have a splendid weekend.

Grown-up rolled beads

What is it about rolled beads that fascinates us? Is it because we made them as kids that we want to try them again?

These grown-up polymer versions are from Page McNall. She adds graduated color, texture, and embedded trinkets with a wash of color – taking rolled beads to a whole new level.

Page has been experimenting. See what she’s up to on her Flickr page.

Polymer flutters and surveys

Do these transparent polymer butterflies from Claire Maunsell make your heart flutter? The thin colorful beads are built on a 20 ga. copper wire which can be bent into a custom attachment. The customer asked for an assortment of colors and Claire happily obliged.

If these look like glass, it’s because Claire brings 20 years of experience in hot glass to polymer and her work contains echoes of her earlier training.

Check her Etsy and Zibbet sites to see when these lovely creatures begin appearing there (not yet).

More about you

The first of the surveys for our Synergy3 presentation poses just a few short questions about how you came to work in polymer and what pleasures and frustrations the craft brings you. Your answers will help Judy Belcher and me construct a more accurate picture of our community.

The multiple choice format makes it easy and you can answer in English, French, Spanish, German or Czech thanks to our volunteer translators. Click here to start.

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