Swirling inks from Greece

These sorbet colored lentil swirls from Athens’ Klio Tsaliki are the result of lots of experiments with Premo frost, Premo white, alcohol markers and regular markers.

The sweet pale colors are perfect for summer. For other seasons, see what Klio has done using Premo gold.

Watching the swirls of pattern materialize is addictive. If you’re looking for an easy and fun diversion in clay, this might just what you need.

If you’ve never made a bicone-shaped bead, you’re in for a treat. Desiree McCrory’s step-by-step is one of the best explanations. It’s like riding a bike and once you get it, you’ll take off.

Beach bicones, spirals and stars

Laura Timmins’new polymer Ocean Yoko necklace sends us back to the beach with its wavy bicone beads, spiraled shells and starfish strung on cord that she hand twists from embroidery thread.

It’s as if she cast a net and strung up everything she caught.

Yoko is a new addition to Laura’s Swirl Stone line for galleries which, as you might guess, are mostly located on the seashores.

Check out the matching earrings. What inspires you this season?

Bicone blitz

The polymer spirals in Silvia Ortiz de la Torre’s necklace caught my eye and wouldn’t let go. The colors blend beautifully.

The textures and patterns of the adjacent beads tease us to examine them too. There’s a lot happening here. Could I make a biconal that intruiging?

If you’d like to try, consult Desiree McCrorey and Laura Timmins. Let’s hope you have a lot happening in your studio this weekend!

Retro bling

The retro bling from PurpleCactus isn’t in traditional holiday colors but their polymer baubles suggest a cheery approach to the season. North Carolina’s Amber Edison and Laurence Abensour have teamed up to produce a line of small pendants and rings that really hit the spot.

Is the texture on this bicone bead a new trick or an optical illusion? Whatever…I find myself mesmerized.

Here’s an earlier PCD post on the duo and links to their Etsy and Flickr sites.