by Kelli Pope
Anyone who has been following our blogs for long, knows that one of my New Year's goals was to start making my own beads. It's actually something I've wanted to do for years. FINALLY.......finally.....I did it!!! I did it with the help of course, of Mary Ann Carroll. She was kind enough to bisque fire my beads, and fire them again after I glazed them. There is definitely a kiln in my future!!!!!!!!!!! Mary Ann, I'm hooked!!!! Thank you again for your time and willingness to help me.
Clay beads and pendants drying in the sun, pre-bisque firing.
And below..............drumroll please...................
the final glazed products. I'm THRILLED with the outcome. I definitely need more work with some of the glazes to get the colors I want, but I know that will come with practice. Below are my favorite groups.
Turquoise on red stoneware
Periwinkle on natural stoneware
Turquoise on natural stoneware
Turquoise on black stoneware
Leopard on black stonewareI've already created one necklace, using my favorite turquoise on black stoneware beads. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of it before I mailed it out to a dear, dear friend. It was a great feeling seeing the beads go into a finished necklace. I just can't wait to start using the rest of them!!
21 comments:
Those are fabulous! Of course, I had the pleasure of seeing them all in person! Trying not to be presumptuous...I bet your dear, dear friend will be thrilled!! And...maybe even own a camera ;o)
Kelli these are awesome!!! I've got a bit of envy here because I've wanted to make my own beads for a while now. It looks so fun, and very rewarding.
Kelli, oh my goodness! Those beads are absolutely wonderful! You know, now you're making me want to start learning how to do stoneware. (In all my spare time, right?) You need to open an Etsy shop so I can buy some of those! Congratulations - they are beautiful.
These are beautiful! Congratulations on the realization of a dream. Mary Ann is a a gem! My favorites are the turquoise on red stoneware. Clay is so fun. Can't wait to see more...
That is thrilling Kelli! I love the idea of creating something with my own two hands that can be included in my own designs, or better yet, into someone else's vision. I am working on that same goal right now. I wish you the best in your experiments and fun in the process.
Enjoy the day!
Erin
They are great! Congratulations! Love your birdies! Love the turquoise on black! Love turquoise on natural!
what wonderful beads! congrats!!
Looking good...love the glaze you've chosen! Have fun!
You've given birth ... to a whole new addiction! Did Mary Ann warn you? LOL I really love the turquoise on the red stoneware! Now, whatever your mind that conceive, you can achieve ... I heard that somewhere.
Yeah! Isn't it great?!? There's just something about making a piece of jewelry out of your very own beads... Keep going! Keep experimenting! Can't wait to see how your work evolves and what you make with it!
Thanks all!!! The creating was great, but NOTHING compared to opening that final box from Mary Ann, with the final product!! I am addicted. There's nothing like taking "mud" and working it and working it, into something you'd actually wear. SO much fun, and SO rewarding!!
And.......hey Patty!! It didn't take me QUITE 30 years to make them!! HA HA!! Your post was HILARIOUS!!!
Well Kelli, you are way ahead of yourself! :-) They look beautiful, and I can imagine (no, I recall) how satisfying it is to use your own handmade component in your jewelry. Look out, world!
Congratulations! Those are fantastic! I just started making ceramic beads this year too but mine don't look nearly as lovely as yours. I'm still trying to figure out my kiln and so far I have only done low fire. I think your glazes look amazing! I'm curious about this black stoneware. Is the clay actually black? Is that the same turquoise glaze used on all three clay colors? So cool!
What awesome beads! I especially like the turquoise on red and the turquoise on natural. Now I want to take a pottery class. :)
Congratulations and Welcome to the very addictive world of clay bead making! You've got a great collection of beads there! Way to go!!!
congratulations kelli - and to think that these are your first?! best luck on your new adventure - it surely does look like you are going to have a wonderful ride!
Your beads are just wonderful. Y ou make them like a pro. Love the clay and glaze colors you chose.
Lisa, the black stoneware is black when fired. As clay it's a dark reddish brown. I LOVE the way it looks fired. And yes, I used the same turquoise glaze on all the colors of stoneware. I wanted to experiment with it some. I tried a sage (green)shino on all three also, but it turned out mostly brown. That's one I didn't show, as it just didn't turn out quite like I'd expected.
- Mary Jane, I actually took a couple private lessons with a potter over a year ago so I could learn about the different clays, and made some then. Mary Ann also helped me out then to make some porcelain beads. But a year later, this really felt like the first true batch :)
These are awesome! I wish I could take a class by Mary Ann. She is awesome!
Really Really great beads!! Tough to choose a fav! I've been contemplating having a go at making beads, but do I really need to add something new to my buldging studio. Hhhhmmm, sure looks like fun!!!
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