Purple discs

I was playing about with ideas for a present for my mum's birthday. She wears a lot of purple so the colour choice was easy at least! I wanted to incorporate many different shades so it would go with lots of different purple things.  I made a bullseye cane using quite a few different layers in differing thickness's for added interest. I cut some slices and used my favourite texture tool, a texture sponge sheet I bought from the lovely Natalia García de Leániz at Polymer Play Days in Nottingham (UK) last year. There is an email address to order some on the Clay Yo! website and I see Prairie craft are stocking them.

I domed them slightly and pierced a hole through the edge of the domed bit rather than through the middle or at the circular edge so they would hang down showing the circle shape (couldn't quite find the words but hopefully you can see from the photo). I was going to suspend a crystal in the dome at the bottom of the head pin used to attach it but it didn't look quite right. I found some interesting small purple beads instead. The shapes of the polymer were too organic for the structure of the crystal and perhaps the colour of crystal not quite right. Trying to get the beads to hang right on the chain proved to be a bit of an issue but I got there in the end.

Here I am trying it on

I also made a stretchy bracelet of the textured discs and the small purple beads. Mum doesn't wear bracelets so this one will go into my sale stock (unless I decide to keep it, it does go with that top I was wearing.... would have to make myself a necklace to go with it of course!)

This was inspired by Natalia's textured bracelets that I saw at Polymer Play Days too. I always find it strange how things you've seen can lurk around in your head for ages and then pop out with a twist when you least expect it. I knew it was Natalia's bracelets that had prompted this design as I was making it and I thought this was more similar to her bracelets until I looked them up. They have the same texture and the beads are both discs and they are both on elastic but they aren't really that similar. I guess we take inspiration from all the things we've ever seen and have stored up over the years. A great excuse for some trips to beautiful places or to go look at beautiful things! Or just a quick flick through Flickr as you eat your lunch (as I like to on a weekday when I am home alone!)