I just had to post a picture of these newest beads I listed on my Etsy site, because they might be my favorite ones yet! Can you believe this set of beads began life as a sheet of plain white paper? These beads are the result of the experiment I mentioned several posts earlier--the one where I was trying to imitate a restaurant wall I loved. To me they look like a polished granite countertop.
I used a mixture of blue and green paint to create that deep turquoise color, then I added some bronze paint and sponged it all over my paper. Then I cut strips that were 1/2 inch on one end, narrowing to 1/4 inch at the other end. The spacer beads are 1/4 inch triangles. I gave these beads four coats of the polycrylic gloss.
I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again... the wonderful thing about art is that it's ALL available to you. Any idea is open for trying. You may fail spectacularly, like when I tried rolling sandpaper into a bead. (Hint: that doesn't work!) Or you may create something beautiful. But the fun is in the experiment.
