Tackling The Scrap Clay Pile

All that experimenting last week added to my very weighty scrap clay drawer. I usually set aside a day every couple of months to either blend it all together to use for bead bases, or to marble some of the more interesting colors and run them through the pasta machine, hoping for some pretty stripedy (Julz, I haven't used that one in awhile!) patterns.



There is something very cathartic about marbling, isn't there? It's not technical, not complicated, just a few minutes of fun grouping together color combinations to see what you get. I was pretty pleased with myself when these came rolling off the pasta machine.



I have been making more and more polymer earrings lately, something I haven't done in the past because I couldn't seem to get each piece to match the other in size well enough to make them a pair, which would drive me nuts.

The rolled strips were about 2 1/2 inches wide, so I used a square 2" cutter and cut out squares, then used a 1" x 2" rectangle cutter to divide them, either horizontally or vertically. I think I am partial to the horizontal stripes.

And the best part? My scrap clay bin is empty! I don't know about you, but I always feel a little guilty when the scrap clay starts piling up on me. It is a nice feeling to be able to see the bottom of the drawer again; and it always jumpstarts my creative urge, too.

I hope your week is a good one, wherever you are!