Bangles to Blog About!

Bangle bracelets are so much fun to craft and design, who knows where this will end?   All of these bangles have an extruded Sculpey Ultralight core that was cured in advance.  I think it is easier to apply a veneer to a hard surface, thereby avoiding deformation of the bangle shape as much as possible.  That is where the similarity ends for these bangles, though, as you can plainly see!

The black and white bangle is based on the Chrysanthemum Cane technique that appeared in a book by Georgia Sargent, Celie Fago and Livia McRee in 2002.  The instructions for making the cane are widely available now on the internet and the results are truly amazing.  I had made a heart several years ago and some matching tube beads for a necklace, but last night the idea of a Chrysanthemum Cane bangle seemed truly appealing and I decided on black and white just for the stark contrasts between the black core and the white and pearlized lines of the cane.  The thing I truly love about this cane is the glass-like three dimensional effect you get with the layers.  It did not disappoint.  I wore it today to show it off and got some very startled reactions when people found out that I made it myself.  It certainly doesn't look like a pack of premo!

The red and white bangle is made from the remaining canework from my first experiments with Sarah Shriver's celtic knot canework tutorial.  I had reduced some of the canes to a very tiny pattern and combined them with some bigger designs, including the heart shape that can be made from re-combining the canes in a certain way.  I had reserved these pieces for a cuff bracelet but decided that a bangle might be even better, so I cut the already combined patterns into strips and applied them to the bracelet core.

The third  bangle looks a little like wound cords or ribbons.  It is made from my leftover harlequin canework which has been lengthened and twisted into swirling ropes of clay and then wrapped around the bracelet.  I got the idea from some coiled beads that I learned how to make a couple of years ago.  It is interesting to see how the random colors form accidental patterns all their own and I love the satiny look of the coils.  I don't think this one looks like clay at all.

All of the bangles were wet sanded with 5 progressively finer grits of sandpaper, then hand buffed and then hand sealed with the lightest coating of Sculpey Studio glaze.  I didn't want a super shiny finish for any of these bracelets and I am pleased with the light satin finish that can be achieved with this approach. 

There is one bangle core left to cover and I have no idea what it will turn out to be.  It is different from the others, because it is coiled somewhat like a snake and can even stretch a little.  It will be interesting to see what shape its design takes in the next few days.  Thanks for reading!