February Doll, Stage I - 2010 Bead Journal Project

I’ve been dying for an excuse to try beaded cabochons of the sort that Jamie Cloud Eakin features in her wonderful book, Beading with Cabochons.  So February’s doll will feature my first serious attempt at the form.

I started with a square, thick glass bead, of the sort which Eakin warns beginners against.  The problem is its straight, thick edge:

Murano glass bead, approx. 1" square & 1/3" thick

(I tend to be foolish about such things.)  Eakin, of course, was right and I made a mess that had to be picked apart before trying again with a more sensible cabochon. I loved the bead, though, and I wasn’t willing to give it up since it’s an integral part of my February design.  So… I created a polymer clay cabochon around it:

Black polymer clay with silver embossing powder.

And then I glued February’s face to the bead with jewelry cement.  And, voilà!  A 2″ round cabochon with sloping edges, exactly as Eakin suggests.

After gluing it to Lacy’s Stiff Stuff and giving it a coat of matte varnish to protect the embossing powder, it’s ready to bead.

Next installment will describe my adventures in creating a base and bezel layer….