Within the depths of Syndee Holt's book I found an interesting technique for using up those scrappy bits of clay. Apparently these kind of beads are called 'Natasha beads' after the person who invented ithe technique. The instructions in the book didn't look too complicated so I decided to give it a go.
Basically the idea is to marble up some bits of clay to create a log and then shape this into a block, then make four cuts in the block to turn the pieces around. By doing this you are creating a mirror pattern on 'all sides' of the block according to the book. Yes, this does sound insanely easy, and for the average person it probably is, but not for me for some reason. I sat there with those pieces trying time and again to piece that block back together and make some vague mirror pattern, but for some reason I just could not get my head around the process. The top face is fairly easy - you just place the faces of the two sides you have just cut opposite each other and you see the mirror image. But the next challenge is to get the back to mirror. I managed this on the blue slab in the photo. As for the other sides of the block I still have no clue.
It is quite worrying to think that something which appears to be fairly simple, could in fact turn out to be so complicated. Maybe it was the instructions, maybe it is my pea sized brain that can't comprehend it. After several attempts though I ended up with these slabs, which do look quite pretty. It amazes me how those random bits of clay can produce something of a pattern. And yet despite this I don't feel it was a success. I'm still not really sure what to do with these slabs, if I really like them, or if I want to try turning them into usable beads. Maybe I will come back to them later.
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