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It's pretty clear I'm not a fancy, frou-frou sort of girl. I like old, gritty, dirty and worn; the ancient bead holds a fascination for me that new baubles just can't match. Of course, since I have limited funds I can't always buy the real thing and so I make my own. My last beads were Moroccan-inspired and with my mind still on the African continent I have tried my hand at Krobo beads, skunk beads and old trade beads. Similar beads that I have found online run the gamut from newly made and shiny to chipped and dirty, barely intact beads. I decided that mine would have the look of being worn and pitted from years of use; looking like they have been packed away in trunks and saddlebags. After mixing the clay colors and applying the eye canes I pre-distressed them with coarse sand-paper and my carving knife. When they were baked and cooled they got a coat of acrylic (burnt umber) to further the illusion of age and decay. A finishing spray of Pym II and now they are ready for a cool tribal necklace or two. Extras will get listed in my etsy shop.
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