Roll it, stamp it, bake it

My love affair with stamps began many years ago, but it was only in the past three that my collection has grown.  I started stamping my students' papers as I went around the room to check their warm-up work.  It was intended as motivation - to get them to hurry up when I started making my rounds.  It has worked splendidly and they even started buying me stamps and stamp pads.

I brought them home to clean them after students used them in a preposition activity.

I started playing with polymer clay last fall about the same time I picked up seed beads.  I'm not really sure what was happening in my mind, but I know it had something to do with frustration at not being able to buy beads where I live.  Yes, yes, I buy lots on the internet, but there is something about holding them in your hands, seeing the color, texture, size, and weight that is essential to me.  I thought perhaps I could make some of my own beads when I needed something in a particular size, shape, or color.  Needless to say, during the school year I have too many irons in the fire and not nearly enough focus to really explore any medium.  Here is a little peak at a few of the things I've made with pc and with pc and stamps.

 This is white clay with polyclay glazes to look like a tile.

 A little distressed.  It has a hole at top and bottom for links.  Need to add these.

 Little birds with a polyclay glaze and some extra distressing and splotches of color.  

 I made the stamp for this one with an impression from a picture frame.  It is translucent clay and ink.

A poppy in need of some more detail and a clear glaze.

 A bee experiment with glaze.

 A mold made from a stamp which clearly I must clean.