Last week I started playing around with some amazing papers which Louisa had bought from kozostudio.com.  The papers are made from the kozo plant, also known as the mulberry paper tree, and are hand-marbled by floating them onto oil colors.  Some have metallic accents. They are beautiful and intriguing, and the minute I saw them, I longed to use them!

First I took a pendant that I made several years ago, that I've always thought was a little boring and a little large.  I tore some kozo paper pieces and applied them, adding some extra alcohol inks in magenta and gold.  It made it much more interesting!

Then I thought about creating something new.  Earlier this summer I got a new polymer clay cutter from an artist in Australia who makes great, sharp cutters.  It is in a new shape for me, bolder and bigger than most of the others I have.  The smallest size is perfect for earrings -- and large enough to be a good base for some creative collage.  So I made some polymer clay base beads in leftover purple clay:

I painted them with several shades of purple, magenta and metallic alcohol inks. Then I tore small pieces of the kozo papers and pasted them onto the polymer clay.  I finished the beads with several coats of varnish.

Finally I figured out how to "messy wire wrap" the earring bead to create a bail -- so they could hang from the gold-plated earwires.  

I made a second pair of earrings on white clay, using five shades of blue and green alcohol inks, and small pieces of green/gold kozo paper.

I'll try other color combinations and other shapes in the coming weeks and months.  I have two larger cutters in this shape, so I've got some pendants in process too.  What colors would you like to see? (Let me know in the comments.)  The possibilities are endless and exciting!

Elizabeth