The New Clay Compass Bead

I've had big goals for my clay bead collection this summer and now that summer is coming to an end, I'm realizing that I won't get all the beads that I wanted to get done, but I will have a decent amount for the start of the new season.  Here is my new compass bead. You may be wondering what the compass has to do with anything- it symbol for our life here on earth as travelers.  We know this is not our permanent home and I hope this bead will be a reminder of that.  We are on a journey toward sainthood, but without a compass to guide us, we will be lost.  So this compass can represent any and all of the things that guide us toward Christ: the Holy Spirit, the Catholic Church, the Bible, the Sacraments, Mary, the Saints, etc. 

Here's the process for making this bead:

First I made the points of the compass rose. Then I put a bead that I already made, into the center.  I filled it in with tan clay.

Next I made the symbols for North, South, East and West and then filled them in with tan clay. I reduced them and made more symbols for Northeast, Southeast, Northwest and Southwest and arranged them around my compass rose with lines separating them.

Above is the finished cane before I rolled it and the picture below is the reduced canes getting smaller.

I still plan to open my shop in September! I will let you know what day that will be.  Sometime in the beginning- hopefully the first week.