Those Antiqued Butterfly Beads

I went through quite the experimentation and thought process to transform my marshmallowy butterfly beads into something more appealing.  In the end, I think the burning process is too hazardous, so I will probably not be making more of these beads. Here's what I did to make the butterfly bracelet beads:

First I sliced large pieces of the butterfly bead and rolled them to make nice little marshmallow looking balls.

Then I took three colors of the Liquid Polymer and mixed them to make my antiquing color.  I rolled the balls into the liquid and then baked them.

I think I re-glazed them after the first baking because I didn't like the color.  Then I baked them some more at a hotter temperature than recommended and cooked them longer than recommended until the liquid polymer started smoking.  Then and only then, the liquid polymer transformed into a glassy glaze with an antiqued look. 

So you see, slightly hazardous, but very pretty.  These will likely be the only ones I will be making.

Oh, and the glaze clogged up the holes, making it impossible to string anything in them.  My husband had to drill holes through them. So from start to finish- it was quite the process.  The photo doesn't show how shiny these beads actually are- but take it from me- they are niiice and shiny.

http://www.clayrosaries.com/bracelets.html