Almost Spring?

At the weekend I decided I had better get on and try the bronze clay.  I have had a sample since last autumn but only recently bought the firing pan and charcoal.  I have to say thanks to The Little Bead Shop as when I ordered charcoal from them it arrived in a stunning black and white spotty wrapping paper and my receipt had a pretty heart shaped bead tied to it with pink ribbon, it felt like a present!  I had been warned that I may not like working with the bronze clay.  Some of my friends know that I don't really like to get dirty....... and I can't say that I was very keen.  My first attempt was to roll out a long sausage and wind it to make a bangle.  Needless to say I could immediately see that fine cracks were appearing in the surface of the clay but carried on.  I think perhaps it was a bit over-ambitious to start with this kind of thing but I wanted to do something that I could do with art clay silver.  I also made a big chunky 'c' clasp and a few beads.  The firing schedule is quite lengthy and when I opened the kiln I was not exactly thrilled by all the flakes of oxide dropping off the outside of the firing pan.  I say it is being an enameller that makes me obsessively clean around my kiln - this may just be me making an excuse for myself of course.  I wasn't initially very keen on the colour of the finished pieces either, but polished off some of the patina and like them better now.  I had been thinking I would use the clasp to make a beaded necklace, perhaps with the coral and transparent beads I made a few weeks ago.  Unfortunately they don't really go together...... typical!  I am now going to have to make a set in greens or maybe topaz?