Happy New Year 2012 it's gonna be better!

I'm here still trying to flex my creative muscle.  It's been getting weaker due to life just getting in the way.  I've decided that we do things that are important to us.   This is a new year, a new attitude and I have decided  this is very important to me.   I'm not me when I do not create, be it melting glass, or pulling out my watercolors.   I feel like something is missing like an old friend.  That I have not called in a while.

I may not be perfect in my creating.  But its the doing that is important being in that zone.  The good and the Bad so I hope for those of you who have found me and find the time to pop in from time to time.. that there is something worth while to read, or find a picture or two..  to see what is going on in the studio.. or life.

So what has been going on... what the near future holds.. well let me just say I have a few little plans... on is to learn how to make murrini...  I found a wonderful 53 page TUT on ETSY..  can not wait to try it.

It is created by Christina Catherine and the link to this tut is =>  Making Beautiful Murrini

her etsy site is CCGLASSART.COM   I  cannot wait to give it a try..  this week for sure and will share the attempts.. I'm really excited.  Seems like I have not tried anything new lately..  so this is a start.

I also have set up my watercolor palette and my goal will be to paint weekly.. I will soon enough add the link of my watercolor blog.. once things start up.. very soon.

But until  then here are a couple of new beads I finally got cleaned and ready for sale.  My typical organic style..  thanks for the stop by.  Have a great weekend.  Diane

I have some expensive glass.....

I have some expensive glass just sitting there.. taunting me.   On one hand playing with this glass is bad because at 80.00 a pound..  you can't go wild.. but on the other hand  It time to pull this glass out and start using it!  Why not!  Life is short.. so time to live it up at the torch.

Problem is Silver glass has a way of doing its own thing.  I know there are tricks and "things " to make it do the pretty things its suppose to do.. So My plan for the next few months.. is to post my journey into the fancy glass  extravaganza!  What does it take?  still not sure..  But I'll share the good the bad and the ugly..  (actually will try to spare you the ugly) lol.

To do this I'll need to take notes and really pay attention to what I am doing.  How many times as lampworkers we make a really cool bead.. and afterward wonder HOW DID I DO THAT?  the order  the glass is added, the colors used... ect ect.. 

Below are a picture of two beads.. the top one was my very first attempt with sasha's Silver from sundance..  Oh How I love the multicolors it produces.  It did not take much, all thing considered.. 
All I did was heating it up till red hot then pressed them into copper molds... From what I've read we need a reducing flame. ( oxygen is cut back and mostly propane)  it didn't seem to do anything for me.....  So still working it..  

What to do with those round sort of big beads?

Hi, I've been rather busy these days..  getting all my health testing done.  Since I've been a very bad girl and have put off things for several years.  I am so happy I stepped it up and forced my self to go.   The big one was to colonoscopy, where they found 3 polyps and just 5 years ago I had none.  So I feel I have dodged a bullet for now.   So Please if you have been putting this life saving test off.  Do It. it is really really important.  

Ok now I can talk glass.. one of my favorite things..  I have been creating round beads with flowers.  Alone you look at them and think what can I do with that one floral bead?  HMMM?  yup it can be added to a bracelet as an accent piece... because it is not a set  it is just one bead.. or even into a necklace.. Most are not tiny beads.. more moderate in size..  So One day I sat down and created this totally fun pendant using a simple round bead!  As you can imagine it sold immediately and had many request on it.

At  the moment I have several round beads of varying sizes and just wanted to share this idea for  using this type of bead..  of course if your interested in me making one for you I would just add  10.00 on the bead price and could mail it to you  all wired up.  

Have a great day..  to check out my round floral beads just click on my ETsy account and contact me if you would like  a pendant wired up..  Diane :-)