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 :-)

Its been way too long.

Hey there..  I've been missing in action, no excuses will do.  So I will just jump back in!

What is going on in the studio these days.  I've been creating pendants with my focal beads.   I feel sometimes people like my beads, but then feel like well now what do I do if I buy it?  Not everyone like creating jewelry, so I've decided to see what can I create with my beads.   It may actually give those who buy the beads, ideas what to do with them..  and for those who do not make jewelry they have a finished piece for themselves for a reasonable price.

What I have found out out how much I enjoy working with the little jewelry tools, the beads and the wire wrapping.. Oh boy something else for me to PLAY with..  love it .  I guess anything that comes from my creative brain and I can do with my own hands is always  a joy for me..  it balances out my life with my full time job which is a lot more serious.

so here are a bunch of pictures of  my pendants I just made.. a few are on ebay, easy and art fire..  Eventually all will get posted..  Just posted 4 for now..  more to come.. :-)  have a great day!

So what is happening today?  Hurricanne Irene.. is coming through.. shocking I still have power!   Basically where we are located just heavy rains and winds... but seems to be ok.  So far.

Zentangles and Beads... what do they have in common?

Hi There. Its been a little while since I've posted here. Fun things are going on in the studio. I am still working on getting comfortable with my new torch. I don't get as much sit and torch time as I use to. Due to my day job. When I do though, look out it is hours of playing!

So what are Zentangles? It is a company that is promoting the artistic endeavor of doodles to an art form... it is a great way to put designs on paper, to meditate , to experiment.. Some days the doodles are intricate, or very loose and large. Here are a couple I tried to do on my own to see what I could come up with. Its FUN... i personally like to do this while watching tv. It has the same quality as sitting an knitting or needlepointing.. very relaxing.
So what does this have to do with bead making? WEll... let me tell you scroll on down.
I mentioned it would be cool to do a doodle bead exchange, Tami so kindly offered to hosting this exchange on wet canvas.



A bunch of us have signed up and will do our own doodle beads(zentangles) on glass. :-) Once we come up with half decent beads, we send in our picks to tami who will divide up the beads and send out the same number of beads sent to all the participants.. so what I will recieve is 3-4 doodle beads from other bead artist.. This gives us an opertunity to work with design, stringer control.. which is a thin rod of glass... so drawing on the molten bead...
so below are my first try's at this fun exchange. Still working on that stringer control... I'd like to make the stringer even thinner and try to do more designs... we'll see... i've got till april 1st to perfect...

What to do with ALL those beads?

What do we do when our passion in creating takes over that proverbial edge? I remember seeing a picture on a forum from a lamp work artist.. of ALL her beads and thought wow.. She has made a lot.. Well I'm here to say, it happens to the best of us. As she was amazed at the number of beads she had accumulated, in her creative endeavor. I find myself in the same position today.. I've seen it coming.. the boxes and boxes of crazy saving.

Now mind you the beads I sell, are my "perfect' what I think the buyer wants out there. I look at my beads with a very stern look , will they be enough for the buyers out there.
I look at all aspects. So as you can imagine.. I have that perfectionist hat on.. unfortunately these are handmade, and sometimes the glass does what the glass does.. when it wants to, not when you want it to! :-)
Some times the design is just perfect except for that little something that is just not perfect.. or the pucker not that awesome.. like we like it.. but darn it. Its a beautiful bead. sigh. At times the color combinations may not be to my liking but sometimes someone else out there will love it..
So I've come to a decision.. I'll be going through my piles.. and putting them on eBay.. to try to send these beadies to new homes.. that can use them.
I probably will be donating a bunch to BOC (beads of courage)... and give away to friends.. Some I may even keep and actually create jewelry from them...
By the way that picture above and below are only from 1 small plastic box I had.. all focals and hearts.. and hollows... Does that give you an idea of the number of beads sitting here? I have several of those plastic divided boxes large ones..... and that was a small one I dove into.
These are all pretty big so not good for BOC . will be selling in batches on eBay, at a reduced rate.. usually each bead goes for 10-20 each.. but will be selling at 2.00-3.00 each..

Just Beads :-)