Christmas Came Early.........:)))

.........and am I HAPPY about that !  lol !  Yep, hubby got me one thing on my Christmas list that I REALLY wanted - a new M-20 concentrator !  Yay !  I played with it yesterday for the first time.  It really added some "umph" to my torch and gave it some more heat.  It's more like using tanked oxy now which I much prefer.  Thing is, tanked oxy is EXPENSIVE.  So, now that I'm all set of course I had to test drive it.  It will take some getting use to all that heat that's for sure !  So the beads I ended up making in the last two days, well, let's just say, I need much more practice time with my "newer" concentrator.  lol !  That's ok, I feel like a newbie beadmaker anyway after being away from it for so long.  


Regardless of how funky my beadies are looking, I'm still going to show what I've done and the progress I'm GOING to make.  :)  It's going to take me some time to come back to where I was when I left it a couple years ago.  


When I started posting on this blog again, I said I'd leave the focals alone.  That just ain't happenin'.  I can't leave them alone.  I LOVE making long beads.  The longer the better.  I had a good one going yesterday when the derned bead release broke off one end and is now adhered to that end of that bead.  sigh.  And it happened with the second bead as well.  That one is still soaking in water and hopefully I can remove it from the mandrel but it's doubtful.  So I did actually get the two long beads nearly completed when all that bead release broke off.  That's what's so frustrating about it happening at the end of making the bead !  All that time put into one bead only to have all that bead release stuck to it or it won't come off the mandrel.  Many a perfect bead has ended up this way by many a beadmaker.  It happens to us all.  


On to the beads.  Here they are in their funkiness/fugliness.  :)  

This one I just picked up a rod of glass and started playing with it.  Turns out, the rod color is similar to the melted color.  I added silver, turquoise, coral and there is some colbalt blue in there somewhere.  

  

 I always loved making fishies so this one will be added to my collection and eventually go in my fantasy fish tank. The eyes, I made very differently than with the rest of my fishies.  I like the outcome and will continue to play with it.  It involves several steps which I'll explain later.  :)

The blue one above, not what I was going for but hey, it is what it is.  Colbalt blue with silver and ivory mixed in.  I actually began with red copper green but that's another story for another post.  :)  
The yellowish one to the right -  an experiment.  I started with clear and wanted to see what reaction I got with a particular frit would be.  Surprise - no reaction.  lol !  Just turned the clear glass yellow so I added some turquoise, silvered ivory and again red copper green to come up with this little "gem".  lol !  
Again, keep in mind, I am re-learning.  lol !  LOTS to remember or at least try to remember.  Geesh.  I will be doing lots of reading !  


Time to get my day started !  Thanks so much for coming by.  I hope you can come back again and see what I'm up to.  


With the holiday fast approaching, I do apprecitate you taking the time to visit with me !  Stay safe !