'Tis the Season to be BUSY !

I know we already know that but I needed to repeat it.  lol !  It's been crazy and 3 weeks from today - Christmas is already over.  Well, at least officially it is.

The beadmaking muse has escaped me once again with all the hub-bub going on with the holidays.  I did manage to get in a couple of hours at the torch over the weekend but that was about it.  I made a pretty little set of beads using edp once again and although the purple didn't come out exactly as it's "suppose" to, I still think they are pretty.  The name of the glass - evil defritifying purple is absolutely the correct name for that glass.  lol !  Even though I supposedly KNOW how to control it, it obviously can still do it's own thing.  I still enjoy the beads though and I think this set will go in my Etsy shop soon.  Someone very dear to me suggested I sculpt a beloved cartoon character into a bead so that's what I'm going to do.  I only have one week to accomplish that so keep your fingers crossed !  At least it's a challenge.  Seems I need those to get motivated anymore.  Geesh.........  

 

Since I have been online doing some shopping, I decided it was only fair to do a bit of shopping for myself.  lol !  Hey, why not ??  Anyway, I have been watching a porcelain bead artist recently hoping to catch when she loads her Etsy shop. I was able to snag a few pieces of hers yesterday !  I am totally surprised I was able to get anything at all since there was a feeding frenzy - literally !  The shop was EMPTIED in less than 5 minutes except for 3 faces and those were gone in short time.  So I snagged these three cabs - A hummingbird, a sea otter and a barn owl.  I am so very anxious to see them up close and personal.  The question I am asking myself now - what to do with them once I get them ???  Will have to work on that one.  lol ! 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much for coming by !  I hope you come back again very soon ! 

 

 

 

 

   

A New Year is Here.

Happy New Year to one and all !  I hope you had a safe and fun holiday season.
  
With the new year here at last, I've come to the conclusion I need to do something more  with my beadmaking.  I don't sell beads or jewelry any more and I plan to continue to make beads cause I LOVE IT !  :)  So, with that in mind I needed a plan as to what to actually do with all these beads that will eventually overtake my space if I kept them all.   I can only make so many pieces of jewelry for myself and  I can only keep so many beads for myself.  The best plan for me, is donating to Beads Of Courage.  Follow this link to read about this wonderful organization.    http://www.beadsofcourage.net/
When you're at the website, be sure to watch the CBS story.  Just wait for the picture to scroll thru and click that link.  And you can donate money as well by purchasing beads.  There are tabs across the top in the pink you can click on and read.   


They are always in need of beads so what better way to do something with all these beads I have and will have ?  Plus, I'm learning to make butterfly beads.  Something I've never made before.  The butterfly bead is a very special bead as it is given to the family of a child that has lost their battle with the illness they had.  Sad to be sure but the butterfly is a  lovely remembrance I think.  How can I not give them all the beads I can make ?      


So yesterday I tackled a couple of butterflies.  They are still in the kiln this morning.  The bad thing is when I was at the torch yesterday, I went to reach for something on the table and put two fingers right thru the flame of my torch !  lol !  It happens to us all, that's a given.  Sometimes we just "forget" we are playing with real FIRE !  lol !  So I ended up only making 2 1/2 butterflies yesterday but at least it's a start.  :)  I did make one the other day but I'm not sure I'm brave enough to show that one.  lol !  Anyway, I'll get the other 2 cleaned up today and take pictures of those and some other beads I made a week or so ago and post ASAP.  


In the meantime, here's a picture of a glass ring bracelet I won on Ebay a week or so ago !  Yes, it's all glass that has been melted into those circles !  I LOVE IT !  It is done in Boro glass by the fabulous glass artist Pipyr.  Boro is hard glass and very different from the soft glass I use.  Here's a link to her website   http://www.pipyr.com/sculpture.html    I also bought her tutorial on how to make these circles.  I've always wondered how this was done without the glass sticking to each other.  Now I know and hopefully will someday try working on it !  :)  I have tons of tutorials I've never tried but that's something for another day.  lol !  

So I'm off to start my day.  :)  I thank-you for coming by and having a look see at what's going on here.  I'll keep posting to be sure.  Come back again sometime to have a peek.  Have a safe and wonderful New Year !    


      

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Time For An Update

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I posted anything about making beads.  I had very good plans to keep up with this but life happens and somewhere along the line I got sick once again.   So the beadmaking has been put on hold at least since last Friday.  I did manage to make a few beadies then.  Had alot of fun playing but ended up being at the torch only about an hour.  Still, here is what came out of the kiln.  

All in all not bad for more practice beads.  I started with rounds and donuts but got pretty bored pretty fast.  lol !  It happens.  So I played with another focal.  Shoulda stuck with the rounds and donuts.  :(  It's my bead so no matter the outcome, I love it.  :)   
They are all etched minus four of them.  Those four were a very intriguing subject on a glass forum I belong to.  More on that later.     All in all, I will continue practicing basics as long as I feel the need.  Practicing also gives me time to see what new colors I do have and play with them some.  Like those shiny donuts.  lol !

I have also been playing with my photo tent & lighting set up for taking photo's.  That has been an interesting and frustrating chore.  I will continue working on that though.  So far, this is what my set up looks like.  I've changed it several times already.  It may change again but my space is limited to what I can do.   

   












The photo below is one taken with this set up as well as the bead photo above.  In my own  opinion I think they turned out pretty good but there is always room for improvement.  The more I play, the more I learn.  I have a new camera and a new photo editing program coming so I'm hoping those will help as well.  The program is the new Photoshop Elements 10.  I have a tutorial using one of the Photoshop programs so I'm hoping it will help.     

Time for me to get busy this morning.  I have a new tutorial to do some hammering on some 14 gauge wire !  :))  Hammering metal is so much fun !  lol !   Oh and yes it'll make something wonderful - I hope !  lol !  At least the tutorial says it will.  lol !   
Thanks for coming by !  Please come back again soon to see what's going on.  :)