Winter Beads

I really don't know what that means !  lol !  I just needed a "title" for this posting and couldn't think of anything real clever.  So because it's winter and I am still making beads, why not Winter Beads ? 

I really don't have any "winter" beads per say to show, just beads, bellflowers and such.  Probably mainly bellflowers and "such" since that's what I've been making lately.  I did receive a new press last week and made one bead with it but won't show it until I'm a bit more familiar with working the press.  It's a bit of a tough one so will take more practice. 

I also received a new tool to use when making the bellflowers & other headpins.  I ordered and received it along with the latest size bellflower press I purchased.  The tool is the wire holder you use when making bellflowers or whatever sort of headpin using a wire.  It's the Carlo Dona slider wire holder and may I say I LOVE IT !  Yes, it's a bit costly and yes there are MANY other ways to hold the wire that's cheaper or can be made at home but believe me when I say, this handy dandy tool is the best !  I've used all of the methods I just mentioned including what was probably easiest for most (pin vise) but this way, is a thousand times better and SO VERY EASY !  Here's a photo of the tool and it can be purchased thru the only Carlo Dona distributor in the US - Spiral Arts If you make these pretty little headpins on ANY kind, I highly recommend this tool.  Photo below.  I borrowed the photo from Spiral Arts website and enlarged it so it's a little bit blurry.

 

Since receiving this new wire holder and the newest size (to me) bellflower press, I've been making bellflowers and lots of them (see photos below).  Also some more leaves and what I'm calling "do-dads" or little extra's to go along with some bellflower groupings I've been putting together.  I got some new leaf presses some time ago and am finally giving them a go too.  Anyway, photo's below of some of the bellflowers and etc. I've made this past week.  The newest size press is 16mm with 6 points and that's what most of the flowers are.  It's a really nice size.  The two groupings shown in the other photo's below have several size bellflowers in them.  I LOVE making these pretty little flowers.  :)  The last 2 photo's below show the sizes of the bellflower presses I have.

 

This grouping of flowers and so on are only a part of what I made.  There are a bunch more.  lol ! 

This pretty grouping of bellflowers, leaves and etc is made with corals, pinks and peach.

 
This grouping is made with Cranberry or gold pink and pinks with leaves and do-dads.

 

These two photo's are the sizes of the bellflower presses I have.  Yep, I have 4 of them and they are ALL the original Carlo Dona presses.  These are the presses that have been made for a very long time by the original designers family in Italy.  These presses make THE BEST flowers out there.  There are other so called bellflower presses out there but the quality just does not compare by any standard. 

 

 

I have a couple sets of beads I made as well but will keep those for another time.  I have so many of these bellflowers that I need to either sell them or make something with them.  :) 

My Facebook page -   ALL MY BEADS

Thanks much for coming by.  Come back again sometime.  :)





 

Thanksgiving and Beads

Ok, so there's really no connection between Thanksgiving and Beads in reality however, that said, I must say I am thankful that I found this wonderful craft/art of making glass beads.  sigh.  It was a long time coming and I just can't give it up. 

I am the first to admit, I am no artist.  There are folks out there that are so creative and artistic in this medium that I just cannot compare.  That's ok though.  I knew long ago when I started I was no artist.  Never tried to be.  I just enjoy being mesmerized by melting glass.  What a joy ! 


So what does constitute being an artist ?  Is it the ability to create new and unique objects/items ?  Here is the definition of an artist, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary: 
a person who creates art :
 a person who is skilled at drawing, painting, etc.
: a skilled performer

: a person who is very good at something

 

I am none of the above !  lol ! 

 

It says nothing about creating "new and unique".  I KNOW for a fact there are bead artists that will disagree quite loudly.  lol ! 

 

Definition of craft according to Merriam-Webster:

 an activity that involves making something in a skillful way by using your hands

: a job or activity that requires special skill

crafts : objects made by skillful use of the hands

 

That's where I'm at.  A crafter and I love it.  :) 

 

Since I have no artistic qualities (hehehe) I make simple, uncomplicated beads right now.  I did the complicated stuff in the past.  When I had more energy.  lol !  When I was more ambitious I guess.  I'm at that point in my life where, easy is more fun.  Oh don't get me wrong, I still have PASSION about this craft.  I can't get enough.  I LOVE the choice of colors, the different glasses, the frits, the tools, etc, etc.  lol !   I think about it often when I'm not at the torch & get excited.  I have dreams about it.  lol !  All that passion stuff, I still feel.  I just prefer taking the easy way whenever possible.  Why not ?  And those days when I feel extra rambunctious, I dig in to the tutorials and go for it.  lol !  I have LOTS of tuts I've never even tried due to the complicated steps.  They're fun to read and look at the pictures though.  :) 

 

Since my last post, which seems ages ago, I have FINALLY just gotten back on the torch in the last 2 days and it feels soooooooooooo good !  I've made simple fritted beads pictured below, more bellflowers which are still in the kiln and a few experimental beads which I won't show.  They aren't worth the time to photograph.  lol !  The second set below is a "re-do" of beads I made previously.  Too big of a set so downsized and made 2 sets.  This one with a focal. 

 

So enjoy the eye candy for this post and come back again soon.  Time for Thanksgiving dinner is drawing near.  Cracker Barrel has a really good turkey dinner !  lol !  Thanks for stopping in and I hope you and yours had a great Thanksgiving day !   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beads & DVD's

A strange combination I'm sure.  lol !   I've been torching some this week but it was limited and will be even more so now due to the heat and humidity.  Summer has arrived.  
First things first.  Got some leaf headpins/beads made at last and this time, made some that are the biggest I've ever made !  lol !  Just wanted to see how big I could go with no issues.  You see my results below.  :)  The bigger leaf is more like a focal.  The rest are good for whatever one can think of.  :)  All for sale.  Post below in the comments section if interested.  I like this technique I used for all of them really.  It's more "work" than using one color but worth the outcome.
I made lots of bellflowers as well however no need to show them here.  They're for a special project anyway.  lol ! 
The second photo is of the few beads I made.  The 4 similar shaped beads were more or less experiments that "sort of" turned out.  Was testing a bead shaper/marver I got a long time ago and never used.  Not sure I liked it.  It slid around alot while being used.  The other two were reactive colors that I really love using together.  That round bead is HUGE but turned out great.  I only wish I had used the darker cranberry color on top of the pink dots on the sides.  Next time. 

Onward as it were.  I feel the need to bring up another subject here.  The DVD's I've been watching.  Oh brother.  I never thought I'd sit and watch a CURRENT tv program on dvd but that's exactly what I've been doing.  I bought the first season dvd set of Game Of Thrones at Walmart about 2 weeks ago for CHEAP.  I had heard it was a fantastic tv series.  So figured why not try.  I wasn't that impressed after the first 2 "shows" on disc 1 but figured I paid for this set so I'll watch it.  Needless to say - I was HOOKED in such a major way I had to have the other seasons.  Only up to season 4 was available so I bought them all !  lol !  I've never binged watched ANYTHING before Game Of Thrones.  lol !  My husband even got into it and loves it !  He and I both binged watched it last weekend one day.  I just finished up watching the last of the 4 seasons.  Watching up to 3 shows each time I watched.  If you haven't seen it I won't go into details but I have to say - WATCH IT ANY WAY YOU CAN AND START FROM THE VERY BEGINNING !  You will NOT regret it one bit.  I have already pre-ordered season 5 dvd's.  I cannot wait for it to arrive.  The only complaint I have is there just aren't enough shows in the actual season but I can understand why.  It's one of the BIGGEST undertakings I've seen for a tv show.  Revolution was similar but I am quite sure that Game Of Thrones is even bigger.  Amazing show.  HBO finally got it right with this one.  :)   

Ok, time to get my day started.  Thanks so much for coming by.  I hope you come back again soon.  Have a great day and week.  :)

Kumihimo Edited

As you can see this page has been edited.  I've deleted most of my posts on Kumihimo as there is so very much on the web now about that subject that my posts were outdated. 

 

Enjoy the eye candy below which includes my hand made lampwork glass beads and flowers and some beaded kumihimo pieces I made. 

 

Come by and visit my Facebook page at:  https://www.facebook.com/AllMyBeads 

This is where you will find my beads, jewelry, hand dyed silk cords and Kumihimo braids.  Some of these things are still available in my Etsy shop which you can go to by clicking the pictures to the right.  :) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bellflower Press Update - It's Been a While

It's been such a long time I posted anything about the bellflower presses and what I've made with them that I decided it was time once again for an update.  All the flowers I've made have been for bouquets but a few bellflowers and bellflower bouquets stand alone.  :) 

There's so much you can do with those presses other than "just" a bellflower even though the bellflower is still and always will be the star !  :)  I did some back searching on my blog and in my photo catalog and sure enough I was playing and experimenting with such things way back in 2012.  One thing I did do back then was make daffodil type flowers as shown in the photo's below.  I recently sold this bouquet with a daffodil type flower in it.

 They're easy to make actually just takes a little more time.  I have used 2 different methods both of which work fine.  Method #1 -  Make the petals first and keep warm on a warming plate.  To make the petals, I use this tool  petal puller which works very well.  The petals can be used in either direction - with tip attached or tip facing outward.  For the daffodil, the tips are facing out.  Once those are made then I make the bellflower.  Once bellflower is done I then attach the petals, any number you want to attach and wha-la  - a daffodil type flower !  :)  Put in kiln. 

Method #2 - Make the bellflower and the petals.  DO NOT ATTACH the petals.  Instead do the following -  Keeping the petals on the warming plate,  get a mandrel and make a spacer bead.  It can be round or donut shaped but a spacer bead.  Then add the petals around the outside edge of the bead with the tips facing outward if you use the petal pullers or if you make the yourself.  Wha-la, you have your daffodil petals.  Put it in the kiln.  Once everything has cooled & your spacer bead has been cleaned, you can then assemble the daffodil type flower.  Take your bellflower bead and slide the wire thru the spacer bead hole to see how it fits.  If you have a good fit and the bellflower sits flat or at least close to flat, you can then add glue to the bottom of the bellflower and/ or the inside of the spacer bead and attach the bellflower to the spacer bead and let dry.  I just use Super glue.  Wha - la - you have your daffodil type flower.   Sounds like alot of work but really it's not and the outcome is pretty.  :)

The yellow daffodil flower in the bouquet below is done using Method #2.  This bouquet was made in 2012.

The yellow daffodil flower below was done with Method #1.

So that's all for now.  Thanks so much for coming by.  I hope you come back again soon.

Check out my Etsy Shop !  I'm having a sale on all necklaces !  15% off until Dec.1st !
 Click on any link to the right or just click this link All My Beads