Cleaning Things Up & Flowers

Yeah, it was time to do a little "updating" to my blog.  Deleted some things and updated others.  It was time.  Still a bit more to do but that's for another time when I actually have some time.  lol ! 

It's torching weather at last.  It's about time !  This was one of the hottest summers I remember since moving to Georgia.  Little rain too but we're getting it now. 

With the great cool weather I am back to torching as often as I can.  Usually in the mornings, early.  The best time of day for me.  I get a lot accomplished then.  I do try to limit myself to no more than 2 hours tops but sometimes I will end up in the middle of something or want to test out just one more color combination.  :)  I've been into making sets these days which is something I never really did liked to do.  Different time- different year.  lol !  Back when I first started making beads, it was sculpting.  Hardly anything but sculpting.  LOVED it.  I still do actually but my hands do not.  I don't remember the last time I actually sculpted anything really.  I really never did "production" work.  Never wanted to so never did.  Sets were an on and off thing.  Made them here and there.  Got into making LONG beads for a long time.  Still love to do that when I can.  So many things you can do with a long bead.  :)  So sets it is for now which is fun and of course can be very frustrating.  lol !  

Since I've had a little time with my new "toys" I have been playing with one in particular, the baroque bead roller.  I enjoy that shape of bead.  Fun to play with.  I don't have any new beads of that shape photographed yet but they're on the way.  I've also been making more bellflowers.  I got some brand new glass and ooooooo are they gorgeous !  Those flowers are in the kiln cooling now.  In the meantime, I managed to "conquer" Rubino !  That is one glass color I used to have fits over !  Hard to work with but finally got it figured out.  Second photo, gorgeous blue and the last photo is pinks and purples.  Some opaque, some transparent and one translucent.  Nice.  Bellflowers are such fun to make.  Having the proper tool is very important.  I use nothing but the best which is the Carlo Dona bellflower press.  A work of art in itself.  There isn't another bellflower press on the market that compares to the quality of the Carlo Dona tools.  They come in a variety of sizes and flower points.  I have and use the 12mm 6 point - 14mm 6 point and the 20mm 8 point which is what the flowers below are.  I will be getting another press when available in the 16mm 6 point size. 

So did I only make bellflowers this past week ?  Nope but again, I need to take photo's of everything.  It's not that I didn't want to get that all done, I just haven't had time.  lol !  Such is the way sometimes.  :) 
 
                           Stunning cranberry color in these flowers. 

 
These flowers are done in a wonderful shade of transparent  brilliant dark blue.  Gorgeous ! 

 

This set of flowers are in purples and pinks.  Quite lovely really. 

 

It's time to sign off for now.  Thanks very much for coming by.  Please come back again soon.  I'm trying hard to post on a regular basis.  :)  

 

Come on over and visit my All My Beads Facebook Page.  You can see what's going on daily there.  https://www.facebook.com/AllMyBeads

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Titles - Naming Your Pieces - How Do You Do It ?

I find it hard to come up with a title to these posts.  Sometimes as I write, something will come to me.  Rarely does anything pop into my brain in the beginning.  Like now.   :)  I usually know the subject I'm going to blog about but never the title.  I wonder if writers of books and articles do the same or have problems coming up with titles ? 

As a lampwork bead maker, jewelry designer, etc, etc, I have never had luck coming up with names/titles to my pieces.   I sort of envy those that the titles/names just seem to flow off their tongues.  lol !  Does it really work that way for those folks ?  I even tried a baby book of names.  A couple of times I got paint color sample cards from the local paint store to see if THAT would spark something in my brain to make it easier.  Nope.  lol !  Eventually I just gave up.  If, and that's a BIG if, something pops in my head at the time I post the photo wherever that might be, then I put it up with the photo.  That is a VERY rare occasion to be sure.  lol !  So, on that note, here's what I did all this past week or so.  Enjoy.

I ended up doing 2 beaded Kumihimo necklaces for the focal piece shown below.  I couldn't decide between the two which looked best.  They're basically the exact same pattern and same seed beads HOWEVER one color was changed.  The one on the left has silver beads and the one on the right has gold beads.  All the rest of the beads are the same colors.  I've pretty much decided on the one on the left.  The one with gold beads actually looks perfect with another pendant I've had for many years !  lol !   Hopefully both pieces will be finished up by today.  :)  And yes, that pendant is a shell with artwork added to it !  This artist is on Etsy and this is her shop link  Sculpted Windows  Tell her Debbie sent you. 

  
I finished another beaded Kumihimo necklace before the one above.  Gotta say, I STILL can't make up my mind if I'm going to keep it or sell it.  lol !  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this little dragon !  Something about her just calls to me.  I have more coming because of her.  lol ! The artist gave no name in particular so I hope to come up with something - someday.  lol !  

                                

I had one more project I worked on last week and will be continuing that project into this week so will blog about that next time hopefully.  :) 

If you are interested in a dragon necklace, please let me know by posting a message below.  I get the messages via an email so they are not posted automatically.  This keeps spammers off my blog.  I then post them here if they are appropriate to the blog post. 

Thanks much for coming by.  I hope you come back again soon !  Have a great week !