Glass Leaves

Something else new that is not quite finished.  I made some of these leaves a long time ago and then a few more recently for practice.  It is amazing how my skills are not what they used to be after spending time away from the torch for so long.  I don't agree with the people that say it is like riding a bicycle.  For me, I have to get that muscle memory back and it takes a few tries before I feel like my skills are up to par.  I am tenacious so if it doesn't work quite the way I think it should, I will keep trying until I am satisfied with the turnout.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I can relax now that all the dishes are done.

Glass Headpins

These are my new favorite earrings and the photo is taken with my phone as a test. When I made something new that I really like, they are usually my favorite until the next idea comes along.  They have etched brass domed disks that I made and lampwork leaf headpins that I also made.  I need to make more of these as I already have orders for them.  They are so lightweight that you can hardly tell you have earrings on.  I have all sorts of ideas in my head for more so stay tuned.

Glass Floral Bouquet

This piece started out as something completely different and took off on it's own.  That is my favorite way to work anyway because it just sort of happens.  All of the components are my handmade glass attached to hand dyed and sewn silk ribbon.  I plan to explore this concept a bit more and who knows what the next one will look like. 

Show season

Even though I am only doing one small show this Fall, I have a dear friend who uses my lampwork in her jewelry.  She has several shows and I have been busy making things for her.  In the meantime, I have new jewelry as well that I thought I would share.  I am doing a show for Master Gardeners so  I have been making leaves, flowers and birds.  It is fun to go in a different direction and gives me a chance to practice my much to be desired sculpting skills.  More later.

My new favorites!

These beads are all  made exactly the same way with the same ingredients yet they all look a little different.  I don't know what the base glass is and I only have a tiny piece left.  These have been fun to make because I never know what they are going to look like until they come out of the kiln.  The sun was going down when I took the photograph.  Maybe I should take another one in the sun.  Have a great weekend!

Disc Beads

My friend wanted some discs to use in her earrings so I have had lots of practice lately.  I tried to give her a variety of colors and I even found some Filigrana that I forgot that I had.  It may not show up in the photo but there are 6 pair of discs using all the colors of Filigrana that I have.  We have had great weather this week and it has finally started cooling down a little.   I have more photos to show - next time.

"Zentangle" Inspired

Something a little different for a change.  I used to "doodle" at work when someone I was calling had to put me on hold.  One day when I was looking around online, I ran across the term "Zentangle" which was a specific type of "doodle."  I didn't take it literally but used an abstract method of filling up space with multiple patterns.  These take many hours since the details are very small and the paper is 11 x 14.  I would like to try a very large one but that is for another day.  Have a good weekend!

Find the Hidden Object!

Can you find the hidden object!  I used to like to do the hidden picture projects when I was a kid and that is what this reminded me of.  Little Olive's coloring blends so well with the boulder that she can sit there and not be noticed.  She is such a sweet cat with the most beautiful green eyes.  She does not like the camera so I grabbed this shot while she was not looking.

More etched copper lampwork!

No new beads lately because of the heat but I did make another pair of earrings from etched copper.  I have a new sheet of etched copper with a different design and I punched out shapes recently that I will make into something soon.   I checked the temperature in my studio one day this week and it was 106!  We have broken so many heat and drought records that I quit counting.   Pray for rain!

New etched copper lampwork earrings!

I am still here but not very productive.  I made these for a dear friend and she liked them.  The beads are made with a silver glass shard encased so they have a lot of different colors in them.  It has been way too hot here to even consider making beads.  We have had the hottest June on record and are still under extreme drought conditions.  No fireworks this 4th of July!  Have a good weekend!

New computer!

Technology is not my strong suit.  I didn't realize that buying a new computer would also entail buying new everything else to go with it.  I still have not purchased new photo editing software because of the confusing reviews that I have read.  So there won't be many photos uploaded until I can make up my mind which one to purchase.  I used the one that came with my computer but it does not give me the options that I am used to.  Let's see how this looks when I attempt to get one on this post.  I made this for my step-daughter and she loved it. 

Air Plant aka Tallandisia

The miracles that surround us never cease to amaze me.  This plant is not planted in soil but thrives on air and water.  I didn't think it was even growing and then these  funny little blooms started appearing!  I looked up "air plant" and there are hundred of varieties.  Now I want more!

Etching Copper Experiment

Collage

I have made collages before but not exactly like this one.  Most of the papers I used are painted by me.  I enjoy the layering and moving paint around to see what colors and textures will show through in the process.  I discovered what Citrasolv does to National Geographic photos and this includes some of those papers as well.  That was a fun experiment except for all of the honey bees that it attracted.  I have lots of other things stashed away to play with including a paper making kit that a friend found at a garage sale.  All I need is a old blender to start making my own papers.  There are not enough hours in the day.

New Chalcedony Beads!

These look much better in person and I can't seem to capture the depth or the color with my camera.  I didn't make these all in on session and I plan on making more.  This is only two colors of glass and one in particular gives all the colors under the clear encasing.  It is a process of lots of oxygen and heating and cooling over and over. My concentrator only puts off so much oxygen and it would be interesting to see what I could get if I used tanked oxy instead of a concentrator.  It is fun to see the difference in each bead and I could not make them exactly the same even if I wanted to.

My last post had a glitch in the photo upload and I can't seem to figure out why there is a white space at the bottom of the photo because that only appeared when I uploaded it to this blog.  Any ideas?

Making stuff.

I don't seem to be able to focus on one medium but at least I am back to making things again.  I made this little mixed media piece and the first person that I showed it to wanted it.  That inspires me to keep going!  It is only 12" x 12" and I think it looks bigger in the photo.  After making tiny art pieces in beads for so long, it is difficult for me to adjust to working bigger.  I actually made beads yesterday but have not photographed them yet.  We have had smoke in this area all day from a "controlled burn" somewhere North of where I live.  It makes it hard to breathe outside and I hope it clears up quickly.  That can't be healthy for those who have to work outside.  It has also made driving hazardous.  More soon!

Happy New Year 2011!

It has been so long since I posted but Thanksgiving and Christmas seem to sneak up on me and take all my spare time.  I managed to make a few disc beads specifically with this project in mind.  It was an experiment that I think actually works quite well.  What do you think?