Quick Redo

If you're going to sell jewelry, you need to have a few pieces in your repertoire that you can reproduce.

For me, one of those is my lampwork tassel earrings, made with simple sugar beads in vibrant colors. I always try to make these beads in colors that I know I have matching Swarovski crystals in my stash.

The hardest part of this design is the handmade tassel... not really hard but time consuming. It's a classic case of how really simple beads can make a stunning piece of jewelry.

Here they are in Fuchsia and Amethyst.

Showoff: Custom Galaxy Redo

I thought I would create a new tag for pieces I'm exceptionally proud of. So those pieces will be found under "Showoff" in the future.

This is a redo of my Galaxy necklace. That necklace was purchased by the same customer that ordered this necklace. She purchased it for her mother-in-law and admitted she wore it around the house several times. She loved the feel of the necklace but my glass bead choices were not quite her style.

Those lampworked beads were made with rich transparent amethyst and cobalt glasses, rolled in fine silver foil and cased with a reactive clear. The beads appeared to contain their own little universe...hence, the name.

My customer is more a fan of my organic silvered ivory beads. (There are several focals in that style on the Holly's Folly site right now. See "Bead Sets - Page 2.") She wanted a necklace like her mother-in-laws but with those earthy beads. Here it is. It is a long lariat style that closes mid- tummy.

It features a floral design drop - through clasp, Swaroski crystals in Colorado Topaz AB and Jet AB2x, lots of sterling including a hand made tassel.

I delivered it this morning and she phoned to say she feels like a million bucks wearing it. That makes me very happy!

This is the long skinny focal.

The large stop bead and drop through clasp.

Martha Stewart's Blog Contest

Martha Stewart is hosting a blog contest to teach her viewers about blogging. Go post a link to your blog, post a link back to the contest blog and you could be chosen to be featured blog. There are thousands of entries but you never know!

Here's the link to Martha's blog.

And for all those newbies that this contest is going to bring to the blogosphere, a few words of advice:
1) Blog in the proper usage of your language. Slang is not fun to read.
2) Check your spelling and word use. Sure we all have an off moment but if you consistently use there when you mean their or then when you really mean than, people are going to think you are a dummy...rightly so.
3) If you start a blog, KEEP IT UP. I was shocked this week to find someone on a board I frequent was sending folks a post that was actually a month old. If you want to develop a following, you have to post and post and post. It's time consuming and in this busy world, it can start to feel like one more thing you HAVE to do instead of something fun.
4)If you want people to read your blogs, you have to read blogs. It's the age old writer's dilemma but it's true.

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And a note about our enemies at Bitacle.org, the website that steals content from hardworking bloggers and makes their own ad revenue off our words. As a professional writer, I feel so violated by this and that's why the message below has appeared at the bottom of every post.

I recently learned that the web spiders - those things that crawl the net looking for content for search engines - have figured out who is the original poster of the content and basically ignores duplicate posts on other sites!

So, today I checked. While Bitacle is still in business, updating their ICANN records less than two weeks ago, the site is DOWN! Therefore, today is the LAST post with the following footer...at least until it's resurrected again.

BITACLE.ORG steals content. JESUS GLEZ is a THIEF. If you are reading this post on BITACLE.ORG, you are supporting theft of intellectual property. This post was written and copyrighted by CREEKHIKER, who has not given consent for material to be reproduced. Please visit Holly's Folly Bead Blog to enjoy this content LEGALLY.

If you want to know why this message is at the bottom of every post, read this post.

Glass Galore!

Saturday was a great glass day in sunny Southern California!

The CA flame surfers had a meeting in Brea and several of our members demoed vessels. Vessels will be the theme of our next bead swap and I must say, I learned a new and much easier way to create handles for my lampwork vessels during the demo!

Then we hopped on over to Glass Obsessions in Yorba Linda for their big anniversary party. All kinds of food and demos and GLASS! They have a new Glory Hole they are manufacturing and were demoing there. And we saw Janet (one of my favorite teachers) working on encased florals. Another fellow flame surfer, Mike, was demoing his gorgeous marbles.

We stocked up on Moretti stringer and Vetrofond basics while there.

Then a quick jaunt across the 91 to the 110 and we were at the granddaddy glass bash of them all. Pacific Art Glass was celebrating more than 30 years in business and were giving away all kinds of stuff... WE got there too late to enter the drawing but, as the crowd wound down, we had three different artists demo for us and two others... it was like a private class! The best part was learning to blow shards and seeing someone make a dragonfly on a bead.

While we were there, I purchased more Bullseye rod and frit and few rods of System 96 to work with my new Remschneider high silver glass.



I was just exhausted that night, but SO happy. So. Cal. is just glass heaven!!!


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BITACLE.ORG steals content. JESUS GLEZ is a THIEF. If you are reading this post on BITACLE.ORG, you are supporting theft of intellectual property. This post was written and copyrighted by CREEKHIKER, who has not given consent for material to be reproduced. Please visit Holly's Folly Bead Blog to enjoy this content LEGALLY.

If you want to know why this message is at the bottom of every post, read this post.

CorinaBeads for Sale

I'm trying to destash and clean bit and have a lovely set of Corina Tettinger's lampwork beads for sale. They are from her Tidepool series and she sells them for more now. I am asking what I paid: 100 for the lentils and 60 for the focal. 150 for all. They are for sale on my Buy Beads page.




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BITACLE.ORG steals content. JESUS GLEZ is a THIEF. If you are reading this post on BITACLE.ORG, you are supporting theft of intellectual property. This post was written and copyrighted by CREEKHIKER, who has not given consent for material to be reproduced. Please visit Holly's Folly Bead Blog to enjoy this content LEGALLY.

If you want to know why this message is at the bottom of every post, read this post.

Interview with Gina DeStevens of GMD Lampwork

I want to make this blog informative and fun. Since lampwork is one of my favorite things in the world, I want to share some of my favorite artists with you from time time. I'm very thrilled to have one of my favorite artists inaugurate the interview section.

Gina DeStevens was one of the first lampwork artists I fell in love with on ebay. Her work is elegant, precise and often leaves me scraping my chin off my desk. I own several sets of her beads and they fall into the category of "so pretty I don't know what to do with them!" I have the following set framed alongside my other "collector pieces."



But this animal print Kalera set is my absolute favorite.


Now onto the interview:

What attracted you to glass?

I happened upon lampworking by accident. I had never heard of it, and one night while looking on the net for seed beads, I came across this "lampwork" stuff, and immediately fell in love! The whole idea of working hot molten glass was (and still is!) very exciting, and read everything I could find on the subject. I've been hooked ever since.

Many glass artists have training in other art mediums. Do you? If yes, please explain.

Hmmm, I can't really say I've even had any training in this one! LOL! I'm self taught through books, info on the net, and trial and error.

Describe the first bead you made that you were really proud of? Are you still proud of it now?

Oh, the 1st bead I made that I was really proud of was in fact, my 1st bead! A little opaque dark turquoise spacer.



What inspires you?

Color! It's all about color, baby! LOL! I usually get into a "groove" with a certain design, and make it over and over, exploring different ways to combine and/or blend colors using the same design. I get a lot of ideas from fabrics, home decor magazines, flowers, trees, even sometimes food!
[NOTE: As of 9/13/08, Gina has several auctions featuring this very design! Check 'em out with the links below]




Do you have a plan when you sit down to torch? Do you sketch beads or have photos around for reference?

I try to have a mental plan, an idea of what I'm going to make that day, but that's about it. No sketches or photos. I like to brainstorm with the glass as I work with it.

Photography seems to be a key element for any glass artist. What type of camera / lightbox set up do you use?

My photo set up is a homemade light box my husband David made for me out of white plexiglass, a couple of clamp lights, and a fluorescent bulb running through the underside (lighting from underneath helps to eliminate shadows).
My camera is a Kodak Z612.

If the issue of finances (i.e. will it sell?) were of no consequence, what would you spend your time making?

Well, I'd probably make time for more sleep! LOL! But as far as beads, I'd probably explore the more expensive silver glasses even more often, and experiment with them without the worry of "wasting".

What kind of jewelry do you wear? Everyday vs. out on the town?

I love sterling silver and dangly bold earrings. I usually wear one of my lampwork bracelets and occasionally a lampwork necklace. Oswego is a small town, so every day wear is "out on the town".

What is the one skill you wish came easier to you?

Oh, that's easy.....time management. 24 hours just isn't enough time!

What do you love about marketing your business? What’s the hardest part of marketing it?

The part I love about marketing my business is that I can do it from home. I've been a stay-at-home mom, but a business person at the same time. I can go to work in my jammies if I want to (and many times, I do!).

The part I find the hardest is a catch - it's hard, because I'm at home, and never really leave my job. The ongoing dance of balancing career, personal time, and family can be tricky sometimes when it's all in the same place.

What made you decide to start marketing frits?

At first, I just wanted to buy a few frits that I couldn't find at any of the places I had purchased before, so I bought a few kilos in bulk, took out what I wanted and figured I'd just sell off the rest. Well, that was COOL! So I bought more, and sold more, and......

Please include any links you would like my readers to know about.

My website - GMDLampwork
My ebay -
The Frit Shop
GMD on etsy

Take a moment to check out this fabulous artist's work!

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BITACLE.ORG steals content. JESUS GLEZ is a THIEF. If you are reading this post on BITACLE.ORG, you are supporting theft of intellectual property. This post was written and copyrighted by CREEKHIKER, who has not given consent for material to be reproduced. Please visit Holly's Folly Bead Blog to enjoy this content LEGALLY.

If you want to know why this message is at the bottom of every post, read this post.