Trunk Show Links

The trunk show event is posted on Facebook and I'm working frantically to get it all done... Of course I've been getting tons of sub calls too! UGH! Please click GOING so you will get event updates!

I sure hope you will come!

Fresh Glass / Trunk Show This Weekend!

I adore this focal! I sold my all time favorite focal before Thanksgiving and this is my remake in PINK. Another silver focal here, a drum set, a bicone set and some chocolates in Christmas shapes.

The trunk show is on for this weekend...links tomorrow...or check the fan page.

Fresh Glass 11.24.15

More Fresh glass... the green and red was my December made to order earring colors, ordered by another glasser for a quick turnaround order. Because it was another glasser, they had to PURRR FECT.  Not just perfect...PURRR FECT! I was a neurotic mess. She got 14, I got 9!  These will make an appearance in the trunk show.

 I was a bit disappointed with the bicones... too dark. They will hit the etching solution. And the that dichro montser??? OMG.. That bead would not let me sit down! I  was literally dancing the whole time I made it!  It will be in the trunk show! Meet Dancer:

Fresh Glass 11.23

I've decided to try and have my annual trunk show... gee, I guess I should start promoting it! I've had two intense days on the torch, trying to fill orders. The Jaunty hatted snowmen are repeats / requests. The first one had mean bead release and he ended up a two parter...

Also in this batch, 2 pair of bellflower earring sets. I really hate the Jupiter glass didn't strike on the ribbed disk. I reannealed them with the bellflowers and they look much better. There is a tree parts 3 piece set, and three pieces of snowmen tiles... ran out of time to make his hat! And an aventurine earring pair for good measure.

Miscellaney

Sales have been slow and I haven't been posting a lot. Working a lot with the special kids I adore and managing to get REALLY sick. 103 degree fever sick. Too cold and windy to make beads even if my nasty shoulder would behave...

But I did make these recently:

These three long skinny beads got stuck on the mandrel and thanks to the Lampworking Tips and Techniques group on Facebook, they were saved!! Someone recommended soaking in vinegar... I tossed in some baking soda just for kicks... The next morning, they slid off!

I posted a thank you in the group and a friend posted a group grouping of beads that had been stuck for over a year...that all came off!

Trying to decide if I should have my annual 1st weekend in December trunk show ...don't have much jewelry on hand, but plenty of beads on hand!

Fresh Glass 11.4.15

Much better day!!! Only a few focals but I like 'em!

Fresh Glass 11.3.15

Finally got the shop floor tidied up and drug the tank in... My shoulder hurt so bad, I had to wait another day to soap the lines. I made beads yesterday. But I had been on a page where people were selling stuff below wholesale... and had that crap in my head so I made garbage...

That egg on the left... was supposed to be this color:

The middle one is some DH mystery glass that is "supposed" to be lavender...

 and I made an even tinier itty bitty kitty only to be told my prices are too high...

Sigh. Not a good day at all. Which is why I wrote this post to myself years ago... I had to go re-read it again today. If you are in a rut, you may find it helpful.

Saturday Night Special All Weekend

Just thought I would mention the entire album of fall and winter beads is on sale this weekend only for 30% off.

Tons of Halloween...stock up for next year!... as well as a few Christmas and a Hanukkah set.

Just a sampling:

Thanks, as always for l@@king!

and Out of Gas

I tried to torch the other day and actually decided on a creative direction - I have some German pink glass and I wanted to make some small "normal" size hollow beads... and struggled cauae...small is really not my forte and my tools are all larger. So instead of a set, I made one. I didn't want to waste the pink.

Next I made a long skinny ivory base for a silver glass idea I had. And my flame looked funny.. I glanced at the tank and realized I was running low on gas. And here I was at the early stages of a one hour bead. So I tossed the ivory into the kiln.

I decided to try a tiny version of the silvered glass bead ...and was really glad I didn't waste the time on a larger version!

And then I ran the tank dry making some tropical sunset drums.

I have two fresh tanks...but it's been really windy.

In a Funk

Been in a funk...hence, no posts.

My trunk show goodies BEFORE the show:

My goodie box AFTER the show:

See the problem?? Yeah, worst trunk show I've ever done. I don't know if it was the discount site or lack of publicity or...people just aren't buying. Or maybe they hate my work...yeah I went there... I always do.

So I'm reeling a bit. Doesn't help that my shoulder is in so much pain that it's hard to be on the computer and list... sigh.

Trunk Show on Glass Melters Open Market

OMG! It JUST dawned on me that the trunk show LOADS tomorrow afternoon! 4pm PST!!!

This is be a show chock full of more affordable glass beads! A few giveaways too!! There will be tons of purple and kitties!!! I sure hope you'll come by Glass Melters Open Market on Facebook and take a look over the weekend!

I'm hoping to list around 50 items!!!

 

Fresh Glass 10.1.15

More Fresh glass to show you but I forgot to take a fresh from the kiln shot... so these are clean and ready togo in the trunk show:

This focal was made from some salad plates I had! I bought them at a thrift store because I loved the purple glass. I wanted them to be my new everyday plates... but they shattered in the microwave! You KNOW I had to save that glass! I just love that they didn't turn brown in the flame and kept that amazing purple color:

I also made a set of drums to match:

 

I also made a freebie set for the trunk show: 

 

Here's one of the salad plates: 

 

This focal was going to be teal vine cane... but got too unwieldy for my mold... so it became a bead! 

I also made a set of peachy pink olives:

And a Tropical Sunset pair of drums for a give away:

Don't forget the trunk show starts Saturday morning on Glass Melters Open Market! Hope to see you there!

Fresh Glass 9.30.15

More experiments: More Double Helix... the red set was for a custom order. The two most prominient barrels were DH's striking color. The one on the left was in the kiln an hour longer.

Fresh Glass 9.29.15

More fresh glass for the trunk show: These are all experiments from the Double Helix Garage Sale box that I was lucky enough to score!  The top long skinny broke 8-(  after I tried everything in the world to get it off the mandrel and I finally beat it over my sink divider to break it to pieces. It got it's revenge with a nice large sliver in my foot!

But the other two focals...both based on Ossa willb e in the trunk show. The minis have been spoken for.

The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee

I don't know why but I like do some sort of theme for a trunk show lately... and the number one theme of the upcoming show is PURPLE.... and kitties!

Meet the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee:

From Left to Right, Top to Bottom:  Korny, Spooky, Pie, Kernal, Viola, Christian, Callie, Olive, Moo, Nicky Sparks, Scarlet, and Taji.

Korny is going to be a giveaway promotion in the show but the rest will be up for grabs in the Glass Melters Open Market next Saturday!

The Squeezed Bead

I wanted to make a set of squeezed beads for the upcoming trunk show next weekend (OMG!!!) in Glass Melters Open Market. When I first started lampworking, squeezed beads were the new exciting shape! Back then, round, donut, free form squares are hand sculpted were pretty much it! Now, we have so many shapes, it's ridonkulous...

But OH! How I loved the squeezed bead! It felt so nice on a bracelet!I just loved how they felt on my skin! I guess I was feeling nostalgic when I set out to make this pink and gray set. And I quickly remembered why they are not my faves to make.

You HAVE to have an even bead before you squeeze ...otherwise, you get something so uneven and funky...it's not useable.

I searched my table for something to help me keep them even... I tried various rollers... round didn't quite do it. The donut made for a bigger "apple butt" on the squeeze. I finally settled on my drum roller. It worked like a charm!

Do you have a tool that needs another tool to work properly???

Fresh Glass 9.25.15

More Trunk Show goodies: A large purple dichro focal, some penguin squiggles, some tabs... the purple set came out nice but the teal ones look like cold lozenges...sigh! And the pumpkin moonwalk that is for sale on my fan page:

Fresh Glass 9.23.15

More trunk show prep: a set of Kaleras in purple and raku as well as a pair of squares in the same colorway. And... a focal that didn't come out the way I thought it would... but got some nice color reactions in spite of the artist!

Box Making - The Pillow Box

Something a little different today and throwback to my days on The Carol Duvall Show. If it's one thing Miss Carol loved, it was a good, handmade box! As someone who simply adores the fine art of paper engineering, I developed a deep appreciation for them too!

This past week I sold a bead pen on Karen Thomas' Beadable Products page (a lovely little Facebook group devoted to finished beadables that Karen sells and the beads that fit on them!) But it was not any ordinary bead pen! It featured an extra large, extraordinary plant bead from the oh-so-amazing Cynthia Tilker. The humble spacers from me... Meet Audrey:

Isn't she just fabulous??? Cynthia is a master sculptor!  And after it sold ...to someone in Hawaii... I was panic stricken when I realized I was out of long skinny bracelet boxes... then more panic set in as I went to order them and realized Audrey was a bit to plump to fit nicely in a bracelet box!

I searched and searched for the proper box. I quizzed other bead pen sellers and remained panicked!

I started puttering through my box stash and realized that the pocket boxes I ship "cheaper breakables" in would almost fit...but not quite.

We interrupt this post to discuss everyone's least favorite topic: PRICING:

Cheaper breakables??? Isn't all glass breakable?? Well, yes, but the likelihood of a round or donut bead breaking in transit is pretty nil. And... you have to analyze YOUR costs. For me, the jewelry boxes I use for shipping cost me between 30 and 50 cents each. After doing the math on my shipping charges, they are only cost effective for me on orders of $20 or more.

So, $20 or more goes in a cotton-filled jewelry box. Under $20 gets bubble wrap as long as they are simple, less likely to break beads.

But then there are those that don't fit nicely into to that rule structure. Such as the mini witch hat I made this year. It sells for $17.

But that brim is thin... In cases such as this, I use corrugated pillow boxes which are around 18 cents each... a pretty cheap insurance policy if you ask me. I've found these boxes helpful when shipping weight is on the verge of a price increase. The lighter box often makes it a few pennies cheaper to ship.

Back to the box:

You can find a million templates for pillow boxes out there  such as the one below...but it was hard for me to find a ready made one as long and as thick as I needed for Audrey.

The basic pillow box has three parts: 2 sides, a hidden tab, and four "eyes" that form the opening mechanism. For those of you who are new to paper engineering, solid lines are cut lines; dash lines are where you score.

Because of my sizing issue, my template only gave me a rough idea of where to go... so I got out some plain cardstock and my trusty bone folder and made myself a template. I knew it needed to be at least 7" long to accommodate for bubble wrap and just over 2" thick to allow for the big bead.  I used a CD to sketch big round ends... and it was a total failure! It would not close properly.

I pondered my failure for another 1/2 day. Then while getting a relaxing massage for my crappy shoulder, it hit me...the ends have to remain EYE shaped to work!  I knew that by making it a little bit wider, I would get the depth I need!  (See what happens when you relax and clear your mind!)

I made a 2nd template, this time using the full width of the 8.5 x 11 paper. I stuck it together with some temporary tack glue and voila! It held Audrey beautifully! Then I was ready for the final box.

For Audrey to travel overseas, I knew I wanted corrugated for the ultimate in protection. I had some green corrugated rolled card stock in my stash. I traced my template and cut it out. I had to use the round end of the bone folder on the score lines to not puncture the paper and I scored it twice for good measure as the paper was thick! I glued the flap to the inside so the outside remained smooth. Here's the finished open box:

I found the ends a bit hard to open so I used a paper punch to create notches. This took a bit of patience on the thick paper:

Here is Audrey, all bundled up: tissue paper, bubble wrap with an extra piece of bubble around the big bead, all taped up. She fit the box just fine!

Here she is tied up and waiting for ribbon trimming:

Have you ever had a boxing dilemma??? I would love to know how you solved it!