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!

The Trunk Show Is Almost Here!

OMG... less than two weeks to go until my Trunk Show in the Glass Melters Open Market! This is a market for lampwork trunk shows...usually one or two individual artists at a time. I hope you'll join the group and check out my show!

Follow my fan page for previews and updates!

Fresh Glass 9.16.15

Today's kiln harvest included an amazing purple raku focal, some earring pairs and a silver glass mystery...sigh...

Fresh Glass 9/15

Boy am I behind on Fresh Glass pics!!! More Trunk show goodies... a cow kitty and more beads from a purple set...

Fresh Glass 9.7.15

This batch has a few more itty bitty kitties, a 1" lentil and a ribbed round to finish out a set.

I'm in the throes of editing hundreds of kitty pics...OY! Meow!

It's Saturday Night!

Just loaded a special on the Fan Page for Saturday Night. Sorry for the lack of posts... it's been a crazy week!

Thanks, as always, for l@@king!