New Beads | No Fashion

I'm taking Fashion Friday off. I took a nasty fall in my own front yard this past week and have been drained from the pain! I've been losing all my momentum by 1 in the afternoon. I'm so bruised up... just black and blue from tatas to knees! So painful!

Subtle Beauty - dichroic glass bead focal (Will be listed today!)

I have an interview at a new community center to teach come fall. My one remaining college has cut my classes back so, it's time for some fresh blood. Wish me luck.... I'm taking cookie bouquets, kumihimo and fused glass projects.

Crocus

When I realized yesterday that I still hadn't chosen a piece of jewelry for Fashion Friday, still had two blog posts to work on (Glass Beads DAILY and I'm doing a photo essay on CreekHiker all month long!) and still had to make cookies for that interview...sigh... I opted out of this one! So sorry!

Unearthly Flower

But I did want to say, I've managed to post a few new listings in my glass bead shop. And I have more scheduled for the weekend. So stop on by and take a l@@k!

Drama Mama (currently a fan page special)

I can't seem to stop making the bead above.... I'm so mesmerized by the colors!

Showoff - Wire Wrapped Suvivor Goddess Bead

I wanted to show off the Breast Cancer / Survivor Goddess Bead I made for my sister. I normally don't use butterflies but this little pink one jumped off the table at me as I was wrapping this bead! I love the way it turned out.

My sister rarely asks for beads... so I was extra flattered when she asked for one of these. I think she wants it to wear during her chemo sessions in the coming months.

Showoff - PINK!

I have a custom order I'm working on and i'm frantically making buttons for my crochet students so I will make today's post a bit easy and just show off some new goodies that I pray I get to list on the glass beads website today.

I love this pink dichroic laden focal:

And this is a sweet squeezed beads set of black and white base with pink flowers. 

Thanks as always for l@@king and...

The Artfire 50% off sale goes on....

Showoff - Large Focals

I've been very busy on the torch lately and I'm loving the new work. I gave you a sneak peek earlier in the week but here are some of them all cleaned up and ready to roll:

Mystery - Large lentil

Summer - Giant Seashell 

Catfish Glass Focal Bead - named by my bestie... Can you see the fish???

Those guys are REALLY huge glass beads so naturally, I had to try the technique on something smaller:

Sparkling Mini Heart

A Dreamer's Heart

These are all full of magic and sparkle! I hope you like them as much as I do! 

Have a WONDERFUL weekend... I plan to torch A LOT and maybe get some more new beads up. That bead bowl is overflowing!  And... there is no special for the blog this weekend... It's for the Fans!   

Whatever you do... be safe and have fun!!!

Showoff: Custom Order

During my recent birthday sale, I sold a favorite bead to a childhood friend. She's not a jewelry designer so she asked me to make it a pendant for her. This is it right before its journey to her house:

The finishing touch was the butterfly crystals I found...LOVE THESE!

I hope to be back with a post later today about the Fire Divas customer appreciation sale! In the meantime, if you are a fan, the coupon codes with the extra discount is posted in the group!

More New Stuff

New on Holly's Folly: A Red White & Blue floral set - cause summer is right around the corner!

A silvered ivory / chalcedony combo with olive shaped beads and a heart focal this is just stunning in person!


A spring mini set:

And some Greek Easter eggs... cause, yes, it's time to start thinking of that too!



I also got one new focal listed. This is so pretty!!

New Stuffs

Whew! I've been so busy working on custom projects for my students / upcoming classes and for my 25th reunion of my sorority, I have not listed anything new ALL YEAR! But I did get some beads up Friday!

New on Artfire:

First, My "playthings" series. I love playing with the beads I wear and these first two sets were made with that in mind! I include a friction clasp chain with these sets so they are ready to wear!


Pink Playthings Big Hole Bead Heart & Flower Set

Purple Playthings Mini Big Hole Bead set

The Rusted Key to My Heart






The Prince's Rose


Check back here tomorrow and I'll show off the new beads on the Folly site. Hoping to get some news ones up there today!

Finding My Voice Workshops 5 & 6

Really behind posting here... I have a lot to say lately...just no time to say it.

Beads from my most recent FYV workshop:

This bead was to be inspired by a song. My thought precess went something like this:

In the jungle, the quiet jungle, the lion sleeps tonight...

Lions, Lions...Hmmm...

Lions and tigers and bears OH MY!

Hmmm, I've always wanted a tiger bead set.

But I don't really wear earth tones that often. It would need to be purple...

IT WOULD NEED TO BE PURPLE!!!!

May I present to you...the Purple Tiger.

I ended up making another in a darker purple. Both will be on the Holly's Folly site later, under focals.


My most recent assignment was to seek inspiration in a child's book. I first thought of Alison's Zinna or the Good Dog Carl books. I'm a big Carl fan and have met "Carl" and his human mistress, writer Alexandra Day...but the animals seems way over my head and I surly wasn't going to tackle doing baby Madeline! As for Alison's Zinna... Anita Lobel, the author, is a former boss' mother-in-law. I've seen the orignal painting from one of the pages of the book...it was stunning. But alas, I couldn't find a copy of the book in time to do my homework.

I did find a copy of The Little Prince. I loved this book as a child. I used to doodle the drawings in my notebook as we studied the book in school. It was the first time I ever pondered my own drawing skills. I always loved the part about the rose.

As my luck goes, I had a rough week on the torch. I had an idea for a magazine contest (don't even ask...this particular magazine has the strictest pre and post publication rules I've ever read! I don't want to be disqualified... and I can tell you, my entry made it to the top 10!) . Anyway, this idea was larger and somewhat structural and every day, my bead broke! I've never had such heat control issues. Every day my confidence shrank. But I finally got that bead made...but I was feeling to confident when it came time to do my homework.

I figured this would shatter...but it didn't! It was exhilarating to work this way - rod in one hand, mandrel in another and a tool in the other ;-)

I was pleasantly surprised by this bead...

The Little Prince's Rose:



This will also be on the Holly's Folly site in a day or two.

Finding My Voice

I've been taking a workshop on Facebook (is there anything that doesn't go on there??) on finding my voice as a beadmaker led by Sylvie Lansdowne. It's meant to encourage lampworkers to find their own path and avoid copying others.

This is week two of my class and we were to interpret a painting of Sylvie's choosing...she chose 24 for the fifteen of us to pick one. I got to pick first (thanks to my being on FB all the time!). I chose this one by Ford Smith called Serenity Rising.



And here is my interpretation (front and back):

I went for a very literal interpretation and I love the results. I went for this option because I enter a monthly contest on Art Bead Scene and this year, we are interpreting famous paintings into finished jewelry. I've longed to be able to do a literal translation in glass but the inspiration paintings there never "spoke" to me in that way. But this one did...

I was exhilarating working on this bead in the flame for over an hour, praying it didn't all turn to crap. I made a crucial mistake halfway through by putting in my treetops before finishing the water and trunks... that ruined my hope of it looking two dimensional with a flat / painted surface. But in the end, I realized that was sort of silly and I love the dimension I ended up with.

I also love how the devit on the purple makes the back look like a two dimensional version of the front.

This project was fun and eye opening for me! I hope to be able to do more of these. I also LOVE that I have a new favorite painter!

Koi Joy Part 2

I had mentioned my customer wanted the fish to hang so they looked like they were swimming, top down view. I thought it was a fantastic idea. But, great idea and execution are two very different things.

I found working with the mandrel going through the side of the fish much more difficult and it added a good ten minutes to my working time. And in lampwork, time = money.

My first attempt, I started a bit too far down the mandrel to get the tail to look exactly as I wanted. It still came out nice and that is the one my customer bought.

The second one, I started near the end of the mandrel and did get a nice bend in the tail.

But the longer working time on both made the frit stretch a bit more than I would have liked.

All in all, I really do like this look but I'm uncertain if the higher price tag will find a market in this economy.

The orange one is available on HollysFolly.com and all Halloween beads are 10% off.

Showoff: Custom Orders - Koi Joy

I had an acquaintance approach me at the show - funny how someone knows of you, knows you make lampwork beads but then sees all your work at a show and suddenly need you for some custom piece. She fell hard for some of my fish but was looking for a Koi for a friend.

A koi? I had never thought of doing a koi. On Sunday, I researched all kinds of photos of koi, making note of things to add or change...most notably, their tails are different. I printed a few references and hit the torch.

I can never do just one bead for a custom order. I like having a choice...why wouldn't my customers?



My first attempt was really basic and natural looking. Then I tried one a bit more lifelike. And finally, I tried one that's more of a fantasy fish. I like making these because, if made right, they stand up on their own. That's great if you have a customer who's NOT into jewelry (hard to imagine, eh? But they're out there!).



Anyway, I'm so proud of them! They're buried in the Holly's Folly site for now for my customer to make a pick and then the other two will be up for grabs. NOTE: My customer asked me to re-do the way they hang... I think this is a fabulous idea. I can just picture it hanging that way against a blue / teal blouse... Ooh. I will post more pics. And in the meantime, feel free to contact me if you are interested in these.

And, I put up a few pendants for Halloween.... Get 'em fast before they disappear into my show stash.

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.