Shifting Gears

When I get stuck as I have been of late, I often love to take a class to get me out of my own head. While I often take jewelry making classes it's great to take a glass bead class. I find it's good to get out of my own head and just learn something new!

This past weekend while at our local ISGB meeting, I found out that a local artist, Chiharu, was to be teaching her flower focals at The Mandrel the next day.  Still feeling that funk, I decided to take the class and am I ever glad I did. We were supposed to make two beads but learned many more and had ample time to make multiple versions in class.

I also took some purple rods with me and used my spare time to make a couple of hearts for Beads of Courage, which always feels good.

It was a productive day but I won't have the beads to show you for a few weeks because I'm having them mailed with other stuff waiting to arrive.

It's good to shift gears and try new things when you are in a funk. I'm anxious to get on the torch and try my new floral skills.

Have a great weekend!

Pacific Artglass Party

Pacific Artglass had their annual bash this weekend. I didn't win a darn thing in those amazing raffles they have (dicrho, kilns, glass, t-shirts...fab stuffs!), but I did have a blast hanging out with some glass-minded folks. (And of course, I left the camera at home!)

I got re-introduced to Adam Teller. Adam demoed for the CA flame surfers about a year ago. I remember learning his nifty trick for lighting the bigger bottom torch for boro.... turn on the gas and blow! His breath through the top flame was enough to ignite the bottom one. Talk about making a room full of glassy ladies swoon!

Adam demoed a bunch of different pendants but my favorite thing was seeing him write a little boy's name in a marble. The finished piece was beautiful and the name just popped out at you!

And my fellow Flame Surfer, Stacey Lynn was there demoing beads and her fabulous brass tools.

There were reps there from all kinds of manufacturers, including CBS Dichroic. They were showing off their new crinklized dichroic as well as a brand spanking new sandblasted line.

It was a really fun day!!!

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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