Fresh Glass 6.4.15

I'm still obsessed with that pink frit and the drum shapes! There's an "Oh $h17! Flat fish in there... a bead that over grew the mold... and the olive mold I use for when that happens... and the 1" lentil mold for when the olive mold is too small.... Mad skills this beadmaker has! You'll see those shapes if you look... And a guitar!

The guitar is a prototype for a memorial bead series. I adore it but man, is the mold pricey as heck! These tool makers are nuts! And so are us desperate beadmakers...

It's already cleaned and listed on the Facebook sales pages. Message me if you want a link...

I think I like the colors on the back better than the front!

 

And the drawings over on  Glass Beads for Sale will be this week...still time to enter! 

There are ways to get multiple entries! Donna's giveaway is here. My giveaway is here.

Memorial Beads: Mabel Lou

I wrote about my beloved Mabel Lou's funeral over on Creekhiker but thought I would do a post here just sharing the beads. We had a hiking funeral for her with all her favorite people and most of her favorite canine friends.

 

Mabel Lou

I made Memorial Beads for everyone in attendance at the funeral, an extra to send my mom and a few extras "just in case" as I had put off making them until the last possible day! I used temperamental Clio and a variety of under glasses to try and make pink beads... and this is what I got:

 

At first I was really upset that they didn't come out all pink like I wanted, but after just sitting with them for a while, I started to see our sky and river and the amazing sunsets we have. 

 

 The creek / wilderness where Mabel and I hiked every single day.

And I guess, they look the way Mabel Lou wanted them to look. All the friends got to pick theirs. 

I was so distraught, I forgot to take pics of the clean beads! So these were all taken as they were being worn. 

		From L-R, Top-Bottom: Atilla's Dad, Hank n Sue's Mom, Chloe's Dad, The Rottrover, Bart's Mom.

And these are the ones I ended up with:

 I chose this heart for me because of the little hole where Mabel's ashes came through.

The funny thing about these beads...they pick up what ever color I wear. The Rottrover Mom has told me the same. She's worn hers  with teal, purple, ivory and pink... and her bead works with all. I've worn mine with denim, aqua, olive, brown, pink, orange and black... and they just seem to be versatile enough work with whatever I put on! Besides the fact my Baby Lou is with me...they are some of my all time faves!

Another view, reversed,  against the sky:

Memorial Bead - Charlie

I was asked some time ago to work on a Memorial Glass Bead for Charlie. Charlie was a therapy dog and his mom is a repeat customer who places my Memorial Beads among her Chihuly's! (I'm BEYOND flattered!). As always, I like to know about the dog or person to be memorialized in glass:

Charlie was not the smartest dog on the planet, but definitely the sweetest.  He had the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen, and was the best snuggler ever.  Charlie loved children, and was a therapy dog.  He worked at a not-for-profit literacy organization in downtown Detroit, where kids who were reading-challenged would sit and read to him.  He also worked at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, most often in the burn unit.  He had an uncanny ability to sense what each child needed and brought so much comfort to them.  And he loved to sleep, preferably in the softest chair he could find – always with pillows for his head.  His favorite toy was a very large soft fleece ball.  And I mean very large – 18” in diameter.  He would carry it around and look like a giant bullfrog.  When he lay down, he would put it under his chin as a pillow.  Mostly, he just loved to be loved.  

 

Charlie

 About Charlie's Bead

Charlie's mom wanted a blue bead to represent Charlie's calming presence. She originally wanted twisting ribbons which I do in my off mandrel work but as this was a display bead that needed a hole, that would be problematic. I did make a few attempts at getting it to work... to no avail! The bead release broke. Then we tried a few examples of paw prints on the blue to see what Charlie's mom liked best.  These are the prototypes:

 

 

She really had her heart set on cobalt and subtle paws as she didn't want to take away from the ashes showing in the glass. The color tests above where to show how different background reflect the light differently.

And here is the first shot of the Charlie bead right out of the kiln.

And here it is all cleaned up and ready to go. I love how the cremains swirl and reflect the light... and how they popped through right above the paw.

 

 

I failed to realize as I was shooting this photo that my own pup, Mabel has walked up and was reflected in the bead. The next memorial beads I made were hers. I'll tell you about those really soon.

Even though this large bead is a really straightforward design and far less complicated that most of the memorial beads I make, I just love it. Simple and elegant! These are always my favorite beads to work on....they touch my soul in such a deep way! 

Memorial Bead - Wardena

I was recently asked to make a Memorial Bead for a dog named Wardena. She has such an amazing story! I always find knowing some things about the animal or person I make Memorial Beads for is really helpful in the bead design. Wardena was a pure breed Canaan and was born in Iraq. This is what her human dad had to say about his girl:

A friend found her, as a puppy, getting shade in the wheel well of a nearby tank. He brought her inside for food and water and before long, she was sleeping in a box at the foot of his cot. She essentially became the mascot of his unit. In fact, that's how she got her name --  _________ was a captain and his troops called him "Warden" because he was strict. So.. they just tacked on an "a" for his little sidekick.

Eventually, he wanted to get her out of there to a loving home.. so we worked with a rescue mission in Jordan to bring her to the states. Before she was cleared to leave, she was quarantined in an empty lion cage at the Baghdad zoo. Then flew to Jordan, Paris, Los Angeles and Phoenix before landing here. Picking her up at O'Hare was one of the best days.

It's funny -- she didn't bark for the first 2 weeks that we had her. That would soon change. Perhaps it was the stresses of being born into war.. but she was one heck of a guard dog. Constantly watching the neighborhood thru the front window.

She loved people, but loathed other critters and chased them at every opportunity. She amassed quite a trophy case of squirrels, mice, birds, rabbits and even a few skunks. Since she's been gone, moles have already wrought havoc on the backyard.

Later in life, however, Wardena really settled into her role as a sweet little lover. Above all, she loved cuddling, loved her certain blankets and pillows to be set up just the way she liked. The only time she would ever give kisses was first thing in the morning, right when [we] would wake her up.. she would stretch her legs and lick our faces. I miss that so much.

I just couldn't imagine this sweet pup being quarantined in a lion cage at the Bagdad Zoo! How scared she must have been and yet, she clearly hit the jackpot - finding people who loved her so and took her so many places!

The Wardena Bead:
For the bead, Wardena's folks wanted a large soft yellow base and visible cremains. Green and blue accents since she loved being outside and a touch of dichro. As I prepared Wardena's cremains, I was amazed that they were the darkest I've ever seen.... I wonder if that is a white dog trait?

I had one false start - never good when making Memorial beads! I got the long skinny bead made and was preparing to add cremains when I realized the bead release was about to get fussy with me! I grabbed some colorful stringer and made one of the most interesting beads!! (I'll show you that one tomorrow!) I was so glad I did because it was spinning on the mandrel by the time I was done! NO WAY it could have handled cremains and all that encasing!

The second bead just flowed. I got the long, thin base made and added Wardena's cremains and quickly cased with dichro. And she blasted right through all that pretty glass!  This is the 2nd time I've had that happen. I feel like the personality is just determined to show. As I worked and cased them, they added most lovely shading to the opal yellow base...it looked like sand! Finally, they seemed to be happy and I added another strip of the dichro!  I always have a few extra pieces ready, just in case now!

Wardena's cremains were also worked into the grass / leaf stringer and the top layer of flower stringer.  They just glisten in the light!

I finished the bead and made a few spacers just to clear my head. It's always a bit emotionally draining making these large Memorial Beads.... and I glanced over at Wardena's photos and back at her stringers sitting in a cup. Something told me to make a heart with her glass.

I've never felt this before and her pawrents hadn't asked for one but I did it anyway! Luckily it was well received! I just had the feeling that Wardena wanted someone to have a little extra love from her.

It's always such an honor to work on these beads and get to know the people and animals and help them along on their final journey together. They are truly the most rewarding beads I make!

Memorial Beads: Kloe and Kiya

Before the holidays, I had the great honor of working on two Memorial beads for the same customer. It was such a magical experience and I'm so touched to have been a part of my customer's final steps with her amazing pups!

Kloe and Kiya beads, fresh from the kiln

Meet Kloe and Kiya, inspiration for the beads:

Kloe's bead was to have a green, color-shifting base and have red and purple flowers, like the flower bed she chose to lie down in before taking her final rest.

Kiya's bead was to be purple, regal, majestic, graceful. Dicrhoic glass was chosen for this bead.

As always, I made test beads before using the actual cremains. After all was decided and I had the cremains prepared, I had the most magical torch session.

Back side of the Kiya bead

You'll have to forgive for digressing here. Some of you will NOT get this at all. But some of you will. I am a Pisces child. It is said that Pisces are not fully present in this world as we are already partially in the next. I've had a lifetime of other-worldly experiences.  You may find that to be simply a coincidence. Or you may think I'm nuts. I prefer to be called "sensitive," thank you very much! But either way, this is my truth; my experience.

I started with Kiya's bead thinking that while it was the largest, it was the simplest to make. Build a core shape, layer in the cremains carefully, case, dichro, final shaping and metallic paws for decoration. Only, it was not easy! Kiya's family wanted the cremains to show but I have never seen cremains react and DEMAND to be seen front and center like these! I cased the bead and the cremains started coming up to the top. I cased again... all was good and I moved onto dichro and suddenly, the dichro was running across the bead! I've never seen anything like it! And there were the cremains coming through THREE layers of glass now!

By this point, I'm talking out loud to the pup! Kiya, you WILL be seen! Your bead is going to be beautiful! Trust me!

But short of making the bead even bigger, I figured I should just let it be.  I realized that this was the front of the bead and if Kiya wanted his way so badly, I'd best let him have it! Note that the paw print if off center in this final view of the Kiya bead and see just how visible his ashes are to the right of that paw!

Kiya bead on wired stand

I was spent and out of breath when I finished that bead and I was starting to dred making the Kloe bead! I stopped for a bit, soaked my hands and face in some cold water to cool down after making such a large bead and to make sure I was totally alert and on my toes.

Kloe bead wrapped and ready for hanging in a display

And I need not have worried at all. Kloe's bead was so EASY... even with all the floral detailing. I simply asked and the bead and glass just flowed... and I started to get the strangest sense that Kloe was just that kind of girl, easy and eager to please.

I finished up and anxiously wrote their mom and asked a few pointed questions about their personalities. Yes, Kiya had to have his way! He was a proud boy and liked to be noticed. And Kloe? Easy peasy. Eager to make you happy.

I truly felt I had a sense of both of them even though I never met them! It was such a blessing to work on these pieces and I'm really thrilled with the final beads!

Kloe Bead reverse side

China Bead

Meet China. She is a very large display bead containing the cremains of a beloved pet. Her owner wanted a simple way for China's dad to remember the love she brought to them. The cremains are cased in a solid color so they won't be seen. Since they didn't know how they would display this bead, the heart was to be placed both horizontally and vertically.

The colors were chosen to be color of China's furs and to represent the love.  And here is a photo of the beautiful China on my work table, snoopervising:

Unfortunately, we had a nightmare getting this China's precious package to her owners! What a lesson I learned. They only live 12 miles from me... I shipped priority mail figuring delivery confirmation was an accurate thing!  I received a notice it had been delivered. And a few hours later, China's mom wrote how she was anxiously awaiting the arrival! Wha????

What followed was days of begging, pleading, cajoling and crying on both our parts! It took almost a week to sort out that they temp postman had placed the package through the door of an empty house a block from my customer's home!  The occupants had recently moved away!  After days of phone calls and emails and research, China's mom took matters into her own hands and shoved a not through the door of the empty house. She got her package the next day! The previous owners had come by to check mail, found the note and the package and walked it down the street.

Now, packages containing cremains REQUIRE a signature; the price of avoiding stupid postmen!

Memorial Bead: Lucy, Olivia & Kramer

I was honored when a dear friend asked me to make a memorial bead as a gift for her dog trainer. The bead was to contain the ashes of three of her beloved Dalmatians: Lucy, Olivia & Kramer.

She requested the bead be heart shaped, about an inch wide with a hole big enough for a ribbon. Blue and green were the color choices but she wanted a little gold heart to decorate the beads to symbolize the color of Olivia's eyes:

Olivia

I just love when a client sends me photos and details about the animal or person who is being memorialized! I knew when I saw Olivia's eyes that Double Helix' Aurae was the color to use!

I have a little photo holder by my torch that will hold 5 pictures and after reading all about these sweet Dals, I placed them on my desk to supervise the work!

Their mom was kind enough to include lots of details about their personalities too! Lucy was a mother to 12 and very talkative!

Lucy

Kramer was a father of 64, a clown and a food thief.

Kramer

But, I have to admit, that Olivia with the gold eyes really touched my heart. Aside from being a drama queen (you Creekhiker readers know I have my own drama queen!),  her mom writes:

Loved being the only dog, going on errands & peanut butter. We understood each other  & loved each other when others didn't.

If you've ever had a dog like that, you, like me are probably shedding a few tears right now! 

The process of making these beads is not always an easy path for a sensitive soul like myself. And, it's never just make a bead and mail it off! I have made as many as four beads in preparation, showing each to the client along the way. I made three this time.

The first attempt, I realized the aurae was too transparent for the background colors:

 So, I made a second small color test using white under the aurae. I left the mandrel in place to show the client so she could understand where the hole was. We decided the colors were right and to make it with a bigger hole.

 So this is the 3rd version with the cremains of the 3 pups. I LOVE how the creamains reacted with the reduction of the aurae and turned gold... Olivia's eyes showing off!!

It was an honor getting to know these pups and their mom!

Tutorial: Fritting the Sides

Have you ever been making a frit bead and just can't get the frit on the sides? This happened to me recently and as it was for a custom order for a Memorial Glass Bead, it had to be perfect!

First the finished bead:

You can see the sides got good coverage...thanks to this technique.

Here's a before photo clearly showing the problem of the missing frit:

To me, all that white makes the bead look unfinished. I've tried scooping it on but my tool gets too hot and if I have an odd shaped bead, rolling is impossible. The simple fix would be to have a rod of the same color frit but, most frit is made of 96 and that's stuff I just don't have in rod form!  But it's still fixable!

• Take a rod of a similar color and heat it in the flame. You don't need a gather. It just needs to be hot enough for the frit to stick to the rod. 
• Roll the rod in the same frit you are using for the bead. 
• Heat and dot the frit in the gap area on your bead. 
• Don't do a bunch of dots in the same area... you want to spread the color around just as the frit would do. 
• Make sure you don't run out of frit... keep heating and dipping the rod as needed. 

•  Once you get the coverage you need, melt in and do your final shaping.

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The Kramer Bead

If there is any one bead I enjoy... No... LOVE making, it's a memorial bead. To me, it is a great honor to be entrusted to share in the last steps of a long journey between loved ones. Such an honor was the high point of last week.

I have to say, it's also one of the most challenging beads I've ever made. Kramer was a beloved golden retriever and he wore red and black tack. His owner wanted the bead to be golden with red and black accents.

Gold is a fussy glass color. Red is a fussy glass color. Black is a semi fussy glass color...see the challenge??? I often make a test bead so that my customer and I can agree on colors and shape and even size. With this bead, I made five test beads! That's a record for me.

I had to find just the right golden tones for the base. I made one large heart for my glass bead shop as a size reference but in colors I wanted. Then there were three hearts - small ones that ended up in my bead bowl - testing no less than SEVEN shades of red! Then as we closed in on the final design, I feared the black would look either too purple or too "runny" on top of the chosen base color. I also realized that Kramer's ashes would change the look of the vibrant red to a more muddled color.

In the end, I simply went for it! I used Kramer's cremains in the vine cane glass and only used the runny black as the center of the flowers. And the red that won the beauty contest??? Effetre's Medium red (not too light, not too dark but JUST RIGHT!)

As usual, parts of the vine cane just sparkle... a reaction of the phosphorus in the bone. I was a little freaked when I started applying the vine at the bottom of the bead and it discolored. But I like to think it was Kramer's input on HIS bead. I left one flower on the shoulder without a center... a deliberate choice because only our higher nature is perfect.

This bead is SUPER large. Kramer's owner wanted to display it in her home. It came in at 2.5" long! It was a very rewarding experience to be a part of this beautiful memory.

The Allie Bead

The final Allie Bead has vine cane and lots of sparkle
from the cremains in the surface decoration.

I've been making Memory Beads for some time now. Memory Beads contain cremains - or ashes - of a loved one trapped inside the glass. I wrote about making my first one with my Maggie May's ashes here.

It's been quite an interesting process making these beads, getting to know a bit about the person or animal to be memorialized. But my last Memorial Bead was different. It was commissioned by a friend - a hiking buddy. The mom of a dog I loved and considered a friend. It was as emotional for me as it was making the Maggie bead.

Allie was a rottweiler and head of her household. She has two impetuous younger brothers that we all love and adore. Allie was laid back and confident - just a pleasure to know. She was a good kisser too! It was heartbreaking for all who knew her when she passed away last year.

Her mom wanted a heart the colors of our creek...not my usual palette.

So, I ran some color tests...on the same bead ... and Allie's mom loved them all! So I set out to remake the color test but with more flourish.

The Color Test

Note that on the test bead, there is no cane work... just stringer. The flowers aren't layered over white. This is a great way to test colors, size, dimension without all the time it would take to pull cane and melt layers and layers.

Allie's mom wanted some sparkle on the surface. The phosphorus in the bones make surface decoration dance in the light so I pulled all "Allie stringer" and "Allie vine cane" before beginning the bead. Stringer with cremains in it is lumpy.

Note that the stinger with cremains is lumpy when
compared to the commercial stringer next to it.

The base is a mix of caramel apple and opal yellow. After shaping the heart, vine cane was laid down and semi melted in. Next came white dots to form a base and to allow more light to reflect through the florals. The flower petals were laid down in shades of light and dark topaz, followed by leaf work and tidying up excess glass.

Allie's mom wore the bead as we hiked and every time I looked at her... it took my breath away!

It took me a while to realize why I love making these beads. It's about the love... the love that lives on and is celebrated by those left behind. What a beautiful thing to be a part of!