Still Time for Halloweeeeen Beads!

There's still time to get your Halloween beads in time for the occaision. My favorite "costume" these days is a simple festive bead, wire wrapped on a chain:


If you are a wire wrapper, the witchy hat is also available to incorporate into your own designs.

My personal favorite type of bead to wire wrap is a LARGE skinny sculpted bead. Wouldn't this get attention???

Some people prefer sets. Wouldn't these be adorable as a bracelet?


If making something at the last minute isn't for you - Hey, I'm a last minute Lucy but sometimes the pressure is too much! Then I just throw a seasonal colored heart on a friction clasp chain and go!

Or my other favorite thing for a last minute Lucy....just sew a themed button on!


Sorry about my missing post on Friday. I'm having some post-fire respiratory issues... See you tomorrow on http://hollysfollybeads.blogspot.com

Going to the Dogs

In case you are wondering where the beady news is... It's because I've been really busy in the shop. This is our big season for rubber stamping on cookies. I have tons of product coming in that needs to be kitted, packaged and priced.

And I've been very engrossed in a new book my friend has been working on. I did a bit of copy editing for it as well as helped out with a few photo sessions. I've very proud of her new book... because it was such an intense labor of love for my friend and... because the star of the book is my "God - dogter," Twinkie!

I've written about Twinkie several times over on my Creekhiker blog. She's such a sweetheart!
Her book is a photo book about all her adventures. Check it out here.

Doodle-riffic

We've all been there... creatively blocked, bored at work, stuck on the phone with a long winded vendor. Jacksonpollock.org is one of my favorite outlets.

Go...Doodle...Let your mind race. You can save your images by hitting "print screen" and pasting them into your favorite photo editing program.


So...what have you doodled today???

More Fun Glassy Happenings in L.A.

The Glass House will be hosting The 3rd Annual Great Hermosa Beach Glass Pumpkin Patch Sale this coming weekend followed by The 1st Great Santa Monica Glass Pumpkin Patch Sale the following weekend. Seeing all those glass pumpkins is really going to be a site. I've already got the BFF committed to going this weekend. And I will bring the camera!

If you are in one of the L.A. beach communities over the next two weekends, come check it out!

Links to the postcards for the sales are HERE.

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!!!

No Shortcuts

The other night, I was torching for an order that had to go out. I finished and did a few color tests for some sets brewing in my head. I tossed the last bead in, still glowing and lovely, drained my fuel lines, shut off the light & ipod, and...puttered.

I tinkered around the shop for about 10 minutes but it had been a really long day and I was so tired. So I allowed that impatient girl to tell me it really wouldn't matter if the kiln jumped a stage.

I hit the programmer and forced it into the 100 degrees / hour to the 870 hold.

Now one would think, on a tiny little bead, it really wouldn't matter. That's what that impatient girl had told me.

But it did! Look at the crack in that bead! It runs down one side (above photo) and all the way around the middle! All because I ramped down 20 minutes early!


Lesson learned. All beads get a 30 minute bath at 960. And that impatient girl is never allowed anywhere near my kiln again!

Fussy Girl

Maybe you've noticed I haven't been blogging about my Art Bead Scene entries the last few months. There's a reason for that.

I haven't been happy with them! I have issues with both September




and August.



I like the art beads I made as the interpretation of paintings. I like the accompanying beads I chose for the jewelry. I even adore the concept of my August entry.

But I don't really consider myself a jewelry maker. I make jewelry because I have to. I teach and I often have to have samples of my beads made up into wearable pieces. And I do enjoy the challenge and even the process (sometimes)...but the best part of making jewelry is trying to think like a jewelry designer, which ultimately makes me a better bead maker. Because, for me, that is what I really like... the beads, not the jewelry.

I will tell you that I have issues with the structure...not that it is bad on either piece but, it could be better. It will have to be better before I offer it up for sale!

So, when one of my close friends pointed out to me that my "trash pile" is probably full of treasures and that maybe, just maybe I should do something about that... I decided to call myself out in public. Let's just see how long it takes me to do something about this. I'm hoping this public outing will make it sooner rather than years from now later.

Artist Interview - Marcy Lamberson

Kayla, the Hula Dancing Panda by Studio Marcy Lampwork

From time to time, I like to take the time to get to know other artists working in glass. And it's even more special to introduce you to a fellow member of the lampwork bead team I belong to - The Fire Divas.

Meet Marcy Lamberson of Studio Marcy. She is a super talented glass sculptor with a rockin' sense of humor. If you need a bead to cheer you up....look no further than Marcy's shop! Her work always makes me smile!

What attracted you to glass:
I painted watercolors and loved layering transparent colors on top of others with the light coming through them. I thought glass would be able to do the same thing. And hey, it does!

Many glass artists have training in other art mediums. Do you? If yes, please explain.
In addition to the watercolors, used to dye fibers and weave baskets. I love anything with color. It's like this uber-magnet that pulls me in.

Describe the first bead you made that you were really proud of? Are you still proud of it now?
I think my first bead that I was really proud of was my little vampire that I made for the FlameTree Glass Halloween Contest years ago. I still have him and yes, I still like him a lot. (photo to follow)

Marcy won a bobcat torch for this entry in the Flametree contest...

...and she won a Lynx torch for this entry!

What inspires you?
Almost everything around me. I look at a lot of life as beads. Making whimsical sculptural ones, I find that life has a bigger sense of humor than I originally thought.

Do you have a plan when you sit down to torch? Do you sketch beads or have photos around for reference? Yes and No. I have my list of beads that I'm making for the day, which I work from. I'll have sketches, photos or whatever is needed for those. But some of my most fun times are when I goof off and just start a bead or get an idea in my head without a reference, and take it from there.

Photography seems to be a key element for any glass artist. What type of camera / lightbox set up do you use? I use natural light on a white photo paper for a background. (I know, I sound so old school). And my camera is a simple little pink Sony Cyper-shot 12.1 pixels.

If the issue of finances (i.e. will it sell?) were of no consequence, what would you spend your time making? I would be making experiments all the time. I live for them. A lot of what goes through my mind is, "wonder if I can do such and such" or "what would happen if I did this to my bead?" I enjoy stretching my comfort zone and seeing what I can accomplish. And I've learned that you win some and you lose some.

What kind of jewelry do you wear? Everyday vs. out on the town?
I feel so busted. IF I remember, I wear earrings- usually handmade ones (metals- like sterling or copper) from Etsy artists around the house and for running around. If I'm going somewhere where I need to represent myself as an artist, then it's different. I wear my sculptural work usually on a changeable pendant and layered with other beads in a necklace form and changeable bead earrings (by Cyndie Smith) that won't take away from it being the focal point. Sometimes I'll wear one of my sculptural rings as well.

What is the one skill you wish came easier to you?
Left brained financial matters. I'm a train wreck with that kind of stuff, if I'm not careful.

What do you love about marketing your business? What’s the hardest part of marketing it?
I love it when someone connects with me over my art. They've found me on the internet and we form a bond. I know that they'll have a sense of humor and look at life a little crookedly like myself.

The hardest part is asking for what I want. I'd really love to teach ...everywhere. I know I'm a good teacher and I've seen the results from my classes. But I have such a hard time approaching places and asking for them to book me. I know what I teach gives glass students a lot more in their arsenal-- both through sculpture as well as making more traditionally shaped beads. Heat control, creativity, surface decoration and other techniques can be used anywhere.

Be sure to look for Marcy's incredible sculptures in her Etsy store. And her blog is one of my favorites!

Getting the Most from a Lampwork Class

In so many ways, I'm a professional student. I'm always taking some kind of class from computer graphics to metal working and always - a glass class. And while I do take a more basic class now and then - I love supporting our local studios and teachers, mostly I take classes from the "big names" in glass.

Someone asked me once when I knew I was a glass artist. It was in my first glass class at Bead & Button '08. I was in a Doug Remschnieder class on making ornaments and it was my first ever class in Boro (hard glass). I watched his demo and then it was "student time" and I sat down at my torch. I happened to be sitting next to Frank Scott, another talented glass teacher (and I was already teaching beginning lampwork). We both fired up and got to work, wanting to make the most of our torch time.

I was pretty well into my piece when I realized that Frank and I were the only ones torching...everyone else was watching us. I was getting a little self conscious when a lady next to me said, "You just jump right in there, don't you?"

I told her, "That's the only way to make something...you have to start."

It was right then that I realized whatever fears, doubts and reservations I ever had where completely gone.

And I still take classes. But in the beginning, I would take copious notes of every little detail. I would return home or to my hotel and type them up. (My ability to read "Holly-hand" decreases within days of my writing it down!) And I would sit at the torch and try to capture every freaking detail. And more often than not, I would HATE, HATE, HATE the beads I made. I found them embarrassing and dreadful. Nothing I would show to anyone!

But in the past year, there has been a shift in my thinking. I still take those copious notes and frequently type them up. But now, in class, I return to my torch and actually take a moment to gather my thoughts and think. I analyze what it is I want to learn from the demo I just saw. What's different? What would incorporate nicely into my own work?

I'm certain many take classes from famous beadmakers to learn to make beads just like that particular artist. But I think, if you do that, in the end, you are selling yourself short (not to mention copying).

So when I do light up, I'm not struggling to keep up, or forgetting a step because there is something I really want to master. I don't stress over surface decoration unless that is the whole point of that particular bead. And the funny thing is, I suddenly like my class beads a whole lot more!

Take for example, my most recent class with Sarah Hornik. She was teaching us her "Barbie Bling Bead." (Follow that link for a photo and a link to the tutorial she sells.)

And I decided I really wanted to focus on getting the glass to twist. Once I got that to happen, I was happy with my bead and stopped futzing with it. And I love it.

I named my bead "Barbie," but not for the reason you may think. I often name my beads after women and that's the BFF's name. She makes me giggle with glee and so does this bead!

So, the next time you find yourself in a class with dozens of details flying at you, stop. Think about what you most want to learn and don't aim to make the same bead everyone else is making.

Ta Daaah!

See, I disappeared and now, Ta Dah! I'm back! So much for my efforts of blogging here every day!

I had to deal with the "day job" a bit. I had new image plates going in to my two engravers (We require deeper etched rubber stamps for the restaurant chain client.) and it was obvious to me that it was just time to run some new images for the company.

And while I inherited enough artwork to keep the company in new images for a decade, there always seems to be something I need to draw. Plus it takes TIME to clean the art files for digital layout for the engraver.

So, I will get back to my beady chat but I thought I would show you the one image I drew last week for the stamp line that I'm most proud of....


This is my godson sleeping when he was about a year old. (He's about to be 19 in a month!) He had the longest eyelashes as a baby...they were dreamy! What I loved about drawing this image was that he was sleeping on his side and it wasn't until after I finished my first draft that I realized his whole face was skewed (drooping) left. So, I had to redraw the left side of his face to make it more even. Then, when I went to size the image - most of our stamp line is sized to fit on a cookie - I realized that my boy has such a wide face...he didn't fit on a cookie! So I had to cut it apart and paste it back together with the eyes much closer.

So, if you are into stamping on cookies, Sweet Stampen will have a whole new line of baby faces and Jack 0 lanterns ready to go in another week.

And I promise, I will be back tomorrow at http://hollysfollybeads.blogspot.com with a beady post tomorrow.