Silver River Trunk Show is ON

The Fire Diva's Trunk Shows continue! Silver River Trunk show today and tomorrow!  Go HERE to see all the goodies!  There are all types of handmade beads, gifts and finished jewelry. This will end tomorrow (Saturday) night at 11 pm.   Come join the fun!  Sonja almost never discounts her beads  so come take advantage!

Let's take a look at some of the goodies!!!

Album #1 Features Jewelry and Gifts

Album #2 features Focals and Pairs

Album #3 features Sets and Spacers

Album #4 features European Bracelet Charms

 

Come take a look!!! Lots of great deals on some fabulous glass beads!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you that have supported my work. I so appreciate it!

 I'm still working on stuff for the Trunk Show. I have a little album on my Fan page where I'm sticking stuff until I start loading the show albums. If you click the trunk show link, you can follow along on Facebook.

In the meantime, here's a few of the Wine Stoppers:

Ahhh- That's MUCH Better!

Man did it take me a while to want to get back on the torch after my "fuglie" episode. I just MADE myself last night and am I ever glad I did! Nice haul for the Trunk Show!!!

A Case of the Fuglies

I have never in my entire bead making career sat down and only used ONE color combination during a torch session until Saturday. I made beads for hours on end using two colors and I was happy and pleased...until I opened the kiln yesterday. And realized I used the WRONG color!!!!!!!!! OMG! I'm so bummed, I couldn't bring myself to torch yesterday and today is not looking good either. This idiot bead maker is still licking her wounds... Please don't laugh.

I was going for this:

Sigh...

Kiln Harvest 11.22.13

Fresh Glass Beads! Rocking some great color with some silver glass and a basic black and white set for a jewelry piece I'm working on. And annealed bellflowers from the day before...

Kiln Harvest and Lani Ching Tool

Today's Fresh Glass Beads... And a tool I've had on my work table for ages but am now in love with!

Confession time: My name is Holly and I have an addiction. I.... am a tool hog! I love tools. Maybe it's leftover from my childhood obsession with my dad's plumbing tools but I've often owned more and better tools than the guys I've dated. Glass is the perfect venue for a tool hog....there's always something newer and better! It's my embarrassment over this that keeps me from talking about tools very often. But I have to with this.

The proper name of this tool from Arrow Springs is The Lani Ching Shaper. And before you run out and buy it, let me tell you, there is something newer and better! I've had mine for years...probably since I took Lani's class in 2008. But I only recently figured out how to use it and why it's so wonderful. I only wish it were a bit longer so I could use it with my long skinny beads I love so much.

First of all, this all goes back to the dot challenge... My goodness! Is that silly challenge ever going to stop teaching me something???  It was early on when I was struggling with consistent sizes and I was taking a break. I picked up an ancient issue of the Flow Magazine and Craig from Arrow Springs had written a piece about the new Cylinder Speed Shaper. I read that and got back to work... and noticed the Lani tool on my desk.

Before, to shape a cylinder, I had been using a brass mold with very shallow sides...kinda like the opposite side of the Lani Shaper... which I rarely use. I find I have to make a specific size bead to have that side work for me.  But I immdidately recognized the value of marving two sides a of a bead at once and the slanted groove side does just that!

Suddenly, making a huge cylinder was easy!! I had struggled with volume control and keeping things centered before...but not with this tool! And messy ends are GONE!

And here we go back to the dot challenge. While I didn't use tools in that...I learned something about repetition. While I'm a total dropout on the 2nd Challenge as I get ready for my Trunk Show... I am making LOTS of the same basic cylinder! I've had several regular customers request that I make wine stoppers / bottle openers as gifts this year. So every session...I've been making substantial cylinders...look back through those fresh glass photos if you don't believe me!

By making this same shape over and over, I've taught myself so much!

• Footprint is vital when making beads to a specific size. 
• Once that footprint is set, unless I do something stupid, it's really hard to actually mess it up!
• Marvering two sides at once really helps keep the bead centered perfectly! 
• Volume control is also easy breezy... heat a little where there is too much glass and a lot where you want the glass to go. Marver in the Lani Shaper and viola! 
• Heating and marvering each end one at a time off the edge makes a bead that can stand up on it's own! 

Here are how I marver both ends:

I'm certain the Lani Shaper gave birth to the cylinder speed shaper and the Arrow Springs video of the speed shaper in action is pretty darn cool to watch. And yes, the speed shaper is on my covet list. But either one is a nice addition if you are making cylinders. These are "must have" tools!!

Heat Issue

I was cleaning beads from yesterday's harvest and a piece flew off of one of my faves... so sad. I'm certain it was a heat issue but I SWEAR the bead was glowing the whole time! Sigh...

I was so proud of this bead... I never would have tried it had I not tried the dot challenge!!

As with happens with all of my "intact" accidents, I'll make myself a piece of jewelry with it. I can't tell you the compliments I get on my boo-boo beads and I stand there and tell people what's wrong with them! UGH!

Kiln Harvest 11.19

I've been so blessed to be at my torch for so many days in a row!!

Art Charm Swap Revealed

Jennifer Cameron hosts and Art Charm Swap every year. Participants are asked to make one extra to be donated to an auction for Beads of Courage. And while making 10 of anything (exactly the same) would just about kill me, making stuff for Beads of Courage is close to my heart! The theme this year is love. I love glass and I love Beads of Courage, so, I hope that counts!

Here are my charms, ready to be packed:

 

Most of them are made from my jewelry making stash except for these:

These beads were made by Krissy Beads

These beads were made by Bindy Lambell

This little bunny is from my treasured stash of Palmtree Queen beads and he sold right away in a buy it now auction! Made my day!!!

And this guy... never left my house. Very sad 'cause he was my absolute fave. Made my a "really famous" beadmaker... His pom pom popped off while I was packing him!!!

These and SO many more are being auctioned off RIGHT NOW! Please go bid! It's for a GREAT cause!

Kiln Harvest 11.14 and 11.15

Still working on the Trunk Show, so here's from fresh glass beads to ogle....

And a funny little aside for you. On Glass Beads Daily, when we do a lampwork artist profile on "Space Out Sunday," one of my favorite questions is always, "Do you space out on the torch?" I don't think many answer this question honestly because... we play with fire. My favorite answer so far and the one that rings truest to me is from Aimee Milan of Polychrome Beads. I think EVERYONE spaces out a bit at the torch! My goodness!!! We're waiting (and waiting and waiting) for glass to melt!

I ALWAYS space out! Whether it's thinking of the next bead for what bill I have to pay... my mind WANDERS! And... here is the result:

One of these things is not like the others...  Now you know why I make big beads!