21 posts tagged “beads”
Not much to say today. I've been spending many hours out in the studio, but for all the time, it seems like I'm not coming up with much I like. I know, I know, we are our own worst critics...
Any way, some pics of some May beads....
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It's so nice to see that spring is really here. The grass is beginning to get green and the flowers are starting to pop up. I've been organizing the studio and I'm not sure that I will ever get it done. But it works...I have a section for the torch and a space for the fusing.
I've started a newsletter...or rather am trying one. I can't add any more widgets here so if you are interested you'll have to check out my etsy blog http://derondadesigns.blogspot.com and click on the feedblitz signup.
March 25, 2008
The more I learn, the more I want to know. Glass still fascinates me as much now as it did in the beginning. I still feel like such a newbie, and there are so many things that I don't know about what I can and can't make the glass do.
I've had the flu, and it really kicked my butt. I was miserable for days and still don't feel completely healthy yet. It's left me a bit shaky, so my torch time has been very, very limited. The last thing I need is to end up with a burn because I don't have control of the glass and flame. But not being able to stay away from the glass, I pulled out the fusing stuff and have been playing with that. It's so different than playing in the flame, but I like it. This is my first attempt at multi layered fusing...a very simple coaster design. I did one, liked it so made 3 more so I actually have a whole set of them.
See, nothing too detailed, but it does give me an idea of how things work. Of course, now I want more glass...the story of my glassy life. Sell something, buy more glass!
I've gotten more involved in EtsyBEAD which is an Etsy street team, or a group of people working together to promote their Etsy shops. It's fun to "meet" other people that share a common interest and it's a zany lot, but tons of fun. This is a set of beads that I made that a jewelry designer will use to create something to be sold for charity. I am anxious to see what she will do with them.
March 3, 2008
Here's a sneak preview of what may be listed this week in my Etsy shop. Of course, there may be others-it just depends on how the kiln fairies treat me this week.
February 29, 2008
Tomorrow will be the first day of March. I know we could still get snowstorms and have cold, cold days but somehow it doesn't seem quite so bad when it happens in March. The promise of spring is in the air, the days are getting longer, and you know it won't be too much longer before you see the first blooms. I guess that must be the reason that most of the beads that I have been working on are flowers....
February 14, 2008
I've been working on trees again. These are okay, but I think I can do better. I will be putting these on Etsy in the next couple of days....
February 11, 2008
It has been so blustery cold. I don't even like to think about the wind chill factor because it just makes me shiver. I haven't been out to the studio for a couple of days, but I know that it won't be long before I can't stand not going out there to play with glass. But I've had plenty to keep me busy just the same. Started on the dreaded taxes. It's harder this year because we did start the "business" and I haven't had to do some of those forms before.
In the midst of the cold, I did some spring beads. I joined an Etsy street team and they do a theme of the week promotion and this week it is "Spring in the Air". Making spring beads when it is 20 below takes a bit of imagination, but I think I did okay. Did a bit of experimenting as well...mostly flops, but got a few things that I am happy with.
This one is not at all what I intended when I started. But I had some problems with the bead release and had the choice of either dunking the whole thing in water and losing it altogether, or trying to salvage it. I think I like it and am glad I saved it. It has depth that is impossible to photograph, and I may just keep this one and do some wire work on it.
I just like this one. It has a transparent red over white that didn't strike into the normal dark red and it has many shades of reds and oranges in it. I like the shard and the total metallic look it got.
I still go back to blowing vessels. I don't do as many of them-I have the attention span of a gnat most day-but these three I do like.
So that's what I have been doing while the cold winds blow....
February 5, 2007
I have a bad case of the winter blahs. And I do believe that my muse is off somewhere either skiing or perhaps sunning on a warm beach. Nothing is coming out the way it should, frustration level is getting higher, and I am a grump.
The new bead release doesn't work for me. So now I wait for a shipment of what I should have gotten in the first place. I worked on some vessels for an exchange, and am hoping that they come out of the kiln looking as good as I thought they did going in.
I went through my pictures and found a couple more pictures of things that have been made with my glass.
I've already shown these, but I still love the wire work that Gladys did on them. I really should melt down some more of the wonky, broken beads and see if I can get her to wrap some more for me. She just started a Vox blog http://gladys548.vox.com/ and I hope she adds more of her work on it.
I have a very special friend, Sueze, in Canada. We "met" on WC and she always makes me smile. Last fall I sent her some of the leaves that I had made, and used them, along with some of her own beads to make this...check out her Etsy store http://sueze.etsy.com
Then one day I got a package in the mail. It was a sweet gift from Sueze and I was amazed beyond words. Needless to say, I felt very special to get these things made by her.
I've been playing with the vessels, just trying to figure what to do with them. I like this one....not too fancy, but still pretty I think. The cork stopper top is maybe a bit too long though.
January 25, 2008
I did some slumping and draping with some stained glass. Glass is one of those funny things. You have to have glass that goes together if you want to join it using high heat, and the glass companies have done all the work. But I have these sheets of stained glass that are most likely not compatible with each other, so I've been doing some single sheet stuff with them. Gives me a rough idea of how the kiln will work, and since the stuff is already here, why not?
So here is what has come out of the kiln the last couple of days....
Of course , I have still been making beads as well.
I've been trying to get more things listed on Etsy, but I am a procrastinator. I've got the pictures taken which for me is always the "hard" part, so this weekend I will get some more done. Go check it out at www.derondadesign.etsy.com
I have so much fun blowing shards. Now I have this big pile of baggies with all kinds of experimental shard balls. Some of them just don't work...they make really ugly shards on beads. I mark all the baggies, so when I find something I really like, I will know what it is.
I got some fusing things in the swap shop, and now I just have to figure out how all that works. Another glass journey that might be fun. I have some sheets of stained glass, that although aren't good for fusing, should work for doing some single sheet slumping or draping projects. I think they might make cool little candle holders.
It's been so cold, and I've had a bad cold. Makes it hard to do anything. The torch flame really jumps around when you are coughing on it. Needless to say, that means that I haven't been playing with glass nearly as much as usual. But I've done some much needed listing on Etsy and put together a couple of pieces. Today, I've done nothing but sleep.
But here are a couple of things that I have done recently...
