Kudos from Art Fire

"Oooohhhh I love these.....your work is spectacularly detailed, and quite perfect. Thank you!..."

The end of a year

Okay so I'm done with 2009. I just need a few more days to pass.
It was a great year, I enjoyed it a lot. I even found time to take a pottery class!
I am going to write an article for Glass Line in the next two weeks. So I will be playing a lot with HOT glass. I will post my progress here on my blog and some pic's so come back soon. Until then make the most of the few last days of 2009.
Cheers

A splash of Orange & Black

I had a request for Oregon State colors, so I sat down and played with the Orange and black. The top and bottom bracelets are encased in clear so the orange is a bit lighter. Its more old school. The middle bracelets are not encased so the orange is darker. Can you say OOOooo SSSsss UUUuuu

For the Beaver Fans out there!!

You can find me now on Art Fire. I put some hot prices there because the monthly fee is nice and low. enjoy looking. Just click on this link

more...Gaffer, the other white meat!

here is the new color Chalcedony. Lots oc color to be had with this glass. Im not to sure yet how to control what I want. But is sure fun to play with the oxygen mix and see what happens. The only draw back is the kiln takes too long to cool down!

Gaffer, the other white meat!

So I won some Gaffer glass a year ago at the Eugene Class School Flame off. I set it in vase next to my torch and never played with it. I told myself that I just didn't have enough of the colors to really play with or risk the mix up with my 104 glass. Last week I found my self on a trip so close to Kent Washington that I had to stop in and fill out my color pallet. So now I have more then enough. My next question was how will I keep it separated? Well check this out...These trays are stove burner covers in a rectangle shape, I got them for .49 cents each at a local thrift shop! They are the perfect size. Then I zip tied some cooking cooling racks in a stack to use as a mini shelf system. This will make it easy to play..

Nebula

Nebula, originally uploaded by simplylampwork.

I entered this one in a contest on cgge,
it is an ETSY street team.

Here is a bead that I am calling Nebula... it is a concept bead that I am working out a new series with. Let me know what you think.

Trunk Show

Hey I will be in Junction City for a trunk show at Penny Royal Gifts this Friday.
Hope to see a few of you there.

Crimson Kiss

So whats going on in my studio? Well in the middle of a heat wave, about the only time to flame is really early in the morning. So its wake up coffee and torch time. I take time to set up my bench with the color combinations of glass, stringers and complicated canes. This way I have the color pallet all at my finger tips. The first bead I make in a set is the largest focal. I really like to do this to set the style of the beads. I used the fourth slot in my gold bar press for this focal, it is bit larger then a quarter. Then I make the next sizes down in two's until I make enough for the set I want. Last a few spacers to match the set. This set is posted on E-Bay : }

Cleaning and posting some lost orphans

Well cleaning up my studio I have found little treasures of Holiday beads and test beads. So There are a few new listings on both E-bay & Etsy to clean out some of the fun stuff. When I do this it is very renewing for me, it prompts me to play more with Hot Glass when the older items are gone. So watch for a few more house cleaning listings and then some fun new things.

So a new look to my Floral Sets

Here is a bit of a different twist to my floral set. I started with a base bead with a lot of demensions and colors. Then I added a bunch of flowers on both sides of each bead. I used sterling silver spacers, chain and findings as well as fresh water pearls to set off this bracelet I call Garden Party. I think this one will be going to the Rouge Gallery in Mdford Oregon... If your traveling stop in and see some of my favorite works.

Hey a good friend of mine suggested I go on ARTFIRE.
So I did. I have played with it a bit and now I'm ready to show you.

Visit SimplyLampwork's ArtFire Shop

Good Morning! I had a few really great day's in the studio so I had to play with color and flowers. I also want to play with some new sizes and shapes. This is a large lentil that I have flattened on the back so that it will hang well as a pendant. The back is smooth and flat, I do this so that it will hand nicely and be comfortable. When I set this type of bead in a bail I hang it so that it will be secure on the chain and not flip over. This bead will be posted tonight on my ETSY site.

follow this blog and get free shipping from my ETSY site.
What you need to do is slect items and then let me know that
you follow this Blog, I will wave your ETSY shipping fee.
Thanks for playing, have a great evening!

For Mothers Day, my Mom had asked if I could do some ocean looking beads for her big hole bracelet. So here is what I came up with. The clip of all six from left to right going around the cord: Sea Urchins, Sea Horse, Fish in Seaweed, Mermaid, Starfish, Jelly Fish. The other clips are just other views of the same beads. I turned one clip at an angle near another of the mermaid to show her tail. I sure hope that Mom will enjoy this set. They were fun to make so I will have to play a bit more with Sea things.

As promised, here are the two pages of my notes for today's class. I had a great time. You were all fun. Dave, boro boy you have such a great humor, I hope your wife gets you to make a few soft glass florals. Thank you all for coming. If you have any questions or comments please e-mail or call me. This is page one of my notes. They really were only meant for me, so if you have questions please ask. Maybe by my fall class I will have a booklet or a video, what a challenge. You all made the class fun, I will look forward to my next class. The next entry will have the page two, that has the information for the leaf cane and a few sketches for the floral's. Thanks again, stay in touch.

Here is the second page to my notes for the class.

It is the notes for the leaf stringer and the Stone Iris that I had time to demo. Sorry this was only a one day class. I sure hope that you all had fun and got something from what we did have time to cover. Please e-mail me photos or comments from the class. I love getting feed back, even if it is things would like me to change.

Week end fun

Okay so ya know how nice it is when you have help in the Garden. It is! Well Scott is feeling much better. Yesterday he did some weeding and pulled out all of my forget me not flowers. Nice. He said they all looked like weeds to him. What a brat, and a lame excuse. Then today he was putting in some new lighting and dug my prize out door Orchids. This time he said that they were grass. I guess I made him feel a little guilty he went out to the compost bin and pulled them all out and replanted them. Oh and while he was doing such a great job of gardening I was playing inside on my torch. This is one of the styles that I will be teaching this Saturday in my class at the Eugene Glass School. There are still a couple of spots open if you want to come join me. Have a great week.

Teddy Bear Hugs

I'm still cleaning and arranging my studio space, but I had to sit down and play. I have been making some Easter Bunny's, carrots and flower spacers for my girls for Easter and I just had to make a few Teddy Bears too. These little guys make my giggle the whole time I'm making them. They are just too fun. I have listed this one on ETSY and one with out the heart on E-bay. So if you need to have a little comfort with you at all times check them out. Have a great day!!

Here is a center view. See the nippers on the shelf to the left, handy. I use them a lot so it is nice to have them right there. See the beads hanging, they are sets that I have made over the years when I have taken classes. I keep each set together so that I can reflect on the tricks and technique of all the different talent that I have been able to spend time with. There are several little glasses with assorted stringers, a cup for dead matches, a cup of water. Little glass dishes with scraps of color. To the left I have a two tier tool shelf. I covered wood blocks and nailed a couple of metal trays to them to hold an assortment of my favorite tools handy. The surface are tile samples that I bought to decide on my floor, these were not the winners. Then I have a metal cookie sheet that has only one raised edge. Sett the rod rest at the back. It is a socket holder .97 cents. It works well. This was step two..

Spring Cleaning, here is the left side of my bench. I have a tall unit that hold my color. On my bench I have raised my Kiln to have the door at eye level. Under it I have a tile that can be used to warm "shocky" rods and adventurine chunks. See below the bench I have another storage unit that holds one of every basic color of my soft glass. That way I have it a hand with out leaving my torch if I need a second rod. See the outlet, I had an electrician come in and put in a dedicated line just to run the kiln. That way I can have music or TV on with out blowing a fuse. There is storage below and behind for sheet glass, umm maybe some day I will try to fuse glass??? See the blue can of mandrels, yes I do pre dip a ton of rods. I know that they will draw moisture but if I heat them well and let them steam a bit then heat again they are just fine. I do not have trouble with the release breaking my tip for that is to heat your class correctly then poke, pick or push. Oh I wish you could see my classes, way comfortable I will have to do a tip on that in the tip and trick section of my web site. This was step one of my spring cleaning.

Spring Cleaning.

I am looking at all the new styles of Spring Clothing. Umm.. everything is going to old colors. Creams, Oranges and deeper purples. The colors are different. I think this bead pulls the warmth of the cream Lilly's with ruby centers right out of the past. I'm going to have to clean up my bench and pull out the colors that have been tossed out of the way to see if I can find more of that old 60's warmth. I'll have to post what my bench looks like when the clutter is cleaned up.. Um

just thinking of it makes me laugh. There is about 2 inches of messy layers... Not the way I usually work. So today I Spring Clean in search of wonderful color.

I'm getting ready to play with ideas for my up coming class. Here is a version of April Showers. Sunday I will be playing with lots of good colors to see what will grow from in. Thanks for stoping in.

With Easter only a few weeks away I needed to play with spring! What better to say spring then with a new collection of Spring Baby's. Lion, Elephant, zebra, Piggy's, Cow and Turtles. They each have a little personality unique to the rest. I have sent a collection of bracelets to the Rouge Gallery in Medford Oregon. The beads will be going to Harliquin Beads in Eugene towards the end of next week. Have a good Spring and do something fun.

I spent the week end last week at the Eugene Glass School in the Cornia Tettinger class. It was great! I love Cornia. This is my second class with her over the years. What a wonderful teacher she is. So supportive and helpful to everyone she teaches. If you are a beginner get her book, it is like a bible to bead makers! If you are lucky enough to get in a class do it. For me, she gave me way too many ideas and tips to evolve my beads to the next level. The photo is a couple of the beads I made during the class. Just a little of what she was teaching. I even got a great aah ha on what I need to do to get my vase bead to what I see it to be... now all I need is the time on the torch! I only have a bit of time for my torch this week as I do have a day job I also love. I have been using the time to work on a few spacial things for an Artist Trunk show at the grand opening show at Firefly Beads in Springfield Oregon. I will be there this Saturday from 1-6. Stop by and say hi if you can.

Okay so I made a few changes and here is number three... I made the vase flat to try to get more of the clear glass to show up on the out side of the blue water (glass). The stems in the water did melt in a little too much, I will need to work on that. The bouquet is better, more full. I think that I will layer it up a bit more on number 4. I know my mom will love the final bead for Mothers Day. She is a non computer user, lol So I know she will be surprised!

As for today it should be so much fun. I will be taking a glass class from Corina Tettinger. If you are new to beads you will have to look up this very very talented lady. Here is a link to her site, there are a lot of tutorials that are interesting so take a look. http://www.corinabeads.com/

I will so enjoy the next couple of days.

Have a great weekend.

So here are the first two beads!

These are the first in my steps to getting this design where I want it to be.

My opinion, well although I am very happy with the beginning these beads are not what I want in the final bead. What I see and want to work on, is ... The water in the vase blends or is magnified with the clear to go to the edges. Not what I wanted. It is also a bit dark and you do not see the stems of the flowers. Next The bouquet is not big enough for the vases. The design needs to be double or triple the size.

Well here is the final sketch from my dreams. I thought that you might want to see me process I take. As you know if you have looked at my beads that I love floral beads. I will have to tell you about two amazing women who encouraged that, some time.

Anyway this was the image that I had to wake up and get out of bed to put on paper. This image was the last step in my drawings. The first few sketches were the process that I would lay down the glass. My next blog entry will be photos of the beads in my attempts to make this drawing in glass.

Cheers!

Second draft

So Sunday I had time to play on my torch. I worked out two of the beads I had the dream about. I had to wait until this morning to see them. They are not what I want. So I had sketched out a few more drawings of the bead with the changes that I want to make. So I can not reveal the bead yet as it is in mid design.

dreams

Wow.. last night I just could not sleep. I tossed and turned and half in a dream state, I created a lovely bead. I could see the steps, the movement as the design builds into a lovely vase of flowers. I woke up and had to get out of bed in the middle of the night and draw it out. I did several sketches of the design and how I will build the glass bead. So stay tune I will be working on this new bead that I will be working on Sunday. umm should be fun. you should see photos listed on my web site on etsy so check out simplylampwork.etsy.com on Monday

Blog blog blog...

So I'm not good at what a blog is. So this is another atempt at one.
For Valentines Day my true love gave me a cold. So I have been
off the torch on the couch sleeping with the Yorkie! The Sheltie
guards us asleep under the panio... LOL what a bunch.
Today coffee taste good so I will venture out into the world
and see if I can be part of the human race.
:}
Who knows I may even run with sissors today!

Ready set go....
This is day one for blogging. Let me know how its going.
Playing with glass today, I cleaned out my studio and scooped
up the old beads that have no home. I listed them cheap on e-bay
so that the will find a new home. I have a compulsive disorder that
the beads have to find a place to go in order for me to enjoy making
more. I also put together two beautiful bracelets with my lampwwork
and pearls. One is called white wedding the other sweet heart. I will
send them to the Gallery in Medford. I did have some torch time
this morning. When everything cools I will check out the treasures.
As for now... my yorkie has me pinned to the computer. You see
she is sleeping on my lap and I don't have the heart to move her
little peacefull soul. So I will have to cruise the net awhile.
good day for now