I haven’t had too much time lately for all my vices (LOL!) and have had to cram them in lately between getting repairs and upgrades done around the house.  I finally got some energy (I’ve lost 20lbs.) and thought I should get them done…this way I can coast for a little while and concentrate on my lampworking and beading!  Well, that’s the plan, but we’ll see if it happens, lol!  

Been playing with my Kumihimo and have a few necklaces made.  When I can get around to photographing them, which I’m hoping will be in the next day or so, I’ll post them.  Planning on trying some “different” techniques to see what I can come up with.  My good friends, Rose & Philonese, have been very influential in this area and I can’t seem to stop making them!

I’ve managed a few bead sets in the last few weeks, but just getting around to getting them processed and up for sale. I’m having fun making bead set with LOTS of metallic dots and ”storming” — a technique used with silver glass and developed by Amy of AKDesigns.  I’m also enjoying making “button” bead shapes.  You can decorate them in so many ways and I just love the look of them either alone, or in beads sets.  So, you’ll probably see more beads like this from me, ’cause I’m just love making them!    

PAPAYA…I love the color of this set!  A rich peachy-orange color with dark ivory dots, several silver glass that I mixed and ”storm” that resulted in beautiful colors…kind of looking thru a crystal ball.  So the set would sparkle and shine, I added blue metalic dots.

SILVERED SEAWEED…I’ve always liked green with ivory, such a fresh combination.  Silvered Seaweed has a transparent green base , dark ivory dots that I’ve applied and silver glass using the ”storming” technique with decorations of two different metallic colored dots. 

GRANITA…a somewhat neutral-colored set in a base of dark ivory and a slight hint of color in the “stormed” silver glasses with raised metallic dots for decoration.  The beads in this set are button spacers and I love working with this shape. 

SOUTH PACIFIC…a beautiful turquoise set with “stormed” silver glass in such rich blues, purples & violets.  Spacer beads of  turquoise and metallic dots really enhance the set.  I loved the way this set sparkles.

Where has the time gone?  I don’t know!  I can believe it’s been so long since I’ve posted here.  I’ve been busy making & selling beads and also fighting whatever it is that’s going around.  I just can’t seem to get rid of it.  It seems I’m playing tag with my wonderful grandchildren with this virus! 

I did take a  lampwork class with Claudia Page of France.  I learned some great stringer control and how to make an eye murrini.  This took half a day just make the murrini.  I have so much respect for people that make complex murrinis.  It was a wonderful experiene and she is a great person.

I also had the fortunate opportunity to take a class with polymer clay artist, Lindly Haunani.  Two days on color theory and making canes.  I LOVED this class and if you ever get the chance to take a class with her, don’t miss it!  She shares a wealth of information with you and you will not be disappointed!

Okay, the one thing with being sick is you do get grounded and I was able to do more torching in the last few months.  I have quite a few bead sets to process, but this is what I have so far. 

SPUN SILK - I’ve made this set before and loved doing it.  The first set I made was for a necklace for my daughter that she wore to a wedding.  If you like lots of silver/gold and sparkle then this set is for you.  The addition of the black donut spacer beads gives it a touch of elegance. 

GUERNSEY – When I made this set, I had my friend’s “dairy cows” in mind.  The set uses a frit that has a little bit of blue in it and it gives a “halo” of blue on the black.  The black sides of the beads were etched to a velvety smoothness and I added white beads with raised black dots to finish the set off. 

GINGER -  This set is made with my friend, Robin of Glass Diversions, frit blend — Cinnamon Spice.  I had the fortunate opportunity of doing beads for her website using all her frit blends.  I stumbled upon Cinnamon Spice and fell in love with it and have used it in several bead sets in different applications.  It has such a warm, spicy, carmel color.  I also used a silver glass and silver foil for a hint of metallic.  I think the reddish-brown spacers highlight those colors very well.

DUSKY FLOWERS - I loved making this set!  I made some handmade flower cane by combining several purples.  The beads use a copper green base to which I added a handmade frit blend in subtle shades of purple, browns and greens that I encased to highlight the colors of this blend.  To keep the ”dusky” feel of the set I chose opal yellow as the base for the donut spacers and placed small flowers all around the bead (lentils have flowers only on one side) and decorated the beads with tiny metallic and green dots.  This set sold so fast…but I do have several focal beads using this same technique that will be going up for sale soon. 

Well, I’ve stopped traveling, going to weddings, showers, etc. and I’ve been able to catch up on my beading…the thing I love the most to do!!! Here are several sets that I have recently finished.  Some are for sale and some just flew out the door before I could get them up for sale.

AMEBA DANCE…a simple set with an ivory base and raku frit noted form it’s variety of colors. I saw this set as more of an “organic” form, so I’ve etched the beads to a silky smoothness.

GOSSAMER GLOW…this is one of my favorite sets (I think I’ll make one for myself).  It has a very “ghost-like” wishpiness to it that seem to drift within the beads. Depending on how the light hits the beads they can take on a golden, a firey and blue tones. Thats the wonder of silver glass!

BERMUDA REEF…anothe set that I just love making and every time I make it they come a little different.  I made one set that was blues and purples; anothe set came out with more ref-violets. Again, how can you not love the effects silver glass gives you.

EARTH BERRY…another “organic” set from me.  I don’t usually etch my sets, but sometimes they just speak to you. Romance is the name of the frit blend that was used on this bead set and was developed by Kalera Stratton. It is a reactive blend that I used on a reactive base glass. I love the colors and effects that it gives.

DUST STORM…this is a set I have been playing with for quite a while. I wanted lots of sparkle in the set so it looked swirling golden dust like in a sandstorm. To tone down the glitz, I added a bit of black to anchor it a little.

CHANTILLY LACE…this was a request and I love the effects. This set using Romance frit, but I’ve encased in a crystal clear and added some smokey green beads. It give me the feeling of being very Victorian.

TAPESTRY…a set that I played around with for a while too. I love the deep richness of the red, red-oranges, yellows and the goldstone in this set, kind of like the richness of a beautiful brocade fabric.

SPUN SILK…I was playing around at the end of a torching session and had some left over glass, etc. and thought what if I do this and what if I do that and this is what happend. I made a necklace for my daughter out of these beads, but I sure am going to make one for myself too! I’ll post the necklace as soon as I can get a picture of it.

This was such a hectic year and it seemed I just couldn’t get anything finished.  It was a year of taking classes, weddings, showers and baby showers. I’m finally done with all it except for some additinal classes, but I’ll tell you more about those later. I finally got several sets completed that I have been working on. I seem to be stuck on making bead sets with lots of different silver glasses.  Just a quick explanation on what your seeing.

Furious Dancer - this set starts out with two different glasses as a base, but the combination of the two results in a very pretty blue.  I then encased the beads and wrapped a reactive twisty around the bead giving it a little swirl and dotted them with, of course, metallic dots. The spacer beads are a very pretty metallic blue.

Temari Braids - this set actually started out with what I call “play” beads…trying something out that your not sure of what your going get. The reactive twisty resulted in some pretty effects, kind of “ghostly” — I added a swirl here and there, metallic dots and blue metallic spacers.

Beach Waves - a base of opal yellow and what doesn’t go with that color! I added a silver glass, reduced it, gave it some texture and encased it in crystal clear to preserve those effects, added some “striking” murrinis and the set looked like a beach scene to me. I added metallic beads with a high shine that respresents the water when the sun hit it…you know when it has that “mirror-like” look.

Brown Sugar - this set came by accident while I was playing with Cinnamon Spice frit and wondered what it could do and then just added a little of this and a little of that and of course a silver glass. The set was actually based somewhat on a focal bead that I had previous made. A pretty set that sold quickly….I’m thinking of making another one. 

Lurking - a basic black & white set, but I used Effetre Black, which is not a true black at all, but rather a dark, dark purple. So when swirling the beads, some of that purple mixed with the white and there a little bit of blue “lurking” from those black designs which created some interest to the set.

A couple new sets from me…

PISTACHIO NUT – starting out with a reactive base with the addition of silver foil caused the frit used to react resulting in shades of olive green and a greenish turquoise.  I really love the “baroque” style of  beads. A light “grayish” green spacer bead pop the colors in the baroque beads. 

LAVISH – a silver glass is part of the base of this set that resulted in different intensities of blue, green and purple encased in crystal clear to magnify the colors.  Decorations of murrinis raised & melted in, along with raised metallic dots and scrollwork.

CONTRAST – a neutral set in contrasting black & white that is on a crystal clear base.  A basic set that you can make your own by adding your own personal colors to highlight this set.  The round beads have a ribbed texture.  I added black square discs to add some bold contrast.

Okay, so now I’ve got my act in order, things are starting to settle down and I’ve been busy getting my bead sets in order, yeah!!!  Below are three new bead sets that will be going up on my Etsy account within the next couple of days. 

JUNGLE

A set that is reminiscent of the greens in a “jungle”. The beads have a subtle sparkle to them by starting out with ailver foil base to which I added some goldstone.  The frit that is a blend of greens from emerald to peridot including green adventurine with some amethyst and aqua in the mix.  I’ve choosen transparent green spacer beads for a little more contrast.

It seems like such a long time since I posted anything!  I have been so busy for the last 1-1/2 months that they just flew by.  Weddings, showers, baby showers, new babies, travel, home repairs and classes have taken up my time.  Hopefully, things will start to settle down and I can do some posting on some of the things that kept me busy the last month. 

 With that being said, here is a new set COBRA” that I finished.  The base of each bead were heavily burnished with silver foil and then rolled in a frit by Glass Diversions, Thunderstorm, that has purples, lavenders, plums & greens in the mix which reacted with the foil and base glass.  Although the result was darker than I had expected, I thought that the beads looked like ”snake skin” and I bet they would look good etched.  I added transparent green donut beads to help pop the greens in the beads and to add texture I settled on a ribbed design…not too bad for a bead I was going to discard!!

I’m so in love with the “blues” that I got from this set…it will be hard to put this set on sale! Going to try later and make another set for myself…we’ll then see if I will give them up.  Done in a silver glass, murrini’s & metallic dots for decoration.