Lampwork Bead handmade lampwork beads

June 1, 2008

I had a FANTASTIC art fair last month in Zionsville, IN. My friend, Carol, & I have done the Zionsville Country Market for 5 years
in a row now and it keeps getting better and better! We're signed up to do the Zionsville Fall Festival on Sept 6 & 7. I'm thinking
about doing the Brownsburg Arts in the Park in July....not sure yet. Usually it's sweltering hot when they hold this fair and I'm
not sure I want to deal with that.lol!!

I'm still playing around a bit with pmc. I haven't posted any pics yet as I'm doing small things like bails and little bracelet/pendant
dangles. I'm also learning how to make ceramic beads encased with pmc paste. This is going to be lots of fun! I'd like to sell
these on my website too.

I have a set of lampwork beads for sale!!! YES, you heard me right! I haven't sold a set of beads on ebay or on this website since
last November. I've had a lot going on this past year that's kept me away from the torch much more than I wanted. I'm hoping
I can keep the momentum going since my Zionsville art fair and post beads and jewelry for sale on a much more consistent basis.
Thanks to everyone who has been checking in and asking about me! I really appreciate it. :)

Here's sneak peek of my latest bead set for sale. Hope you like it!

April 23, 2008

I finally have a few new pieces of jewelry posted on my website!
I have 3 new off-mandrel pendants that I'm really excited about. I took a class with Andrea Guarino this February, and this is one
of the techniques I learned in her class. I'm still playing around with my PMC, but haven't made anything too exciting yet.
I have a couple nice PMC pendants that I'll share with you soon. Right now I'm getting ready for the Zionsville Country Market on May 17. This is my favorite art fair! I share a booth with Carol Watson of In the Woods Designs.

November 5, 2007

I have a new auction posted! This is the one I've been sitting on for weeks & weeks. Click on my Auctions link above to go directly to it. Here's a little sneak preview. (click to enlarge)

I made a matching focal for this set, but chipped the end while taking it off the mandrel. :( The good news is that I can cover the chip with a bead cap and keep it for myself!! I'm still working with the PMC silver stuff. I'm quickly learning that I need more tools! Some small circle cutters and some stamping designs are a must. I haven't fired anything yet, but hope to this week. I'll keep you posted. That's it for now. Thanks for checking out my new auction!

October 27, 2007

Well, this website is new! Whatta ya think??? Please give me your feedback. I'm just trying to spruce up my image a bit. This is still a home-grown website, so no bells & whistles. My goal is to keep it as simple as possible to use with LOTS of eye candy! I hope you like it! (Oh, and if you find any bad links kindly let me know!)

I have a bead set that's ready to go up on ebay. It's been ready for a few weeks, but I've been busy with local art fairs. I'll see if I can get it posted soon. Please check back.

September 9, 2007
Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I posted anything here. I've been in quite a slump this year, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. There's been a lot of personal issues that I've been dealing with, but I think things are starting to get better for me. I finally posted a couple new auctions on ebay. Click on the ebay button to your left to check them out! I took a PMC class a couple weekends ago, so I'm anxious to start playing with all the possibilities that has to offer. I'd like to make some custom silver components for my jewelry designs. I'm really excited about it! That's it for now, I hope to get back to the torch soon so I can keep up the auctions. Thanks to everyone for hanging in there and checking up on my work. I really appreciate that!

April 7, 2007
I spent just a few minutes trying out some of the new things I learned in the Michael Barley class at home. I quickly learned that I can't get some of the same results with my torch setup. I think some of the reactions with silver, and especially with copper require more oxygen than my concentrator can put out. It's a little disappointing, but not so much that it's worth the extra $$$ to buy a second oxygen concentrator. I'll just keep experimenting and maybe come up with some alternatives that produce similar results....we'll see!

As most of you know, it's been freezing cold again. Maybe my new bead specials will warm you up! I created some pretty pastel frit beads. They're small sets, but perfect for either a bracelet or a pendant & matching earrings. Check out my bead specials page to see what I'm talking about.

Well, since I don't feel like bundling up to sit at the torch in my cold garage, I'm going to stay inside and make some more jewelry. I hope to talk to you again soon! Thanks!!

April 1, 2007
As promised, here are the pics of some of my class beads from the Michael Barley class I took last weekend. Click on any of the images for a larger view.

The first bead we made was exploring many different textures and reactions you can get with silver and ivory. I also learned a better way to put end caps on my beads. I love this bead, but the violet dots just seem to disappear within all of the silvered texture. Next time I'll pick a highly contrasting color.

Next we learned a bit about layering colors. Michael achieves a variety of unique colors and a depth to his beads that you won't see anywhere else. This bead has at least 8 transparent colors layered onto it. I had a bit of trouble photographing this one.

I don't care too much for this bead, but it was an interesting experiment with silver and rubino. The amethyst base color did not react as I had hoped it would. On a base of cobalt blue, you get some awesome colors so I might play with that a bit.

Here's a bead with copper leaf applied to it. I've always heard lampworkers complaining about how copper leaf just goes black on their beads. Michael taught us how to get this beautiful sage green with our copper. I just LOVE this color and will be using copper leaf on some of my beads!

Ok, I've saved the best for last! Michael taught us how to make his beautiful baleen bead!!!! I was so thrilled to learn this technique. Of course, I need to practice, practice, practice but I really want to incorporate this technique on a smaller scale with my bead style. I couldn't have been happier with how this bead turned out! Even the back side got some really cool reactions I didn't expect.

March 27, 2007
I just finished a lampwork class this weekend with Michael Barley! WOW, what a wonderful class! Best ever!!!
Michael is such an amazing artist and shared SO many techniques with us. If you're interested in lampworking and ever get a chance to take a class with Michael, I highly recommend it. When I get all of my beads back from class, I'll post pics of them. Well, most of them....I know a couple were pretty bad.lol! I can't wait to hit the torch to apply what I learned to MY style of beadmaking. I have to be patient, though, because I'm still catching up on orders. I'm trying to wrap up a couple bracelets, necklaces and earrings for 2 little girls (pink & lavender...surprise!). Then I'll hit my next bead order (yes, yours Joann!) After that, I've got another bracelet, necklace, & earrings to make. Whew! when it rains it pours!!! But I appreciate your orders so much. That's what allows me to buy new glass and try new things....like the MB class. OK, off to bed. Thanks for stopping by. Check back later in the week to see the pics of my class beads!