The New EGA Business Cards are Here!

I'm a proud member of Etsy Glass Artists and we are thrilled to unveil our new business cards designed by Danielle Hurd of Etsy's Studio 1212! Check out her shop as well as http://www.etsyglass.com/ for some fantastic creations!

I've Been Seen by the Art Bead Scene!

My Bead Show

Are You Ready for the Holidays?

Customer Creations!

I am so excited that my Etsy customers have been sharing photos of the beautiful jewelry they have made using my beads! I am always amazed at the amount of talent here on Etsy, and am thrilled that these artists have chosen to incorporate my beads into their work. Here are some of my favorites: designsbydehoyos and dkjewels. Be sure to check out their shops!
Swirl ring by designsbydeyohos
http://www.designsbydehoyos.etsy.com/

Traveling Sedona necklace & earrings from dkjewels

http://www.dkjewels.etsy.com/

Are You Ready for Halloween?

I know, it seems like Halloween is a long way away, but it will be here before you know it! I have already seen all the decorations in craft stores and if you're like me, now is the time to start thinking about making Halloween jewelry. I have come up with some fun beads for just this occasion - take a look!

My Etsy Poster Submission

My Work Space

I know it doesn't look like much, but to me this is a little slice of heaven! I have a workbench in the garage where I make all my beads. I generally work at the torch in the early morning before it gets too hot.

If you're not familiar with lampwork bead making, here's a quick introduction.

All lampwork beads begin as glass rods. The rods are heated with a torch and wound onto a mandrel, which is a sturdy metal rod dipped in bead release. As glass is being added to the mandrel, different colored rods are used to make dots, patterns, etc.

Once a bead is completed it is put in a kiln for several hours until it's properly annealed (heated and cooled slowly for strength). Beads are then soaked in water and slide off the mandrels. All beads are cleaned with a little tool to take all the bead release (which is powdery and makes a mess) out of the holes.

I was on the Etsy front page!

I just found out I was on the Etsy front page and missed it! Luckily studiomarcy kindly snapped a picture of it for me. These are my "coffee bean" beads.

Where I Get My Inspiration

After a brief design rut, I decided I needed to find inspiration for my beads. I have always loved color, the brighter the better, and generally stayed within the same general color palette for most of my beads.

That all changed with a recent trip to Alaska, where I fell in love with Tklingit totem poles and their graphic colors and patterns. I took loads of pictures of them (and believe me, they're everywhere) and couldn't wait to try and duplicate elements of what I saw.

Feeling pretty good about how totem pole beads turned out, I decided inspiration could come from anywhere, in any medium. I found the perfect source for new ideas in a birthday party catalog I got in the mail. It had pages of party decorations for kids and two caught my attention: bandanas and camouflage. I figured they would be fun to try, and here are my finished designs. I must say I'm happy with both of them and love the fact that lots of creative license was used in the design.

Now when I'm in a design slump, all I need to do is look around me for inspiration. Where do you find yours?

Welcome to my Blog!

Okay, after much procrastinating I have finally created my own blog. It's a work in progress as I figure out how this whole thing works, but I have terrific mentors in my EGA (Etsy Glass Artist) group. They have inspired me to give this a try. Have fun viewing, leave comments, and enjoy!
~Kris