Wednesday, July 25, 2007

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!

Sunday, July 22, 2007

My Etsy Poster Submission


Friday, July 13, 2007

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.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

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.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

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?