Christmas already!

I can't believe how long it's been since I last wrote this.. the time just flies by! I am having a quiet day for once, perhaps I'll even get some torch time today :-)

I didn't do too badly in the christmas fairs, but not nearly as well as last year.. however, I have sold quite a bit since then, so I feel they have been worth it if only to get myself known.

I had a commission from a friend, all completed now, I had to learn how to make brooches and also silver core beads in the shape of a heart, which is trickier than it sounds! My first efforts looked nice but they had the same amount of glass above the hole as under, so they wouldn't stay the right way up. All sorted now, I'm thrilled with the results!

fairs over!

I'm very lazy, I only did two! They went ok, although not as well as last year but I'm not surprised that people are being more careful.

I took along three mandrels this time, with glass on, in various stages of making a bead. It was very helpful, I could see their faces changing as they properly understood.. most people say they know what lampworking is, and they have a vague idea, but doing my flameless demo over and over, I realised just how many hadn't quite got it and I think it makes their purchase feel all the more special and unique to them.

I've spent some time restocking today, and putting a few beads up for sale.. here are a couple..

october already..

Here are a couple of things I've been making recently, more with making jewellery in mind (Christmas fairs approaching!) than being artistic and experimental..

I can't believe how quickly the time goes at the moment, busy with school, working at school, getting kids to do their homework, after school clubs, and at the same time I'm trying to stop myself becoming obsessed with trying to make a great bead for a competition!

I make one, which is maybe interesting, but I think it is technically flawed, then I make another which I'm very happy with technically but maybe a bit boring.. the more I try, the less I know what I'm actually trying to acheive! Plus, I haven't really got anyone who I can ask for their opinion, who would know what constitutes a good bead.

Maybe I should give trying a rest..

new glass

The winner of the competition was Beadmonkey who suggested 'in the beginning' - it was a hard decision in the end with lots of great names!

I got a bit of new glass and I love the colours! The heart is 'kryptonite' from CIM and I think it's gorgeous..

I also bought myself a tool to make off-mandrel leaves, to go alongside my off-mandrel hearts..

bead comp.

I'm giving away one of my beads (the one pictured above) - I really like the way it came out, but unfortunately it has a little hole on the front, so I thought I'd give it to the person who comes up with the best name for it! http://www.flickr.com/photos/53211004@N00/2825484998/

It certainly feels like autumn, doesn't it? I got up at 5.45 this morning and it was very dark.. soo tempting just to crawl back into bed again! I thought it would be very quiet on the bead front, but my silver core beads have been popular - I love making them, but I must make a few bead sets and focals for peeps to make jewellery in time for Christmas.. and I should really do some more jewellery myself!

not much beady time this summer..

But, I have done a few and I'm really pleased with this set..

practising my 'rounds'

I enjoyed myself yesterday morning practising round rather than 'doughnut' shaped beads - over time I have discovered that it's much easier to lay down a wider 'footprint' and marver it into a barrel shape, and then pile on enough glass to make a nice round ball rather than a narrow footprint and keeping on piling on the glass.. really we need piccies here.. how, I have no idea, except if I draw it on paper and photograph :-) might do that actually..

Anyway, here they are, I am rather pleased with them and may well be doing more soon unless my mind wanders again.. this lot are in my shop.

organic looking core beads

I've been trying out mixing up my silver glass colours this week, and I love the results! I can't wait to get on and make some more..

tags

I've been toying with the idea of having my own tags on my jewellery for ages, and I wanted to come up with something different - yesterday it hit me, and here is my first attempt! I think I'd like to introduce a bit of colour too..

starfish!

I've been practising this shape - it's been quite tricky but I am getting the hang of it! I'm happy with this one, it's pale transparent aqua with dots of Triton which are reduced to make them shiny!

Also, I've been trying to do my core beads in colour themes so that they go together - here are three pinks.

and some blues..

rainbows

Again! I do love making them though! I made one set, they were snaffled by someone who had been waiting for me to make some more, then I had more enquiries and made another set!

I want to try and do different things with rainbows, I've got some different ones on transparent cobalt blue which I'm just cleaning up to photograph - will show you in a day or so!

Hearts

My youngest wants to give a heart pendant to the teacher as a leaving present, so I had a play and came up with these.. the purple one is for the teacher!

I've been featured!

On this blog.. http://salutethemagpie.blogspot.com/

I'm very flattered, I love making the core beads!

cufflinks

I have been asked if I make cufflinks several times, so I had a good old think.. I prefer the ones with chains, and also because I make beads there is always a hole going through. I didn't want there to be any links that could come apart, so no jump rings either. In the end, I started at the bar end, and soldered on a loop with some cufflink chain which has soldered links. The glass part is attached last.

I'm really pleased with the results, hope to make some more soon!

new toys

pale emerald green!

Hi, it's been a while hasn't it? I have been to my first bead fair, at Wincanton in Somerset. We made a weekend of it and visited the caves at Cheddar as well, and had a thoroughly good time!

I bought some lovely new Triton Double Helix glass, which I love! And a heart mandrel which is great fun too!

Discs

I've been making disc beads this past week, I made a few and they got larger each time! It's really nice working in my shed, I hadn't realised how much time all the clearing away had been taking, now it's all there ready to go!

what I made with my beads..

I couldn't resist using them to make some jewellery - they are for sale on my site.

Also, my shed is very nearly ready - yippee! I need to finish painting inside, and my lovely Dad is making the bench, then I'll start moving all my gear in! I will show some pictures when it's complete.

More beads!

I have been playing with silver leaf today, and recently been using a lot of dichroic glass.. and dicovering that it varies quite a bit! Here are two lentils with raku and blue dichroic glass, available on www.turnedlight.com .

And some transparent aqua beads with the silver leaf..

Painting for Dad's birthday

We gave this painting to my Dad for his birthday.. it's the towpath by a local river.. maybe I can find time to do some more painting - since I discovered lampworking a year ago, I have hardly picked up a brush!

My work in an Etsy treasury!

Here's one of my bracelets in an Etsy treasury http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=41452 which was a nice surprise!

My shed is nearly lined now, I'll be choosing the paint soon and the floor needs to be put down, and I'll be able to finally leave all my glassy gear just laying around without worrying about putting it all away at the end of the day - I can't wait! My poor Dad has been very busy working on it..

Some of my recent beads - check my shop www.turnedlight.com !

Banner!

I'm so pleased with this banner - actually, there were three great ones to choose from - thank you so much!

I have been struggling to get things to link up.. I'm a bit of a technodunce.. but it should be nice when it's finished!

New website!

I have started up a new website called http://www.turnedlight.com/ and have spent a lot more time setting it up than I thought it would take! I also haven't got the hang of everything, so it will probably evolve a bit as I learn!

Remember the shed saga? Well, I'm having the same problems with lining it - my lovely Dad has cut and fitted the insulation for me, but the hardboard we ordered to cover it up arrived all wrinkled and warped, the day after we waited in all day for it. I do now know that it's ok in some cases, and that you can dampen it and try and flatten it, but this stuff is for lining the walls and needs to be flat like the stuff you see in the shops.. I enquired as to whether I can expect it to be mostly flat, and they said they were sending out another lot...

Well, that was another whole day wasted because they didn't turn up again.. nor have they turned up today..Aaaarrrggghh! When am I allowed to lose my temper?! And there's the smug 'you can't do a thing about it' smug you get from these guys, who, when I said as soon as they arrived that it had obviously been on the truck all night and got wet, replied 'it always looks like that'! Well, maybe theirs does, but I have seen hardboard before..

More silver cores..

I have another set of five silver core beads, I love the delicate colours and I have also used dichroic glass in some for extra sparkle. I'm not really able to make beads for two weeks as it's the school holidays, but it does give me time to get some photographs taken..

shed stuff

I'm really pleased with this pendant - it's lovely and chunky and smooth.. and it in the etsy shop, along with some other new items..


My insulation has arrived! Like the shed, it did not go smoothly - I waited in all day on Monday, only to get apologies in the late afternoon, so I was told my delivery would definitely be between 7 and 10 in the morning.. When did it come? At 1pm. I wish they had just said..

Anyway, we got a bit done in the afternoon, and I'm really looking forward to moving my stuff in!