Beach Beads

Sorry, it's not a very good picture.  These are my latest beach beads after being away from the torch for several weeks - it's good to be back at it.  I have markets on Friday and Saturday, and will be away Sunday, but on Monday I should be able to start on that long list of special requests that I have been hiding from.  So if you have been patiently (or not) waiting for your bead orders, it won't be long now!

Have a great weekend!

Daylillies, Poppies and Hydrangeas

I had planned to be back in the studio making beads this week - however I seem to have picked up a bug this last weekend at one of the markets, and it has put me "down and out" so to speak.  Hopefully I can get out there tomorrow.  I do have some new beads I made a week or so ago to photograph, so I will post those just as soon as I get the photos taken.

I took my camera to the outdoor market/artist show this last Sunday in Parksville, but for some reason my camera just wouldn't take a picture.  Of course now that I am at home, it is taking pictures just fine - huh?

Anyway, here are some photos of flowers around my garden - it looks like we might finally be getting some summer here on the west coast - yay!!!!

Bye for now.

Orphan Bead Sale

It has taken me over 3 hours to string, photograph, and list these beads on my Etsy shop - phew!  I figured seeing as I am not doing a whole lot in the way of making beads right now, I would go through my bead bowl and make up "sets" for Etsy.  I have listed them at a very good price - $15.00 - $20.00 per set.

Have a great evening!

Caterpillars!!

No, not really caterpillars, but when I was editing the photos for Etsy, I realized that in some of the pictures  the beads looked like caterpillars.  So of course then I couldn't think of any other name - except maybe "bug eyes", and that was even worse!  So Caterpillar Rounds it is!!  LOL

Have a great evening.
(sorry about the lint on the pics)

Polymer Problems

I spent the last 3 days making polymer clay translucent canes, rolling a base, and decorating a cover sheet, and then making these pendants - there are actually 7 of them.  However every one has 4 - 6 small hairline cracks on them - mostly on the shoulder edge.  I used a method where you put a piece of plastic wrap over the area you want to cut out, and then push down with a cookie cutter.  The plastic wrap serves two purposes, one is it stops the cookie cutter from sticking, and second it gives a nice rolled edge to the piece.  However I am beginning to think that maybe it also creats stress and thus the cracks.  The cracks are not structural, but they bother me - big time!   I have 3 left to sand, and I don't know if I want to put the effort into it.  If any of you out there in blog land have experience with polymer, can you please chime in and let me know what I have done wrong.

So much for a bit of relaxation during my off time - I guess polymer comes with it's own set of problems.  I think I will be back in the glass shop tomorrow.

Have a great week!

More Rainbow Beads

It has been (and still is) so rainy here on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada, that it seems appropriate that I am making rainbow coloured beads.  Now all we need is the sunshine to bring out the rainbows - we already have the rain!!

These two sets can be found in my Etsy shop.

Thanks for looking, and have a great day!



"Bling Squared"

When I was at the Saltspring Market yesterday, I met another lampwork artist couple.  They make the cutest little anime style beads you have ever seen.  I got their permission to post about them here, and I have "stolen" a few pictures for you to look at.  The name of their company is "Bling Squared", and here is a link to their web site and their Etsy store.  http://www.blingsquared.com/            http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlingSquared?ref=top_trail
Sorry, I still haven't figured out how to do the "tidier" link thingy.  My daughter keeps telling me how, but as soon as I get off the phone with her, I forget - lol.  I really must write it down.

If you are a fan of anime or just plain cute, you will love their work.

                                                  A little pair of owl earrings

A little penguin pendant.

A little puppy dog pendant.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Rainbow Dots

I'm just having fun making simple beads these days.  With summer now finally here, I just don't want to be in the studio as much.

My husband and I took off for the day to Saltspring Island, to their Saturday farmer's market.  WOW, what a fantastic market - lots of artisan breads, cookies, pies, cheeses, veggies, etc.  It also has an incredible amount of wonderful hand made items.  I spent LOTS of money!  One of the items I purchased is a really neat purse made from about 5 kinds of upholstery fabric.  This artist even makes her own slides for the strap out of copper, and her own wooden buttons.  My poor old purse is nearly ready for retirement, and I had been meaning to make a new one, but when I saw hers and the reasonable price, I just knew there was no way I was going to make my own!

I had also heard about a great quilting shop, so we walked around the village of Ganges until we found it, and it is indeed great - it's called Stitches.  I purchased some multicoloured yarns that I plan on making into pendant cords for some of my focal beads.  The colours made my mouth water - or no, maybe that was the cheese scone, or the saucer sized cookie, or the pot stickers, or perhaps the quiche or the huge blueberry tart filled with whipped cream.  We both ate non stop!!

Sorry, I don't have any pictures as I didn't want to take my big camera, and my smaller one was not charged up.  I am planning on going again later on in the summer, so I will remember to take the smaller camera then and get some pictures for you.

Rock Pools

I have 3 sets of this new design in my Etsy shop - Rock Pools.  They all start out with a transparent glass which is then covered in trails of a double Helix silver glass, reduced and encased.  Some then have a couple of pieces of .999 fine silver added, melted into dots in some cases (I love that look), trails of a clear and white twistie added and encased again.  I am really pleased with the watery summer look of these beads.

The beads in the last set are all slightly different, but all with the same look.

Thanks for looking!

Something different for me.

I have been having a lot of fun lately with polymer clay.  I have been making buttons and nautilus shell pendants.  The buttons are ready to take to the markets, but the shells have yet to be sanded and buffed, and some of them will have tentacles added, and will probably be strung on a leather cord.

I sure like the way (with polymer clay) that you can just up and leave whatever you are working on, and come back later and start up again.  With glass it is a "now or never" scenario.  I am really enjoying working with the polymer, but I'm not ready to give up the glass - lol.

I hope you all have a great weekend!