Not Quite Yet!

I am only back to tell you, I will be back. I have been so busy lately with vacations, (I know not a bad thing to be busy with.) that I haven't had time to sit down at the torch. After this, I am free until thanksgiving so I will back with new beads soon.

Im On Vacation

I am never, NEVER to hear of you going to the surface again. Is that clear?

I am still playing with the silver Double Helix Triton glass, and let me tell you it is interesting. I was wondering what would happen if you used it with "normal" glass that had a little silver in it. I pulled out a purple 1st that is somewhat of a mystery because it didn't have a label on it, but the tip had some silver burnt onto it from a previous use.

 This was the result. Yep this bead started out purple, as you can see the purple turned a metallic caramel color. After making the base bead and dotting it with Triton I turned up the propane and ran the bead through the top of the flame a few times. I actually kind of like the color. Now the question is what will happen if I cover it in clear next time.

The next bead I used Light Turquoise, it too has some silver in it. This was the glass I expected some kind of reaction with. To my surprise.....nothing. The Light Turquoise looks the same as does the Triton. Boorring.

The third bead was with different mystery purple. With this bead I can't be totally confident about the results. As I was making this bead I was running out of oxygen so I didn't adjust the propane at all. How exactly can I recreate these results?

The purple remained more purple than the previous bead and didn't have the reaction lines around the Triton dots. Interesting.
Just as the testing is getting interesting I finally picked up some GOOD clear glass yesterday. You know what that means.....Jellyfish. Unfortunately I will be going to Mexico soon so I will have very limited bead time and right after that is Las Vegas. If I can pick up some oxygen today I will be cramming a lot of bead time in this weekend.

A Bloom Of Beads

I have been busy at the torch the past few days making more jellyfish. I now have a bloom of them.(A large group of jellyfish in a small area is a bloom.) I typically get bored making a bead more than once, but these are different. I can sit at the torch for hours listening to music and making jellyfish after jellyfish. I'm still trying to perfect my technique so like in nature every jellyfish is different.

I even had the courage to make a Snorkel Bead. I didn't go all out like I would like to because I was still experimenting, but I really like the look of it. (Minus the scummy glass. Boo!) Next time I am going to add more sea sponges and urchins, and maybe even a shell or two.

Besides the jellyfish I have been working with a new color of glass. I have used it before and had beautiful results and now I don't remember how I did it. I still like the colors I am getting they just aren't what I was trying for. The bead below was made with one single color rod. The amount of propane and oxygen from the torch brings out the different colors.

I am off to the torch to make more jellyfish friends.

Not A Bad Problem To Have

I have said it before, I'm in a snorkeling mood, and the beads I made yesterday prove it. Well it looks like this is the closest I'm going to get to snorkeling for awhile. I have been try to plan a quick vacation to the Caribbean or Hawaii, but I'm already booked up until Christmas.

Bodega Bay

Monterey Bay

Baja Mexico

San Francisco (A girls shopping trip.)

Las Vegas

Oregon Coast

Baja Mexico (Again)

Baja Mexico (And again.)

For now I am going to appreciate the places I am going and continue doing my snorkeling in glass.

Beads

Here are the little buggers that caused so many tears last night. The complete meltdown I had in the hallway seems a little ridiculous after seeing the results this morning.(A little!) I try so hard and expect so much from myself. Because I'm still recovering from the emotional stupor, I will be taking the night off from making beads. I will be back at it tomorrow though.

Hair Dryer Meditation

I woke up this morning to take a look at my beads and started beating myself up again. I was disappointed with all of them. They weren't what I had envisioned the night before so I threw them in the cleaning bucket and went off to get ready for my day. While I was blow drying my hair I was thinking about how silly it was to have these beads make me so sad. (I do a lot of my deep thinking while drying my hair.) I went back out and took a newly enlightened view. It turns out they weren't as bad as I originally told myself. My starfish (Yes it supposed to be a starfish) is pretty chubby and looks like a flower but it's kind of cute. My palm frond actually is much better than I thought it was going to be while I was making it. My other three beads are really close to what I was going for.


I also am happy with my new bead background. I stopped fighting with the white and decided to go more natural. Actually my daughter came up with the idea. I was just thinking yesterday that I would try a colored background maybe a blue. When I came in from the torch yesterday my husband and daughter took pictures of some of my old beads and used the wood background, and I love it. One less thing for me to fight with. :)

My Bead City.

This last weekend we were running errands when at a stop light out of the corner of my eye I noticed this organizer drawer thing at a garage sale. I have been looking for something like it for a year or two and I was so excited to buy it. It reminds me of a condo or apartment for my beads to live in. Now the problem is where do I put it.

As I was saying yesterday I have been in a snorkeling mood. I am still working on booking a trip to Belize in fall, and now I am starting to be really ridiculous and am trying to find a way to go to the Seychelles in the next year or two. In the mean time I will have to enjoy the underwater life in glass.

It Happens

Please ignore my ugly hands and poorly manicured nails.

One question lampwork artist get asked is, "Do you ever get burned?". Yes, I think all people who spend time at the torch get burnt every now and then. For me it tends to happen when I am tired and just not focused. The first time I burnt myself was when I sat down a glowing hot glass rod and immediately picked it back up by the tip that was just in the flame. It melted a black fingerprint into the glass, and my index finger blistered instantly. This latest burns happen this last weekend.(Yes, there was more than one.) The first I quickly put my hand down on a HOT glass rod and burnt my ring finger under my knuckle. The second was glass shrapnel flying through the air and landing on my wrist. The last (pictured above) I can't even remember how it happened, but I know a very hot rod of glass was involved. I did finish up what I was doing then called it a day because I knew nothing good was going to happen.

I do have new beads to show tomorrow, and I have been in a snorkeling mood.

Hasta Luego

Soy va Mexico. Sorry, I am sure that is not right but I am trying. Here are 2 out of the 6 beads I have been working on. (The others are so similar I didn't post pictures of them.) I love them both but my favorite is the first one. I think the colors are so close to the real thing. My husband on the other hand likes the second one, which I do like the color combination its just not Baja. I did get the cactus technique from Jelveh Designs.


I'm sure I will have tons of pictures to show when I get back. I promise I will try to edit.