Meeting!
The meeting was just too much fun. We had a great time, and I got to try on one of Shane’s hand-sewn barrettes. It looks way cool, and I asked her to make one for me. If you want one too, you can find Shane on Facebook.
March 6, 2010
Tags: barrette, flower Posted in: Uncategorized 
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Convergence Entry!
Finally, here it is, my Convergence entry along with the story Chris wrote.
The whole piece.
During the Middle Kingdom period of ancient Egypt (around 2000 BC), a popular member of their pantheon of gods was the crocodile headed deity Sobek. He personified military strength and power as well as the fertility of the Nile and was, not very surprisingly, the patron god of crocodiles.  In some temples the priests of Sobek would keep crocodiles in pools, feeding them prime cuts of meat befitting Sobek’s earthly form. I imagine the feeding and care of the temple crocodiles was a position of great honor, or so the elder priests probably told the initiates assigned to the duty. One can at least dream that as a benefit to that office (in addition to being hissed at regularly by your wards) was this ceremonial necklace. It is made with copper chains (a metal valued by the ancient Egyptians for its spiritual connections) and set with semi-precious green stones the color of the fertile Nile delta, the clasp perhaps suggesting the form of the sacred pools containing the crocodilian form of Sobek himself. Admittedly a small consolation for having your god occasionally try and eat you, but I suppose any faith inevitably requires some level of forbearance.
The lampwork clasp.
I used copper chain, copper seed beads, epidot, lemon jade, and swarovski crystals.
February 24, 2010
Tags: convergence, entry, isgb, lampwork Posted in: jewelry, necklace No Comments
Meeting Sunday!
That’s right, the monthly bead meeting is Sunday, 2-4ish, at the Mercantile Store in Pendleton SC, and you are all invited! Bring your work for show and tell! Be prepared to eat yummies! Use lots of exclamation points! This meeting is also our new annual trade meeting. Bring art items you don’t use any more for trade or sale. It could be yarn that you aren’t knitting any more since you discovered beads. It could be that gross present your Aunt gave you for your birthday. It could be clothes that don’t fit. Anything and everything to trade! Or if you prefer, you are “upcycling” your old things. 
 Hope to see you there!
February 23, 2010
Tags: bead meeting, trade Posted in: upcycle No Comments
SALE
Flower Murrini
That’s right, I’m having a sale in my Artfire store right now! Everything, including the murrini I make, is marked down by 25%. You don’t have to do anything to get the sale price, it is already there. This sale ends the morning of February 27th, so get your goodies now!
February 20, 2010
Tags: artfire, glass, jewelry, murrini, sale Posted in: artfire No Comments
Have to redo the clasp
Metal beads with handmade button bracelet
As much as I adore how this bracelet worked out, I’m going to have to redo the clasp. The glass button I made is just a little too big for the hole. Drat! I used metal hex beads for this one. With so much color from those, I didn’t think it needed any extra embellishment. A while back I made a whole bunch of glass buttons, and I saved them for bracelets. That way when I pick out a metal bead (or other fun beads) I know I’m going to have a toggle that matches. Between the ones I made and the vintage ones my mom gave me, I’m set on buttons for ages!
February 18, 2010
Tags: bracelet, button, lampwork, seed bead Posted in: jewelry, lampwork One Comment
Glass Glitter?
Glass Glitter Mushrooms
I was playing around online, and found this stuff I’d never seen before called “glass glitter”. Evidently it is being used to make cards and mushrooms like you see in the picture. It was on the Meyer Imports site, and this is what they had to say:
Welcome to the world of Gorgeous Glass Glitter! Packaged conveniently in Take and Make packages, this finely ground colored glass is silver coated for extra sparkle and shine. Over time a beautiful patina ages the colors, to give you a really authentic vintage glass glitter look. Available in a rainbow of colors and blends, German Glass Glitter also offers 4 different grit sizes. Ranging from the super fine 100 grit, to the super chunky 70 grit.
Produced in Europe by fine art glass glitter artisans, available exclusively from Meyer Imports.
Project suggestion: Use with our Craft Tac Glitter Adhesive to embellish any greeting card, scrapbook or paper art project!
Frit bead with spirals on top
Now anyone who makes glass beads knows this stuff by another name, frit. We use it to make cool color patterns on beads. In fact, it is what made the pattern on my bead here. Lots and lots of bead makers use frit, and lots of places sell it. It tends to have sharp edges, and often has powdered glass in it that is bad to inhale. So I can’t quite see using it on cards. Has anyone out there done this?
Oh, and to see fancy frit beads, take a look at the Glass Diversions web site. The center column is all frit beas, and they are delish!
February 5, 2010
Tags: frit, glass glitter, lampwork Posted in: bead One Comment
Some projects…..
just don’t turn out like you think they will! This one started with 2 kinds of beads, both with a lavender core surrounded by hot pink. I thought they would go great together, with the different shapes making things interesting. Instead it turned out much more pink than I had thought it would! The button is great though. It is a vintage metal button that my mom gave me. She gave me a whole bunch of vintage buttons and I’ve been using them as clasps for my bracelets. Later this week, more bracelets!
February 4, 2010
Tags: bracelet, seed bead, woven Posted in: jewelry No Comments
Something I never thought I’d hear….
Judy's mini-ornaments.
When I took Sylvie’s class, I got a ton of new size 15 seed beads in 10 gram bags. Well, actually I got 2 of each and sent one set to my mother in law, Judy. Judy is a beadaholic, and makes really cool things out of those teeny tiny beads. These ornaments are some that she made, and they are about 2 inches in diameter. Perfect for a mini Christmas tree! What I never thought I’d hear from Judy…. “You have satisfied my bead lust!”.
January 28, 2010
Tags: beaded Christmas ornament Posted in: bead One Comment
Tree Planting
pawpaw fruit
We planted 2 new trees this past weekend, pawpaw trees! You don’t see them around much any more, but for years they were a diet staple over a lot of the US. They produce edible fruit, and their seeds used to be made into a shampoo that killed lice. In fact, the active ingredient in the seeds is what they make lice shampoo out of now. The fruit are supposed to taste like banana custard. It will be a few years before ours bear fruit. They propagate like birch trees… the parent tree sends out shoots that become new trees attached to the parent. So eventually we should have a little field of pawpaw trees!
If you want more info about the pawpaw tree, here is a good site with lots about the history of the tree.
Pawpaw flower
Inside the fruit.
Fruit in the tree.
January 26, 2010
Tags: paw paw, pawpaw, tree Posted in: Uncategorized No Comments
Look what I found!
I was shopping around Etsy for headbands today, and at the bottom of the page it showed other things I could buy. Imagine my surprise when I saw a necklace made with one of my lampwork beads! Oklahoma Mama made this, and here is what she says:
Oh, purple… how do I love thee? Let me count the ways ♥
I found this beautiful Satake glass lampwork focal bead (Purple Swirls from DogmawGlass) and just had to do something special with it!
6mm purplicious peacock potato pearls (say THAT five times fast!) are snuggled down with 3×6 purple jasper rondelles (thanks to JenniferCasadyGems)
The pendant is suspended from a sterling silver ball and chain & capped off with a pretty sterling silver barrel
Did you notice the sweet petite rondelles? They’re 2.5mm tanzanite…a semiprecious stone I’ve always wanted to work with and I’m so glad I did! They add just the right amount of pizzazz to this design
I went with a sterling silver bali “S” clasp
If you’ve never used one before, it’ll soon be your new favorite too! Just gently pull either end up and slip the ring off… pinch shut to reclose
DIMENSIONS:
Necklace itself: 18″ around
Pendant & chain: 2 1/4″
Pendant: 32mm x 28mm x 12mm
So check out her etsy shop and see lots of cool jewelry! Clicking on the picture will take you to it.
January 21, 2010
Tags: etsy, jewelry, lampwork, necklace, oklahoma mama Posted in: jewelry No Comments
