Donations

Every year I donate to 3 shows and organizations, and to make it easier for me, I usually make the same piece for each donation.  This year it will be my amber eye pendant in a cone shape.  The color combination is one of my favorites, and I often shade the dots from light to dark.  The design is based on the historical eye bead- each dot represents an eye, which helps to protect the wearer.

The donations this year will go to the Earth Center for the Arts (Tyler Craft Center) for their auction on June 3,  BCTV Octoberfest for their televised fund raising auction on Oct 17-22, 2011, and the  Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen Holiday Show on Oct 29-30, 2011 at the Kutztown University Fieldhouse. 

Kiln repair

Yesterday I was in my studio preparing to make beads, but unfortunately when I turned my kiln on, nothing happened!   I was not in the mood for dealing with it, so I turned on my back up kiln and spent the day making beads.  Today I decided to deal with it!  I seemed to remember ordering elements years ago and receiving more than one set, so off I went on the hunt.  In a dusty box, I found 2 sets of elements and the directions for changing them.  After locating screw drivers, wire cutters and needle nose pliers, I tackled removing the old elements, which was definitely in distress, and installing the new ones.  My kiln now works again, and I have the elements for one more repair.  I read some place that they are supposed to work for 10 years, and I haven't come close to that yet.  I am so happy to have my favorite kiln working again!

New butterfly bead

After much experimenting, I think I have finally settled on the colors for this new bead.  I call it a butterfly bead, since the inspiration was a butterfly.  The raised dots actually have a flash of color- I couldn't capture that in a photo.  The background is ivory glass and the rest is various colors of Double Helix silver glass.  I am having loads of fun experimenting with all the new silver glass colors.  I developed the first butterfly bead for my new book, which probably won't be out until early next year.  It is so much fun to work on new designs!

Out of the kiln

Yesterday I came down with some kind of crud, sore throat, etc, but today I felt well enough to work on my torch for a while.  These are what I took out of the kiln tonight.  The large one is a blown bead, and it doesn't have any cracks!  That has been a problem for me, and I am not sure if it is my annealing schedule or if they are going into the kiln too cool.  The bottom left three are my new butterfly beads.  I was experimenting with silver glass stringers, and it really made a difference.  The left one fumed too much and looks dirty, the middle one didn't fume much at all, and the right one fumed enough to turn the ivory glass darker.  I like it!  The gold ones on the right are experiments with a new silver glass.  It was a pretty good day, especially considering how I felt!

March!

Signs of spring are happening!  We have had a lot of rain, not ice or snow!  I thought when Feb was over, I would be able to slow down a little, but that isn't happening.  I have to do all the things I put off!  Plus tax season is coming- not my favorite thing.  But with all this, I made myself a promise that I would get into my studio more.  My new beads were the ones that sold at the Berks Bead Bazaar, a sure sign I need to keep creating new beads. 

Berks Bead Bazaar 2011

The 10th annual Berks Bead Bazaar was last weekend and it was great seeing my beady friends.  My friend Joan Miller and I started this show mainly because there weren't any bead shows close to us 10 years ago.  Patti Cahill came with her bright, happy colors and new crocheted collars.   Leslie Pope of Twisted Sistah was there with her seed beads.  Laura Drosner Schreiber had her bright, almost retro lampworked glass beads.

Marti Brown had her tools, jewelry and beading supplies set up.



Jennifer McGinithen had her wonderful borosilicate beads there.  There were lots of great stone beads, pearls, silver, polymer clay, and any other kinds of beads you can think of!

And we couldn't have the show without the help of two friends, Charlene Keller and Judy Conard, who always help with the admission table.  They are both jewelers who love to buy supplies at the show. 

We forgot it was our 10th year, so maybe we will have a special something for our 11th year!

Busy Feb

I just realized I haven't written a blog this month!  It has been a very, very busy month, and I will be glad when it is over.  My new book was due this month (more on that later) and I have 2 shows.  The IBE Clarksville MD show was last weekend, and the Berks Bead Bazaar is coming up this weekend (http://www.berksbeadbazaar.com) so my friend Joan Miller and I have been working hard to get ready for that.  I am looking forward to seeing friends and some amazing beads!  There is always the usual stuff- bills, paperwork, cleaning (?), laundry...the stove needed repaired.  And on top of everything, there was snow, more snow, ice, sleet and freezing rain.  Some trees didn't handle the ice too well.  I need spring!