New Silver Cored Beads

I have a couple new silver cored beads listed in my Etsy shop today:The first bead is made with Double Helix odd lot KA-356 and encased with Aether clear. It looks like a sunrise to me. I love the colors and the soft look. KA-356 is translucent so the bead has an inner glow from light reflecting off the silver core.
The second bead is Ivory with Aurae scrolls. It's a nice small bracelet bead, with lots of crackled Ivory detail.

I have 10 more big-holed beads sitting on my bench waiting to be cored. It's been a while since I've listed any new silver cored beads... that's because my Mom bought the silver Pandora bracelet I have been using as a prop in my photos. She asked me how much the bracelet cost, and I thought she meant how much I paid for it. When I told her the price, she wrote me a check for the bracelet. I froze for a second, suddenly realizing that she was buying my photo prop which I need to photograph my silver cored beads. But I couldn't turn away Mom, right? Mom should have what she wants! And if it inconveniences me, well, I think I've inconvenienced her a few times with things a little more dire, starting with birth. So, I've been saving my pennies for a new silver Pandora bracelet, which has now arrived, and is now pictured in my new silver cored bead photos. Whew! And Mom LOVES her bracelet, and now I get to make her a bunch of beads for it!

Purple Lampwork Treasury

I'm going Treasury-happy on Etsy now. I've created a collection of my favorite recently-listed purple lampwork beads. One of the best things about creating a Treasury is finding new artists and marveling at their amazing and inspiring talent!
You can view the Treasury by clicking on the image or the link below:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c1c2454bd2f8eef44040968/luscious-purple-lampwork
Enjoy your weekend!

Pandora Glass Beads

Here's a set of spacer beads I made with Double Helix Pandora glass:I haven't worked with Pandora in a long time. It was fun to break it out and play with it again. While the glass is hot it looks transparent green, but after spending 6 hours annealing at 950 F, then cooling down overnight, it develops the streaky purples and blues... if I'm lucky!

Part of this bead batch turned a muddy pale green. I tried making two beads on the mandrel to save kiln space, but that didn't work too well. While laying down the second bead, the first bead would cool and turn opaque light green. They went into the kiln with one bead being opaque and one being transparent. Only the transparent green beads, the second ones laid down, turned nice colors. The beads that went into the kiln opaque, stayed muddy. Lesson learned: Get the Pandora hot only once and pop it in the kiln, don't work this glass too much or let it get cool and hot again.

The Pandora bead set is in my Etsy shop, along with this new mixed metallic set using mainly Nyx and Kronos glass:
♥ ♥ ♥

Latest Bead Sets

These two sets are new in my Etsy shop:The top set is made with a base of Nyx and flattened wraps of Triton glass. I love the colors of Nyx and the industrial look of these beads. The second set is made with (I think!) Terra2 glass and the Double Helix odd lot KA-356. I swirled the colors together, struck and then encased.

Next on the chopping block - perhaps for tomorrow - is a set of mixed metallic beads and a set of Pandora glass spacers, inspired by Gardanne! I'm still working on the Pandora set. Some of my beads from yesterday did not strike. My set is not turning out anything like the pretty earth-tone colors in Gardanne's set, I'm getting more purples and blues, in the beads that are striking anyway.

Visit my Fresh Green Glass Treasury on Etsy to see some lovely beads in various shades of green made by some very talented lampwork artists!

Who Loves Green Glass?

Sure, I've heard the rumors.
"No one likes green."
"Green beads never sell."
I happen to love green, it's my favorite color next to purple, and green beads sell quite well for me! I'm flaunting this fantastic color, with as many shades as there are green growing things and with depth and hues as varied as the many waters of Earth, in my first ever Etsy Treasury. Click on the photo to visit!
I created this Treasury quite by accident. I was surfing Etsy and clicked on the Treasury list. I just so happened to click when the lists were below 333, and I was able to create my own Treasury! I wasn't prepared to do this today, but not wanting to miss the opportunity I put together a grouping of delectable green lampwork beads. All of the listings are created by the bead artists themselves.
Enjoy, and please visit the shops of these talented artists, where you'll find many more incredible beads!

Bainbridge Island, WA

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to travel to the magical misty forests of Bainbridge Island, Washington, a half-hour ferry ride from Seattle. I used to live in Oregon, but it's been ten years since I've been back to the Pacific Northwest. I've been baking in the sun here in Arizona since then, and needless to say I've gotten a little... parched. Going to Bainbridge Island was like adding water to a dry sponge. If it's not raining there, then it's misting, cloudy, and just about to rain any second. I loved it!

Here are some photos from the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, a beautiful property with 150 acres of tended gardens and wild forests.

The Japanese garden:

Flowers in the forest:

Baby geese!

In bead news... I have a few sets to photograph today and I'll post the pics here when they're ready.
Both of my kids, ages 9 and 15 are at summer camp in Minnesota for the next month. This is so weird, having the whole house to myself for this long. I guess it's been 15 years since I've experienced this. I can't believe all the beadmaking time I have now. And I can clean the house and it won't get messy again. Wow. I'm hoping to be able to share lots of bead chat and photos with you in the coming weeks!
:-D

Art Bead Scene Blog: Friday Finds with Lorelei: Lampwork Favorites

Lorelei has included this set of my beads in her Etsy Treasury East! Thanks Lorelei!This is a 'destash' listing of an assortment of beads made with Terra, Ekho, and other Double Helix striking silver glasses.

Click the picture below to visit the Treasury page and check out all the gorgeous lampwork! I'm partial to Gardanne's "Pandora Assortment."
Here is Lorelei's blog post about her Treasury:
Art Bead Scene Blog: Friday Finds with Lorelei: Lampwork Favorites

Enjoy your weekend!