More Spiral Disks

Some opaque ones this time:

These disks are for sale in my Etsy shop.
I've found that the stiffer transparent glasses are easier to make spiral disks with than the softer opaques. The transparents hold their shape longer in the flame. Heat control is really the key in making disks, so if you are learning this technique I recommend starting with a transparent or a stiff opaque. Now finally after a year of practice I've got my heat control down to the point where opaque spiral disks are possible, and I'm so happy! In fact I seem to be obsessed with spiral disks these days. That must be the natural result of finally getting something that has taken so many hours of blood sweat and tears!

Uh-oh...........
I just opened the cooled-down kiln to see yesterday's bead loot, and was met with utter disaster. OMG. I'll have to take a picture and write the next blog post about it.....
:(

Spiral Disks

For a year I've been practicing making spiral disk beads... week in, week out! I think I'm finally getting the hang of it! It's the most challenging lampworking technique I've ever tried to master, though it looks so simple. Here are some sets I've made lately, some of which are still for sale in my Etsy shop:

Rose Quartz Disks

Summer Disks

K102 Disks (Kronos glass odd lot)

Sea Green Disks

Blue Rose Disks

Whew! Can't wait to get back to the torch and make more!

I've been interviewed!

For several months I've been working on an interview with Adobe, and it's finally live! You can view it on their kuler website at http://kuler.adobe.com. Click on the "Spotlight" link on the right side menu bar. You may need the latest version of Flash to view the site.

Adobe's kuler website allows users to create and share color schemes, then download them to Photoshop for use in designing print materials, web sites, etc. I use the site just for fun because I love color!

A few months ago I wrote a blog post here about kuler which caught Adobe's attention and led to the interview: http://beadabundant.blogspot.com/2008/01/kuler-kolor.html

For this interview, I've used a new feature on the kuler website which allows me to upload a photo from my computer and extract several color schemes directly from the colors in the photo. From these color schemes I created bead sets. Here's an example:

Photo of Diamond Head on O'ahu:

The color scheme I extracted from the image:

and the resulting bead set I created, inspired by the photo and the color scheme:

The kuler site is lots of fun to play with, so if you love color stop on by and be inspired!

Metallic Beads on Etsy

Here are two new sets I've got up on Etsy. This first set is encased Kronos rondelles with 3.5mm holes. The edges of the beads are left un-encased which produced a beautiful metallic deep green color that was hard to photograph:

This set has a base/center of Dark Silver Plum with an outside layer of Psyche:


Very metallic! :-)

Kronos Rondelles

Here's a simple set of encased Kronos rondelle-shaped beads, going in my Etsy shop today. I love the variety of blues that show up when I put clear over Kronos.

By the way, the lines in the beads are not cracks... they are a design on the surface of the Kronos that happens at the point where the clear encasing is first put down.
:-)
Enjoy your day!

Luna 2 Beads

I've had a chance to try the new glass from Double Helix, Luna 2! It has taken me a few tries to get the hang of it. Now that I'm finally getting it to strike, I'm loving the rainbow of colors in this glass! Here is a set of beads I have up in my Etsy shop right now:

The base color of these beads is Dark Silver Plum. When I put the Luna over it I really got the colors to pop! Maybe it's just because I've practiced enough with the Luna, or maybe it's the chemical reaction between the Luna and the Silver Plum that did it. Either way I'm happy with the results and I can't wait to play with this glass some more!

New Bead Style!

Here is my latest project - a new bead style! (New for me anyway!)


If you're a lampworker: I made these by creating an encased triangle bead, then heating each end and letting gravity (and a tiny bit of marvering) stretch it down the mandrel. They take an incredibly long time to make. Just coaxing the glass down the mandrel takes me about 35-45 minutes.

These beads are a real skill challenge for me. I usually make small beads that only use one or two colors. I wanted to expand my horizons, so I tried making an encased triangle bead but accidentally stretched it down the mandrel too far. I really liked the look of it though, so I just kept going and voila, a new style!

Okay enough blabbing. Here are some more photos. None of these beads are for sale yet because I can't let let them go!




If you're interested in what clear I used, some of these beads have CiM clear and some have Vetrofond Crystal Clear. With both clears, I got some scumming and some bubbles. The pictures show it up more than you can actually see in "real life." It's hard to find a clear that stands up to very long working times.

I found that the CiM clear was a little stiffer than the Vetro, so ultimately I went with the Vetro because it melts over the base bead more quickly. The whole secret/challenge to these beads is getting the encasing all the way to the end so the colors don't leak out and bloom across the outside surface.

Hope you enjoyed the eye candy!