Tuesday, December 29, 2009

GLITZ AND GLAM
























There is one color combination that I just love. Blue with brown. Especially a baby blue with a cocoa brown. Elizabeth of eagamsky put together this combination with a variety of lampwork and mykonos beads, and a lot of others that are just gorgeous. Every one of these creations is so different from the last one but at the same time they all go so well together. Love them!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Wood and Ceramic - Gorgeous!


Karen of Wendywood sent me this photo of her wonderful combination of the Mykonos ceramic beads and her handmade wooden beads. She said that she makes the rustic walnut wood hoops by hand using a Dremel tool and sander. Anything that small and I believe I would put a hole right through the wood! This is another example of the wide diversity that these jewelry designers portray in their designs. Wonderful!

Can you say BUSY!


It has been quite a month. Was in an accident, had out of state company come for a visit, and got a whole bunch of new beads in. It's been a wee bit crazy around here and I'm just starting to feel like I can get back into some kind of a routine. And, finally the weather changed from it's normal 100 degree days to nice pre-Fall weather. What is pre-Fall weather? When it can't quite make up it's mind if it wants to be Fall or not. Some people call it Indian Summer, but here in Texas we go from 90 to 70 to 100 to 60 to 100 back down to 70, all in a matter of days. Forget about knowing what you are going to wear the next day, it can change on a dime. And, all I wanta to is torch, but so much other stuff had to be done I just had to be patient and wait it out. So, I am hoping to have new lampwork beads to share in the near future. But until then check out this pendant that I made in one of Vickie Hallmark's classes. We were actually her test class, for the class she is planning on teaching and I learned so much about PMC and painting on glass. I'll have more on this in a later post after I get a chance to finish this little lovely!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Have You Ever Done .....


Have you ever, by mistake of course, followed your own blog? I did.....and it was the funniest thing! I thought that I was following someone else. I saw that I had a new follower so I clicked on my followers to see who it was. And, this is where it gets a bit fuzzy. Somehow, instead of following her, I followed myself?! Then, when I saw that I had done that I tried to unfollow myself. I have yet been able to unfollow myself. I'll have to get out the big Blog manual for that one.

I'm still not sure how or what I did. I've gone back and tried to duplicate it, just so that I could describe it, and I can't do it. Nothing happens the same way it did the first time around. I'm not getting the same page that made me follow myself. Does this all have to be so complicated!

I'm sure you are wondering what this picture has to do with anything. Well, it doesn't. I thought I should add a picture so here is Callie sleeping in her favorite place, the bathtub. The life of a cat!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Latest Treasury - GLAM





This is by far my favorite Treasury that I have put together. It was just one of those things that everything fell together perfectly as I was looking for the items to include. I'm part of the Etsy Treasury Team and I only had two items that weren't part of the team. And, even those two fit right in as if they belonged right from the beginning. Amazing! Oh, and click on it and you will see a much larger version of it.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

A Marriage of Components





I've been bugging Pam of ferrarioriginalbeads for a picture of her designs. When she sent me the picture, the first thing that struck me was that I felt that I could reach right through the monitor and pick up the bracelet. Excellent photography! This bracelet also looks yummy enough to eat! She has used a combination of her lampwork beads and Mykonos Ceramic beads with copper components. Great combination!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Did somebody say Earings?






Laura of Mountaindreamers sent me this picture in a convo. For you non-etsy people that means a message via the Etsy system. She has made a wide variety of earings using some of my beads in their designs. I love the variety of components that are also included. Such a nice variety of looks to choose from. I can see the Pond Green spacers, the River Rock Spacers, and I think one of the Mykonos Greek Washers. Lovely!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Some Designs with Greek Components





Sharon of Seedlings Jewelry tweeted me about her lovely finished earings that she had posted to her flickr account. I was really curious to see what she had done with these organic, earthy looking washers from Mykonos Greece. I personally love the green patina of these Copper washers and when I look at the beads I wonder how they are going to be used. I never would have thought this design up! So original!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

A Little Bit of River Rocks






When I got the convo from Julie of juliethelen that she wanted me to make some nuggets out of the same types of glass I use for the River Rocks, I had no idea her designs would be so different and original! I absolutely love how she incorporated the beads in the watch bands that she made for these two watches. The real stones are just a perfect addition. I'm always amazed at the diversity of my buyers creations.



These are the earings that she made with the beads and I love the copper elements used with these beads. They work so well off of each other. I often look at my beads and wonder, what will these beads become?

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Different Types of Creations






Again, I am just in total wonderment of the gorgeous creations that my buyers have come up with. From beaded creations to sparkly bracelets and earings, I never know what will be made next.


Pat of GrandmasJewelryRoom used some of my Sunshine Swirled Nuggets, my first Series that I tried to duplicate the gorgeous glass used in Tiffany lamps. If you have ever seen the sheet of glass before it is cut you will notice wonderful transitions between the colors. I love how the lamps just radiate color whether they are turned on or off. Pay took my beads and made a bracelet and earings that are so full of color. I also love the handmade silver clasp that has that hammered look. Wonderful pieces.




Susan of Dreambeadweaver made a gorgeous beaded cuff and then added my disk beads to the top. She integrated the clasp to have it connect with one of the beads. I love the color of this cuff. It reminds me of the warm colors of summer transitioning into Fall.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

New Glass


This new glass is so unusual! I tried out some different applications and mama mia, this reminds me of how impressed I was with Aurae. In these beads I tried three different bases then added the glass to the top and then encased all with clear. You really have to see them in person to get the full effect, but it reminds me of something I saw about a fish that lives way down in the depths of the ocean that has this eerie swirl of color. I could be dreaming that I saw that, but it was that image I remembered and then also a telescopic look at the heavens. Looking at these beads can be a little hypnotic, if you ask me! There is all kinds of color that swirls through them.

Here is the same glass integrated within a focal with two other glasses. It is the lighter blue on the bottom. I wasn't sure what I was going to get when I made this focal, but I thought I might get more of the ethereal look I got in the disk beads. I think that because it was mixed in with all of the other glasses it reacts differently, but still has a striated look to the glass. Then there is the last bead set!


Since I knew that it was a high silver content glass I figured that it should turn metallic if I waved it through a high propane flame. Very pretty! What will be interesting is to see what color it looks like on different color glasses.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Design Using Greek Beads


Joanne Feissle of Designer Linx Jewelry sent me these pictures and I am in love with the simplicity and elegance of these designs. If you love silver and lapis blue you will love this necklace and matching earings. I always wonder what is going to happen with the beads my buyers purchase and as usual I am so impressed! In this design she used the Mykonos Silver Washers as a striking contrast to the Blue Lapis Rondelles. Gorgeous combination! Now I am looking at my chunky disks and thinking, hmmmm, I should do a necklace with this same idea of interspersing the silver disks to pop out the color of each bead. Months back I had made for myself some silver disks out of PMC, my first attempt at trying to figure out how that clay worked. And, then I got busy and didn't make anything more until just recently. That will be another post.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Earthy


Mary Jane of mairedodd asked me to do a special project. She wanted me to make up some smaller beads that are similar to my Granite focals. I wasn't sure I would be able to get the whole effect on such a small canvas, but in the end it did work out. If was interesting, though, because I was trying to get this veining effect and it didn't want to cooperate, totally, at first. But, in the end it did. So now you have to guess which is one of my beads! hehe

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Just In Time For The 4th!


I got a message from Traci of BerylBlue that she had made a necklace that was in a treasury. I was super excited for her, it is so much fun being chosen for a treasury, and she added that she had used my beads. I wasn't sure who I should be more excited for, her for getting her gorgeous finished design in a treasury, or me for having my beads in it! And, to boot it was a great design for the 4th of July. So here it is in all its glory!

Friday, July 3, 2009

What in the heck have I been doing?



Boy, is that the question of the day, week, year! Mary Jane of mairedodd gave me a challenge which I had to try out. I'm still working on it when I get a chance, (that brings up what in the heck have I been doing), but it involved trying out making large holed rings. What an interesting proposition! I so far have made them on the 1/4 inch mandrels which I usually use for the silver cored large holed beads. I need the larger hole so that the silver core size I like will fit in perfectly. What is different about the beads Mary Jane was looking for was a thinner band and thicker in depth if that makes sense. I got a few that I liked and now I want to make some on the 1/2 inch mandrel. Unfortunately, I only have one of those so I can only do one at a time.

At the same time I decided to go ahead an stock up my Artfire store. I have been torching like a crazy person getting my stock pile of goods available for each store. And, to add more excitement to the pot I got in my order of Mykonos Greek Ceramic beads. I have drooled over these beads forever! I love the colors and the silver beads are amazing! Do you know how long it takes to add that many beads to two venues? Forever....

So that is what I have been up to, and trying to get ready for the 4th. So, I better run for now!

Monday, June 29, 2009

Great Use of Color!


One of my favorite things to do is to see what the talented jewelry designers do with my beads and the many other wonderful lampworkers work that I see on Etsy, Artfire, etc. I usually have some kind of vision about how I would use the beads, that's if I ever got the time! And, then when I see the finished product I am blown away by the variety of styles that showcase the beads. Denise and Katie of livilubaby took some of my chunky disks from a variety of sets and put together this wonderful bracelet. I love the bright colors and the silver components that are included in this bracelet. It really does remind me of a fiesta!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

We're Having a YART Sale!


What in heaven's name is a Yart Sale! Well it is an artistic slant to a traditional Yard Sale: Yard + Art = YART. Etsy is having a Yart Sale starting on June 10 and running through the 14th. Great idea! It is a great idea to bring the whole community of Etsy together in a common goal.

So all you wonderful people come visit my store Linden Avenue Designs on the 10th thru the 14th and see what all the excitement is about! It should be fun!

Monday, June 8, 2009

More Buyers Creations





Mary Jane of mairedodd is one of my wonderful collaborative buyers. She has given me some interesting projects to work on and I never know quite how it is going to end. She takes what I and many other lampwork artists make and turns them into her own wonderful designs. I love how each designer takes these components and makes them her own!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Buyers Creations





















My buyers are a talented group of Artists! They take what I make and do a little magic with all of their wonderful components to make a new one of a kind design. These beads are part of my Old Paint series and I love what Diane of
dianeh2468 has done with these beads! She hasn't opened a store at Etsy, but after seeing these two creations I believe she should consider it. I love the red coral she used with these beads. Perfect color coordination. When I see what my buyers do with my beads I get more ideas of what I can do with the glass that is available. It is so much fun!




Vicki Murphie of Sasha321 took my simple Tomato Bisque crystals and turned them into these beautiful earings! She wrote to me and told me that she used Higher Chakra Supply earing wires which are those twirls of metal you see above the bead. I'm very impressed with how these components all work so well together.


Priscilla of PGsGemspiration took some of my blue marble beads and turned them into this wonderful creation. She calls them Blueberry, which is fitting! I have to reiterate again that I have the most wonderfule buyers! They keep me thinking out of the box and challenging me to come up with something unique that they can use in their designs. Even the simple bead is turned into something gorgeous in their designs! And, I thank them wholeheartedly for their continued support and friendship!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Ongoing New Designs





This bead is one of the larger focals that I have tried out various cuts just to see which way things would go. Interesting effect. I love the contrast between the silver and the blue. The hard part is taking the photograph of these lovelies! That's why when I list items for sale I take lots of pictures so that you can see them at different angles. All of these silver glasses can be tricky to capture the beauty of it sometimes.


I really prefer more of a freeform look to beads, odd shapes and interesting cuts in the glass. At least I think they are interesting. When you cut glass it can spring apart like these two beads did. I've been working on perfecting the actual number of cuts and the proportion of the base glass to the special glass - high silver content, and then seeing how the base glass influences the outcome. The blue in the left on really does influence the color of the bead. These silver glasses are partly transparent so you see the color as you turn the bead. On the right it is a pale pink base which I think adds more color to the iridescence. I felt that if I used a pale yellow it would be too yellow. Really interesting.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

More Mama Mia! Aurae in Two Forms





Aurae is one of the newest glasses out there and I am still finding ways to use it. For the focal I made some glass shards out of it and then applied to a base bead the broken up pieces of thin glass. If you don't know what or how a shard is made I take a hollow mandrel, think of a straw made out of stainless steel, and then melt around the end over and over again th Aurae glass until I have made a ballon of glass. The hole of the mandrel is not closed over during this process which gives me the ability to blow into the metal tube making the balloon of glass expand to a thin walled balloon of glass. Then after knocking this ball off of the mandrel I then break up this really interesting balloon into pieces. Next time I will take a picture of what this looks like. On the focal you can see some of the pieces that ae laid across the base bead. The shards are left raised and then after getting the look I'm going for the whole bead is waved through a high propane flame (reduction flame) to bring out the shine. This glass is the most beautiful gold glass. It is so rich and shiny!



Then we have the spun glass effect. I've done this with burgundy, deep purple and silver and love the effect of the spun glass. I do believe that this is going to be my new favorite! The spun glass on these beads really shows up the shiny and irridescent properties of this glass. The glass reflects whatever is around it and seems to take on the hue of the glass it is covering and at the same time reflect back onto that glass the gold hues. Very pretty!

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Wonderful Buyers - Great Ideas!








I have wonderful buyers. I could exclamation this but it really is a simple statement with a huge story behind it. My buyers prod me with requests for new color combinations like Mary of fabmosaics did with the Burgundy and Purple Spun Glass Beads. That little request had me checking different reds to find the right color that would sparkle. The Purple I knew would because it was clear, but the reds were a mismatch of opaques that I wasn't sure would do the bead justice. Luckily some of the newer reds are coming out part opaque and part clear giving that coveted sparkle I was looking for! My latest request has been a hoot! Terry of teresavainoris wanted beads that looked like lettuce and cucumbers... Well, to say it hasn't been interesting would be an understatement. I'm hoping that I can beg, borrow or steal a picture from Terry once she is finished with her bracelet. Which brings me to my latest style of beads. The SLICE. It really isn't new. I have been making them for the River Rock Series, but I thought that it would REALLY be pretty to have THIN slices of color. I've discovered that glass other then River Rock can be extremely soupy when it comes to making the slim slices. I was having bead release issues and glass that completely let go from the mandrel! The bead would be finished and off it would go sliding across the mandrel as if being chased by the flame! I thought it was a fluke the first time it happened, but when it happened over and over again, me desperately attempting to stop the skidding wheel of glass from leaving the mandrel completely, I became convinced there has to be something to the percentage of glass adhering to mandrel and any force applied to it. If it is a small area, IT DOESN'T LIKE IT. I have to giggle, because it is just me, Lady and Callie watching these spinning wheels as they desperately attempt to escape. I shout out, here comes another one girls! (there are a few choice expletives that have been deleted for the general public) Usually, any shouting gets Callie to high tail it out of the room to safety and Lady follows figuring Callie must know something she doesn't. By that time I have wrangled the rascal back to the end of the mandrel where it belongs. Oh, I didn't mention the fact that the bead FIRST comes running towards me, my fingers, and then when I tip it to not hit my hand it turns and runs back towards the end. It's like trying to manage a seesaw! Luckily I have these wonderful tweezers that aren't really tweezers, not sure what you would call them, no serrations, and I use those to grab it, set it back on the release and reheat and polish. Just another interesting day in the Linden household!

Friday, May 8, 2009

Mama Mia - Can you say Aurae?








Gorgeous is all I can say! I tried this glass out with the bubble effect and I am so pleased with the results! It has so many subtle shades of color, irridescence, reflection, I can't say enough good things about it. It reflects everything around it and the base color also gets reflected color. There are so many possibilities that this glass can be used in that I don't know where to start first. One for sure will be blowing shards of this glass. I made another bead that I left the glass raised and it is extremely shiny and colorful but I wasn't happy with the end results of the beads shape. I'm thinking of reheating the bead and seeing if I can do a little magic on it. That ought to be interesting.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Crazy, Crazy, Crazy!






Just when I think things are going to calm down, I couldn't be more wrong! Unfortunately, in the middle of it all are TAXES! Am I the only one who is still working on their taxes? The combination of moving last year and that my computer crashed has not been fun! Do I need to say more?! What has been fun is working with some new glass and seeing the interesting results I have been getting out of it! One of my favorite new glasses is giving me the variety of River Rock bead styles I love to make. I really would like to get feedback on these beads as I add different styles with this glass. So far I have nuggets, slices, chips, disks and spacers. Most of the time I etch the beads for that satin river rock look I'm looking for.



What has been really fun is being able to stretch and find new ways to use this glass. I love the slices because they are such a simple easy way for someone to wear an unusual bead that will definitely be a conversation starter. IMHO of course. I have to find my html book, but where it is after the move, who knows. I can't remember how you get two pictures to align next to each other. I keep getting these big vast open blank spaces of white. So I guess I will have to move the picture to the middle. If anyone who reads this knows how to get two pictures to align next to each other please comment. PLEASE!!

As you can see in the slices they are perfect for earings or even as part of a necklace or bracelet. I have made them two ways; with the hole up more towards the top or more centered. Since they are an irregular form centering isn't really a perfect center. I'm taking this style and incorporating it now into using it with other types of glass. I will be posting more pictures later. A regular disk which is just glass that has been melted being wound onto a mandrel shows the glass in its first originally melted form as it leaves the rod. That is a very interesting way to see the variations in the original glass. But, I have discovered making the slices that it is like actually taking a slice out of a fully melted piece of glass where it has had a chance to melt, change color and all the weird gradiations are there to be seen. Interesting development.


Sunday, March 15, 2009

Spun Glass Rounds

This is the latest in the spun glass series and I really like the way they came out. This time I did a combination of dark royal blue and the Lustre and it really sparkles. It took a few trys to get it right on the rounded form instead of a barrel, which is so much easier to do the spun glass. On a round you can't do the same type of stringing of the bead like you do with a barrel which is a continued rounded area. I also discovered it was better to have a real round bead instead of a more donut shaped bead.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Made it myself



I'm trying out this site for selling called madeitmyself.com. It looks like it is another new website similar to Artfire that is in the beta stage. Though this one doesn't have same type of individual stores like Etsy and Artfire, as far as I can tell. It gives you a page with your listings at the bottom, but so far it doesn't seem to be as detailed as Etsy or Artfire. It will be interesting to see how it develops!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Earth Glass


Really interesting glass that reminds me of Terra but I've never been able to get any pink out of it. It will give you a lot of purple, blues, yellow to mustard, browns, and greens. It seems to do better when it comes in contact with metal; somehow the color pops better. It is similar to Terra in getting the color to come up after the initial heating by going back and heating it again with a slight warming of the top layer of the bead. You can go too far and have to start over, but I've noticed that it seems to wear out the color if you do this too many times. It's like a pair of jeans that gets washed over and over again and starts losing its color. I call it Earth when I sell it on Etsy because it reminds me of what the earth would look like from an airplane.

Some more Spun Glass


This set was first a special order and then I liked it so much I made it again for my Etsy store. The burgundy glass that is used in this set is a CIM glass and is a rich, deep burgundy that turns almost all opaque but leaves part of the glass clear for that wonderful sparkle effect. This glass reminds me of a lot of the Vetrofond oddlot glasses that have that effect of the partial clear and the sparkle. Really is pretty to see in person!