I keep my Etsy shop open for various reasons… Justify my need to buy pretty glass, feeling legitimate in my lampwork pursuits, and just plain fun having a little cyber shop. Anyway, I actually got a request for some custom beads! So, off to my garage studio I went, dusted off my equipment, ran over to Lowes for a new propane tank, checked everything for safety, fired up my torch, and voila!
And as long as I opened up my studio, I made more beads:
I will eventually add them to my shop 🙂
The best part of the holidays were and will always be the gathering of loved ones. Dear older son flew back to Arizona yesterday, and younger two return to University today. Here is a photo of the kids taken at my parents house, playfully shoving each other – always hard to get a good photo of them together. When I bring out the camera, it’s almost a cue for them to make faces and act silly, especially the boys:
Some quick lampwork bead jewelry – a commission from my sister:
And to plant some pink buttercups. On a cycling ride up to Oak Glen, dear daughter saw these and thought I would enjoy them – so thoughtful!
Now on to tackle all the things I have planned for the year!
Here are a few more of my handmade lampwork beads that I made a few weeks ago. The weather has not been conducive for making beads in my garage studio lately… Must wait for cooler weather. Meanwhile, you can find these beads in my Etsy Shop:
I have noticed many bloggers giving wonderful tours of their home studios. I do not have a dedicated studio for my art/craft in my house yet, but I do have a lampwork studio in our detached garage. Viv asked me about it, and I thought, why not? So, here is a tour of my garage studio. It is more industrial than cute, but with melting glass, and sometimes exploding glass, it serves it’s purpose:
This is a view of our detached garage, and half of the fuel for my torch – a propane tank. Dear hubby put in the exhaust vent above the tank:
And here is my studio in one corner of the garage. In the middle is my work station with my torch, and all around are my tools, supplies, and equipment. to the right is my kiln for annealing the beads, and below that is my oxygen concentrator (added with propane, fuels the torch). And above is my air vent and fan. I use a Nortel Minor torch. It has a graphite marver piggy backing on it so it looks kind of funny. The little round white things are DH’s socks filled with beans that I use as arm rests 🙂
And here are a few of my beautiful glass rods. I use mainly Moretti and Bullseye rods, but I also have CIM, Lauscha, and Vetrofond. I just purchased some Devardi rods, which I am looking forward to trying out next session:
These are the tools of the trade. Marvers, hemostats, molds, presses, scissors, knives, kitchen spoons, mandrels with bead release, and some stringers I pulled for decorating. Starbucks coffee bottles make really good containers for glass storage:
Here I am. I think these photos were taken a few years back. You can see I used to drink a lot of starbucks coffee 🙂 I am wearing my didymium safety glasses, melting glass, and winding it on a mandrel. When I’m done, it gets popped into the kiln for annealing.
Finally, here are some glass beads I have made in the past. I tend to make florals and rounds in happy cheery colors:
Thank you for stopping by!
– Linda
Here are a few more handmade lampwork beads from my last beading session. I just love to make round beads encased in clear – and in my go to color, Pink!
You can find these and other beads in my Etsy shop. Thank you for visiting!
– Linda
Happy Pink Saturday! Thank you to Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for hosting this weekly event.
I was finally able to spend some time playing on the torch, early in the morning before it got too hot. I made these two rose sets as well as a few others that I will list later. When I start making beads, it’s so much fun, I just want to keep making/experimenting with different glass and combinations. You can find these roses in my Etsy shop – I can’t wait for cooler weather!
You know what they say is the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That about sums it up for my efforts in making lampwork beads… I make them, list them, and “hope” to sell them. At the very least to support my lampwork beading habit… Am I insane? Whatever, I have fun doing it, and a husband who just wants me to be happy, sooo…
I took advantage of cool weather we had a couple of weeks ago, and sat down to make some beads. And I am finally getting down to listing these beads on Etsy. Once I start making beads, it’s a lot of fun, but my mind is racing in so many directions these days, I don’t think much about sitting down in front of the torch. And now, the weather is unbearably hot, so I may just have to wait till the fall to do it again. Any way, here are a few sets I managed to make, they can be found at my Etsy shop (my insanity is kicking in again! :)).
I added the “Bead Babes” at the last minute. What do you think? do they help? 😉
I’ve got a few more lampwork beads that I have listed in my Etsy Shop. My Valentine decoration will not be put away for a few days longer since dear younger son will be coming home for the long weekend – yay! But, my mind is already on the next holiday – Easter! With that, I made some birdie beads along with my usual roses. This time, the elusive blue rose:
So cute!
And, Sandy over at 521 Lake Street is hosting an Easter Swap! It’s not too late to join!
Actually, there is still Girls day on March 3rd, and Saint Patrick’s day on the 17th… I think I will be crafting for those holidays too!
I had another session in my lampwork studio. Sometimes, I try something new, and it turns out well. This time, so-so… most of the beads didn’t make the cut. It’s really hard to see what the bead will look like when it’s red hot in the flame, until it cools. So, I have two bead sets today. You can find them in my Etsy shop:
I seem to have regained my passion for creativity this year. All the things that I enjoyed in the past and thought I somehow lost interest in have become interesting again. I have so many unfinished projects, as well as new ones constantly floating around in my mind these days. The weather has been a bit cold, but really ideal for lampworking, as my studio is still located in the corner of our garage. Perhaps one day, a real all inclusive studio space of my very own … Meanwhile, here are some more beads I made. They are listed in my Etsy shop:
My interest in lampworking kicked in recently, so I have been spending some more time behind the torch. Here are some beads that I made and listed in my Etsy shop. I’ve also amassed an enormous amount of digital scrapbooking kits, and since I really haven’t had the opportunity to use them, I have incorporated them here:
Please stop by my shop and have a look!
I have finally figured out how to make the elusive petal/aloha beads… with the help of a couple of tutorials. Of course, when I found the tutorials, I had to get both; Petal Bead tutorial and the Aloha Bead tutorial. I had been muddling through on my own, wasting glass in the process and getting a bit frustrated and discouraged. It’s a good thing the lampworking community is so generous in sharing their knowledge. Usually, I can figure it out, but this bead has eluded me for some time. As it usually is, I was on the right track, but omitted one crucial process. And now, it’s my favorite bead to make. Here are some beads that I made a few days ago. It does take a bit of patience and time, but the resulting beads are worth it!
Lutka And Co.
Cutiepie Misfits
lutkaandco.com 