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Friday, March 26, 2010

Fabulous Friday Weekly Promo Sale!

Last week's Fabulous Friday item sold! Yeah! This week's item is:

Mossy Mesh - Copper Mesh Focal


Normally $11, it is on sale for only $9.35 - that's 15% off! Find it on Artfire or Etsy.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Shorty WearBot

So there I was, calmly working a pendant on the end of a clean mandrel, when suddenly - POP! In a split second I came to two realizations; one, my mandrel was short a pendant, and two, the leg of my jeans was getting very warm. Still calm (probably due to shock), I looked down at my left thigh. There sat the top half of my pendant. It looked quite at home, to be honest.

"Gah!" My shriek was muffled by my respirator. I quickly flicked the pendant off my leg onto my glass-chip covered garage floor...but I was not letting it get away that easily! I reheated the tip of my mandrel in the flame and then stretched around my table with a pair of tweezers to grab my pendant. Once I had it in the tweezers I gave it a quick heat bath, then melted the bottom (where it had broken off) and shoved my warm mandrel tip back into it.

I looked around briefly for the bottom half of the pendant, determined to salvage that half, too. I couldn't find it anywhere. Still determined, I decided to melt and shape the now mangled bottom of the pendant on the mandrel. Somehow I succeeded to achieve an actually quite nice shape! I added some definition and a top loop, pulled it off the mandrel, and popped it into the kiln.

I still have no idea where the rest of the pendant is.


The result:


Meet Shorty WearBot! He is one of five, and they all currently reside in my Artfire and Etsy shops, waiting for someone (else?) to rescue them.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Fabulous Friday Weekly Promo Sales!

I just love Fridays - don't you? It's the last day of the week and the door to a weekend of possibilities. It's the last day of work and the last day of school; a day of excitement. It is usually the first day of the week that I can torch. Plus, we can't forget it is the first day of the Frantz Art Glass weekly sale! All around, Friday is a fabulous day!

In honor of my favorite day of the week, I have decided to do Fabulous Friday Weekly Promo Sales! Every Friday I will pick an item from my shop and put it on sale - 15% off! It will remain on sale until it is sold, or the following Friday, when I will pick a new sale item (whichever comes first).

This Friday's item is a focal tube bead, Shades of Amber:

Buy it on Artfire or Etsy for only $10.20 - 15% off its regular price of $12!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Fun with Hearts



I love making hearts. They are fun to make, and I can play with lots of different combinations and elements. I can swirl colors:

I can alternate opaques and transparents:

I can embed copper cut-outs:

I can add frit and mica powder:

I can "crunch" them (transparent wrap followed by encasement):

I can wrap them in shards:

I can play with my favorite glass, raku:

I can even add flowers to them:


In addition to all that, I can combine any of these techniques to for a new look! I like experimenting and seeing what I can create. That is where most of the fun is.

The other night in bed inspiration struck! I could not wait to get out to the torch and see if I could make my idea a reality. I knew it would be beyond anything I had done up to this point, whether on- or off-mandrel, but I felt confident I could pull it off. I was so excited to find out I was right! I could hardly wait until the kiln cooled in the morning.

Meet my newest creations, mommy hearts and lovers:



I am thrilled with these! They are fun to make, and I can combine all the other elements that I have used in the past with these new styles. I can coordinate colors and inclusions and on and on. It is so exciting for me! I feel like I have opened a new door in my work, both off- and on-mandrel. I can't wait to expand on this at my next torch session!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Fire Divas Quarterly Jewelry Challenge

It's time for the Fire Divas Quarterly Jewelry Challenge! The theme for this challenge is Spring! Show us your beautiful Spring themed jewelry creations featuring Fire Divas' lampwork. Head over to the Flickr site to see many beautiful jewelry pieces made with Fire Divas' lampwork to inspire you! You have the chance to win these incredible prizes from the Fire Divas:

$50 Gift Certificate to http://www.hollysfolly.com





Bentley the Blue dog from Lauren of Maybeads


$25 Gift Certificate to http://www.arensea.artfire.com


$25 Gift Certificate to http://www.beadygirlbeads.etsy.com


$20 Gift Certificate to http://www.lutrick.artfire.com



$20 Gift Certificate to http://www.JanelDudleyBeads.etsy.com



Now for the details:

All submissions must feature Fire Divas' lampwork. We require the name of the Fire Diva who made the beads used in the submitted piece, so if you submit something, please be ready to provide that information.

We will allow one submission per person per contest, and a maximum of two photos per submission. Entries may be submitted here (http://www.flickr.com/groups/firedivachallenge/) for approval, no later than April 15, 2010. Please include, in the comments section, the following:
Information about the beads:
Description of the piece:
Inspiration for the piece:
Submissions will not be approved without all of this information.

Fire Divas reserve the right to approve or reject any submissions.

Fire Divas reserve the right to modify or cancel the challenge at any time.

The winners will be determined by an open poll which does not allow multiple votes.

Ok, go have fun creating, and good luck to all who enter!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Fire Divas Easter/Passover Challenge

Welcome to the Fire Divas Easter/Passover Challenge! We've allowed plenty of time to shop for those Easter and Passover beads. Below are the entries; take a good look at all that eye candy and then vote for your favorite on the right side of the Fire Divas Blog!

Entry 1:


Entry 2:


Entry 3:


Entry 4:


Entry 5:


Entry 6:


Entry 7:


Entry 8:

Entry 9: