Hearts Keep Coming...

These hearts are all gussied up and ready to photograph

I'm on a roll here and expect to do one more batch of hearts today - maybe with eyes on them or flowers.  I'm not sure yet.  I'll let the mood take me wherever it goes.  Maybe I'll go into my stash too and add some clay pieces to these.  I think I have some clay hearts stashed away from my fall earthenware session.

 

Yesterdays heart batch fresh from the kiln this morning

The largest one will be sandblasted - too bad all of the great underlying silvered glass doesn't show in this picture.  Ack, look at that old yellow Formica on my counter - I guess it's update or move! Oh, if it were only that easy to do that.

Back to the torch...I'm definitely not done with this theme yet.  It's my time of year!

 

Hearts, fresh from the kiln

Not even off the mandrels yet!  This is part of yesterday's session and today's haul from the kiln.  I've never met a heart I didn't like and I'm feeling very Spring oriented.  To me Valentine's Day hearkens the coming of Spring and new flowers.  Besides, it's unseasonably warm around here - the snow is melting and the sun is out.  YES!

 

New Tide Pool Beads

Five Starfish Beads and a cabashon

It’s a starfish attack in the tide pool.  A customer from last year’s Bead and Button had a request of me – and not exactly recently.  It came just before Thanksgiving but life around the holidays is hectic so I couldn’t get to it until just now.  Marcia had bought one of my tide pool beads and wanted another one.  They’re not easy to gear up for.  Since I don’t make them year round I don’t tend to have everything I need for them around.  You need murrini to make the tiny shells, and pulled dichroic glass that’s encased (for the glimmer), some silver laden glass for sheen, about six shades of blue and green in transparent and opaque, some silver foil, clear to encase for depth, and on and on.  If the bead doesn’t kill you the prep for it might….hahaha.  Anyhoo, these are the results of my recent reunion with the sea and tide pools.   Marcia can choose from the selection and the rest will go on Etsy in about a week and to Bead and Button.  I hope to make some time to create a few more for Bead and Button and lots of other types - - - what was that about not having that college energy anymore?  I guess I do work quite a bit - it's just in small bursts all day long and I always have quite a few UFO's (unfinished objects) around to work on.

Hearts...I just love hearts!

One of my very favorite themes of all time to create.....all new and on Etsy.

My friend Mallory and I traded some beads recently. Well, recently for me because I wanted to do a special bead for her. Mallory’s beads arrived a while ago but I resisted the temptation to open the package. I just plain decided to delay the gratification until I had reciprocated. Leaving the package where I could see it every day kind of drove me bonkers but unless I was going to be “on the ball” I refused to treat myself. Now isn’t that just the most self-flagellating thing you’ve heard lately, a bead person who can resist looking at her new beads? Well, the wait is over. My bud’s beads have affixed and I’m opening my package for everyone to see. Woot! Woot!

                                 Here we go and I'm so excited to finally open my package.

Here they are – Eggs and Bacon. You see, that is my favorite meal. I could eat it just about any time of day. It’s not that I’ve ever met a food I didn’t like but bacon – well, yummy stuff. Since Mallory was making these beads I thought a trade would be fun since she had a hankering for something I had. But, gheeze – look at the number of beads she sent! Holy Moley. I better get busy making some jewelry.

              I want to stamp some phrases to go with these. What “egg" sayings do you have?
                                                        So far I’m thinking:
                                                        Keep your sunny side up.
                                                        Eggs-cellent
                                                        Bacon - The other white meat.

                                                         Thanks Mallory

    And be sure to check out For The Love of Beads - It's Mallory's blog and she's a very good writer.