Glass and Weddings?

There are several new glasses out there but Lara definitely has done the definitive tests on these beautiful blue purple reactions. To see them go to Lara Lutrick's Blog. She always makes these awesome beads, which I love, but this color is a knock out replacement for some old Zimmerman Frit that was a favorite for many of us. Plus, it sure was nice for Lara to post these informative results. Thanks so much Lara!

Sorry about the shortage of blog posts but we are now on the big countdown to my daughter's wedding day, September 3rd. After that, you'll be hearing a whole lot more. I hope you like the photo of the future Mr. & Mrs.

Beadfest Bracelet

It’s been a year of changes for me. No Bead and Button, no Gathering (ISGB Conference), and no Beadfest. I can’t say I haven’t had NO fun because I have. My father would have told me at this point, "Sometimes you speak weller." LOL But, I sure have missed being part of the bead world action.

My friend and teaching partner, Susan Lambert, gracious agreed to teach our classes alone this year. I feel awful about it, considering I designed one of our great bracelets (pictured above). Susan is a great teacher and she’ll more than do it justice and I can continue on here getting “wedding “ ready – It’s a new art form. New to me and I love creating decorations.

I’m considering offering the tutorial for the bracelet on Etsy. After Susan returns from Beadfest I’m going to check on a few things and I’ll get it posted.

Torch-Fired Enamels

Amazon Link

I'd like to give a huge shout out to Barbara Lewis for her great new book - Torch-Fired Enamel Jewelry. And, her blog spot, Painting with Fire, is one of my favorites. Almost forgot the Group she created for all of us enamel lovers...the widget is in the left column.

I've been up to my neck in wedding planning and around these parts that means I've been making the decorations that are hanging on two rustic chandelier's to hang in the bridal tent. Do they include glass - you bet! I've been working on some clear boro pieces to hang amongst the other goodies. And this is on top of the wish tree pieces, favors, and so on. And as hard as I am working so is my darling daughter in Illinois. We are on the big countdown to September 3rd.

Anyhoo, after twisting some steel wire "S" hooks that are huge in size I decided to come back into the house for a break and DH comes walking up, "Hey, look what the delivery guy just left on the steps." Whoo Hoo - there it is - my new book fresh off the press.

I'm going to have trouble containing myself from doing some enameling to go with the lampwork beads. It's going to kill me.......ACK, I'm just to busy. Maybe I can run around with a magnet and see if any of my old metal beads are iron worthy for after the wedding. Since I'm trying, in desperation, to clean up one of my work benches that will be in site of people coming and going into the house maybe I can run a magnet over the top of it - wouldn't that just be doing duel duty? Oh piss, who am I kidding!

Barbara Lewis - this is one great book - you're killing me!

Pantone's Fall Colors

I'm sure everyone's checking out these Fall Colors by Pantone. It's kind of fun to see what the "in" colors are going to be. I'm not sure I'm enamored of the bunch as a whole. They are all kind of washed out for the most part and something I might expect maybe as a Spring palette of colors. But, I guess there might be quite a bit of wiggle room here to go with something deeper or contrasting.

When Marcie Lamberson picked one of their beautiful colors as her favorite of the palette - It's a beautiful pinkish color called Honeysuckle - I thought the color they had on the palette it might look great against was Cedar. It's kind of a grayish green. You know - Red/Green opposite on the color wheel. You're just going up and down the tones and brightness scales but it all works so well that way.

Oh what the heck - I mean look at the palette - you've got Bamboo and then there is a purple to contrast. Uh, let's see - How about their blue called Quarry and then Emberglow (an Orange derivative). Oh what the heck we can do this, right? Yup - No Prob - Lemon - in - O

A Stumble Find

How many times I've searched for something that would stick two radically different things together. Or, radically different in my mind when they wouldn't stay stuck!

Lara Lutrick was cruising Stumble and found this great site. She passed it on to the Fire Divas and I’m including it here because it looks like one of those great things that ought to be on the original “Resource List” I posted previously. Thanks Lara ---- it’s a good one!

Glue This to That

HAHAHAHA - Here we go - Shark Week

Okay, it's my usual unreasonable week. Have I ever swam in the ocean? Yes, out East, in Georgia. Have I ever seen a shark? - only in an aquarium. Is this an unreasonable fear? - ABSOLUTELY! I think it stems from my father's experiences in the Navy in WWII when I was told the tales of yum yum yellow. So do I get on boats? Yes, I learned to swim off of one of my fathers. But, I don't swim in the ocean. Not to worry on that note - although we've lots of water in Michigan, it's fresh water.

I totally believe in live and let live. And, I figure there is a shark out there with my name on it and he's looking to say "Hello". Yup, that comes under totally insane unrealistic anticipation. LOL My unreasonableness on this topic surprises even me. You see, I'm the gal who would just LOVE to be catapulted off an aircraft carrier in a jet. Even though it would require an ocean.

So what an I doing - watching Shark Week!!! What is your craziest fear?

Dot Mania

The pile has grown dramatically. I've even sandblasted a few of them for another design feature and a little more tactile feel. Actually, I do not think I am done exploring this series yet and am wondering how to combine this patterning with some silver casting. Maybe I could combine a cab into a Moroccan inspired piece. Uh, how am I going to do that? Set from the back? Bezel from the front? Prongs? ACK - - - maybe this one won't happen for a while.

I haven't counted them but there are over twenty beads in this color series, at this point. The longest one that is sitting on top is about to get a few sandblasted lines and maybe some drop shapes in the open sky blue areas.

When is this wedding? Uh oh! I have only a month to finish all of the house overhaul and unless I want to do a drop and dump (put it in boxes and throw it in the basement to sort later) I better get focused because there is not much worse than cleaning out boxes of "stuff".

Missing the Gathering SO much and wishing I was there with everyone.

Poop poop-de-doop

This is me...really, NOT! Well, maybe it resembles me a little. In spirit anyway. Right now I have entirely too many things on my plate and when I do that everything starts to suffer since not enough of them are being accomplished. Or at least accomplished to someone else's expectations.

Sounds like a whine, right? Maybe in a small way it is and in another way it isn't. Since I decided to take on a "few" more things some others suffered. One of them that suffered when I adjusted the design of my blog a long time ago was that all of my "Favorite Blogs" were deleted. I tried to remember everyone and couldn't. Since then, one of my favorites has commented on my posts and today I looked through my favs to do a fast click over to her blog and went - WTF - where is it. I am pissed. Not with anyone but myself. It's like the old adage, "make new friends, but keep the old - - - La, la, fa la, and gold." LOL, that is going to go through your head all day now.

To try and correct this gross error in action and very possibly judgement I am adding AGAIN one of the best blog writers I know. Angela Garren - and I've probably misspelled her name and need to be beaten about that too - you all know her. Yes, you do. Angelina Beadalina is her name and bead making, mothering, writing, and all around making me think and laugh out loud is her game. Sorry Ang...and I know there are others too.

If I've dropped you from my favorites list please let me know. I'm an idiot, and a slow one the uptake one too. I've several things to rectify. And, a wedding in a month. YIKES. Some "commitments" are going to have to be pared down or eliminated as I simplify my life again.

And one of the enjoyments I've been missing is blogging more for myself and you guys, making and posting more beads to my Etsy - gheeze, just lots of things. Time to WAKE UP Sharon.

Midnight Mermaid

I thought everyone might like to see what "Midnight Tide Pool" looks like finished. She will be traveling via snail mail (priority actually) to Columbus, Ohio tomorrow to the ISGB (International Society of Glass Beadmakers). They have graciously accepted her for their auction to benefit the ISGB at the Gathering (glass conference) in Louisville, Kentucky. I'm tickled and I hope some lucky buyer will be too.

Raked, Layered, and Masked

I have been drawing out all of these beads - once in a while when I limit my palette to just a few colors then I can concentrate on design. In this case the designs and patterns have just been filling my head...and keep coming. this time I added a little more black and some turquoise enamels sifted on here and there. What fun! And, I'm not done yet...more are in the kiln.