Say Hi to My Little Friend, Brainy Bob . . .

 Meet Bob, one of my newest creations which I am going to call The Brainies.  Bob is the first of his kind, but hopefully a girl with pony tails will be joining him soon, along with a dog, bird (bird brain - haha!), cat, bunny, and other people and animals, too!  In the mist of other projects I am working on, like my Dragon Eyes (haven't forgot you Lynn!), I am hoping to fit a few of these guys in the mix.

They will all have over-sized heads (to hold their big brains!) and little bodies - - aren't they cute?

I will also be attempting a steampunk-looking guy of some sort, but not      sure when I will be fitting him in, but he will have goggles, gears and maybe a top hat, we will see.

As you see here, the hole is in the big head, so he will conveniently hang upright when strung on a necklace cord or thin chain.  Hope you like! :0)

Convention is sadly over . . .

Well, the 31st annual CopperCon Convention is now over.  We had a great time this year!  My DH won the short story contest and received a nice plaque, a ribbon and $40.00 in certificates for a local bookstore.  How nice!
Also, just chatting with all the other vendors and the attendees is always a lot of fun.  And they have so many interesting lectures, readings and discussions at these events, there is almost always something for everyone to enjoy.  My DH loves to attend all the writing based lectures and I enjoy the more interactive, fun groupings.  I attended a really interesting presentation by Debe Branning, an MVD Ghostchaser, about graveyards of Arizona.  Very interesting stories were told and also some nice gravestone pictures of many of the famous people who are buried around Arizona.  I love the paranormal and just wish they would have more programming of this sort at these conventions.  I think it would be cool just to have an open forum Ghost Story hour at the event - - that would be cool, and everyone could participate (who had a nice ghost story to tell!).
As always, there were some really great vendors at the event, too.  Lynn and Rich from OctoberArt - - they have almost everything - from jewelry to skulls.  If you want something strange or whimsical, they probably have it (I am amazed at their display - always!).  Then there is Mike from the Peculiar Magpie - he is an artist who creates steampunk and mythos items for collections and costume wear.  He creates cool weapons, masks, watches, goggles, even has an old-time phone that really works, so cool!  And Jessica Feinberg from Artlair - she is an amazing artists who sells her prints in all forms - bookmarks, posters, buttons, etc.  She draws and paints neat dragons, Dr. Who items, Cthulus, characters, wolves, etc (I got a print of her Steampunk dragon head that's on her webpage - cool!).  She even will take on-the-spot orders at conventions.  There was also Stacia from Infinite Frequencies had some really nice fused glass pendants and earrings (she is a 5th grade teacher) and then a couple of guys with neat weaponry and chainmail items along with some lovely ladies selling beautiful stone jewelry and neat artwork and of course, books and books and books.
We were also lucky enough to have our booth right next to the author's signing table, so it was nice to interact with some of the wonderful authors that came to the convention.
Next year's theme will be Year of the Dragon - - can't wait!

Vampires, Werewolves and Demons, Oh My!

Getting ready for the CopperCon Sci-Fi Convention this weekend.  To go along with my fangs, Chlulu items and space pendants, I made these little demon figurines.
It should be great fun this weekend, can't wait to see what characters stroll by my booth this year.  Can't wait to see some old friends and say hi to some new ones!

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat . . .

I never put my mind to ever making a Tweety Bird, but got the opportunity recently when a family member of mine wanted one for their daughter.  It was a challenge, but it was a nice challenge.  I was worried at first if I could actually get a bead to come out looking enough like the famous canary, but by the time I got the cheeks and beak on, I thought it looked pretty close.  Needless to say, I breathed a sigh of relief after the head was complete and only the body and feet had to be added.

I hope this bead is enjoyed and cherished for years and years!

Summer is still upon us . . .

The heat still pounds the hard dry grounds of Arizona this summer.  The news states that it is one of the hottest Augusts on record and we are currently still seeing temperatures of 110 or above.
As I am waiting for this incessant heat to subside, I am dreaming of the nearest night in which it will be cool enough for me to get on the torch again for decent periods of time.
In the mean time, I am doodling images to create in glass, preparing myself for some sweaty nights of torching for orders I must complete and going through my current inventory.  I have an upcoming show in less than 2 weeks for a Sci-Fi convention.  These shows are always a lot of fun, and with the table purchase in the showroom, we also get full membership passes in which we could attend any events or lectures they are having - - nice!
If anyone would like more info on the show, it is being held in Avondale, AZ this year - - and I have info and a link on my webpage at www.jeansbeads.com.

Blogger Sale is still happening . . .

Don't forget!  My Etsy sale is still going on for those of you who see this blog.  Enter BLOGGER20 at the Etsy checkout and receive a 20% discount.  Great discount on beautiful bead sets, pendants, single focal beads and finished jewelry items!

Pretty Flowers

   I haven't make flower beads in ages, it seems.  Actually, it's been about 3 or so years, with just an occasional flower order here and there by request.  I wanted to see if I could actually still make them decently since I haven't for so long.

   When I first started working in soft glass, making beautiful flower beads was one of my main goals.  After conquering the design of encase floral bead and also raised floral beads, I started to move onto other techniques and designs.  That, along with the multitude of other artists already making floral beads, I thought it would be good to come up with other designs, totally unique to me.  So, after a few years, I have created Dragon Eye pendants, Dragon Hearts, Faerie Beads, shark teeth, fangs, space pendants, implosion pendants, etc, and have gained various skills and experience along the way.
   So, I decided to try flowers again, making a full circle, and maybe I can come up with a unique flower bead design all of my own.  Who knows??  I will be working on this, among other things, too, and we will see what happens down the road - - I love glass!  So many possibilities . . .