Hot, Hot Summer!!!

Yep, it's hot!  Especially in Arizona!  We are now entering monsoon season, so it's getting humid, too.  My worst time of the year here, but luckily it only lasts a couple/few months.  The rest of the year in AZ is just beautiful, sunny and warm (well, in winter it can get quite chilly!).
Since it's so hot here, I haven't been torching.  I am getting that bad itch to torch often but it's just not viable right now.  I am hoping some good rains might come through and cool it off for a while so I can jump back on the torch - - there's still so much I want to do and learn - even after 7 years!
Here is some eye candy (literally, haha!) of a pendant I have up for auction now.  The auction will end Saturday at midnight.  If it's not sold, it will be heading up on Etsy, probably with a few more items.

Happy Summer Everyone!

Wasted Torch Time

It happens to all of us sometimes, but man, it can be so frustrating - - wasted torch time.
This happened to me last night.  I was going to work on more turtle beads (which I must post later, they're so darn cute!) for Beads of Courage, but I decided to make another complex flower murrini instead (big mistake!).
Everything was going fine until my last petal layer when I heard the distinct sound of glass cracking.  You other glass artists out there know what I mean - - that high-pitched, make-you-cringe, tinking sound.  Ugh!  Yep, my huge (about 3" round) murrini cracked in an underlayer.
I proceeded to heat the begeezus out of it and was hoping it would heal.  If anyone out there has made murrini before, they know the whole mass of glass needs to be heated to pull out into a usable rod size anyway, so it was heated thru-and-thru for that part also.
I pulled it into a 4-foot long rod of about 8-10mm thick, and everything seemed fine, until it cooled.  Then the cracking began - - little tinks here and there.  I was working on a turtle bead then, looked over, and half my murrini rod split in 2, lengthwise.  Oh boy.
I decided to test the remaining, un-cracked rod, and proceeded to make one test murrini bead which seemed fine.  I went to test a second bead and the rod just kept exploding in my flame, pieces of pretty pink and yellow flower murrini glass all over my workbench.
So much for 3 or so hours at a hot torch, what a waste of time, glass and electricity.  But, it happens sometimes, to all of us.

Here's a picture of the little glass chunks all around my torch and 3 pieces of split-in half murrini - ugh!

Working Diligently . . .

Been working hard lately, getting ready for the Glass Craft and Bead Expo, in Vegas, which is only in a month's time.
I have produced many Dragon Hearts and my new wig-wag hearts for this year's event, along with many blown vessels.
Now it's onto my Dragon Eye pendants since I just received my new order of glass.  I just hope I have enough time to get everything done!

I finally have gotten a new YouTube tutorial out there for soft glass lampworking.
It is a mini tutorial on Intense Black/Webbing effect which you can achieve with certain colors and a dense black, not the regular transparent black.

Intense Black/Webbing Effect

This is a really neat effect I learned when just starting out with bead making, and I still use it often today.  It can supply a unique background to decorated beads and also makes cool, organic-looking beads which looked laced like natural stones/rock.

In the video, I use dark ivory and Hades black from CiM.  You can also use Intense Black from Effetre (altho it might also be called Dense Black).  This also works on a variety of different color bases besides ivory.  You can try it with periwinkle blue, Canyon de Chelly (CiM), medium or dark gray, Stone Ground (CiM), and some opaque greens and purples will allow the effect, too.

I hope you enjoy!

Re-Vamp Time

I am currently re-vamping the studio set-up to give more space to the room (which is also our dining area) and to have easier access to my glass rack and tools/storage rack.
I think this new set-up will be much easier and with less cords and hoses in the way, too.  Still have quite a bit to do, but I am getting close to finishing and will finally be able to get back on the torch!

For-Ever!

Boy, it seems forever since I have blogged.  Well, almost forever, I think it was early this year the last time I sat down to write anything.
But, in the meantime, I have been keeping up with Facebook posts, did some YouTube videos and still listing on Etsy.

My recent works have been some blown vessels.  Been making some simple (altho still very shapely and elegant) vessels in mostly clear or transparent glass so that you can see what's inside.  I have some with mini marbles inside (shown above) some with sand and mini seashells, some with mini hearts and some with micro beads.  I have made all the marbles and hearts myself also.  These are very cute and the glass topper with cork can be removed so you can add your own items if you wish.  They will also hold perfume or essential oil if you would like.

I do have some available now at my Etsy shop - - - http://www.etsy.com/shop/JeansBeads?ref=seller_info
And I will also have some available at Coppper Con this coming weekend in Avondale, AZ.  For more info on the 32nd annual Copper Con Sci-Fi convention, look here - - http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/events/articles/20120822coppercon-32-convention-avondale.html
They also have a FB page.  These conventions are so much fun with different panels and discussions to attend, presentations, readings from authors, activities, gaming - and Filk music (can't forget that!).  If you like to read, write, game or watch anything Sci-Fi, this is a fun weekend!

Keepin' it on Track

Dragon Eye Pendant made with black and pure silver - now for sale on my Etsy (will come to Vegas if still around).

It's already almost a month into the new year - time seems to just fly by sometimes.  There are so many things with my glass art that I want to practice with, new things I want to try, and even new glass I want to experiment with, but I have to remember to keep myself on track.
I have an ongoing project that I am working on which will keep me busy working on beads thru June and I also have the big Glass Expo in Vegas coming up at the end of March, so I need to make sure I keep up with my production and don't stray too much from what I need to get done.
I usually make a list for each week, noting the stuff that needs to be done and also the stuff I want to get done for upcoming shows.  This helps a lot to keep me on track, but also allows some lee-way in case I get bored doing the same thing over and over and over.  I keep this list on my workbench as a reminder of my "plans" and it also reminds me of upcoming projects which might of slipped my mind.  That helps me stay motivated and always looking toward the future.  I think writing out your plans or dreams is always a great motivator and sometimes can break down huge projects (or obstacles) into smaller, more bite-size pieces.