Out shopping...lots of new lampwork sets
Here lately, I've been doing lots of shopping for the house. When we moved, we really didn't take much with us from Texas. Well, that not totally true...we took the studios and lots of books. When you have to move something 1100 miles, it kinda makes ya think before you pack it. So I've been out and about looking for some of the simple things like coffee cups...pillows...window coverings. So during my shopping trips, I have been looking at clothing as well. It's been a while since I've seen snow or needed any type of coat. OMG...I found sweaters and turtlenecks...chenille sweaters are my favorite. I picked up a chocolate brown and an odd blue one the last time I was shopping...two of my favorite pottery hues. That's what inspired the below bead sets.
There's a lot of details to the beads...I wanted them to have a 'pottery' favor to them. More organic yet have a strand flow to them.
To get the blending of hues and the ‘pottery’ favor that I wanted in these sets…I had to use several different types of glass. If the bead is 96 COE, then the entire bead is 96. If the bead base is 104 COE, then the entire bead is 104. Many of the colors are also hand mixed. I know, my OCD is acting up. I needed a huge amount of different colors but most of them were very similar to each other. I had to rely on some color reactions, silver, and placement in the flame to get the right shade I was looking for.
The below are barrels...one of my favorite shapes for bracelets. You will be seeing this shape a lot from me. 
I like the visual burst of colors but...I've been doing more wire jewelry lately and it's the shape that seems to just flow into the pieces.
I've got mounds of beads to clean which I've got to get done. It seems the more beads I make, the more beady chores I have. :-)
As I said yesterday, I will be taking another week or so off of Etsy. I'm thinkin' that late next week I will re-open the shop. You ask why I'm waiting so long...well, it takes a great deal of time to get everything posted, all the photos, all the recordkeeping...plus the shipping. All the business stuff has to be done but I've also been spending time playing with the glass. There's a "Zen" to just flipping on the torch and making beads just for the pleasure of making beads.
I told myself, if I ever got into the situation that I was making beads solely to sell beads, I'd stop making beads. I'd then go back to metal. I did that once when I was a potter. It got to the point that I no longer enjoyed the creative process so I moved back to jewelry. So far, I haven't ever been bored or production geared with beadmaking. There's always something that sparks me.
Anyway, I'm off to the studio...the torch is calling my name!!!
Have a happy, creative day!
~Moon
There's a lot of details to the beads...I wanted them to have a 'pottery' favor to them. More organic yet have a strand flow to them.
To get the blending of hues and the ‘pottery’ favor that I wanted in these sets…I had to use several different types of glass. If the bead is 96 COE, then the entire bead is 96. If the bead base is 104 COE, then the entire bead is 104. Many of the colors are also hand mixed. I know, my OCD is acting up. I needed a huge amount of different colors but most of them were very similar to each other. I had to rely on some color reactions, silver, and placement in the flame to get the right shade I was looking for.
The below are barrels...one of my favorite shapes for bracelets. You will be seeing this shape a lot from me. 
I like the visual burst of colors but...I've been doing more wire jewelry lately and it's the shape that seems to just flow into the pieces.
I've got mounds of beads to clean which I've got to get done. It seems the more beads I make, the more beady chores I have. :-)As I said yesterday, I will be taking another week or so off of Etsy. I'm thinkin' that late next week I will re-open the shop. You ask why I'm waiting so long...well, it takes a great deal of time to get everything posted, all the photos, all the recordkeeping...plus the shipping. All the business stuff has to be done but I've also been spending time playing with the glass. There's a "Zen" to just flipping on the torch and making beads just for the pleasure of making beads.
I told myself, if I ever got into the situation that I was making beads solely to sell beads, I'd stop making beads. I'd then go back to metal. I did that once when I was a potter. It got to the point that I no longer enjoyed the creative process so I moved back to jewelry. So far, I haven't ever been bored or production geared with beadmaking. There's always something that sparks me.
Anyway, I'm off to the studio...the torch is calling my name!!!
Have a happy, creative day!
~Moon