Lampwork Glass Hearts for Valentine's Day

Well, we're right in the thick of the Christmas season, but as a lampwork bead artisan and jewellery designer it's always necessary to be thinking ahead. I've been making glass hearts for Valentine's Day designs, and I'd like to show you some of them.

They make wonderful pendants for necklaces, paired with some Swarovski crystals for added sparkle.

Each heart is unique...they are hand-shaped with love at my torch bench. These are currently available in my Etsy shop.
Tie A Ribbon Around My Heart...Lampwork Puffy Heart Focal Bead
Red Passion...Handmade Lampwork Puffy Heart Focal Bead
Pink Paradise...Handmade Lampwork Puffy Heart Focal Bead

What does a Glass Studio Look Like? Here's Mine...

Have you ever wondered what a lampwork glass studio looks like? Here are some pictures of mine....propane/oxygen torch, kiln for annealing beads, and LOTS of glass rods!
My glass studio
My glass workbench, with torch in the centre, and kiln to the left.
SOME of my glass rods...my dear hubby built the storage unit for me.
My waxing and casting workbench
My annealing kiln...gets up to 2000 degrees. I can use it for precious metal clay, fusing, and melting precious metals.

One of my oxygen concentrators...takes room air and filters out the oxygen, which is then pumped to my torch.
That way I don't have to have an oxygen tank in my house.
....note TWO fire extinguishers...gotta be safe!
Broken arm casting machine, for casting gold and silver pieces.
Me making a bead...melting a rod of glass in the flame of the torch.
My Nortel minor propane/oxygen torch, with graphite marver on top.
I also have a Nortel Midrange torch, with a Minor mounted on top...it's much bigger.
Me making a bead...melting a rod of glass in the flame of the torch.

Borosilicate Glass Leaf Pendant...Look What Came Out of the Kiln!!!

Well, you can imagine my (pleasant) surprise when I opened the kiln yesterday...

...I had sculpted this leaf pendant and when I finished it was a rather dull brownish colour with some bluish streaks running through it.
I thought...sigh, I'll probably have to melt it down and start again...

I was astounded to open the kiln this morning and find this vibrant beauty inside...thank you kiln fairy!!

This beautiful leaf is in my Etsy shop now...goodness, no it's not. It just sold!!

I Just Can't Get Enough....Boro Beads

Well, I can admit that I have a serious boro (borsilicate glass, aka Pyrex) addiction going here!

I go to bed thinking about it, and wake up thinking about it...planning my next torch session.
Sunday was busy with all things Easter, and we had 21 people over for turkey, ham, and lasagna...and during supper what was I thinking of? ....you guessed it, boro, and the next beads I wanted to make.

Here are some pretty boro beads from Saturday's torching session....they are available in my Etsy shop.

Pretty Sculptural Borosilicate Glass Leaves

I just can't believe how versatile borosilicate glass is....time-consuming, but well worth the effort.

I'm making the foray into off-mandrel work, and I'm happy how these leaves turned out!
They're listed in my Etsy shop as pendants...you can use them with up to a 5mm cord, chain, or beaded necklace.

Going To The Dark Side

Just before Christmas I decided to upgrade my lampworking torch to give me more heat and power. I bought a Nortel midrange torch with a minor torch mounted above it. I tell you the first time I fired up the big torch I almost singed the back wall of my glass studio, LOL.

I bought some borosilicate glass, aka "Pyrex", and decided to practice. Well, as anyone who uses "boro" can tell you, it's a whole different beast than Italian "soft" glass, or soda glass.

It's much stiffer, uses WAY more heat, takes more time at the torch and in the kiln...
...but you can sculpt with it because it can get cool without cracking, just like your Pyrex casserole dish (from refrigerator to oven).

Here are some of my beads that are made with borosilicate glass...they have a real "ethereal" quality to them, and the colours in natural light are just amazing!

I've been listing these boro bead pairs in my Etsy shop, and they have been selling very well!

TOONIE TUESDAY...ONE DAY ONLY!!

Woohoo!!

Today is Toonie Tuesday in my iCraft.ca shop!!

I've listed 9 lampwork focal beads, each at $2.00, buy one, buy them all!!

I don't discount my lampwork beads any other time of the year, so stock up today!

Sale is only for Tuesday, June 16....once they're gone, they're gone at this price!

Have fun!

Working with Seedbeads.... A Love Reborn

I've rediscovered my love of seedbeads. These tiny little marvels were my introduction to jewellery making when I was a mere 8 year old at summer camp, back in the 1960's when Flower Power ruled. We would make flower bracelets with thread and tie the bracelets on each other's wrists.

Over the years I've come back to seedbeads, first as an embelleshment for the bodice of my wedding gown, which I made with pewter grey satin, overlaid with organza on the bodice.

Then it was beadweaving in the Ukranian Mesh style...this necklace is still one of my favourites:



Lately I've been working with a spiral weave in the form of a rope, and I love the texture and flexibility of this technique.

Here's a necklace I just finished. The spiral weave forms the "chain" of the necklace and I used a bronze and ivory palette for it....tiny little 15/0 delicas and 10/0 metallic bronze seedbeads. The pendant is a bronzite rectangular cabochon set in a bronze-finished polymer clay frame, made by the very talented Nathalie Girard of Canadian Rockies Art.





I've also been combining my lampwork beads with seedbeads, as in this gorgeous aquamarine blue bracelet listed in my Ruby Lane shop.





Tomorrow I'll post a tutorial with instructions to make a spiral rope using the spiral weave pattern...it's so versatile.

Spring is the time for Apple Blossoms

...and there are Apple Blossom festivals all over North America!

The 77th Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom festival in Nova Scotia takes place from May 27th - June 1st, and their theme is:

"Applelicious Valley: a celebration of everything apple"

I love the sight and scent of apple blossoms, so today I decided to make an apple blossom lampwork bead...I only wish I could add scent to it, then it would be perfect!

Spring Flower...Pretty Lampwork Bead

This is a pretty flower I made with Odd Lot Orange Sherbet, Butter Cream, and Tangerine Sparkle...swirled together, and with transparent medium teal hand pulled leaves.

The leaves are pulled separately, off-mandrel, and kept warm on a coffee warmer/hot plate so they don't crack. They are then carefully heated in the torch and added one by one to the flower base.

I think the colours in this pretty floral bead are wonderful...like primroses in spring!

My Sea Turtle Bead

Do you remember the sea turtles from "Finding Nemo"? Well, I had a customer ask me if I'd make a sea turtle lampwork bead for her...she loves turtles.

I'm really happy how he/she turned out... what do you think?

It took me about 1 1/2 hours to make, in two separate kiln firings, then overnight in the kiln to anneal. Can I tell you how happy I was when I opened the kiln, and it wasn't cracked?!!

A Few Words About Lampworking

I have always loved bright, shiny things and as a child collected all sorts of pretty stones, shells, and beach glass. I still have many of those cherished objects.

Beads have fascinated me for years and I have been embellishing clothing with them for a long time. I made my own wedding dress and beaded the bodice and sleeves in a vine and leaf pattern.

In my professional career as a dentist, I work with my hands every day but found that I needed a creative outlet. Jewelry making was a natural extension of this, requiring a degree of fine motor control and skill. My hobby has happily turned into a small business for me.

I discovered lampworking, also known as flameworking, two years ago, and was hooked after I took my first course. My husband recognized this newfound passion in me and very kindly agreed to build a glass studio for me in our home.

Lampworking involves melting rods of different colored glass in the flame of a very hot (2000 degree) propane/oxygen torch, and winding the molten glass around a stainless steel rod (mandrel) which has been coated in a releasing agent...otherwise the glass will melt to the rod forever. When this happens it is known as a "pot sticker". Glass rods get their color from various metal oxides, much like paint, but the colors don't mix the way paint does...the reaction of the different metals within the glass can give rise to completely different effects at the edges where the colors meet. This can also be affected by the proportion of oxygen in relation to propane...an oxidizing flame or a reducing flame.

Proper ventilation is crucial when working with glass; both the metal oxides and the fine particulate matter can be harmful. Special glasses are required to protect the eyes from the flare of the glass as it melts. Other safety equipment includes proper regulator valves for the controlled flow of propane and oxygen, high volume ventilation hood, fire extinguisher, smoke detector, and carbon monoxide detector.

After the bead is made, a process which can take from a few minutes to over an hour for a single bead, the mandrel and bead are placed in a hot kiln (approximately 1000 degrees) to "soak" for a period of time, then very slowly cooled over a period of many hours, to relieve the stress in the glass. This process is called annealing, and is a critical part of lampworking. Without being annealed the glass will be prone to cracking, shortly after being made or many months in the future. When buying lampwork beads, be sure to ask if the beads have been properly kiln-annealed. Inexpensive, commercial, or mass produced beads often are not, and will be prone to cracking.

Lampworking has given me more freedom and flexibility in my jewelry designing than I ever thought possible....colors, patterns, and shapes can be created for custom designs, as focal pieces, or accents.

As much as I love designing jewelry with my own lampwork beads, I also love to see what other jewelry designers create with the beads I sell as components.

Ruby Lane has so many talented jewelry artisans and adding a "Components" section to the Artisan Jewelry Lane was a wonderful idea. I would encourage everyone to check out this section if you haven't already.

A New Wine Stopper...I Love It!

A colleague at work asked me to make three lampwork glass wine stoppers for her...this is the second one.

I used a light topaz base, accented with ivory and Raku swirls, then encased in clear to magnify the fabulous colours, and textured to give a good grip.

I love it when the Raku "sings"....blues and greens and browns and reds...