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!

My Garden Is Blooming!

Oh, I do love springtime...the garden is greening up, birds are arriving at the feeders, a time of hope and promise for us all!

I've taken all this inspiration and made two pretty lampwork bracelets using floral themes.

Both are available in my Ruby Lane shop, with lots more closeup pictures.

Can you smell the roses???

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?!!

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"Grape Delight"....Amethyst and Silver Plum Lampwork & Swarovski Dangle Earrings

These dazzling earrings are made with beautiful lampwork beads I made in my home glass studio.

I used transparent medium amethyst coloured glass for the base and decorated them with light silver plum glass dots which I left raised for greater interest.

I have accented the lampwork beads with Swarovski bicones and glass pearls...these just sparkle in the light.

They measure 2" in length and hang from sterling silver leverbacks.

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Burgess Shale Fauna in Gold

These lovely creatures are representations of some of the fantastic, and extinct, fauna from the Cambrian Explosion which occurred approximately 530 million years ago.

These have been sculpted by hand in wax, then cast in gold by the lost wax technique.

Please note, they are not done to comparitive scale...Anomalocaris (lower left) is thought to have measured 3 feet in length!!

A labour of love, we hope to wax and cast the entire fauna in the future!

Thanks for looking!

For The Romantic In Us All

...from Wikipedia

Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Of the Saint Valentine whose feast is on February 14, nothing is known except his name and that he was buried at the Via Flaminia north of Rome on February 14.

In celebration of Valentine's Day I made two lampwork hearts, one with swirled reds and pinks, and the other with pink filigrana glass. I love making hearts, allowing the molten glass to "slump" to form the two lobes. You have to be very careful not to let them get "drippy" though...and to keep them symmetrical.

I hope you like them...they're on my website, and in my Etsy shop. They would look beautiful made into a pendant and strung on a pink satin cord, or on a silver chain. Contact me for details.