2013 Women in Glass

For those not in the glass world, The Flow is one of the premier glass magazine for flameworkers. Once a year they come out with a Women in Glass edition, where they feature the work of many talented female glass workers. I've known for a month or so now that I'd have my work in there, but was asked not to discuss it until the issue hit the stands. Well, I got my copy of The Flow today so can now share. :-) My 2 focals are #5. Proud to be surrounded by the work of some of my friends and other flameworkers whose work I admire. Such a beautiful cover too! That's Diane Sepanski's work on the cover.

Jill Wiseman's Beautiful Beaded Ropes

I recently had the pleasure of reading (and drooling over) Jill Wiseman's (of Tapestry Beads) new book, Beautiful Beaded Ropes, a book released by Lark Books. It's a stunning book full of many projects. What I like about this book is that it has something for everyone, from simple peyote ropes, like the Dancing Waves Necklace on pg. 47 to the much more intricate and advanced Abundance Necklace (the cover photo). This book will take you through them all.

Being a lampworker and a seedbeader myself, I also enjoyed seeing how she combined the 2 in her Falling For You Necklace on pg. 27. Definitely on my to do list. But I went ga ga over her Flirtation Bracelet on pg. 30. LOVE the dangling fringe on it! Such a great look!

What says summer like fishies??

I'm so bad about designing beads ahead of the seasons for some reason. Probably because I often just make whatever the mood calls for in a particular session. I recently got some peacock stringer from Avenue Beads and decided to see what it would do in a fishie bead. And, boy, am I glad I did! The colorful stripes on the body of the bead comes from the stringer. It has that great webbing thing that it does. The coloring is even more vibrant in person.

I learned this technique from Deb Crowley a couple of years ago at Glass Stock. Sadly I was unable to attend this past year due to health issues and will miss this year as well due to a friend's wedding. Don't anyone invite me to anything next Labor Day! I am going to Glass Stock, come hell or high water! hehe!

I don't usually make them in the winter because my studio is too cold and it's much harder to keep the entire bead heated at all times. I was constantly wafting it in and out of the flame to avoid any cracking and am really pleased with what came out of the kiln today.

This fish is pretty big and took me the better part of an hour to make. It's about 2" in length. I was so excited to share it, I didn't even take it off the mandrel. You get to see it in all it's glory, bead poop and all. ;-)

Beads of Courage

Let me just say that I've only been back on the torch recently after a 3 month hiatus following spine surgery. And, living in NY and it being WINTER, we've been hit by lots of snow and cold weather....not the ideal torching weather when your studio is in the garage as mine is.

When temps hit 40 the other day I decided to turn on the space heater and brave the cold. I turned on the kiln, lit the torch, but somehow it just was not my day. The kiln fairies must have been visiting someone else that day because it sure wasn't me. So instead of forcing things I decided to work on some butterflies for Beads of Courage (BOC)

For those unfamiliar with BOC, it's an amazing program for children coping with serious illnesses. If you want to see what it's all about and some of the children it's helping, watch this recent video broadcast on CBS Sunday Morning.

They collect all sorts of beads, but 2 in particular have special meaning. Purple hearts, which indicate the end of treatment and butterfly beads, which are given to parents who have lost a child.

Now back to beads....I have never made butterflies before, but decided it was time to test my creative skills in this area. Nothing else was working that day so I thought it would be a good day to attempt some butterflies. I am fairly pleased with my 1st attempt and will be sending these off to BOC (once they're cleaned of bead poop of course) along with some orphan beads that the kids might like.

Torch Envy

Every lampworker and glass blower out there understands this phenomenon. Well, I got an e-mail today to say that my brand new torch has shipped! A Scorpion! YAY!! This is the newest torch made by GTT. It has the standard 5 inner jets of the Cricket and an additional 8 outer jets and is supposed to work great on concentrators. I can't wait to fire it up!

Here's a photo of the torch I started on, a Nortel Minor. I was so excited (and a wee bit scared) when I got it after taking a lampwork class. I was so afraid to fire it up, but boy how I loved it! Sorry for the stock photo, but I no longer have a photo of it.

 I then advanced to a Knight Bullet Burner, which I bought after taking a boro class. I thoroughly enjoyed the class & seeing all the color variations I can get from the various glass rods, those wonderful hazy, smoky yet bright colors & knew that my minor would take forever trying to melt the glass.

Please excuse the messy workspace, but that's how it normally looks, actually not too bad. ;-) I've loved the heat & power of this "Big Girl Torch", but have been somewhat frustrated at times that I haven't been able to attain the beautiful colors out of boro at times that I feel I should. Mainly because instead of using tanked oxygen I use 2 concentrators. But that's supposed to be the Scorpion's forte. So I will be stalking the mailman till that torch gets here. Stay tuned for (hopefully) some wonderful boro beads from me. :-)

Flowers On My Mind

So I didn't get my mother's green thumb and a gardener I'll never be :-( but I'm lucky to have great natural lighting in my house or my indoor plants would die as well. ;-)

What I can do though is make GLASS flowers! And they last a lifetime without watering!

Here are 2 sets I just uploaded to my Etsy and ArtFire shops. Tell me what you think.

Tuesday's Treasures - Haffina Creations

I am starting a new weekly blog feature, called Tuesday's Treasures. I am going to be posting some of my favorite handmade artisans each week so please check back often.

I met Haffina, aka Jennifer on Plurk. She's an extremely talented Polymer Clay and Jewelry Artist. The turquoise is NOT real turquoise BTW. It's polymer clay! Can you believe it??

Let's get to know Haffina better!

1. If there’s one thing that defines you, what is it? I dont think there is any one thing that defines me, I'm pretty much an onion - lots of layers :)

2. What role does your family play in your art? They are one of my sources of inspiration, and part of turning this into a business was to build a future for us all.

3. Where do you live and what is it like?I live in South Australia, in a rapidly growing semi-rural area. It is relatively quiet and my kids can walk to school.

4. Where did you learn to craft or are you self taught? I am pretty much completely self-taught, or family member taught. I read a lot and watch youtube videos and experiment.

5. How long have you been working at your craft? In terms of my jewellery design and creation, about 3 years. Chainmaille wise its about 2 years and Polymer clay is about 18 months. But I have always done something creative, including cross stitch, knitting, crochet, mandalas and painting.

6. Where do you receive your inspiration, in general? Everything is, or can be, an inspiration, depending on my frame of mind or what materials I am using.

7. What is the best piece of advice you can give other artists? Be true to yourself. Create what you want to create, the way you want to create it. Don't allow currently fads or trends to dictate to you. And believe in yourself and your abilities and talents.

8. If you won a thousand dollar craft shopping spree, what would you spend it on? Rings for maille, polymer clay, Czech beads, lampwork, Swarovskis, Gemmies, wire, findings, resin, tools, tumbler.... okay..can I have another thousand dollars LOL!

Here's where you can find Haffina's creations:

Haffinacreations
HandmadeArtistsShop/Haffina
HaffinaCreations on ArtFire
BeadsByHaffina on ArtFire
HaffinaAgain on Zibbet
HaffinaAgain on Etsy