January Blues Challenge

In honor of the blue moons this month, we are holding a January Blues Challenge! You can see big pictures of the entries below, then vote for your favorite on the right. The voting will be open for one week, and will end on February 7.

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Fire Divas Gossip Column

The first month of 2010 is coming to a close, but it's not too late to purchase your very own glassy calender, and Fire-N-Sand Glass Art has all the details, plus a giveaway for those on her mailing list (you might want to start subscribing - these are true beauties!).

Lea has been feeling under the weather - send her your well-wishes here.

It's been too cold for Jeannie to torch, but apparently it's not too cold for a 9-mile run??? Jeannie is also looking for glass color combos for some gorgeous new beads she working on - leave suggestions here.

It's been too cold to melt glass over by Tease Beads as well, so Theresa is playing squirrel and gathering up all kinds of glass to store until the thaw.

Janel reveals her favorite glass color, and it's a beauty!

Eileen has brought back her Theme Thursdays, and this week is fairy cute!

Over in Sweden, BabsBeads is asking if you celebrate Valentine's Day - I found this post really interesting.

Holly is rethinking everything she does at the torch - and it's paying off big time, with gorgeous big-hole beads.

It's a MUST-READ at Glasstastic Treasures. Un-Freakin' Believable. Enough said. Sheesh.

And at Maybeads, I reveal a new item in my bedroom - very risque.

Please look for the One World One Heart logo on many of our blogs. Several of us are doing our own giveaways through this fun event. And some of us are participating as a group here on the Fire Divas blog.

Fantasy Shopping Saturday

Time once again for a fantasy shopping trip through the Fire Divas incredible creations. This week's trip will be all about PINK! Put on your girly girl shoes and walk through the shops with me. :D

From Lutrick's Etsy shop ~ A beautiful pink big hole bead from
yummy pink and brown hearts. giapet on Etsy.

Here's a great pink heart from A cute pink turtle from DorsetHillBeads'

teasebeads on Etsy. Etsy shop.

A heart full of pink ribbons from LAJewelryDesigns And from emakaye - Pink enamels.

on Etsy.

So many shades of pink ~ and so many more in the Fire Divas shops!! Happy Saturday, and thanks so much for shopping with me!

Button of the Day - 1-29-10 - Friday Art Fire Find

The Fire Divas mostly make beads, but many of us make buttons (hey, that would be a good feature on our blog, I'll have to think about that). Today item of the day is this super great button from Barb of RiversEdgeGlass. This button is a four hole button was a very graphic floral design. It would be perfect for your scarf or bag or sweater. Find this fun flower button here.

Check out more Fire Diva finds on Art Fire and Etsy by searching "Fire Divas" and check out our promotions threads on both sites.Art Fire Thread Etsy Thread

Bead of the Day 1/28

Today's Bead of the Day is Ibis made by Lea at LAJewelryDesigns on Etsy!



To see more fantastic work by the Fire Divas check out our weekly promotional thread on Etsy!

January 27th Bead of the Day

Today's fabulous lampworked art bead is brought to you by Jamie of Glasstastic Treasures. It's actually a ready-to-wear necklace featuring a gorgeous off-mandrel heart:

Valentine's Day is closing in and all our Diva's have something pretty in their shops to make the day extra special. We hope you will drop in and take a look around!

Bead of the Day, Tuesday, January 26

It looks to me like Janel Dudley is going through her 'blue period'. This lovely bead is no exception. Looks like there's a lot of subtle color in the background of this one, a nice encasing job, and some kind of fun reaction over all. What a beautiful bead!


For more of Janel's blue work- and other colors too- you can investigate her etsy shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/JanelDudleyBeads

And to see the most recent listings of other Fire Divas, peruse our thread on Etsy here:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6416174

Or here on Artfire:
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=forums&op=view_topic&page_no=1&tid=807&post_id=14568

Bead of the day 1/25

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30890698

The Storm by Lara Lutrick is a beauty! Lots of motion and beautiful colors make this bead a stunner. Check out this bead and all Lara's other gorgeous beads in her store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Lutrick

Fire Divas One World, One Heart

2/15/10 Update: The winners have been drawn but we are waiting to hear back from all of them. Thanks everyone for playing along.

The Fire Divas are participating in a phenomenal blog event called One World, One Heart. Nearly one thousand blogs participated in this event last year and we are thrilled to be participating in TWO ways this year! You can find out more about all the other bloggers participating by clicking the link below.

The Fire Divas are a group of lampwork artisans who blog about beads and host glass bead challenges and we do hope you will visit here often and join our fan page on face book to keep up with all the Diva happenings.

So, now for the fun stuff! The goodies you can win simply by leaving a comment! We will have a drawing for EACH prize so there will be multiple winners!

Janel of Janel Dudley Beads has donated this gorgeous necklace called Squiggly Blue II to the Fire Diva giveaway:
Squiggly Blue II is made with silver reactive soft glass. It has been encased with a superb clear known as Aether. The cord is a lightly waxed cotton. All findings used are sterling silver. The clasp is a hook and eye crimp. Necklace length: 18in; Bead size: 29x13mm.


And Lea of LA Jewelry Designs has donated this necklace called Amethyst and Topaz Ruffled Pendant:
A fun and simple design, this lampwork glass pendant has topaz ruffles surrounding the amethyst center. It measures 24x27mm and was wound on a 3/32" mandrel. Included is a coordinating dyed silk cord measuring approximately 24".

Lauren has made one of her oh-so-cute critters:

This sheep thinks he's baaaad to the bone. He has ivory fur, a black face, ears and feet, and a nice blue baseball hat, turned sideways. He was made on a 1/16" mandrel, and the bead hole runs vertically. Approx. Dimensions: 15mm wide, 15mm high, 17mm long (face to rear).

My Thoughts, My Voice won this aurora borealis off-mandrel heart donated by Holly :
This pendant is racing across the Pacific to its new home in the Philippines! My Thoughts, My Voice writes about crochet and gospel reading.


To win: Leave a comment on this post. Make sure you leave some way to contact you should you win... a link back to your blog or website or your email. That's it!

But many more of the Divas are playing along on their OWN blogs. Here are a list of other blogs that will be playing along this year:

Dorset Hill Beads
LA Jewelry Designs
May Beads
Janel Dudley Beads
EmaKaye Designs
Holly's Folly Bead Blog and Creekhiker

And don't forget to check out The Whimsical Bohemian for a list of all the blogs playing this year! Winners announced on February 15th.

Fire Diva members will be ineligible to win on this blog.

Fire Divas Gossip

The Fire Divas have been keeping busy ~ let the gossip begin!

Janel is wrapping up her term as Fire Diva of the Month. She was the perfect diva to kick off this feature. Who will she pass the crown to next?

Laurie has added a brand new sea creature to her repertoire. Head on over to her blog to check it out (and bring with some cocktail sauce and a squeeze of lemon).

Lea had success at a jewelry party - from across the country! Head on over to LAJewelryDesigns for the scoop.

Holly is keeping a tally. For what? Head on over to Holly's Folly Bead and Jewelry Blog to find out!

Soup's on at DorsetHillBeads! Bead soup, that is. And Eileen is dishing up healthy portions of it.

And something fishy is going on over at Babs Beads - in a good way.

Lori has been doing some exploring in San Francisco. Will the photos she took inspire some new beads or murrini? We'll have to wait and see.

Over at Maybeads, I'm turning real live dogs into glass. No kidding!

Fantasy Shopping Saturday

Valentine's Day is right around the corner! Are you ready? This week I think we'll focus on hearts and the many, many possibilities and interpretations of that shape in glass. Enjoy!

Lara Lutrick Lea Avroch

Ema Kilroy Lori Peterson

Karen Klomparens Lauren May Mazursky

Theresa Ehlers Eileen Snyder

Holly Dare Barb Petronio Reed

There are so many more options, I wish I could share them all with you. Search for Fire Divas on Etsy, ArtFire or 1000Markets to find as many different hearts as there are people who wear them. Happy Shopping!

Bead of the Day 1-22-10 - Friday Art Fire Find

Today's lovely Fire Diva Bead of the Day is a bicolored heart on a silk ribbon from GlasstasticTreasures on Art Fire. Perfect for Valentine's Day or any day, check this necklace. Find more Fire Divas on ArtFire by checking out our weekly promo thread.

Diva of the Month - Janel Dudley Part 4

Which of your secrets do we not know… is there something else you would like us to know about you or your work?

Well, to my friends and family this is no secret, I have a really bad temper. I like to think that I am a very nice, polite and considerate person, but every now and then my dark side comes out. The main thing that contributes to my dark side coming out is rude people, it's hard to keep my chin up, turn the other cheek and not become like them. Every day is a challenge and I like to think that me being kind to others can help inspire others in passing on the kindness!

How has your work changed since you began?

Over the years my work has slightly advanced, my ends and encasement's have gotten better, the ends more rounded and less bubbles under encasement's.

What is the biggest challenge you want to accomplish in the next few months?

I want to be able to have thinner encasement's, I want someone to look at my beads and say "WOW! That's encased?"

Available in Janel's Etsy Shop

What do you like about being a Fire Diva?

I love being a part of the Fire Divas! These talented ladies have kept me inspired from the beginning of joining the group. I love our weekly threads, group discussions, challenges and contest! I couldn't have asked for a better group of glassy friends!

Janel's Etsy	Janel's Twitter	Janel's Blog
Janel on Flickr	Janel's Facebook Fan Page

Available in Janel's Etsy Shop

Bead of the Day 1/21

Today's Bead of the Day is Forest with Dead Tree made by DorsetHillBeads on Etsy!

I love the earthiness of this bead, the bright green background really brings out the characteristics of an old tree who's life I'm sure was full of many stories.



More of Eileen's and other Fire Divas awesome lampwork can be seen in our weekly promotional thread on Etsy!

Bead of the Day - January 20

Isn't this bead beautiful? It's by Emakaye and it is called Elegant Enamel. I love the color combination.

You can see more in Emakaye's Etsy Shop, and be sure to visit the Fire Divas' Promo Thread as well.

Bead of the Day, Tuesday, January 19

Today's lampwork glass bead of the day is a wonder of glass art made by Patti Trout of True Gems by Patti.


I'm always amazed when I see glass beads with intricate drawings on them. The bird, the phone wire, the clouds, the background colors- it all comes together in this amazing bead. You can find more of Patti's wonderful work in her etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TrueGemsByPatti

Bead of the day 1/18

Today's bead of the day is from Jeannie Galt of Jeanniesbeads on Etsy. This set of black and white beads is exquisitely made and bound to end up in a classic piece of jewelry. These will surely be scooped up quickly, Jeannie!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38784535



Be sure to check out our weekly Fire Divas promo thread on Etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6408570&page=1

Fire Divas Gossip Column

The Fire Divas are honing their glass skills and sharing the results. Check out what's going on with everyone:

Marcy headed out on the road to learn even more glassy skills. Be sure to check today's post - you won't "bee" disappointed.

Holly's head is still spinning with bead ideas from a class she took with Heather Trimlett, but she was still in her right mind when she blogged about custom tools and put her holiday beads on sale!

Janel, the Fire Diva of the Month, has decided that one blog isn't enough, so she's branched out and started another. This one is non-bead.

Over at DorsetHillBeads, there's a slow invasion taking over. Take a look, you're sure to be "shell" shocked.

BabsBeads put on the sorting hat, and the result was . . . Slytherin! Slytherin green CIM glass, that is, with gorgeous results.

It may be winter, but glassbead is showing everyone how to make a pile of (glass) leaves. I don't recommend jumping in this pile.

Glasstastictreasures is getting back into the swing of things, starting with wishing everyone a Happy New Year.

At Maybeads, I catch a critter in the act - of swiping another critter!

1/15/10 Bead of the Day

I love this earring pair by Susanne of BabsBeadsandDesign on Artfire. They turn me green with envy!

You can see more of the Fire Divas latest listings by following our Got Glass? threads on Etsy and Artfire.

Diva of the Month - Janel Dudley Gets Silly

Red with Metallic Dots Focal

We've been all business so far but the Divas are a fun bunch of glassy gals so ... I thought it would be fun to ... have some fun. This week, Janel answers Ten Silly Questions!

What is on your nightstand…list everything?

A lamp, a mini jewelry dresser, a hat box full of jewelry, a TV remote, one of my headbands and 2 dirty glasses.

If we were visiting, and starving and you weren’t home…what could we find in your pantry / fridge to use to whip up a meal?

I made a chicken and green chili casserole last night, or there's chicken marinating in terriyaki sauce for kabobs! Help yourself! Just leave me some of that casserole, that was yummy! PSST! Just don't eat any left overs on the bottom shelf, I desperately need to clean out the fridge!

Antique Lace Focal

Favorite color and how does this show up in your bead work?

My most favorite color is blue, it use to show in previous work but not such much right now.

Mixed Reactive Orphans

Making beads is solitary work. How do you handle that??? If you listen to music / watch videos, please share some of your playlist.

I do my best to shut out the world while lampworking, I pop my earbuds in and crank up the Ipod! My music list is all over the place, some of my most favorites are Ubershall (LV jam band,) Struntz and Farah, Aesop Rock, Beck, Dave Mathews, Deftones, HED P.E., Incubus, Korn, Les Claypool, Mars Volta, Nonpoint, Phish, A Perfect Circle, Portishead, Puscifer, Rush, Tool, Taproot and White Zombie. I really enjoy listening to music, a few years ago I was REALLY into Phish and Grateful Dead but I seemed to grow out of the softer, more mellow stuff and embraced the harder stuff, but lately I miss listening to the Dead, just wish there was an easy way to transfer all of my bootlegs tapes to my Ipod.

Describe the most fun day you’ve ever had.
I think my most fun day was mine and Dan's wedding. Almost all our friends and family were there, the wedding was supposed to be at a park over looking Lake Mead during the Harvest Moon, but a HUGE storm rolled through so it got moved to his moms house, just as we said our I do's , lightning cracked, thunder rolled, and the power went out! It came back on in seconds but everyone was shrieking when it happened. It was such an awesome day seeing everyone, getting hugs and well wishes, everyone was happy, and best of all I got to marry the sweetest man I have ever met!

If you had one wish, what would it be???

My one wish would be to have world peace. I feel very strongly about this and hope that some day it can be possible.
Who do you most admire in glass and if you could take a class with that person, what would you most want to learn?
I would love to take a class with Anastasia, her beads are so artistic! I would love to learn how she does such awesome dot placement and has perfect stringer control!

What is the first thing you do when you get home?

The first thing I do when I get home is take off my shoes and put on some jammies!

Dotted Focal

Do you have a day job??? If yes, what is your favorite thing about it???

I'm a part time waitress at a local wine bar/bed and breakfast, my favorite thing about it is it get's me out of the house, and my next favorite thing about it is when I leave for the day! (I'm bad, I know)

Name three t.v. shows you watch but are kind of embarrassed about.
My 3 favorite shows are My Name is Earl, Malcolm in the Middle and Robot Chicken! I think the only one I'm embarrassed to watch is Malcolm in the Middle because it's so PG-13.

Dotted Rondells

Janel's Etsy	Janel's Twitter	Janel's Blog
Janel on Flickr	Janel's Facebook Fan Page

Bead of the Day 1/14

Today's Bead of the Day is Whole Lotta Love 2 Red Heart XL Big Hole made by Holly at Holly'sFollyGlass on Etsy!

She also has an Artfire shop and 1000Markets shop!

If you want to see more, check out her blog or website. CLICK HERE and CLICK HERE



To see more of the other Fire Divas work, check out the Fire Divas weekly promotional thread on Etsy
or ARTFIRE.

Fire Divas Jewelry Challenge Results

The votes are counted and the results are in...the winner is...Susan Estrada of cserpentDesigns! Here's her piece:
Artisan lampwork by Marilyn of NoveltyBeads on Etsy. The blue moon in January 2010 (2 full moons in one month) inspired this bracelet. The light blue dots made me think of a beautiful full moon - and I'm seeing that every night now.

In second place, we have Gretchen Coats of libeado beadwork! Here is her piece:

3" lampwork focal bead by Anderson Coats of "Like a Moth to a Flame" surrounded by "waves" of Oglala stitch in 4 shades of blue seed beads.

Finally, in third place, we have Michelle Plumb! Here is hers:

Description: Child's necklace made of Fire Diva Lea Avroch's pink ribbon heart focal and her maroon studded beads. With antique crystals from my grandmother, new crystals, silver, and lucite.

Inspiration: My niece Leiryn. She loves anything pink! Lea's pink heart focal was made for breast cancer awareness in October. Leiryn was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroblastoma in August. She is 22 months old, and a total darling.

Congratulations winners!!! Thanks to all the jewelry designers who entered - it was amazing!