Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Bead of the Day: March 31

Yay! Last day of March. Spring might finally come, Easter will be here for sure and tomorrow the wiches will take a ride to BlÄkulla (wonder where non-swedish wiches go, by the way). If they are not fooled elsewhere since it's April first too.

The person who in - Iguessing - the near future will pick up this bead from Lara Lutricks shop sure is no April's fool. Quite the opposit! It's deliciouse.



Don't forget the Fire Divas jewellery challenge. Excellent prizes to win.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Bead of the Day, Tuesday, March 30

Today's bead of the day is this lovely little flower ring from Eileen of Dorset Hill Beads, our fearless Etsy forum leader. Such pretty delicate colors- what a sweet little reminder of spring!





Visit the etsy forum here for more links to new things in our etsy shops:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6478715

Monday, March 29, 2010

Bead of the Day - March 29th

Happy Monday!

The bead of the day for the last Monday in March is this gorgeous little set of beads from DL Homola's Etsy Shop.  The fabulous spring colours and winking silver inclusions peer out from under an enhancing layer of clear glass.


You can also find DL Homola's beads on ArtFire.

This set would make a gorgeous bracelet for the Fire Diva's Jewelry Challenge.  Don't forget, entries are due by April 15th!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Fire Divas Gossip

It's Spring Break for most of us, so let's find out what the Divas are up to during this sweet time of the year. Let's get to the gossip . . .

Leaves and Bellflowers are literally growing out of Holly's torch, but you'll have to head over to Holly's Folly to find out the key to her success.

Keys are a theme over at Janel Dudley Beads, too, but so are eyeballs. What?

Melanie is restricting herself to a colour diet ~ find out what that means and how it will expand her creativity at Mind Melt.

Farm Girl Cat headed across the Wisconsin border to a bead show in Madison for her spring break. Can't wait to find out how it went.

The fun is coming to Donna at her shop, The Mandrel. Find out who her guest glass bead maker is here.

Karen has flowers on her mind, and who can blame her?

Babs Beads reveals her favorite lampwork tool (weird, it's the same one as mine!) and also discusses a giveaway with her Artfire guild.

Need more inspiration for the Fire Divas Jewelry Challenge? Lea has it.

Tease Beads reveals another Fabulous Friday Weekly Promo Sale ~ check it out!

Need a day brightener? Things are sunny and yellow over at Dorset Hill Beads.

At Maybeads, I reveal what happens to my wonky beads.

And welcome Debbi, a new member to the Fire Divas ~ she's starting off with a new torch.

Have you ever purchased beads from the Fire Divas? Do you like to create and design jewelry? Then check out our Quarterly Jewelry Challenge. The theme is spring, and we could all use a dose of that.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Friday, March 26, 2010

Glass Bead of the Day - 3-26-10 - Friday ArtFire Find


The Fire Divas Bead of the Day is this awesome dreadlock coil boro bead by Karen of Fire-n-Sand (aka giapet). I really like the swirling colors and shape of this bead.

Check out her ArtFire Shop and Etsy Shop.

Now For a Little ~More Inspiration~

This is the second inspiration post for the Fire Divas Quarterly Jewelry Challenge! You can learn more about the challenge here. Now sit back and enjoy!














That's just a few of the beautiful things the Divas do with their own beads...but we want to see what you can do with them! Come join our Flickr group and submit your creations today!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Bead of the Day! 3/25

The Fire Divas Bead of the Day is Purple Playthings Miniset Heart Necklace by HollysFollyGlass!




Wanna see what's going on in the Fire Divas promotional threads? Check us out on Etsy or Artfire!

The Fire Divas are also having our Quarterly Jewelry Challenge! What's that you say?! Click Here to find out!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Bead of the Day: March 24


I love the colours in this bead from Something New 4 U. The silver ivory shards goes so well with the medium red glass. And the silver on top of that and the stamp... Wonderful!

Please visit Fire Divas weekly threads on ArtFire and Etsy.

And don't forget to enter our big Jewelry Challenge! There are some great prizes to be won!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Bead of the Day for the first Tuesday of Spring!

Today's bead of the Day is this hilarious Easter Turtle from Lauren Mazursky of Maybeads. Where this idea came from I don't know, but it sure is cute. I wonder what Lauren dreams about at night??? I LOVE this little guy- the colors on the shell are so pretty. And he's just in time for spring!

For more of Lauren's fun work, visit her etsy shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/maybeads
And to check out some of the fire divas' work on etsy, check out our forum for the week:

Monday, March 22, 2010

Bead of the Day - March 22

Spring has sprung!

And this baroque copper handmade tab bead from Something New 4U's Etsy shop reminds me of the sun melting all of the winter ice.  I just love the colour contrasts and the reaction between the Dark Red and Turquoise colours.


The deadline for the Fire Divas jewelry challenge is creeping up on us, and if you don't already know about it, click here for the details.

Prizes have been donated by Fire Divas members, and you don't want to miss out!

Diva of the Month: Theresa Ehlers Part 4

This post concludes our four - part series on March's Diva of the Month. We hope you've enjoyed getting to know Diva Admin, Theresa Ehlers of Teasebeads!


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

My husband is my biggest motivator. He supports me, encourages me, helps me market, and gives me ideas. No matter how frustrated I get, he won’t let me give up. If it weren’t for him, I never would have melted a single rod. Plus, he never complains when I buy glass.


How has your work changed since you began?

It’s bigger. Much, much bigger. My first focals were about ½” and spacers as small as 2mm. Now an inch and a half is normal for me, and I have been known to reach 2” on occasion!


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

Getting my studio set up in its own building. I really want to be able to work year-round and have all my things organized. It is a mess right now. I have about 70lbs of glass and it is all stacked in a couple big plastic storage containers.


What do you like about being a Fire Diva?

I like the way it makes me feel more like a peer than a solitary artist. It allows me to connect with people who have the same interest I do. I love to see other members’ work and feel proud of what we have all accomplished as a group, and excited about what is to come in the future.


Teasebeads Etsy Theresa's Twitter


Teasebeads Fan Page Teasebeads on Flickr


Join us on April 1st to meet our next featured Diva.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Fire Divas Gossip

Spring has sprung, and the Fire Divas are basking in the new season. There's a lot of chatter going on, so let's get to it.

Lara has captured the new season on film, and you can bet it will be reflected in her beads.

Janel is sharing a lot this week, including a "first" for her at the torch - check it out!

There is a lot going on over at Tease Beads, and I guarantee you will "heart" the results, including Shorty WearBot.

Lampworkers are always looking for the next great tool, and I think Babs Beads has found it. Really.

Traffic to Donna's blog has really picked up, so how is she celebrating? With a beadie giveaway!

Here in the Midwest, spring has already been taken over by snow. But that's ok with Cathie - more people will be inclined to stay in and shop for her beads at a trunk show.

Melanie is at it again, testing glass colors and posting her results along with her opinion. Let's just say this week you'll probably see her sticking her tongue out at her experimental beads.

Have glass, will travel - you HAVE to check out Holly's pictures of lampworker friends on the go.

Head on over to DorsetHillBeads where Eileen has thought up another clever theme for Thursday. Don't forget to take a guess!

Lea shares the work of another treasured artist - you don't want to miss this!

And at Maybeads, I have some fun tricking my kids. It's the little things . . .

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Fantasy Shopping Saturday

Happy Saturday!  The weather is beautiful and the beads are better!  Come along while we fantasize about island sunsets:

ahouston
                                                                               fire-n-sand










LAJewelryDesigns
                                                                                         SomethingNew4U












Friday, March 19, 2010

Bead of the Day - ArtFire Divas Friday 3-19-10


Today's bead of the day is from BabsBeadsandDesign on ArtFire. I'm never sure what to do for men with beads and jewelry. Babs has these great drop beads on a leather cord. Great idea and still really pretty. I would wear one.

This necklace is in her Tie Bead necklace series. Click here to see this necklace on ArtFire

Find more Fire Divas items by searching "Fire Divas" or "Fire Divas Team" on Artfire and Etsy.

The Winners Are....

The votes have been counted! We have a winner!

In first place, we have this cute Easter bunny from Holly! Visit her on Artfire or Etsy.



In second place is a beautiful floral set by Amy! Visit her on Etsy.


Let's see the rest of the incredible entries!

Lara - Artfire - Etsy



Janel - Etsy



Theresa - Artfire - Etsy



Deirdre - Etsy



Ema - Artfire - Etsy



Susanne - Artfire



Lea - Artfire - Etsy


Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and thank you for voting!! Stay tuned for the next Fire Divas Monthly Challenge, and don't forget, most or all of the beads shown above are for sale and would perfectly fit the spring theme for our Quarterly Jewelry Challenge!

Now For a Little ~Inspiration~

The Quarterly Jewelry Challenge is underway! The theme is Spring and there are lots of fabulous prizes to win, all shown in this thread. We're excited, and we know you are too. To tide you over, we thought we would give you a little "eye candy" to help inspire beautiful creations for the challenge! These are all pieces made by our very own Fire Divas, using their own breathtaking lampwork. Enjoy!











The best part is...we have more to come! Look for another inspirational blog post next week featuring more incredible work from our lovely and talented Fire Divas!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Bead of the Day 3/18

Polka Dot Peace made by Beadygirlbeads is the Fire Divas Bead of the Day!

Beadygirlbeads has some of the most intricate dot design beads! She uses bright and bold colors that are sure to catch looks!

Here's her Etsy! CLICK ME!

Here's her website! CLICK ME!



If you would like to feast your eyes on some gorgeous glass beads, take a gander at the Fire Divas weekly promotional threads in Etsy and Artfire!

ALSO.. did you know that the Fire Divas are having a jewelry challenge? Curious? Interested? !!!PRIZES!!!


More details in how to enter are located HERE!!

Peace!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Bead of the Day: March 17

For todays show I've choosen this wonderful heart bead - My secret garden:

Look at those colours. Lovely, isn't it!?

The bead is made by Jamie at Glasstastic Treasures.

Don't forget to check out Fire Divas Jewelry Challenge! All entries are welcome as long as they contain a bead from one of the Fire Divas. And the prices are great!

Remember Fire Divas weekly threads in the ArtFire and Etsy forums. The place to go for your daily eye candy!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Bead of the Day, Tuesday March 16

Today's bead of the day is this amazing butterfly wing from Ema of Emakaye on etsy. When Ema was presented with the challenge of making a butterfly for Beads of Courage, the vision in her head was hard to make into a bead. After a couple of tries and a lot of thought, she came up with this design. Beautiful!

But Ema didn't stop there. A couple of days later, she came up with this amazing design for a butterfly drawn on a bead.

Great work Ema!!!!
To see more of Ema's work, visit her shop on etsy here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/emakaye

The Fire Divas forum of the week is on etsy here:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6465636
Stop by to see what we've been up to this week.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Bead of the Day - March 15th

Today's Bead of the Day is this flattened rainbow tube from Lara Lutrick.


What gorgeous colours!  Born in New Zealand and flame-forged in the USA, the glass used to create this swirled focal is dying to know where it will end up next.

To see more of Lara's work, visit her Artfire, her Etsy or her 1000 Markets.

Diva of the Month - Theresa Ehlers Part 3

This week we get to know the fun side of our current Diva of the Month, Theresa Ehlers of Teasebeads as we ask her ten silly questions.


What is on your nightstand…list everything?
Clock radio, control for the electric blanket, lip balm, tissues, lamp, humidifier. I have allergies.


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?

Tons! Chicken, beef, cheese, soy milk, veggies, fruit, bread, pasta, rice, soup, crackers, bread…I’m sure you could figure out something to make with that!


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

My favorite color is pink. That’s actually unfortunate in lampworking because it is tough to find a good, deep pink. I have several that I have tried but I haven’t found a favorite yet, so I guess it doesn’t really show up that much. The best way I’ve found to get a good pink is to mix a few different pinks, so when I want to make pink, that is what I do.


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

I think one of the things I like the most about lampworking is the fact that it is so solitary! It is my time to myself – no kids crying, asking for something, or hanging on me. It is my time to recharge my “good Mommy” energy. I just listen to my Ipod and get in the zone. As for my playlist, I have everything from the Beetles to Blue October to American Rejects, with some love songs and Barry White thrown in for good measure!


Describe the most fun day you’ve ever had.

My husband and I went to Universal Studios in Florida. It was our first (and only) trip away from our oldest daughter (she was an only child at the time). We spent the day at the park and there weren’t any lines to get on the rides. It was so much fun!



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

To sell our house! We need more room.


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 have two. Hayley Tsang is one. Honestly, look at those perfect tubes – and her silver glass! Wow! I am the proud owner of two of her beads. I have a tube and a vessel. The other is Melissa Vess. I love the organic look of her beads.


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

Check my email.

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

Does taking care of three kids count? If it does, then my favorite thing about it is hugs!



Name three tv shows you watch but are kind of embarrassed about.

Weeds, Men of a Certain Age, and Spongebob Squarepants.



Teasebeads Etsy Theresa's Twitter


Teasebeads Fan Page Teasebeads on Flickr