Bead of the Day 4-30-10 - ArtFire Friday

The Fire Divas Bead of the Day is this luscious yummy green apple. Don't you just want to take a bite! This bead is from GlasstasticTreasures on ArtFire.

Don't forget to visit Fire Divas weekly threads on ArtFire and Etsy!

Bead of the Day 4/29

Our Bead of the Day is Oooh, Looky made by GlassBead.

She says it will come to you bailed on sterling silver on a simple nylon cord to wear as a pendant, or use as a focal in your own handmade necklace!



The Fire Divas always have new and exciting things going on in our weekly promotional threads! Come join us on Etsy or Artfire!

Bead of the Day: April 28

Patrice of Shepherd Creations makes the most lovely sea creatures. Todays bead is one of those. A preiwinkle blue sea turtle with an implosion shell.

Periwinkle Spotted-Fin turtle pendant

Isn't it adorable!?!

Don't forget to visit Fire Divas weekly threads on ArtFire and Etsy!

Glass Bead of the day Tuesday, April 27

Today's bead of the day is 'mod spot squiggle dot' from Tera Belinsky-Yoder of Beadygirl beads on etsy. Tera always makes such bright cheerful beads. This would be a lot of fun to wear!

Visit Tera's etsy shop for more colorful gems:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/beadygirlbeads

And here's the fire divas etsy forum for the week:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6504370

Fire Divas Quarterly Jewelry Challenge Results!

We received lots of incredible entries in our challenge!! The votes have been counted and the results are in.

FIRST PLACE WINNER: ENTRY 14



SECOND PLACE WINNER: ENTRY 12



THIRD PLACE WINNER: ENTRY 13




Congratulations Winners!!!!

Thank you to everyone who entered and all the fans who voted! Coming up we have our Fire Divas Bead Challenge where you can vote for your favorite Fire Diva bead, and soon we will be accepting entries for our next Quarterly Jewelry Challenge. Stay tuned!

Bead of the Day - 04/26

I'm in love with the world today, so this Monday's bead of the day is this boro heart by Fire-n-Sand.  You can find it in her Etsy shop.  Aren't the colours fabulous?

Fire-n-Sand also sells on Artfire, and I'm sure she'd be happy if you stopped by and had a look.

To see other treasures by Fire Divas, try searching for us on both Etsy and Artfire!

Fire Divas Gossip

This week in the Sunday Gossip, the Fire Divas celebrate Earth Day, showers and flowers. So let's get to the gossip!

I don't normally reveal my sources, but a little birdie told me that Lutrick really enjoys the cherry tree outside her apartment.

From the east to the west, Janel's beads are the best! And they're featured in two treasuries this week. Plus, her talented kitty is at it again . . . see what I mean at JanelDudleyBeads.

Holly has an eye for style - bead style, that is.

Ema's showing off some out-of-this-world beads (as in, they could be from anther galaxy), so be sure to check those out.

The bidding on Patrice's beads has begun, and all proceeds will benefit shelter pets. See how you can get in on the action here.

Farm Girl Cat is reminding readers that Earth Day is every day - and she's got some good earthy tips to share.

Glasstastic Treasures' ArtFire anniversary is here, and she's serving up a special deal in her shop - but please, hold the spam.

A trip to the library had Laurie doing a double take when she spotted her beads in a new book about earrings. Find out how the got there at Lampwork Glass Beads, Playing With Fire.

At Babs Beads, flowers are popping up all over despite the recent snow.

There is butterscotch lava bubbling at Amy's Glass Blog, so be sure and check that out!

Over at Mind Melt, there was new glass in the mail. So stay tuned for Melanie's latest edition of color testing.

At Maybeads, there weren't a lot of beads this last week. But there were kittens and a birthday dog. :)

Debbi shows off that gorgeous winning bead from the Fire Divas April Showers Challenge - and no surprise, it sold!

Tuesday's Treasures over at lajewelrydesigns is all wrapped up - in silver!

Fantasy Shopping Saturday

I'm leaving for a tropical vacation soon, so I'm going shopping for tropic inspired beads this week ~ come and join me!

Arensea

ahouston

giapet

HollysFollyGlass

maybeads

RiversEdgeGlass

GlasstasticTreasures

I'm going to keep shopping ~ you all have a fantastic day, and thanks for joining me again!

Bead of the Day 4/23/10 - ArtFire Friday

Today's Bead of the Day is the wonderful dragonfly pendant by Patrice Sheperd of shepherdcreations on ArtFire. Patrice is one of our newest members and I really like all her critters. Check out her ArtFire shop for some wonderful turtles, lady bugs, and more.

Follow our weekly promotional discussions over on Etsy and Artfire! There's always something new and exciting going on!!

Bead of the Day 4/22

Today's Bead of the Day goes to DorsetHillBeads. This bright and cheerful set of Red N White Earrings would look perfect with a red and white polka dot dress or even bluejeans!




Let's go see what else is going on with the Fire Divas over in the Weekly Promotional threads on Etsy and Artfire!

Diva of the Month Part 4 Susanne Folin

Oh my, time does fly when you are having fun and it's hard to believe April is almost over and we've gotten to know four Fire Divas better. Come read along as we close out April's series with our final interview with Susanne Folin of Bab's Beads.

Baby Blue Heart Necklace

Which of your secrets do we not know… is there something else you would like us to know about you or your work?
I began lampworking after a long period of serious illness that had driven me into depression. I will always consider the day when I lit the torch for the first time as a turning point in my life! I think creating something touchable is a human need and crucial for your mental health.

Bud

How has your work changed since you began?
It’s better! LOL! I’d say it’s crisper and more defined, without really knowing what I mean with that. But I’m controlling my dots and shapes much better now. Also the beads are bigger now. And I can encase beads now!

Golden Days

What is the biggest challenge you want to accomplish in the next few months?
I would love to get my beads and/or jewelry placed in a shop somewhere. A gift shop or a clothes shop. That would be great!

Toby Fish

What do you like about being a Fire Diva?
The feeling of belonging to a group is very essential to me. There are not many lampworkers in Sweden and any attempt to form a community has failed so far. It gets at bit lonely! So I was very happy when I received the messages that I could join Fire Divas. It’s like my lampwork family! The best thing with the Fire Divas is the commitment everyone puts into the group. We all do our best to promote each other and the group.

Orangina Turtle

Susanne's Website (Swedish)	Susanne's Twitter	Susanne's Blog
Babs Beads and Design - Artfire	Babs Beads Fan Page	BabsBeads on Flickr

Light Turquoise Lampwork Earrings

Bead of the Day: April 21

Look at this gorgeouse wine bottle stopper from Lea (LAJewelryDesigns). In the ArtFire weekly thread he suggests it for all those worn out mothers who really deserves a glass of good wine on Mothers Day! (Or maybe that's my interpretation of what she sayst...)

I say this could be a conversation piece on any dinner table, all year round.

While you're here - don't forget to VOTE in the Fire Diva Jewelry Challenge. You find the different contributions top right. For more pictures and information on the different pieces, read the blogpost on them.

April Showers Challenge Results

The results are in, an the winner is:

Entry 3
http://www.etsy.com/shop/dlhomola

In second place, we have:

Entry 2
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ahouston

Now let's see the rest of those incredible entries!

Entry 1
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HollysFollyGlass

Entry 4
http://www.etsy.com/shop/LAJewelryDesigns

Entry 5
http://www.etsy.com/shop/teasebeads


Entry 6
http://www.etsy.com/shop/JanelDudleyBeads

Entry 7
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Arensea
Entry 8
http://www.artfire.com/users/glasstastictreasures

Entry 9
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Lutrick

Thank you to all the Divas who entered the challenge, and to all our wonderful fans who voted!

Bead of the day, Tuesday, April 20th

Today I went looking for something dear to my heart for bead of the day- an egg! It is my Mom's birthday- she would be 85 today, and she loved eggs. She would surely adore these Greek Easter Egg beads from Holly's Folly.

To see more of Holly's eggs and other lampwork beads, visit her shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HollysFollyGlass

And don't forget to check out our etsy forum for the latest additions to our etsy shops:

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6497659

Bead of the Day - April 19th

This Monday's "bead of the day" is actually "beads of the day". I couldn't resist this gorgeous set from one of our newest Fire Divas, Judith Billig, of Icarusbeads. How she gets so many the same size is utterly beyond me, and they're super-beautiful, to boot.

This set is for sale in Judith's Etsy shop.  Have a look!

Fire Divas Gossip Column

This week in the Sunday Gossip, there are puppies and flowers and rainbows . . . what more could you want?

Patrice's beads are for the dogs . . . and cats and every other adoptable shelter pet. Find out what I'm talking about here.

Flowers are blooming over at Silver River Jewelry and Babs Beads, encase you need a touch of glassy springtime.

And Amy's Glass Blog has rainbows!

Melanie says that so far she's only made one bead worth showing with her latest test color - but you don't want to miss it! See it over at Mind Melt.

It's all about Holly over at Holly's Folly Bead and Jewelry Blog, and well, it should be.

One bead at Maybeads is acting a little spacey, but can you blame him?

Shhhh. Debbi likes to give sneak peeks of her beads before they go up on Etsy.

Tuesday's Treasures over at lajewelrydesigns features one of our very own Fire Divas. Who? You'll have to head on over to find out.

Glasstastic Treasures had a tax-day perk - I hope you took advantage of that.

Farm Girl Cat is showing off an entry in our Jewelry Challenge that features her beads - there's nothing more fun than seeing what jewelry designers do with our beads!

Janel and Lutrick reminded everyone to vote in our April Showers Bead Challenge. And now it's time to vote in the Fire Divas Spring Jewelry Challenge --------------> right here!

Fantasy Shopping Saturday

Now that it's spring the critters are out - and I found several of them in the Fire Divas' shops!

Lutrick

glasstastictreasures

ahouston

JanelDudleyBeads

fire-n-sand

BabsBeadsandDesign

Be sure to check back next Saturday for more Fantasy Shopping!  Have a great weekend!

Bead (Button) of the Day 4-16-10 ArtFire Fridays.

The Fire Divas mostly make beads, but many of us make buttons. Today item of the day is this lovely graphic button from Barb of RiversEdgeGlass. This button is a four hole button that would be be perfect for your scarf or bag or sweater.

Here's our weekly promotional discussions over on Etsy and Artfire! There's always something new and exciting going on!!

Fire Divas Spring Jewelry Challenge - Voting Begins!

We have 14 incredible entries to share with you! Wow, are these beautiful! These breathtaking creations feature Fire Divas' lampwork beads and these jewelry artists really know how to accent the beads they chose. Take a look below at all the entries, read what the jewelry artists have to say about their creations, and then vote for your favorite on the right!

Entry 1:

These are Comet Z Dawg Custom Handmade Lampwork beads by Maybeads.
They are fun, fun, fun and they are inspired by my companion Comet - a border collie.

Entry 2:

African Helix stitch in closely graded shades of beads. The necklace's bead spine is a sage green bead.

This necklace showcases two lampworked beads by Lea Avroch, LA Jewelry Designs. The brushed silver bail for the lampworked beads is hand-forged.

Entry 3:

Information about the beads: The larger beads were all made but Barb Reed Etsy account RiversEdgeGlass, the thin big hole spacers were made by me.

Description of the piece: Using dapped and hammered copper rings, copper wire and 23 handmade lampworked beads I created a bracelet that is fun to wear and comfortable on the wrist. The bright colors make it perfect for spring.

Inspiration for the piece: We recently traveled to Florida where many of the homes are painted the wild colors in this bracelet. The copper represents the brick tiles cover so many roofs in the Florida area.

Entry 4:

Necklace handcrafted by Diane at earthnskystudio.com. The focal lampwork bead was made by Robin Weber.

Entry 5:

This necklace is long & gorgeous. The center piece is a handmade lampwork bead- made by fellow esty artist Lutrick, it is gorgeous. The necklace also features, Electric Blue Hydrothermal Faceted Quartz beads, turquoise, amazonite, labradorite, swarovski crystals, Czech crystals, Czech glass beads, fresh water pearls and sterling silver Bali Beads. I finished the necklace off with a silver plated hook & eye clasp for easy on and off. The measurement on the necklace is approx. 23" long, add 2 3/4" for the center bead & metal dangle design. I also have matching earrings & a necklace on the site check them out if you like this.

Entry 6:

I love charm bracelets that jingle on your wrist and have movement. Barb's beads were so detailed, they had to be separated on the bracelet. I made wire wrapped links with a small loop in the center to dangle crystals and sterling silver nuggets.

Entry 7:

My main bead is from Teasebeads, entitled "Dip"

"April Showers" is designed with bead from Teasebeads at the focal with a 'rain' of thin copper wire flowing through and over the top with 'drops' of glass beads at the ends of the copper wire. This is attached to a 'cloud' of thick copper wire. The necklace is completed with a satin cord with a lobster claw closure.

"Dip" was my inspiration. A beautiful bead with a clear glass outer layer that reminds me of water. Playing off the water feel came the idea for an "April Shower", cleansing, refreshing and bringing nature back to life.

Entry 8:

Information about the beads: by Amy Houston
Description of the piece: Silver wire, chain, lampworked beads
Inspiration for the piece: I really wanted something for myself! and now it's lost forever. so sad!

Entry 9:

Information & Description of the piece: Beautiful bead set from Amy Houston {of 2 Glassy Ladies}, violet swarovski, mother-of-pearl rounds, rose quartz rounds, jadeite rounds, green czech glass, sterling beads & findings, swarovski hook-n-eye clasp
Inspiration for the piece: The gorgeous spring colours of her beads!

Entry 10:

My necklace submission for the Fire Diva's Spring Challenge surrounds the MagikalGlassworks focal bead with amethyst beads, pearl and crystal dangles, and Vintaj brass components. It can be worn in any season to remind those who love spring and lilacs and purple that they will indeed arrive!

Entry 11:

The focal bead in this charm bracelet was made by Maybeads and was the inspiration for this fun and whimsical creation. We all know cats love milk, and Cat in Cow's Clothing is just trying to go straight to the source for his evening bowl of milk. What a clever cat!

Entry 12:

Cellini/Dutch spiral necklace made with size 6, 8, 11 & 15 seed beads, silver chain, beads and clasp and an amazing swirled focal by Fire Diva Lea Avroch of Lajewelrydesigns.
My inspiration is from the Bible. The first holidays of spring are Easter and Passover. I think of the flight from Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea. The focal and spirals are the seas parting in a huge vortex, and the silver chains are the broken chains of slavery.

Entry 13:

I made this necklace to go with one of Maybeads cute little turtle beads (check out those toes!). I was inspired by the colors in the turtle, and picked other beads in the same shades of blue and cream.

Entry 14:

Swosch copper necklace

I wanted to create a beautiful necklace to enhance the beauty in the wonderful, handmade lampwork bead made by Susanne at Babs Beads & Design (http://www.artfire.com/users/BabsBeadsandDesign). I’ve chosen beads and other parts to match the blue tones and the glimmer of copper in the focal. I made the coiled rings myself and then added swarowski crystals, copper beads, 15/0 seed beads and copper wire in both natural and oxidized color to make this piece of jewelry.

The necklace is 86 cm long excl. the pendant, which is 7 cm. The focal bead is 3 cm long.

------------------------------------------

You can find all the submissions and the jewelry artists here. Thanks for looking; have fun voting!