Need a Lampworking gift? Ask the Divas!

So maybe you have a fire diva (or other lampworker) on your Christmas list, and you’re thinking- now what should I get them??? Is it ok to get a lampwork related thing when that’s kind of their job?? The answer is a resounding ‘YES”!!! The beauty of having a lampworker on your list is that their business is also their passion. And there are so many things to learn, tools to be had, magazines and books to enjoy, that their wish list is probably endless.

So where should you start???

Well, you can start right here in the virtual world. Etsy or Artfire can be great places to find tools and tuts. Or just do a search on google.
For tutorial choices on etsy, go to the handmade search window and type in the words lampwork tutorial. You’ll be presented with too many wonderful choices. Don’t know which to get? Find something you think is cool and get the tut sent to your friend with a little note telling them that you are entitled to the third bead they make with it. That’ll give them some time to get it right! If you ask your diva which tuts they already have, I'll bet they'll let you know which ones they still 'need'.

If you’re looking for cool tools, etsy is a great place for that too. Type in 'lampwork tool' and you’ll be presented with some excellent choices. Here are a couple of my favorites. I love this fishbone stamp from shards factory. http://www.etsy.com/shop/ShardsFactory

And who doesn’t want an optic mold from Agate58? http://www.etsy.com/shop/agate58

A little bit of murrini is always a fun gift. Our own Janel Dudley of http://www.etsy.com/shop/JanelDudleyBeads makes some cool murrini for making these eyeball beads.

Or visit http://www.etsy.com/shop/loriandkim for some of the murrini maybeads used in this cutie http://www.etsy.com/shop/maybeads


What diva doesn’t want to add to her bead collection, and where better to look than the shops of the other divas? Lots of divas have sales going on in their shops right now, but hurry, they end soon! Here are a couple of interesting choices. A real electroformed acorn cap accentuates this bead from giapet http://www.etsy.com/shop/giapet

Lara has some lovely choices in her shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/Lutrick

Here’s one of my own http://www.etsy.com/shop/glassbead

Heading out to the bookstores? A gift certificate or magazine is always welcome. Handcrafted Jewelry is a new magazine I’m dying to see, and Bead Unique has two lampworking tutorials in every issue. Ornament magazine is filled with inspirational wearable art.

I just checked The Beader’s Color Pallette by Margie Deeb out of the library- it’s full of great color combos. Or they might want to hold onto that gift certificate until Lark books publishes Creating Glass Beads, Jeri Warhaftig’s newest book in March http://www.larkbooks.com/catalog?isbn=9781600595820

The Flow and Glass Line Magazine are full of lampworking tutorials and ideas, though you’ll probably have to order those online.

Gift certificates to our favorite glass suppliers are always welcome too. Frantz Art Glass, Arrow Springs, Artistry in Glass, Moretti and More, the list is endless. Each supplier offers something different, and a gift certificate will put your diva in the mood for something special.

Oh, I’m getting excited just looking at all of this stuff….So if you have a lampworker on your list this year, just look for anything glass related and they’ll be your BFF!