Lampwork Bead of the Day for Tuesday, May 31st

I don't know what it is about rainbows, but they make me incredible happy. Besides the rather mundane, scientific explanation for rainbows, there are so many stories, fairy tales and songs about the rainbow. And whenever I see one (as today), I feel like a little child again ... it makes me smile and dreamy and even emotional. I'm just fascinated by them.

So it's no big surprise that I have a weak spot for colored beads. For example these colorful "Purple Fire Gems" from Lluvia Brito of of Uvanomos:



What a colorful bead set full of rainbow smiles and happiness!

Lluvia has many other lovely & funky beads, so please visit her Etsy shop here and check them out.

Diva of the Month (Part 1): Patrice Shepherd

It is my pleasure to be introducing as Diva of the Month – Patrice Shepherd of Shepherd Creations. I’ve admired Patrice’s work for a long time on her Art Fire Shop so it was great to learn more about her work. I hope you will enjoy this interview as much as I have.

Patrice, please tell us where you live and what your studio is like.

"My studio is at my home in Riverside, California. It is my hobby haven :) Although the studio itself is in half my garage, I also have a workspace in my office to clean beads I make and photograph my pieces. I live close to our local foothills, so wildlife and diverse plant species are always close by. Being a nature-lover, it also works out that it's very sunny here, which helps power my studio with a roof-top full of solar panels. Inside the studio lives my creative chaos..."

Now that we adoring fans know where you live and work, if you don’t mind, we’d all like to know where you’re from and the influences that helped form your style.

"I'm originally from the desert, but that just gave me a healthy love of all things green, as they were so scarce. There wasn't much to do where I grew up, so nature played a big part of my childhood. I'd catch lizards (and release them, of course!), watch snakes, collect rocks, and hang around the cactus garden and few salt-cedar trees we had. I always dreamed over gardening catalogs about all the wonderful flowers and plants that can't really be grown in the desert, plus all the animals that can't survive there, and they eventually became one of my favorite things to admire and sculpt. "


How long have you been lampworking? Picasso always had a favorite muse to paint or draw. Is there a favorite bead or theme you love that you could do over and over?

"I've been in love with lampworking for over six years, first getting into the hobby to make beads, as anyone who buys or collects beads knows you can "never have too many beads." My love of nature prompted me to start making animals with my glass art, which turned into my specialty. I plan to continue making glass art goodies for years and years into the future, as I got my husband interested in marble making a few years ago too. :)There is an endless variety of things you can make in glass that it's hard to stick to just a few, but if I had to pick I would say sea creatures. They are some of my favorite things to make, as they can have such a wide variety of colors, frills, shells and fins, as long as you have a little imagination."



Describe your style for us….If you don’t feel you have one, describe how not having one works for you.

"My style is based on my own perspective on life and nature. The animals and other glass art pieces I make can often be described as "cute," as I think adding whimsy to the world is a good thing. Life can be very serious, but I like my glass to have a more lighthearted feel to it. I like making things that would be uplifting or fun to wear, like a seahorse or an octopus that looks straight up at you. It always makes me happy when my glass critters make someone smile; even if it's just at the thought of wearing a colorful octopus on your chest. :) "
Thank You everyone for joining me and getting to know Patrice. I know you want to know more - me too! - so come on back next week and we'll continue to find out more of Patrice's great glass creations. In the mean time you can catch Patrice on her Twitter or her personal blog, Glass by Patrice.

Lampwork Bead of the Day for Monday, May 30th

Happy Memorial Day!  I'm sure many of you are out having a good time with family, or home by now after a good morning or lunch celebration of our veterans, with often includes feasting on summer picnic and barbecue goods.  Since you're probably full now, let's give your eyes the feast :).  Today we have the privilege of seeing this lovely bead set from Judith Billig of Icarus Beads.  It's got wonderful colors beyond your standard patriotic red and blues, plus a heavy dose of silver foil, for that added sparkle.

Clio Magic - Lampwork Glass Beads by Judith Billig, SRA

This is a lovely set with plenty of color variation, and they can be great for summertime jewelry.  I envision a wonderful bracelet as my favorite use of these art beads.  Remember, Judith participates in the Bead of the Day offer, meaning that for the next 24 hours, this bead set is 20% off in her Etsy shop! Send her a message before final purchase to get the special discount ;)

See what else the Fire Divas are up to this week by visiting the ArtFire thread and the Etsy thread.  Have a great week!

Fire Divas Gossip Column!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all my patriotic friends out there!!! The Divas have been super busy with some great projects, mini vacations, and even a great charity event! I love when I get to sit back and just see all the cool things that we have been up to be it glass or not.

First off I am so pleased to welcome Kitty Bozzini of Kitty Lampwork to the Fire Divas! She is a super talented glass artist who has a way with color! Come check out her blog site to see all her wonderful glass goodies and learn a little more about her!

So I have to give my hats off to our wonderful Divas who are working hard to make our Beads Of Courage Auction a great success. Remember this is for those brave children who are fighting an incredible fight! Check out the ebay auction HERE!!

On a funny note, have you ever seen a grown woman run around screaming like a banshee and swatting at her hair?? Well this is what happened to me when I had THIS guy fly into my hair.... Needless to say I did not get any torching done that day :)

Susan Driscoll of Right Turn Artwerks also made me shed a tear from laughing so hard at the picture on her post. Her blog entry reminds us that a little rain never hurt anyone :)

I think I am with a lot of artist when I say custom orders have to be the most fun and the most challenging! Our Diva Patrice Shepherd of Shepherd Creations has two that will knock your socks off!! Check them out! See if you can guess which one made the cut!

Lara Lutrick of Lutrick Beads definitely has me green with envy!!! She recently attended the Fire and Rain Glass Retreat at Frantz Art Glass. Just looking at all that glass and great glass artists working is enough to make me squeal!! (Which I did by the way) Check out the blog and see for yourself!

Big is Beautiful especially when you use it to describe yummy glass beads!! Holly Dare of Holly's Folly Beads and Jewelry has been hard at work with big gorgeous focal beads! My personal favorite is the seashell. The colors are just amazing! I know you will agree that they are simply stunning!

Lori Bergmann of Ashlyn Design is a kindred spirit, like me she loves finding that special "treasure" in a book, a favorite hardware store, or that unlikely object that can be re-purposed for the art jewelry community! Check out her Friday Finds post to get this juicy scoop!!

Last but certainly not least is Susan Lambert of Susan Lambert Glass and Silver Jewelry. She has a keen eye for color and a great bead showing her inspiration from a great catalog! I love how ideas just seem to "pop off a page"

I wish you all a safe and happy Memorial Day. This is a great time to be with loved ones, honor our fallen heroes, and most of all make our own wonderful memories!!

Fantasy Shopping Saturday

So many things to write about! ;-)  I could finish up my " What do you see" series..   Nah, not today.... (aren't you glad LOL) . I thought about colors and  the interesting facts related to them... or the weather, how crazy it's been all over the country. And then the news came on. The lead story was about a special 10 year old who was the CEO of her own company, an internet business worth half a million dollars. I was amazed at her maturity during her interview.   And then I thought about all the other special children who also were maturing early,... except their focus is not on running internet businesses, it's on getting well.  They spend  a lot  of their time in hospitals, being poked by needles, receiving chemo treatments, and all the ancillary things that go along with trying to keep them healthy. And even with all that they go through, it only takes one simple glass bead, to put a twinkle in their eye, a smile on their face, and a feeling of accomplishment at the end of a long day.

We're doing our part....The Fire Divas love giving back, as individuals and as a group. In as such, 13 of the Divas have contributed beads that are now in an Ebay Auction to benefit Beads of Courage.  So today's Fantasy Shopping?!?!  ( Drum roll)  Make a bid! Tell a friend!..Give a Hand!....Imagine the smile on your face if you win!

Here's a picture of the beads up for auction:

And to put another smile on your face.... more beads from the Fire Divas.....

 

Holly's Folly Glass  

Icarus Beads

Ashlyn Design

Susan Lambert

 

RightTurnArtWerks

Giapet

Bead of the Day May 27, 2011

Well, another Memorial Day weekend and... another summer are upon us! I plan on spending a bit of it by the pool or on a beach. And doesn't this lovely glass bead set remind you of cool waters on a sandy shore??? If you can't be beside the beach... maybe having  a little touchstone around your wrist or neck will remind you of the good things to come!

These were made by Rose of Spawn of Flame are are available in her Artfire shop.

++++++++VERY IMPORTANT REMINDER+++++++++

Our auction for Beads of Courage goes on... Please go and bid on this auction! The kids get a matching set!!! And... don't forget to leave a comment after bidding on the original blog post...there's a drawing there too!

Glass Bead of the Day, Thursday 5-26-11

Today's Beas of the Day is this lovely set of beads from our newest member, Catherine "Kitty" Bozzini of Kitty Lampwork. I really like the deep purples and corals and yellows together. These bead look happy to me. Check out all of Kitty's beads at her Etsy shop: HERE

CLICK HERE for this week's Etsy thread with new listings from members.

CLICK HERE for this week's ArtFire thread with new listings from members.

Don't forget to check out our Bead of Courage charity auction on eBay.

The Fire Divas Beads Of Courage Auction!

The Fire Divas believe strongly in giving back whenever they can, and here is a collection of gorgeous handmade lampwork beads that the talented artists of The Fire Divas team have contributed to in honor of the Beads Of Courage program. All of the proceeds from this eBay auction HERE will go directly to Beads Of Courage and make it possible for the brave boys and girls battling cancer throughout the United States to enjoy the amazing outreach and cancer support that this wonderful program provides. Not only will you be helping to put a smile on their faces, but you will receive 19 handmade Collector beads that you will cherish for a lifetime!!!

The beads shown were donated by 13 different Fire Diva artisans, who also created a similar set that will be sent directly to Beads of Courage for the children to choose from and enjoy. This is your unique opportunity to pitch in and lend a helping hand to this amazing organization too! 

Clockwise from top—Tribal heads: Barb (riversedgeglass); Yellow round: Sonja (SilverRiverGlassWorks); Magic Mice: Lori (ashlyndesign); Multicolor round: Judith (icarusbeads); Blue organic: Rosemarie (spawnofflame);  Shuttle: Lara (Lutrick); Blue nugget: Patrice (Shepherdcreations); Yellow car: Karen (giapet); Blue/brown organic: Susan (susanlambert); Critters: Sharon (rightturnartwerks); Blue cubes: Kathleen (uglyducklingbeads); Cupcake: Holly (HollysFollyGlass); Green inchworms: Abigail (abbielyn)

The beads you will be getting include:

     * Lovely free-form organics
     * A pair of Disney inspired "Magical Mouse" ears
     * A sporty roadster car 
     * A Space Shuttle with a monkey (a similar bead from the same artist went up on the last Shuttle!)
     * Fun and festive graphic designs
     * A sweet chocolate cupcake (calorie free, of course)
     * Happy "critter" face beads 
     * And the cutest pair of tiny green inchworms!

In addition to this special auction event, we would like to offer another opportunity to our customers and fans: for everyone who places a bid (whether you win or not), or donates directly during the auction week to Beads of Courage via their website, please leave a comment here after this post and let us know. You will be entered to win some great prizes like gorgeous beads or gift certificates from more of the Fire Diva members, chosen by a random drawing. How cool is that?!  

Michelle will be donating a small bead set as a prize for one of our lucky blog readers. Here is a photo that shows an example of her style, although this is not the actual set offered (she's making one especially for this event!). Other prizes include a 10% Off Gift Certificate from Sonya's Art Fire shop and a $15 Gift Certificate from Holly's website.

Please help us spread the word about our first Annual Beads of Courage Auction and don't forget that the bidding will end on Wednesday, June 1st at 6 pm PST. Thank you so much for your support! *Ü*

Lampwork Bead of the Day: May 25

Now, get me a swimmingpool and a fruity drink with a cocktail umbrella in it! I've got a palmtrea to sit under.

Though, if you think about it, I'd probably need som shrinking device too (and a diet won't be enough) to actually be able to SIT under this tree. But I can take that drink anyway! ;)

And the palm tree is awesome! It's made by Patrice from Shepherd Creations:

Tropical Palm Tree Glass Pendant

Patrice is so talented with the boro glass. you really should browse over to her ArtFire studio and check her stuff out.

For more lampwork, check out the Fire Diva weekly threads at ArtFire and Etsy!

Lampwork Bead of the Day for Tuesday, May 24th

For me, it's currently all about bright colors: juicy orange, hot pink, fabulous purple, fresh apple green and vibrant red!

And with Sharon Driscoll of Right Turn ArtWerks I found a like-minded Fire Diva - her Etsy shop is filled with fun & funky beads in cheery, bright colors. One example is today's lampwork bead of the day, this Hot Hot Pink Focal:

This bead is just what the doctor ordered, when you need a little "cheer me up": hot pink, juicy orange and ink blue as well as silvered ivory for added contrast.

Delicious!

Don't forget to check out all the other gorgeous beads in Sharon's Etsy shop!

Lampwork Bead of the Day for Monday, May 23rd

Happy Monday!  Today we have the chance to enjoy this lovely blue and purple focal bead by Sonja of Silver River Glassworks:

Glass Lampwork Focal Handmade Bead Dusk At the Ocean Purple and Blue

This gorgeous focal bead is a beautiful way to start off our glassy week.  It's got plenty of variety, some organic touches, and this lovely deep lagoon-reminiscent blue.  Please stop by Sonja's ArtFire shop to see more of her goodies, and remember, the Bead of the Day qualifies for an additional 10% off  for the next 24 hours!

To see more of what the Fire Divas are up to this Monday morning, please see the ArtFire weekly chat thread.  For Etsy listings, please see the Etsy Team thread.  Have a great week!

Fire Divas Gossip Column!

I am back and smelling like roses! No really I have made it a point after a home disaster that caused a not so nice smell to permeate my dwelling, to have fresh flowers in every room and those scented candles EVERYWHERE!

I am so glad to be back and peeking around at what our Divas have been up to that I am just giddy with excitement! I can tell you now that sweet and saucy is what you are getting when you see what our Divas have been up to!

Lori Bergmann of Ashlyn Designs is showing us color like never before! Her color reference and help with the hottest Pantone colors are just wonderful. Stop on by and take a look at not only that article (which you will drool over!) but the rest of her Spring and Summer goodies!

Lara Lutrick aka Lampwork Beads By Lara Lutrick deserves a pat on the back for her work making it into a great ArtFire Collection! Great Job!

Sharon Driscoll of Right Turn Artwerks has a great article up about artists and their identities. I can honestly say I really did learn alot from reading this. Take a peek at this one and let her know what you think. P.S. She also has a great idea on her blog for a solar lantern!!!

Holly Dare of Holly's Folly Beads is making me so glad that glass has no calories!! Take a look at the yummy goodie she "baked" up complete with bail and shiny crystals! Tool Tip: Looking for a way to make larger bails make sure to scroll down (hard to do after seeing the "goodie") and see her new favorite tool!

As someone who has recently learned how chaotic life can be, Judith Billig of Icarus Beads has really come up with a blog post worthy of a looksie! This post is not only worth it's weight in gold (or glass) but has some super great eye-candy! Kudos to you Judith for a smart and positive change!

Last but certainly not least!! Patrice Shepherd of Shepherd Creations really tugged at my animal heartstrings with her post about a show she did "Art For The Animals." Not only will she have pieces being auctioned off at the end of the month ( I may have to slip the goods on where you can bid ;) ) but she took First Place in the judging! We need more people like Patrice helping to support our furry, four-legged friends!

So I have left you with some great treats and some words of wisdom! So enjoy your Sunday, Pet the pooch or kitty, Eat a cupcake, and just enjoy life!!! I know I will!

Fantasy Shopping Saturday

I love "Organic" beads. It doesn't matter whether they're round, tab shaped, lentils, or my favorite....free form.  And I love playing the cloud game with "Organic" beads.  In case you've never played the cloud game..... you lay on your back in the grass and watch the clouds drift overhead and try to figure out what animal, person, or thing you see.  I do this automatically  when I'm drooling over "Organic" beads.  Although, I'm not on my back! ;-)  .

Starting today, I'd love for you to play the game with me...  Over the next 3  Saturdays, I'll be choosing 5 beads from the Fire Divas Artfire or Etsy shops.  I'll post them here, and tell you what I see....but I really want to know what you see!  Join me....  Leave a comment to let me know.....It'll be fun!

Giapet ~ Karen Klomparens

The silvered ivory in the bottom left corner reminds me of a tidal wave on this bead.  Can you see it?

Spawn of Flame ~ Sonja McClung

There's so much in this middle bead.  If you look toward the left---starting with the blue and then it gets creamy... that's a caterpillar on a leaf... and just below?  The wing of a Monarch butterfly  with great dots!   ;-)

Uvanomos ~ Lluvia Brito

This one has the colors of the sky and earth, but what I really see  are trees with long trunks.  Look at the middle section with the speckled dots.. on the right side of that section begins the trunks.  They gradually turn green, and as you get higher, you will see the tops of the trees blowing in the breeze.

Lutrick ~ Lara Lutrick

This was is really fun!  Look over on the right side... its a man on a chaise lounge. He's and his pointy hat  are the yellowish-orange part of the bead(on the right side of the bead), he's got a really full chin, kinda' like a pelican, and the top lip recedes a bit.  His head is resting  just above a pink and blue section (that's the pillow).  Do you see it?

Susan Lambert

Check out the third bead from the left.  At the top there's yellow circle with a red section coming to a point.  Looks just like a little  baby chick with the beady eye at the top.. cute huh?!?

If you want to check out more "Organic" lampwork beads by the Fire Divas, check out everyone's site.  They're all listed on the left side of this page!  See you next week!

Glass Bead of the Day 5/20/11

I've been longing for a little sunny pink but haven't been feeling adventurous enough to play with it myself. Pink can be such a fussy color in the flame. But our fellow Diva Lara has pink down pat.... Just look at this bead!

The pink and purple and all that sparkling goldstone are just stunning! You can see more of Lara's fantastic beads in her shop.

I hope your weekend is just stunning too!!!

Lampwork Glass Bead (Ring) of the Day 5-19-11

This fun cocktail ring "Flowers of Atlantis" is today's bead of the day. OK, it is not a beaad, but it is still lampworked, just without a hole.

Susanne of BabsBeadsandDesign has created this ring with a cabachon on a sterling silver ring that is adjustable, so it will fit most fingers. Isn't that great?!?

Check out Susanne's store for more jewelry and beads.

Stop by the ArtFire weekly thread to see what the other Fire Divas are up to, or mosey on over to Etsy. See you next Thursday!

Glass Bead of the day: May 18

Murrini. It can be so beautiful - if you know how to use them.

I've never mastered them myself and the few times I've tried I've ended up burning them or smashing them into a unrecognizable smudge of... something. *sigh*

But others do it better. Like Amy from Amy Sims Designs. i love this strawberry red and murrini decorated lentil of hers:

Sweet Red Lentil

Makes me long for strawberry squash!

When you've drooled over all the goodies in Amys shop, you might also like all the diva items in the ArtFire and Etsy promotional threads.

Lampwork Bead of the Day for Tuesday, May 17th

Finally we're having a beautiful, sunny Spring day here in the Pacific North-West. The temperatures are still well below the average, but at least we see the sun and a blue sky and that's already something to make you smile!

And when I selected today's lampwork bead of the day, my smile was getting even bigger. This focal bead by Christine from FenG is called "Turquoise Crazy Cartoon":



This bead is bright, colorful, funky - it makes me happy :) And if you love hearts, you've gotta see the back side of this bead. Too cute!

Christine's Etsys shop is full of all sorts of funky and colorful lampwork treasures. Check them out here.

Lampwork Bead of the Day for Monday, May 16th

Happy Monday!  There's a lot going on lately, especially with the Fire Divas (check out the blogs on the left, there's a bead on the shuttle that launched today!), so this bead set seemed appropriate, as it's full of detail and very busy, just like the Fire Divas :)

Doubled Hearted means BIG LOVE by Right Turn Artwerks

This is an awesome bead set from Sharon Driscoll of Right Turn Artwerks.  It's so colorful and festive!  Sharon likes to make sets with color and detail, so be sure to see what else she has in her Etsy Shop here. She has lots of springtime goodies including hearts, bunnies, and birds, for starters...

See what the Fire Divas Team is up to on Etsy this week, then visit the ArtFire thread.  Have a great Monday!

Fantasy Shopping Saturday

OK.... What happened to "Spring"? I'm not complaining...I'm really thankful for dry pavements, bright sunshine, and no snow!  It's  just I don't remember seeing "Spring".  Almost all the trees are in full bloom. The crab apple tree has flowered, and the petals have fallen, leaving the pavement a really pretty pink.   Somehow, I never saw the flowers on the tree itself.  The grass is a "lushy" green and the only remnant of what should be Spring? ------ my flowers that generally bloom this time of year.   And although I appreciate the weather that we're having... I still want to experience Spring. I know, no better place to feel the gentle warmth of a Spring sun,  the soft colors of early blooming flowers, or the gentle breeze of the early morning, than a trip to the Fire Divas Etsy and Artfire Shops.  Join me,... just in case you missed Spring too! ;-)

RightTurnArtWerks ~ Sharon Driscoll

Shepherd Creations ~ Patrice Shepherd

Uvanomos ~ Lluvia Brito

SunDoorBeads ~ Michelle Viezaga

Susan Lambert

SpawnOfFlame ~ Rosmarie Hanus

Lutrick ~ Lara Lutrick

IcarusBeads ~ Judith Billig

SilverRiverGlasswork ~ Sonja McClung

FenG ~ Christina Stofmeel

RiversEdgeGlass ~ Barb Reed

AshlynDesign ~ Lori Bergmann

AbbieLyn ~ Abigail Castagnaro

Giapet ~ Karen Klomparens

HollysFollyGlass ~ Holly Dare

BabsBeadsandDesignArtisanStudio ~ Susanne Folin

Amy Sims Designs

Glass Bead of the day: May 11

Last wqeek was really cold in Sweden. This week has been really hot. Summer hot! The plum tree outside my window is in full bloom and today the cherry tree blossoms showed. A lovely, lovely time of the year!

An ice cream time of the year...

Pistachio Ice Cream Focal Glass Bead

This bead makes me drool. And the best part - it will not show on your hips!

Holly from Holly's Folly is the creator of this Low Carb Low Fat goodie!