Were You An Early Or Late Bloomer?

Whether you were an early or late bloomer, hopefully you'll love these sculptural flower beads that I created.

They're a rather fun little experiment that I've entitled, "Early Bloomers" due to the fact that they have budded and bloomed while it is still quite wintery outside.

Each little bud sports a small stem piece on the top of the bead, and a lovely two-color flower on the bottom.  Inside each flower is a yellow stamen to give them a bit more realism.

The lovely reflective properties of the flowers is due to the natural lines the glass created while wrapping and shaping the flowers into their final designs.

Usually, beads like this have the holes running from the top of the bead out through the flower end, but the holes in these actually run horizontally through the flower's base.

As usual, I'll be posting this unique set of beads into my Etsy shop tomorrow morning.  I hope you can drop by for a visit once they're on full display.

A Night At The Theater

Fortunately, the weather didn't get nearly as bad as they had predicted earlier and we were able to attend the show last night.  While getting there was a bit sketchy with the trucks slopping snow and ice onto our windshield, we made it the play without incident.

This performance was an invited dress rehearsal, since Robert has worked with the theater many times, we were invited for a preview and to give the actors an audience to play to.  There were just a few of us, but we had a great time.

The "Jeeves Intervenes"  is a fun romp with a cast of characters including the reluctant playboy, the pushy aunt trying to marry him off, the ne'er do well best friend, the overly anxious love interest with a penchant for Nietzsche, and, of course, Jeeves, the faithful Valet without whom no one in the play would not have had a happy ending.

If you're in the Chicagoland area, take a trip out to Oakbrook and see the play.  

Tonight they started performing previews and their big opening weekend is this weekend.  The show runs through March 2nd.

Well, it's getting late and I really need to be off to bed.  It's been a very nice day (my birthday, actually), but now I must get to sleep. 

Tomorrow I'll be re-listing an item in my Etsy shop, but I have something very special for Friday's listing, so be sure to check back tomorrow night and see what it is!

Good Night, All.

Are You Ready For Cosmic Drift?

My doctor's appointment this morning went just fine and the blizzard that they've been predicting to hit us tonight has apparently fizzled out, so we do not have to cancel our theater plans for tonight.  

This should be a lot of fun, and I'll be sure to let you know how "Jeeves Intervenes" turns out (not then ending, just how I liked it).

Cosmic Drift Coming To Etsy

A new set of medium Lentils is on its way to my Etsy shop in the morning.  The name of the set, "Cosmic Drift" really sums up the way this organic set of beads looks.

Using Ivory, Pink and Leaky Pen colors in the beads and working the glass with gravity for the unique patterns and swirls, this set is really timeless.  

Rich transparent blues are interspersed with clouds of pale pink and ivory, much like the nebula and nova in the cosmos.   

This set is not endorsed by the scientific community, and any resemblance to actual galactic phenomenon, past, present or future, is purely coincident.  

An Early Morning Tomorrow - Time For A Relist

Good Evening, Everyone.

I've got an appointment in the morning with my dermatologist, so I won't be posting a new item up in the shop.  I will, however, be re-listing one or two of the items that have expired lately.  

Which one you ask?  Well, I really haven't decided yet.  You'll just have to check out my Etsy shop tomorrow morning and see what has been listed.  You never know, it just might something that you've been waiting all your life for!

Tomorrow night, we're going to the theater.  I'm not referring to the movies, but to actual live theater by First Folio.  Be sure to check out their web site for more info on their shows and upcoming schedule.  They're a group that Robert has worked with many times and they have a new comedy that they are previewing tomorrow night.

If the weather holds out, which looks like we've got more snow coming, we'll be enjoying a fun evening.  If the snow comes as they're anticipating, we may not be able to get to the show.   Winter is really a buzz-kill.

Have  great night everyone!

Class Dismissed! - Something Chunky For Dessert?

The class on Saturday went very well although we were off to a bit of rocky start with the torches.

For whatever reason, the oxygen concentrators, a machine the pulls oxygen from the air for use in a torch, are cursed in that store, and we just can't figure out why.  Maybe they're intimidated by the two large tanks of oxygen sitting next to them, or they're frustrated that they don't get used that often.  Whatever the case, it does seem that every time I need one for a class, they refuse to work.

Refuse to work, that is, until the class is over.  Then they run like a champs.  Go figure.

Once we got the torches running, which really only delayed us a few minutes but it seemed longer when you've got two anxious students waiting to start playing on the torch, we were off and running.

We practiced a number of techniques like stringer pulling, basic cane making, encasing using two different methods, and glass sculpting and shaping.  Beads were plentiful from these two students, more than I was expecting.  

I've taught this class before and while it's always different depending on the students' experience levels and interests, but I've had students that made 5 beads during the entire class and others that make a dozen.  This time around, there must have been close 30 beads in the kiln by the time we were done.  It was quite crowded, and we ran out of room in it!

They liked trying out the various techniques, many they had not tried before, and really seemed to enjoy themselves, which is always great to hear.  I'll be anxious to see some pictures of their beads after the class (hint hint) very soon.

Looking For A Decadent Dessert?

How about this chunky rendition of "Bananas Foster"?  Rich bananas drizzled in carmel and chocolate never looked this wearable (unless you've been out to dinner with me when  I've ordered it).

Using the delicious desert as my inspiration (I actually did have the title before making the beads, I swear), I coupled rich transparent ambers, dark brown and banana yellow to create this fun and funky bead set.

All of the beads in this set are hollow, whether they look like it or not.  Each decorated with a unique design, the set is punctuated with five transparent amber hollows to separate the many patterns and textures.

I hope you enjoy this set as much I did when I made it.  The hollow sets really seem to set me free from design preconceptions which is quite freeing.

This large set will be in my Etsy shop starting tomorrow morning.  Don't let this dessert go waste (or waist), dig in!

Good Morning, Class!

Tomorrow is a very big day for me since I'm going to be teaching a lampworking class at O'Reilly's Stained Glass.  I'm really looking forward to it since these are usually a lot of fun for me as well as (I hope) for the students.

This one is an intermediate class, and I'll have two students.  Usually, these classes are one-on-one, so this will be my first class with two students.  

Usually, this class focuses on pulling stringers (think rods of glass), making canes (long, multi-colored, sometimes twisted rods of glass), encasing (covering beads in a clear layer of glass) and making one of my favorite beads--Tiger print.

I'll be teaching on a minor torch--remember from my second post?

At any rate, one of my students is a customer of mine and good friend; she's bringing her digital camera for pictures and is willing to let me use some on this blog and web site.  Hopefully, I'll have some updated pictures of myself (which I never take) as well as me working on the torch (which are very hard for me to take when I've got a hand full of hot glass).

Until next time, have  a great weekend and stay safe!

P.S.  Bananas Foster is coming!

Great New Stuff Coming--Thanks Starbucks!

Last Sunday's torching session was really fun and I just made whatever I wanted to make, played music I wanted to listen to, and just let the glass lead me in whatever direction.

Grooves like this do not come around every time I sit down to the flame, so I really enjoy them when they come.  I came with some really cool and unusual creations that I'll be unveiling for your viewing pleasure over the next few postings.  

But first, a word from our sponsor:  CAFFEINE!

Inspiration is a very funny thing, but that's not what this is about.   

It's great to be inspired and all that jazz, but unless you have the energy, the song in your heart that just wants to be heard, the vision of the elusive future that you must conjure through your own hard work and perseverance, that iron will that will not let you get up until you have achieved your goal, all this inspiration in the world is not going to help.

That's what Starbucks and their elixirs of life do for me.  Thank you, and be sure to tune in tomorrow night when our sponsor will be ADDICTION.  Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Tonight's picture is one of those beads from Sunday's torching session.  It's a large organic bicone in one of my favorite color palettes.  These colors never let me down when I work them together in an organic focal, and they certainly worked out nicely this time too.

The rich shades of carmel and brown contrast so nicely with the rich shades of cool, cobalt blue and light ivory highlights.  I first made a bead using these colors during my class with Kim Fields.  I wasn't supposed to use any blue, but I added some in the final step to see what would happen along with some purple.  When the beads came out, she really like it and wanted to know what I'd done to create it.   I thought that was very flattering.

This is the second bead I've made using these techniques and nearly the same colors, and while it's very different from my first, I think you'll really like it too.  

I'm only posting one picture here, but there will three pictures when it gets listed into my Etsy store.

I hope you'll check it out!

Just A Quick One Tonight

This is going to have to be quick post since I'm tired and need my beauty rest--more every year.  (No Snicker-ing... young whipper-snappers!)

Tomorrow I'll be posting this interesting flower-shaped bead into my Etsy store.  It's called "Verdant Puzzle Piece" since it is green and reminds me of jigsaw puzzle piece that always seemed to be missing from my puzzles as a kid.

  

Really, there's nothing more  upsetting than working on a puzzle only to find that you're missing one or more pieces, but I digress.

Rich shades of green reacted with the other glass to create deep browns and blacks on this bead.  Someone mentioned that it was almost shamrock like, but don't think it's quite close enough for that.

There's lots going on here in the next few days and weeks that I'm working to pull together and blog about, so stay tuned...

The Wire Is Found, Culprit Masquerades As Tablecloth!

For those of you who've been wondering where my florist wire could possibly have gotten to from last night's posting, you can rest easy that the mystery has now been solved.

Just as I predicted, after good nights sleep and rational thought I decided to go back down to my studio and look again.  While moving the items around, as I had last night, proved to not turn up the wire, this time I rested my hand on the tablecloth that was folded  on the table.

"What's this?",  I thought as my hand rested on a lump in one of the folds on the fabric.  Sure enough, it was my wire that had somehow been shuffled under the tablecloth.

I was then able to finish stringing my newly made set of lentils and head off to work.  Crisis a

averted!

Rose Focal Coming To Etsy

The "Sunrise Merlot" bead that I featured here last night sold this morning after just a few hours in my Etsy shop.  I was so surprised that it sold so quickly, but very happy too.  I love it when something I post is popular and someone picks it up right away.  As an artist, it's just a terrific feeling.

For my next new posting in my shop, this lovely rose focal will be loaded up tomorrow morning.  It's brilliant red colors are prefect for your Valentine, while the green leaves add a very nice accent against the solid black background of this bicone.

The roses on this bead were created from custom canes of pastel and transparent red along with white striping to give the petals some distinction and depth.    It will certainly get noticed as a pendant or in necklace.

Until next time, have great night, and a perfect day tomorrow!

More Productivity--But Where's My Wire?

Tonight I skipped the gym completely due to all of the things I had waiting for me here to do.   Amazingly, I got most of it done while still seeing the latest episode of Medium. 

Tonight I:

• Created A Pendant w/Matching Earrings for a custom order
• Cleaned a large batch of beads that I made yesterday with my diamond-bit dremel
• Strung up the bead sets (more about this later)
• Imported, sized and color-corrected pictures for a custom order
• E-mailed the pictures to the client for their input on the designs
• And searched the house for my silver florist wire

I have a new set of small-hole lentils in the beads I cleaned up tonight, but I needed my silver florist wire since it is thin and goes into the holes easily.  Was it on the table in the kitchen (where I think I used it last)?  NO.  Was it in my studio?  NO.  Was it in my office, desk, or dresser?  NO, NO NO!   

It's very frustrating, since I cannot seem to locate it and I have these beads that I cannot string.  If I cannot string them onto something, then I cannot photograph them so you can see them and I can post them to my Etsy store.    Hopefully, I'll get a vision in my dreams tonight about there that wire walked off to so I can continue in the morning.

New Etsy Shop Item For Tomorrow

Tomorrow morning, this lovely grape focal bead will be going up in my Etsy shop.  

It's a small bicone shape draped with four grape clusters and accented with green leaves and earthy brown vines.  Like the other two vineyard beads from this year, the grapes, vines and leaves are arranged onto a clear encasing layer which makes them "float" above the background. 

I love the vibrant tones of this focal, and I hope you do too.  I've decided to call this bead "Sunrise Mertot" since the background reminds me of a beautiful morning sunrise somewhere far, far away from the cold that is Chicago at this time of year.  While I love grapes, I really don't know that much about wine, so please do not accost me if Merlot is not made from purple grapes.  

If someone does know about wines and grapes and would like to educate us, please feel free to leave a comment on the posting.  I try to always respond and keep the dialog going, so don't be shy.

Otherwise, have a terrific night and great day tomorrow.

A Very Full Weekend

Well, it's Monday once again and almost time for me to get ready for work, but I wanted to give you a quick update since I haven't posted in a few days.

I've been very busy (and productive) over the past few days since I got two torching sessions in over the weekend.  Since I usually only get one, this is a bit of a novelty and has enabled me to create some really cool items for the Etsy shop.

During Saturday's torching session, while short, I was able to work on a couple of custom orders and a new experimental bead design that I'm anxious for your to see.  They're a type of sculptural flower that I thought up and was actually able to execute.  They're still on the rod, so I won't know how they look strung until later in the week.

Yesterday's torch time was all about doing whatever I felt like doing, so I came up with quite an eclectic array of beads and bead sets.  I've got a new hollow set, more of the sculptural flowers, a great new bicone focal in an organic design, and a large set of organic lentils, some of which will become earrings for upcoming shows.

I've got a lot of beads to clean and get photographed!

I do have re-listing in Etsy this morning of a hollow set that I've had up for a bit, but didn't sell. Please come check it out and see what you think.

More new stuff in the shop tomorrow!  Until next time, have a great day!

The Gym Is Going To Kill Me!

Can I just say how much I hate trying to lose weight.  I want to enjoy my food and not worrying about how I have to work out and burn calories and stay fit.

Further, I want to be able to eat whatever I want and be HOT.  Is that too much to ask?  I see others do it, why is my metabolism so efficient at storing food away for later?  

Where's that Genie bottle for wishing... "Rub in counterclockwise motion and speak clearly into the top of the bottle for best results...DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH"  

Oh well, the skinny people will be barbecued when the end of the world comes by those of us who can wait them out.  Don't take any naps, Papillon!

It's too late to post pictures of tomorrows new bead for the shop, so be sure to check out my Etsy store some time tomorrow.  I might just wait and put it up in the evening instead of the morning so I can sleep a bit more.

Have a great night, and thanks for stopping by!  

P.S.  I'm really not a violent person, and I do not recommend cannibalism as a normal course of daily action...so please don't send me any of your recipes or barbecue tips.

Shy Fruit?

Are they shy or is it just early morning in the vineyard?  Well, we may never know, but you won't be bashful about wearing this lovely focal bead that is coming to my Etsy shop in the morning.

Entitled "Blushing Vineyard", this cone focal features a pastel pink background encased in a clear layer of glass.  Four lovely bunches of grapes and their vines are draped around the bead and dangle toward the narrow end of the cone.  Rich green leaves complete the design add a punch of greenery.

These ripening bunches may well be witnessing the pink skies of Napa valley or a beautiful sunset in the French wine country during the late summer.  Let your imaginations run wild with this lovely bead!

So who saw this bead in the new gallery I put up last night?  Anyone?  

Another New Gallery On The Web!

Well, I'm sorry to inform you that there will not be a new listing in the morning in my Etsy shop since I need to get to work a bit earlier.  Don't worry though, I still have many new beads that will be coming shortly.

To hold you over until Wednesday morning, I've uploaded another new gallery to my updated web site, click HERE to check it out.

This gallery shows the new grape motif beads that I've made this year so far.  More will be added as the year continues, so please check it often or better yet subscribe to it and you'll be notified when changes are made.  What a cool feature of the new site!

Anyway, I hope you have a great day tomorrow and I'll be back with a new posting of the next bead to hit my shop tomorrow evening.

Until then, Ciao!

It's not Niagara, but watch out for Waterfall!

Good evening everyone!  I hope your weekend has been a great one.

Tomorrow, I've got another new focal bead going up into my Etsy shop.  This one is a captivating organic lentil that appears to have a waterfall on one side of the bead (if you use your imagination).

Organic beads make great ink blot tests, because everyone sees something different in them.  Perhaps the psychiatric community will start to use them for therapy...maybe not.  

There's a wide range of colors in this bead including blue, green, dark ivory, black and just a bit of violet to round out the palette. 

On the waterfall side, the ivory looks almost like the mist at the base of a waterfall, but I'll let you be the judge.  What do you think it looks like?

At any rate, I hope you have a great night and chat with you soon!

Bead Galleries For 2007 On Updated Web Site

Lamp Of Luxury Website Update

The updated web site is really taking shape now and I can't wait for you all to see it.  With a couple hours of work organizing the photos from last year, I've gotten several of the new galleries loaded up onto the test web server.  

I've organized the Beads galleries into 5 main categories:  

• Hollow Beads
• Focal Beads
• Bead Sets 
• Sculptural Beads (frogs, fish, etc)

You'll find albums by sub-categories on each of these main galleries to further help organize the beads since they come in so many different kinds.

Other galleries that have been loaded are the Gifts and Other Artists which have their own album pages.

I've also updated a few of glitches on the site that I found while testing in IE last week and added Google's AdSense to the bottom of the main pages.

New Gallery Features

The new galleries have several features that I think will really improve your use of them as well as keep my tasks much easier.  Here's the highlights of the new gallery features:

• New Slideshow Mode For Albums In The Galleries
• Subscribe To An Album Or Gallery And Be Notified When An Update Occurs
• View Albums As Thumbnails Or Enlarge Images
• View Smaller Slides (Or Not) Of The Album While In Enlarged Mode
• Preview Albums By Dragging Mouse Over Album Covers

Web Site Input Requested

I've tested the web site out in Safari and IE and it works pretty well in both (however IE is MUCH slower at rendering the pages).  I'd love to get feedback from you to see how the speed and response time for the site works on your computer.  

Come take a look at the new site at:  Web.Mac.Com/BurningScentsations and let me know what you think and if you're having any issues.

I look forward to hearing your reviews on the new design and its performance.  I'd especially like to hear from any FireFox users out there too!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend, and have a great night.

No Sour Grapes! - New Small Focal

Today's new posting of the Forest Hideaway bead was very well received--it has sold already.  I'm so pleased that it and Lava Flows will be heading out to great new home in Rhode Island.

As mentioned in an earlier post, I have several grape focals coming to my Etsy shop, and this is the first one:  Bacchus' Delight.  A number of my customers have requested smaller raised floral beads, and this is the first in the series where

 I've miniaturized the raised grape designs.

I'm still experimenting with the types of backgrounds I like on these beads, so this (and the other two I've done recently) have a pastel background.  I've encased, or covered in a transparent glass, the pastel color before applying the 

grapes for added depth.  The raised design just floats above the clear blue sky in the back-ground.

As the pictures indicate, this one is designed to be  hung horizontally in the jewelry.  Designing grape and floral beads in this orientation is also new for me.

I'll be working on some new raised floral designs with red roses for a custom order I'll be designing this weekend.  I've got a few different designs in mind, so I should have more florals in the coming week as well.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this bead, and let me know if you have any questions or comments.  I'd love to hear from you!

Burning's Back In Town!

The Funeral Service Trip

Well, I'm back from the quick trip to Ohio for the funeral.  It was a lovely service, and it was nice to see everyone again, although I wish the circumstances could have been better.  However, I'm glad to be back home since this was not a pleasure trip.  

Traveling weather on Tuesday night to get there was horrible--rain, lots of trucks and very hard to see the lanes due to Indiana not having reliable reflectors on all parts of the their turnpike.  Fortunately, we made it just fine.  

Coming back the roads were dry and we left while we still had some daylight, although it was dark by the time we arrived back home.  We took a slightly longer route to avoid rush-hour traffic going through Chicago and it paid off.The service was lovely, and it was nice to see everyone again although I wish the circumstances could have been better.

New Bicone Focal In Etsy

Now that I'm back, I'll be putting up a new focal bead in my Etsy shop this morning, so I thought I'd post it here first.  This bead is called Forrest Hideaway due to the rich green and brown shades in the bead.  This little treasure can only be found at my store, so please stop by and take a peek.  

Its organic design gives it the feel of a natural agate stone that has been shaped and polished into this bead you see here.  I hope you like it as much as I did making it!

Have a great day, and we'll chat soon again!

Going Out Of Town

Just a quick note to let you know, that I won't be around for the next day or two since Robert and I are attending a funeral in Ohio.  We're leaving later tonight and will be in Ohio for the bulk of tomorrow--land of no Internet connection (at least not a usable one!)

I will be back on Thursday, and hopefully have a new bead for the shop at that time.  Have a great week, and hug everyone you love.

Web Site Sneak Peek

Today I've started the new web site for LampOfLuxury.com, and I'm very pleased with how Mac's web design tools are making life so much easier.  I cannot believe what I was able to accomplish in just an afternoon, but don't take my word for it.  Would you like to see it in progress?  Just click on this link here.

Not all of the sections are up yet, and I haven't gotten the picture albums completely organized, but I think you'll get the idea of how the new site will look.  Best of all, the site will be so much easier to maintain, it will not get as stagnant as the my current site has become. 

Once the basics have been completed, I'm looking forward to creating some multi-media content like podcasts and video tutorials on various topics. 

Please feel free to let me know what you think of the new design!

New Bead Coming To Etsy Shop

Tomorrow morning, I'll be loading this new bead into my Etsy shop.  

I haven't decided what I will call this type of shape, but I like how the bead has a gentle curvature to it that feels nice and provides a bit of interest.

Do you have any suggestions for the name of this shape?

The name of this bead is Fire Flower, and it's looking for a good home!  

Anyway,  have a great night, and I hope to hear from you very soon.

More New Beads - Congrats Erynn Carney!

I've just finished importing more new pictures of focal beads that I made this past week and am getting them ready for my Etsy shop.

The problem is I have lots of beads and more that need to be cleaned, and I cannot make up my mind which ones will go into the shop next.

Since I cannot make up my mind right now, I think I'll give you all a sneak peek of the next few items coming to my shop.  You'll just have to visit the shop to see which ones come up next.

This will also free me up to do another Tools Of The Trade entry over the weekend.

The pictures I'm including in this post are the next two items being loaded into my shop.  They're both a little different for me, and that makes me happy.   I really like their colors and shapes, and hope you like them too!

AUTHOR NOTE:  It seems that Blogger is having a problem and will not upload the second picture.  So, sorry, but it looks like you'll only get one picture tonight.  So sorry!

Congratulations To Erynn Carney! 

Erynn won the set of beads I donated to CGGE (Creative Glass Guild Of Etsy) for their December drawing.  I'll be sending out these beads to her very quickly, and I hope she enjoys them! 

Erynn, I would love to see pictures of what you make with these, OK?

Have a great night, All!

My First Day Back - New Listing Tonight

Just a quick post this morning since I need to get to work, but I thought I'd let you know that my first day to work was fairly quiet and uneventful.  There were no huge problems, missed deadlines or other drama that I was dreading, which is always a good thing.

New Etsy Item

Tonight I'll be posting this organic bicone focal into the Etsy shop.  It's called Edge Of Spring since it has the green and salmon colors of spring mixed with the cool whites and tans of winter.  This bead would look great on both men and women and the layers of transparent colors over the pastels, make it quite an interesting bead!

Have a great day,

Lloyd

Welcome To 2008 - Goodbye Vacation

Back To Work

Well, I guess it was inevitable.  My vacation is over, and I'm returning to my full-time job tomorrow.  After being gone since December 13th, it's going to be quite a shock to be back. Since they didn't call me during my vacation, I can only assume that everything is running smoothly and I won't be walking into a big mess...hopefully.  

It will be nice to see everyone again. 

Grape Vines, Anyone?

I just got off the torch after spending a few hours creating three focal beads.  That's right, I did say 3 hours for just three beads.  These are more grape focals for spring.  While I've made these kind of beads before, I've never been completely happy with the backgrounds used on the beads.  These are going to a bit different in that they are solid color backgrounds which have been encased before having the grapes and vines added.  The grapes should float above the background for added depth and interest.  

If I like how they come out,  I'll experiment a bit with adding some additional patterns to the background, but I don't want it to be so busy you can't see the grapes.  Pictures will be coming later in the week.

New Set For Etsy!

I'll be loading up a new set of beads into my Etsy shop tomorrow morning before heading out to work.  This is a small set of lentils on a bright golden background and decorated with frit in shades of blue and green.    These little babies would make a terrific bracelet.  

I haven't decided on a name yet, but I've been thinking of Hawaiian Sunrise or Tropical Sunshine.   You'll just have to pop into Etsy to find out tomorrow!

I would love to hear from you if you visit, so please don't be shy.  Feel free to leave a comment or two.  

Have a great evening, Everyone!