Something New Coming Tomorrow

Tomorrow I'll be adding a new item to my shop. It's simple and elegant and not like anything I've had there before.

This new item is the first wave of several new items that are part of a grand experiment and I hope you'll be part of it.

In the morning I'll be adding this lovely choker entitled "Pink And Fruity". The choker is a thin steel cable coated in nylon and wears very comfortably. Using a magnetic clasp, this necklace is easy to put on and keep on, but is not recommended for wear during strenuous physical activity.

The focal bead on this necklace is a new raised grape design in bright pink on an ivory background. The black capped ends add drama and really set off the colors in this item.

So please stop by my Etsy Shop tomorrow and take a look at all of the pictures.

I want to know what you think of the new design, so please post your comments here too!

Have a great night!

New Tools Arrived--Bead & Button Weekend!

My new tools arrived today from Scott over at BearFootArt after several weeks of waiting for them to be made. I can't wait to try them out, but it just so happens that this is Bead & Button weekend!

I saw them demoed last year at the Bead & Button Show and I've watched the movies of them in action. There's a number of new techniques that I want to try once I get used the new tools. Keep an eye on my Etsy Shop for some new designs!

Bead & Button Show

I'll be heading up to Milwaukee on Saturday to spend the day looking at all the new toys and glass at the market. If you're in the area, I would really recommend it.

The market is huge and you can see glass beads from artists around the world, new glass vendors for both Boro and soft glass, new tools, suppliers and just about anything else you can imagine in the bead and jewelry market.

Last year I was fortunate to take a class there and spend several days, but that just didn't work out this year. Maybe next year, but I'm not missing the market!

Watch Out For The Breaking Wave

My latest focal bead that I will be adding to Etsy tomorrow is entitled "The Breaking Wave" since the design on the bead at the top looks a lot like a wave on a very deep ocean. Ivory foam of the the wave pours over the side along the surface in a very cool design.

The deep ocean currents are a variety of the deep rich colors in greens and grays, while the upper portion of the bead is dominated with light purples and ivory colors.

This bicone is accented with rich black ends that make the colors really stand out.

Don't forget to stop by My Shop tomorrow and see the new bead. This one will be posted in the mid-morning time.

Sleep Tight!

Organic Focals Added To Website

I've just completed the update of my website to include the latest batch of organic focal beads that I made last week.

All of the pictures are loaded and more information about their creation was included. Check out the What's New section for links and more information.

Where's the New Stuff?

If you've been wondering where all are all the new beads lately in my Etsy Shop, then send me lots of good, creative energy this weekend. I'm planning on finishing up a custom set I've been working on and then getting more new beads made for next week.

Hopefully I'll have something to show you soon!

There are several great re-lists in my shop if you'd like to check them out. Perhaps one of your favorites is back one last time!

Have a great weekend!

Wear-thering The Storm

As I am writing this, my office is well over 80 degrees and the rest of the house is barely any cooler. Summer has hit today and I am feeling the heat. I cannot wait to go sit in a cool bath and relax a bit before bedtime.

We could sure your a nice cool storm to come through and make everything comfortable again. Perhaps this bead will help. It's called "Triton's Storm", and it is an organic focal in cool shades of turquoise and transparent blues. White foam and storm clouds encircle this bead, while patches of blue ocean do peek through the tempest.

It's a great little focal and will be added to my Etsy Shop in the morning. There are more pictures that will be posted there, and you can see all of the secrets this bead has to offer!

Wouldn't you love to wear this storm around your neck?

Until tomorrow, have a great night!

It's Not Joan's Sister, But...

You might think that they are related by looking at the name, Ruby Rivers.

They're not even related, but this bead is certainly a star with its bright pink highlights against a charcoal gray background that ebbs with lighter shades of blues and ivories.

The pink worked out so nicely with the darker colors in this bead, I'm so glad I gave it a try. Pink, especially transparent pink, can be a tricky color to get to come out in the appropriate shades. Fortunately this bead, which was going to be a black and white only bead initially, all came together as it should.

There is a lot if depth and organic patterns in this bead that will make for a very intersting piece of jewelry.

Come and visit my Etsy Shop in the morning and see the rest of the pictures for yourself.

Have a great night, Everyone!

What's In A Name?

The focal for tomorrow's new listing in my Etsy Shop was almost given a completely different name. Would it have mattered?

Created in a warm color palette, I decided to experiment a bit with form and create a very different kind of bicone bead--at least for me. Using a razor blade tool, I worked in the ridges that you see in this bead once the main shaping had been completed.

The indentations give this bead a wonderful texture as well as a look that I really like. I'll probably do some more unusual shaping once my new tools arrive since I think they will make it a bit easier yet.

I've named this bead Rootbeer Barrel partially due to it's shape with the banding around it and partially due to the rich colors of the bead and the chocolate capped ends. The ivory accents look like rootbeer foam and this one is good enough to eat.

I do hope you will enjoy this one. I'm adding to the my Etsy Shop in the morning.

What was the other name that I almost gave it, you ask? Why, Ribbed For Your Pleasure, of course!

What's Behind The Waterfall?

This stunning bead has a secret, and it's hiding behind the waterfall.

When I took this bead from the kiln, I was surprised to see what appeared to be a cave recessed into the depths of this bead behind a formation that I think looks like a waterfall pattern on the surface of the bead.

While I've made these types of organic beads before, I've never had one with a transparent window into the interior of the bead like this one.

Multiple shades of pastel and transparent green glass give a mossy, forest-like feel to the bead. The ends have been capped in black for a contrast that makes the colors come alive.

This bicone focal is titled "The Secret Cave" and will be available in my in my Etsy Shop in the morning. There will be many more pictures, so I hope you can stop by and take a look!

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm A Featured Blog!

Good evening All.

Today the monthly newsletter for the Creative Glass Guild of Etsy (CGGE) e-mailed their monthly newsletter to all members. In the newsletter, this blog has been selected as the featured blog of the month!

Thank you so much CGGE and welcome new readers! I hope you like what you see, and stop by often!

I try to keep the blog interesting, on topic, for the most part, and fun to check out. I also regulary preview new items coming to shop here before they get listed. Like this one...

Just Cloning Around

Tomorrow morning, I will be adding this VERY BRIGHT organic focal to my Etsy shop. This bead is entitled "Clones Of Jupiter".

As with Navajo Blanket, I've used a few of the new colors in this bead to see how they would turn out in the organic design. New colors used in this bead are both by CIM--Lipstick and Sangre.

I love how well they mixed in with some Electric Yellow and Dark Ivory in this bead. It colors just flow and swirl around this bead like a gaseous atmosphere of a large planet--can you think of which one?

Anyway, I hope you like it and will stop by tomorrow and see all of the pictures!

Remember Multimedia?

Back in December, as some of you may know, I bought a new Mac computer to enable me to speed up photo and web site editing and include some new multi-media features like podcasts, tutorial movies, etc.

Well, so far you've probably been wondering "Where the hell is the multimedia?"

I can now tell you that my first podcast is coming very soon. I'm learning GarageBand, which came with my Mac, and planning out the first episode.

Keep your eyes and ears open...

Anyone Looking For A Navajo Blanket?

Navajo Blanket is the title of this new focal bead that I made yesterday. It's got a rich, organic palette in shades of purple and blue with some ivories and tans thrown into the mix.

Capped with black ends to really accentuate the colors, this large bicone focal is a real winner and should be quite stunning in any creation you can imagine.

This bead has so much detail and depth to it that it really must be seen and inspected in person to really see the colors play with each other.

Why is it named Navajo Blanket, you ask? Well, it's what I thought of when I looked at the bead. The black ends make the bead look like it has been wrapped up in something. The soft color palettes reminded me of an almost southwestern design. Bring the two concepts together and that how I named it.

You can call it whatever you want when it's yours, however. I will be adding this beauty to my Etsy Shop first thing in the morning with many more pictures. I hope you will stop by!

Have a great night.

A Mighty Oak

Well, I've got my beads from yesterday cleaned up and there'll definitely be a couple for the Etsy Shop this week.  I haven't taken any pictures of them yet, so I can't show them to you until tomorrow.

However, I figured it was time to put up a new item into the shop, so I proudly present "A Mighty Oak".

This large tree focal (biggest of the set I made a week or so ago), features an organic background in a very earthy palette with a large and spreading tree in the foreground.  Lush green foliage is draped all around this bead from the tree.

The trunk is quite knobby and large and has a really great shape and depth.  The branches are a rich mix of browns, ivories and tans all swirled together for a great mottled tree appearance.

This little gem is being loaded into the shop tomorrow morning, so be sure to stop by and check out all of the pictures.

Have a great night!

M' Lord, A Package Has Arrived!

Huzzah!  My chain mail supplies have finally arrived.  I wonder if this is how the knights felt when their packages arrived?  Probably not.

Anyway, it's been nearly two weeks since my class, and the rings to complete what we started in class and to design a few other pieces have arrived and are awaiting my attentions.

I started off small with my order since I also need other jewelry supplies, glass supplies and money to apply for more art fairs.  Do you know that running your own business takes a lot of money just to get to the places where you can make some?  

In the package I received my tools for opening and closing the rings and copper, brass and aluminum rings (in various sizes).  I've got a few different designs I'll be trying out in the next few weeks, and pictures will be forthcoming,  I promise!

What's New Etsy-Cat?  WO, WO, WO, WO!

Tomorrows addition to my shop on Etsy is this tree focal entitled, "Weathering The Storm".  

A large, bent and twisted tree awaits the storm that brews in the distance.  Dark gray and blue clouds blot out the clear blue sky as sheets of rain pelt the distant landscape.  This is not the first storm this wise, old tree has withstood, and it certainly will not be the last!

This is really a wonderful bead that I'm quite proud to be adding to my shop in the morning.  As usual, I'll have lots more pictures and information about this focal bead in the shop listing.

Have a great night, and btw, can you  name all 6 members of the Oceanic 6?

A Quiet Moment At Sunset

That what the tree beads bring to mind for me, a quiet moment.  

Sometimes the moments are at twilight or dusk, other times, early morning.  Sometimes, the time doesn't matter at all, just that the moment exists.

My newest tree focal bead has its quiet moment at a sunset.  This bead, entitled "Cliffside Sunset", depicts a very twisted, sprawling tree as the sun sets into the western sky.  The warm colors of the bead could indicate a western state, like Arizona or New Mexico, but it can be anywhere you like or a sunset that you enjoyed in your childhood under a similar old tree.

As the title implies, the tree sits along the edge of cliff, which gives the viewer of the sunset in the valley below an amazing vantage point.  This old tree is waiting for you come sit under it and enjoy the view.  

Wouldn't you like to rest a bit?

I'll be adding this bead to my Etsy Shop tomorrow morning, as usual with several new pictures and more bead information.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great night.

It's not radioactive, but it glows!

This past weekend, I tried a little experiment on a bicone bead that I created.  I took banana yellow pastel glass, and encased it with dark emerald green.  I wasn't sure what it would look like, but I thought it might be a cool color combo.

Well, once I encased the bead and re-shaped it, I then added, guess what, grape vines and leaves.  The result is this bright and fun little bead I'm calling "Glowing Vineyard".

Since it was NOT designed as a wine stopper, it is much smaller than the rest of my beads for this week.

It's decorated with four bunches of two-tone (red and purple) grapes along with the vines and leaves that my vineyard beads are known for.

The background color reminds me of almost the glass color of a 7-Up bottle.  I encased it in a number of directions, so the background has some texture to it, like the wind blowing that is rather cool.

I'll be adding this bead to my Etsy shop tomorrow, so I hope you can come take a look.

Have a great night, All!

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!

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.

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!

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

Two Posts in One Day! New Shop Items

Wow,  two posts in a single day.  That's nearly a record for me, but I thought I'd start off the new year with a few new items in my store.

I'll be posting this lovely focal bead, Lava Flows, into my Etsy shop in the morning.  I love the deep, rich colors in this piece, and I'm very happy with how the bead came out. It's a truly remarkable bicone, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it.

In the afternoon, I'll be adding this set of blue and tan lentils called Stony Brook.  Its a great pastel color combination for spring designs.  This is a fun little set that has a lot of flexibility in how it is used in your designs.  

I've got more beads to clean tomorrow in new shapes and designs, and I am hoping to get back onto the torch for the new Froggie Focals tomorrow.  It's been a while since I've made them, and they'll be great for Spring and Summer designs.  

If you'd like to ask questions or suggest topics, please do not hesitate to contact me at either of the following web sites:

www.LampOfLuxury.com

www.BurningScentsations.Etsy.com

I can also be reached through this blog, as well.  Just post a comment, and I'll get back to you.

Have a safe and happy  New Year's Eve, and I'll chat with you again next year!

A Very Productive Friday

Caffeine Fueled Productivity

Despite sleeping in this morning, I actually got quite a bit accomplished including cleaning my beads from last weekend, taking photos, importing more pictures from my old computer and making more focal beads.

Thank you Starbucks!  I'm not sure what it is about their frappuccinos, but the Venti Java Chip really fires my creativity.  I get a lot more done when I've had one than when I don't, and I'm much more willing to try things that may be difficult or experimental.  

The new Mac is getting my image libraries more organized than they have ever been and should make the creation of the new web site even simpler yet since I'll know exactly where the pictures are that I want to include.

New Item Coming To Etsy

Anyway, speaking of pictures, here's a pic of the new focal bead I'll be loading into my Etsy shop tomorrow morning.  I was hoping to load this up this morning, but since I didn't get the blog entry up and had other things going on, I thought I'd just wait until tomorrow.

This focal has a really great depth to the colors used in it.  There's a lot of subtle color

 variation and lacing occurring that makes this bicone just magical (at least IMHO).  The colors used in this one were a bit of an experiment, but I'm really happy with how it came out.

This particular style of bead is known as an Organic, which is to say it has a natural stone look and does not have a regular pattern like a floral or other type of bead.  This type of bead is quite fun to make because there are no rules and you never know how they will come out.  

The beads I made today are also organic focals, but they're in very different shapes than this one.  More on those in the next post or two.

Have a great evening, and be sure to check out my web site and shop at:

www.LampOfLuxury.com

www.BurningScentsations.Etsy.com

Thanks for stopping by!