Shop Loading Continues

I've been very busy getting my shop loaded with lots of new items over this weekend in addition to making several new pieces.

Working in Boro is a lot of fun and I hope you are enjoying my adventure with me.

This weekend I made some new disk pendants--some with a large front hole--that I will be adding over the next few days.

Drop pendants and a couple hearts were also made, but I'm not sure if one of them will go up. I was using a new color, cranberry, but it didn't quite turn out as expected. The color looks too much like rust and cherry. Reds are giving me some trouble, but I will get them worked out soon, I hope.

If they won't come out, then I can always use some "Red Elvis"--yes, that's actually the name of the color. I know it will come out red for me since I used it in class and is a very reliable color.

The pictures in this posting are new items that I posted to my shop today. Be sure to stop by Etsy and see what all I've added over the weekend.

Hope you're having a great week so far.

Where have I been?

"I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me!"

It's been quite a while between posting, but I thought it was time revive my blog and get back to you great folks.

Creatively, I've been in a bit of a funk for several months--since last summer actually-- and wasn't sure how to break out of it.

After much thought, soul searching and just generally taking a break from most things glass, I have been able to recapture my desire and creativity.

Over the past few months, I've been preparing to switch from using the soft-glass that I learned on to the harder Borosilicate. There are a number of reasons for this.

1. I love the wide range of reactive colors available to me in this glass.
2. I needed a new challenge creatively to prevent me from just making the same thing over and over again.
3. Boro gives me much more freedom over the types of items that I can make--not just jewelry but sculpture, marbles, paperweights etc. (If I have enough heat, that is).
4. It was just time for a change.

So, now that the switch has been made, I hope you enjoy the pictures of my latest creations in the new medium.

Also, be sure to check out my Facebook Page for Burning Scentsations!

Several new items have been added my Esty Shop over the past few days, so please check out the all-Boro items now!

Have a great night!

If You Love Boro...

...Then you have got to check out this new treasury on Etsy.


What is a treasury? Well, for those who aren't used to Etsy, treasuries are collections of items that are currently for sale on Etsy. These collections are created by the user community, buyers and sellers, and put on display for the rest of the users to enjoy. They're typically created around a theme, but do not have to be.

It is made up of beads and jewelry using Borosilicate glass and the items are amazing. This is a great chance to see all of the great colors and what can be done in this amazing glass.

I was contacted by its creator since I'm lucky enough to have been included in the collection as you may notice from this preview picture. See "The Boro Gang" set of my beads in the lower left corner?

To view the actual treasury, just click HERE. You can also visit My Etsy Shop and see all of the creations I've put into the shop as well.

Treasuries last for a limited time only, so please be sure to check it out before it disappears.

Have a great day.

Happy 4th Of July

Good Morning, Everyone!

I'm usually not posting in the mornings since I have to get ready for work, but the only work I have to get ready for today is making some more fabulous beads!

I love holidays!

I was supposed to post the picture of my new leaf bead last night, but totally forgot about it since I was caught up with mowing the lawn, taking care of the dogs, the cat and watching a movie.

Better late than never, though. So without further ado, I present "Water Leaf".

This is another borosilicate leaf in great shades of blue and green, which reminded me of water and how the bead got its name.

This one is a bit smaller than my previous leaf, but has a more organic shape to it.

This would look lovely as a focal of larger necklace or just strung on a cord by itself.

I'm posting this bead to my Etsy Shop momentarily, so please come take a look!

Thanks for stopping by.

Fall's First Leaf

Updates have been a bit scant lately since I've been experimenting so much with new techniques, glasses and tools. You've been very patient and now I have something new that's coming to my Etsy Shop in the morning.

May I present: Fall's First Leaf.

This leaf pendant is a mixture of two different colors of Borosilicate glass which is partially what created the cool mix of colors that drape across this bead.

Working with the hard glass is very interesting and challenging, but I'm sure I'll get used to it soon. One thing is for sure, I will definitely need some new shaping tools since boro is so much stiffer, I had a terrible time getting the leaf pattern pressed into the glass. Now I know why they make such a wide range of leaf presses; one size does not fit all!

I'll be adding this pendant to my Etsy Shop in the morning, so please stop by to see the rest of the pictures and check it out.

Have a great night, all!

Abracadabra! It's Magic!

Or at least it looks like it has magical powers.

Sparkling with supernatural shades of color, this borosilicate focal bead must really be seen in person to be appreciated.

I've entitled it "Sand & Magic".

A double encased core of tans and cremes is surrounded by layered dots of the same core color and clear boro for a great texture and maximized light refraction.

The raised dots feel great on your fingers as you rub them around the bead.

I'll be adding this my Etsy Shop tomorrow morning with more pictures and complete specs on the bead.

Thanks for stopping by!

Meet The Boro Gang!

That's the name of my new set of beads that I made using Borosilicate (hard) glass. I love how these beads came out with their bright cores and clear encasing. The colors just jump off the beads.

These accent beads will look great in just about any design, so don't be shy. Play around with them a bit.

Each one is an experiment in color and design to see what the colors I've got can really do. Notice how the colors are not solid, like in my other glass designs, but actually look like threads of color that varies in each of the sections.

One of the blue colors I used has created an almost sapphire like brilliance that reflects the light out of the bead like a mirror. Very cool.

I even have one bead that has a series of punged dots (on the left end of the strand) against a background that is peacock blue and purple. It's all one rod of glass, but came out in several shades of colors.

I will definitely be playing with Boro much much more!

Be sure to see these beads in my Etsy Shop tomorrow. There'll be lots more pictures and information about the beads.

Thanks for stopping by!

My First Boro Listing - Sky City

This afternoon at lunch, I listed my first boro bead in my Etsy Shop.

This bead is an encased creation that kind of got away from me a bit and didn't turn out like I was expecting. However, it did create a really interesting formation in shades of blues, greens and tans that I think is pretty cool.

Unfortunately, since I didn't get the pictures taken until I came home for lunch, I didn't get a chance to post advance notice for Sky City.

You can see the listing and all of the pictures of Sky City HERE.

Let me know what you think!

The New Adventure Begins!

My first boro beads are out of the kiln, cleaned and drying downstairs. I'll be able to photo them tomorrow and begin loading the first of the new beads into my shop.

After the first couple of attempts at focals, I ended up focusing on accent beads. Simple designs in many colors to let me get the hang of working the harder glass. The bead colors are really cool and unique looking.

One of my mistakes actually looks pretty cool and I think I'll be calling it "Sky City", since that's what it looks like.

Would you like to wear a city around your neck?

Since Borosilicate is a harder glass--much harder, I had turn up the flame a lot higher than I usually need to with the soft glass. It's an interesting sensation to be working with that much heat, but I love how the colors came out...more will be coming soon.

Have a great night, All.

What's Up?

Some of you may have noticed that there have been fewer posts and new items lately than I usually have going here, so I thought I'd give you a glimpse into what's currently going on here.

First off, my partner has been cast in two summer shows up in Wisconsin. This means that he will be gone for the next few months and we have many preparations to make so that he can go and not worry about us here.

Second, I am considering going back to school and weighing my options. There's a class this summer that would give me a good intro into the coursework and let me see if I will like this type of work (it's still computers, but a bit more creative field).

With all that's going on, I haven't had as much time to work on the torch.

Not to worry, more new items will be coming soon.

I have re-listed several items that you might be interested in so please check out My Shop to see what's come up this week.

In addition, I will be playing with Boro (short for Borosilicate - aka pyrex) for the first time and seeing how I like the colors and how the glass works up. Keep an eye out for some beads that don't look like my other designs in the upcoming weeks.

That's the long and the short of it for now. Thanks for stopping by, and let me know if I can be of service to you.

Hope you're having a great night!

Happy Anniversary, O'Reillys!

Saturday afternoon, I went out to the stained glass shop that I took my first lampwork glass class in and where I now teach intermediate and advanced classes for their anniversary celebration.

O'Reillys Stained Glass has been creating and serving glass artists for 9 years in Crystal Lake, Illinois. To commemorate the event, there was food, cake and huge crowd of folks to watch demonstrations by glass sculptor Ken Herman.

Ken works in Borosilicate glass and has an unusual torch set up with a specialized table he's built so that he can use several flames at various angles all at the same time. He even has a large flame that comes up from the bottom of the table for melting larger pieces of glass, like paperweights (as you can see in the photo).

This blue perfume bottle is really gorgeous, but I'm partial to blue anyway. However, the stopper with the large flower is really something and quite a work of art in its own right.

The red bottle below is very dainty and a wonderfully executed piece of glass art. The flower stamen stopper is also a very nice touch to this piece.

It was great fun getting to see him work and all of the lovely creations that he has made. He works on a much larger scale than I do, and he was quite an inspiration to watch.

He makes some really amazing glass flowers, perfume bottles and floral scenes that must be seen in person to really be appreciated. I've grabbed a few of his pictures from the web, but more can be found in the For Sale section of O'Reillys Stained Glass's web site.

He's just starting to put his work out into the public and is looking into art fairs and other venues for his work. Who knows, he might just be at an art fair near you in the near future.

Thank you so much, Suzy for the wonderful afternoon and great party. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to celebrating your 10th anniversary next year.

Have a great night!