Week - 52 YAY another year done!

Wow,..what a year,.. those weeks seemed to keep coming faster and faster… I could barely keep up for most of the year, but I made it *thud*.

Here is my finale piece. My first necklace, made with my own lampwork beads. Whoot!! What a buzz that is.

Just a little Gas & Oxygen is needed.

Then I’ll be able to melt glass in my studio at long last.  Well it seems like it’s never going to happen for me. I’m no longer kicking myself for not getting setup three years ago because trying to setup now, brings back all the memories and reasons why I gave up back then. It was hard back then,.. but it seems that even though I have less obstacles three years later,..there are a few things (which really should be simple to do),.that are proving to be problematic. 

Gas,.. well I’m still waiting to hear back from the second gas plumber. He did say a week ago that they’re running three weeks behind on the jobs already on their books. He also said he would try an pop in last week to inspect the job,.. *snif*.. haven’t seen him yet.

Oxygen,..hmmm.. last week my Oxygen Concentrator arrived and for a few precious minutes I was thrilled that I was getting a step closer to having my setup complete. That thrill soon turned to,.. ho hum *heavy sigh* when I inspected the OxyCon after seeing a big dent in the box. It looks like it took a bit of a pounding (most likely dropped) in transit with it suffering dents, bruises and a gouge out of the plastic body where the power cord plug was smooshed into it.  It has to be returned ,.. and I’m still waiting for a phone call for someone to tell me they are coming to pick it up. I have no idea when I will get a replacement. I’m fairly sure all units that came in this shipment were already spoken for and going to new homes (I just happened to be the lucky one to get the short straw for the damaged one). I believe another shipment has been ordered, but know nothing more about when it would arrive in Australia.

Here is a little pic of the smooshed power plug,. couldn’t even plug the unit in if I wanted to,.. see how bent the prongs are,… have you ever tried to bend these prongs??  Hmm this suggests to me that this Oxygen Concentrator received some pretty heavy force.

Soooooooh,…. I’m now aiming to be setup before Christmas,lol.

Second session at the torch.

Yesterday, 18th Sept 06,.. I had my second session at the torch and this time, I brought my own torch (a Bobcat) along and used it for the very first time (I’ve only had it three years *rolls eyes*). 

I had an absolute blast. This torch was a little harder to work with,. it was a lot hotter and so I had to work further out in the flame. It also was very directional (not as bushy) and for some reason,. the flame kept going gradually smaller and hotter, which required readjustting a few times.  Just a matter of getting used to it though,. it’s an awesome torch, I love it.

Here is my first bead set. I’m going to make my finale FSOJ piece out of these.

Since one bead from last session (bead 11) missed the photo shoot,. these beads in this set are beads 13 to 20 in order of making.

and bead 12 (first bicone), then beads 21 & 22 were messing around with another technique,… a little outta shape,. cos I think I got excited about the cool happenings inside, I forgot to get them back to shape, oops,lol.

Well,.. I’m ready to go and make beads in my own studio,.. I have all my tools and supplies and all I need now is a couple of minor things like oxygen and gas. :)  See my setup progress next post *snif*.

Week - 51

Ok,. I know I have posted this in the Lampwork Journey category, but it is also my Week 51 FSOJ piece,.. ‘fed two birds with one seed’ (DDs saying, she hates the original saying where you kill two birds with one stone,lol).

Anyway,. it was an absolute blast to make a piece using my own lampwork bead,. whoot! what a buzz. A simple little pendant just so I can wear it myself. This bead is really cool,. it has funky bubbles and organic looking formation inside which is hard to capture in the picture. There is also a deep red in the centre which blooms out on the top and bottom of the bead. All accidental of course, because I had no idea what I was doing apart from including three deliberately trapped air bubbles which worked ok.  The rest of the funky bubbly inclusions I’d guess were created because I worked too hot and boiled the glass,lol.

Week - 50

Using up more scrap,. it was time for a funky though not very practical ring,lol.  Took about 10mins to make and that’s all the time I could spare hee hee. Busy, busy, busy…. has anyone got some time for sale??,… I’m a little short of it and I need to do a bulk buy.

Week - 49

Another busy week, where speed, new earrings for me and use up scrap were the main reasons for these.  Unfortunately the pic makes the wire look a little chewed,. buut the wire is beautifully smooth. WordPress wont allow me to enlarge a photo and constrain the size to keep the proportion correct, so the jaggies creep in grrr. Anyway,. a very simple and quick pair of plain earrings,.. just how I like them for myself.

Week - 48

These weeks are busy for me at the moment,.. because I’m trying to cram too many things in sooh little time,.. so there was three main aims for doing these earrings. 1. speed,  2. use up scrap wire and  3. I need some earrings. :).  Made from little silver-blue coin pearls,. they hang beautifully and look very nice on.

Simple Pendant with a first bead

Ok here is the first piece I have made with my own lampwork beads,. whoot! what a buzz. A simple little pendant just so I can wear it myself. This bead is really cool,. it has funky bubbles and organic looking formation in side which is hard to capture in the picture. There is also a deep red in the centre which blooms out on the top and bottom of the bead. All accidental of course, because I had no idea what I was doing apart from including three deliberately trapped air bubbles which worked ok.  The rest of the funky bubbly inclusions I’d guess were created because I worked too hot and boiled the glass,lol.

First beadmaking lesson today! Yay!

After waiting three years,.. I finally touched my first rod of glass,. and made my first bead today,..well 10 beads in fact….and wow, what a thrill it was.  I had a lesson today with Peter Minson and the day just flew,..we had lunch at 3pm because we were so caught up and I couldn’t believe it was so late.  Talk about getting lost in a creativity. I’m a little worried,.. I’m already time challenged,. and today it felt like someone snuck in and stole four hours from me.

We fast tracked through quite a few techniques for basic beads after learning some all-important safety procedures. I still have all my fingers and I didn’t sneeze in the flame and fry off my eyebrows like I imagined I would since I’ve sneezed at least 12 million times :} in the past 24hrs *cough*. 

I can’t wait to get back at the torch again. We have made arrangements for me to have another lesson, two weeks from now, so there will be no more beads from me til then *snif* as my studio is still not ready for flamework.  Hopefully,. by the time I have my next lesson,.. my studio will be ready,.. keeping my fingers and eyes crossed.

Here are my first beads.

In the order I made them, from left to right,.. beads 1, 2,3 & 4

beads 5, 6 & 7

 and beads 8, 9 & 10.

Too much fun was had in one day,… it should be illegal. :]

 

Setting up for flamework.

It’s been a long time coming,.. erm..could it already be three years since I bought my Bobcat torch (pictured above)??  *thud* . But,.. I’m finally setting up my studio so I can make glass beads.

Yep checking the date on the invoice, I ordered it on Sept 6, 03 and here it is Aug 28, 06. The poor torch and tools have been sitting patiently (unloved *snif* ) in the box they came in,…for all that time.

Many things prevented me back then, from going through with it and setting up my studio with gas tanks, kiln, glass rods and other supplies,..but as much as I desperately wanted to do it back then,. the cost and logistics of setting up were beyond my reach and I ‘threw in the towel’ for want of a better term. Thinking I would never be able to do beadmaking,. I resigned to the fact that it would be best just to sell the torch and other tools and books I had collected in vain,…and forget the whole stupid idea. 

But alas,. call me lazy ‘cos I never did get around to selling the torch and other bits,..wonder why? *snigger*….. and would you believe it?, it looks like the planets have finally all aligned correctly ;} because I got the sudden urge to pull the torch out of the box a few weeks ago and I was bitten badly by the beadmaking bug again *ouch*. 

I have kept the box of torch and goodies open on my workbench this time,. and I’ve decided,.. I’m gunna do this. Better late than never right?

I have begun making arrangements in all aspects of getting my studio setup for beadmaking with the Gas Plumber coming to inspect the job today, figuring out a suitable ventilation solution, sourcing stainless steel for the workbench,. purchased many more books,. a ‘Creation Station’(armrest/torch plate system) which I almost got today,.only I wasn’t here when posty delivered it and he left me a card for parcel pickup instead grrr.

I have a beadmaking lesson (and I expect torch/kiln/safety etc) with Peter Minson next Monday Sept 4, whooooooot! with possibly more lessons to follow depending on how I go. Aaaand I have a Warm Glass course commencing hopefully next week also (still waiting confirmation)for six weeks (3hrs each Wednesday), which will take care of many other glass related things like fusing, slumping, molds, some torchwork, safety, glass theory, enamels, frits, stringers, powders, metals in glass and a heap of other stuff I have forgotten.

So hopefully in a few weeks I will be able to show you some of my beginner glass projects, and beads (read.. glass poop on a mandrel).

All very exciting and scary at the same time. I think by the end of the six weeks of Warm Glass and my beadmaking lesson/s, I should have a reasonable foundation for working on small projects in glass and beadmaking. I can’t wait to get to the point where I can sit at my workbench (with confidence), stereo going and just play with molten globs of glass,lol. I sohhh want to paint with colour again,.. but also stay in the jewellery making field (of course phrrrrrt!),. I’m crossing my fingers,.. and hoping desperately that one day,.. glass beadmaking will satiate all of my creative cravings in a neat little package,lol. 

I will keep you posted on my progress,.. but expect to see some reeeally ugly beads,lol. laugh if you will,….. I know I’ll be laughing at them.

Remy

Tut008: Finished Yaaay!!. update 5

Hi everyone, the wait is almost over. I have just finished writing Tutorial 008 and I have pen’d  in some time tomorrow to get it up on the website for you all to download for free. 

I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support of my tutorials as it is appreciated greatly and will enable me to keep writing. 

If you don’t already receive our Newsletter ,. you might like to sign up so that you will know the minute this tutorial hits the website. Newsletters are only sent out to alert subscribers of new releases,. and for no other purpose.

So look out for Tute008 tomorrow!!  Happy Dichroic Cab Wrapping

Week - 47

The weeks are flying by and I’m really struggling to keep up with the FSOJ, so another quick piece this week. There was a theme recently called ‘Mixed Media’ and I really wanted to do that but already had a piece planned that week. So I decided to play around with that a little this week. I’ve used a gorgeous little tumbled agate? stone that looks like a little bird egg, some seed beads(for the mother bird ;} ) and sterling silver for the cage (to keep the egg safe =] ) . The necklace, is really quick hard to make out in the pictures, but it is basically two pieces of organza ribbon tied together at intervals then fine sterling silver wrapped loosely around the two ribbons. In the picture(top) the necklace is simply curled around for the photo. So something very different again for me,.. I love getting ‘out of my box’ .

Week - 46

This week’s theme is  “TWISTS AND TURNS”,.. so here is my totally impractical Twist & Turn ring. I had a lot of fun doing this ring. Slightly off the rails,. but that’s what I wanted .

Week - 45

This week’s piece is made from a beautiful Dichroic cabochon, made by Lynette Owen. I’m also currently writing a free tutorial for this design.

Tut008: Piece done, photos done. update 4

Hi all,.. I’ve finished the tutorial piece as you can see here,. using Lynette’s beautiful Fused Glass cabochon.

All the photographs are done, shot approximately 150 photos and finished up using 99.

I’ve just updated the Tute008 page, to include the photo of the finished pendant as pictured here, as well as the variation pieces, so check it out if you haven’t already.

Next on the list of things to do.

1. Start writing - This tutorial will be about 33 pages long.

2. Add the Materials and Tools information to the tute008 webpage.

I hope you’re all enjoying the tutorials and enjoy keeping an eye on things with these updates. Feel free to comment any time,. to say “hurrrrrrrry uuuup already!!” ;] .

Remy