Black & White Billions

A big pile of wee black and white beads.

Fun to make, but a booger to clean.

For what?
A necklace.

Pretty Poppies

I have re-designed my poppy rings.

I like them so much better - no wire bits on the top to snag on sweaters. To test them, for sturdiness, I gave five of them away to friends. So far, no casualties. The epoxy has held the glass poppy bead onto the sterling ring just fine. These gal pals are not shrinking violets, I chose ladies who I thought were the most likely to demolish the rings.

I made more poppy (and strawberry) beads yesterday and will be stocking these rings in my Belvedere Etsy shop later this week. If you would like to pre-order a special size just start an Etsy conversation with me.

Vintage Venetian Necklaces

I found some vintage glass beads last week at an estate sale.

above: clear glass with aventurine and sky blue frit
below: clear glass with aventurine and lemon yellow frit

Both necklaces are available in my "Curious Old Things" etsy shop. (sold)

Mother's Day Magic

I don't know what your children do for a living.
Doctor, lawyer, Indian chief? Or if they are even old enough to work.

Mine has graduated from college and has a job - she is a wizard.

Miss Margaret is a "historical process photographer." That means that she studies, and creates images using, archaic photographic processes. Tin types, wet collodion, deguerreotypes and many, many other long lost mad scientist kinds of photography. She's one part artist, one part chemist and one part historian.

She made this glass plate photograph, it is an ambrotype, a popular photographic method from the 1850s and 1860s.

It is my Mother's Day gift.

Amazing. The photographic image is printed on the glass sheet and it's a lovely, soft ivory color. The black is just a piece of painted black paper.

Wizardry.

When I frame it the image will be on top of black velvet, which Margaret says is a proper way to do it.

A Charming Little Post

Five new glass charms.

Not feeling very wordy today...

so I'm just gonna stick with pictures.

All of these charms are 'end of the mandrel' beads with wire bails epoxied in place.

In Full Bloom

A whole new crop of glass and sterling silver tulip rings.

Little Birds

I got a chance to play with clay - at my friend Nancy's studio.
Pinching, poking, laughing and getting dirty fingers. 

After a couple of sessions of baking and glazing I had a nice flock of little porcelain birds.

I've been hoarding them - just looking at them when I should have be making things with them.
An unused bead is such a sad thing.

For a first pair I've used some hammered sterling and a pair of my glass beads with two blue birds.
Now I have new earrings to wear out on a beautiful spring Friday night.

Lucky Frida

I adore this snapshot my friend Jackie took. It shows off my lucky Frida Kahlo lighter.

Last night was open house for all the studios in the warehouse complex where I make my glass.
Lots of friends dropped in, including Jackie and her trusty camera, all in all it was a wonderful evening.