Bracelet Mania

Making sets for bracelets.

Blue Skies and Leaves - 'opalino blue' clouds and 'mosaic green' off mandrel leaves.
'Mosaic Green' is my new favorite glass, just look at all that shading with no work at all.

Stinkberries - hand faceted nuggets with a core of Cim's 'berry,' rolled in large 'raku' frit and then encased in 'pale olive green.'

 Road Tar - Cim's 'Gunmetal' glass.

Lots of blobs, trails and applied leaves to show off the luster in the glass. The spirals are done by spot heating and twisting with non serrated tweezers.


Making sets this size is perfect - not so many beads that you lose interest and get bored while making them, but enough so that you feel like you've really accomplishing something.

the Alayna

On her birthday, way back in May, I decided to make Alayna a necklace.
I knew it had to be done in her favorite color scheme: black and white.
Also I wanted to make it with sterling silver because it needed to be a perfect present..

After a few false starts, then the task of making 100s of wee black and white beads, cleaning 100s of beads, and the construction delays, it's finally where it ought to be. On her neck.

It's nice and jangly without being too heavy.

The clasp is a simple, hammered hook and eye.

I've started another version of it in watery aquas and iridescent soap bubble colors - like dew drops.
It takes some time to make this many beads and then clean them.

Banging Buttons

All you need is a jar of buttons, a hammer, your bench block and some bad attitude.

Hammering the crap out of brass buttons to make charms - very satisfying indeed.
I got the idea on Pinterest, or as my daughter refered to it "tumblr for housewives."

It's amazing how flat you can get them and how light they are.
I think they'll be great for earrings and what-not.

Crayolas

I had absolutely forgotten how much I like to color.

We went to the loveliest wedding on Saturday.
The outdoor banquet tables were covered in white paper and were decorated with Mason jars of pretty, late summer flowers. There were also Mason jars of fresh new crayons. I drew like it was my job. Delightful!

Mr. Dick also colored - but only with the black crayon.

Full On Summer

I think this is my most favorite time of year.
It's all summer all of the time.
Tomatoes are abundant, black eyed susans are in full bloom and cookouts are an every night ritual.

I've been making piles of these little leaf charms. Perfect for earrings and bracelets. They've been my "go to" bead all summer. They're made off mandrel and are super fussy to torch, but so worth it.

And the Rain Came Tumbling Down

It just poured and it was perfect.

This is not the picture I planned (I forgot to turn off the macro function) but it's the one I like best.

Millefiori Glory

This is one of the most complicated and beautiful millefiori beads I have ever found.

It must have been done by a very skilled flameworker, most likely in Venice in the 1950's.

This little baby was an earring.

Just thought I'd share my treasure.

It's blistering hot here again today and the air feels like there's a thunderstorm coming.
I can't wait.

How hot is it?
I was going to make a nice banana and yogurt and ice cube smoothie for breakfast but my husband ate the last banana - so I just said 'fuck it' and had a coconut popsicle.
Making toast was too hot a task.

Hear that?
Off in the distance, the first roll of thunder.
Yes.

The Simple Bracelet

It's the dog days of summer so why am I thinking about the holidays?
Because it's time to start designing pieces for the shows I am doing in November and December.
So here I am, all bare feet and popsicles, trying to think like Santa.

This is something I am calling 'the simple bracelet.'

I like my jewelry two ways. One style looks like it was made by the ancients and recently dug up by someone wearing an explorer outfit, the second like it just fell off of a plant.

This bracelet has hammered bronze spiral links and iridescent honey colored beads.
It feels great on the wrist, not too big and really easy to wear.
The bronze will gradually age to that greenish chocolate color of bronze statues in museums.

Here's the same design done with sterling silver links (above) and blackened steel links (below).
I'll be making oodles of these for Christmas, time to go reward myself with a nice cold beverage.

Be In Style - Best of the Web Feature

I woke up this morning to an email letting me know that I am featured in the online magazine 'Be In Style' as a 'best of the web' blog.

Has it gone to my head?
Absolutely.

Want to see?
Click here 

The magazine asked me to send a picture of my poppy rings and to write a blurb about my blog:

“Belvedere Beads is a lot of chatter about my time spent at the torch and pictures from my glass studio. I have always adored fire, and from the minute I melted my first rod of glass and wound it into a bead, I was completely in love. My blog is also about making jewelry. As you can imagine, it wasn’t long after I started making beads that I was up to my elbows in them and had to do something with all that glassy goodness. Of course, there are also tales of my life as an artist and foolish matron, happy snapshots of my prize poodles, and long talks about painting and cupcakes and whatever else I want.” — Lucinda

Pinch me.

Caw Caw

Counting Crows

One for sadness, two for mirth
Three for marriage, four for birth
Five for laughing, six for crying
Seven for sickness, eight for dying
Nine for silver, ten for gold
Eleven a secret that will never be told