Color Testing Revisited

 I'm getting ready to move and thought I'd talk about a few things I've been working on before I have to pack up my shop.  The above beads were made with a frit blend from Devardi called waterlilies, on CiM stoneground that had been covered with silver foil which was melted in.  I love how the etching brought out the pinks and the droplets of silver.  On just plain white, below, the frit is pretty, like a summer meadow, I think, but I like it better on the silver and brown.

 I picked up some Devardi Aurora frit as well, above on the NW and SE beads over CiM crocus, and below over copper green.  I really like the way it looks on copper green and have made a set of it, this time getting them all round.  I did do a set on white, where the true colors show up.  It is a pleasing blend of purple, lavender, and greens.

The last color I tested was CiM indigo, a limited run.  For all the world it looks black and may as well be.  The above are hollow beads and you can just about make out the white ribbon stringing them together.  Not sure how I'll use this yet.  I'm thinking of making it into twisties or filigrana and making hollows and/or ruffles with it.

Now This Ticks Me Off

 I've been on a rainbow kick lately and devoted a lot of time and energy into this set.  Some of the beads originally came out the wrong size and I had to remake them, yada yada yada.  Looks good, right.

Not so fast.  It was only after I cleaned them and was getting ready to photograph them that I noticed.  They had touched in the kiln and I got glass transfer.  Profanity ensued.

Effetre Metallic Black vs. Dark Silver Plum

 I made this set last month and was very happy with the way it turned out.  The only glass used was Effetre metallic black and while I loved the way the beads looked, metallic black is a pain to work with.  For one thing it is ridiculously expensive, and while that is a consideration, for me it wasn't the main one.  The biggest problem was that it is an Italian black.  It pops and boils, and the matte metallic coatings forms so fast on my low heat little hothead that it was nearly impossible to fuse the raised decoration on.

I decided to try Effetre dark silver plum instead, which is slightly less expensive but more importantly, not at all a pain to work with.  Quite the opposite.  It melts like butter, doesn't go shooting rod ends all over the table, doesn't boil or spark and develops a metallic shine when I want it to and not before.  I used the machine made version because I seem to have gone senile and ordered it twice in a row last year and have lots of it.  There is a difference between how the machine made version reacts in the flame and how the handmade one does but it is more readily apparent with dual fuel torches.  On the hothead, it forms a matte luster easily.

Side by side, the difference between the 2 sets is pretty clear.  The black set is black and the DSP set is, well, plum.  The black set has a more rainbow kind of luster and while the plum set does have tones of teal and gold in real life they don't show up to the camera at all.  I chose these pictures because they highlight the differences.

Here the difference isn't so obvious.  I like how these turned out and if I decide to do a similar set I'll use DSP again.  The metallic black might work for stringer or shards but for  a whole bead with raised decoration it's too much of a good thing.

Cuteness Attacks!

 I've been in a strange mood as spring has come in with a bang, making all sorts of beads that can only be described as cute.  The above frog is a prime example.  I've always liked frogs, but just decided I had to make one.

 Ladybugs are another big kick.  I can't stop making them, or watermelon slices...I actually adore the expression of the ladybug above.  It's kind of an uh, oh face.

 Pairs have been popping up a lot too, and in the case of bunnies where there's two there will be more coming.  And tiny, little ladybugs...

There.  Now maybe it will be out of my system for a while.

Another Random Thought

While reading and writing (quite a bit) in the discussions on Etsy, it occurred to me that I'm really quite superstitious.  Not in the never walk under a ladder way, because that's just common sense, but in the deeply ingrained, part of my soul kind of way.

I believe in fairies.  Laugh...get it all out...

There are sales fairies that visit you from time to time.  Usually you welcome them with arms wide open and thank them.  Sometimes you are a little afraid....If you've been there you know what I mean.

There are kiln fairies.  Sometimes I'll go to bed wishing I never lit the torch and wake up amazed at what got left in the kiln.  Did I make this?  Other times I've literally accused Joe of sneaking in and making a bead or two while I was asleep and sticking it in there because how else could I have possibly made such rubbish.  He denies it but there's never more than 2 and they aren't anything I was making.  Sometimes it's not even with colors I was working with.

There are other taboos.  Never give away the smaller clothes.  Never throw out the earring you lost the mate to.  The other one may find its way back.  Never, ever, throw or give away the last baby things.  Never laugh at others' superstitions.

Believe...




Do I have a picture?  I posted it last time, but this time think of fairy circles.

A Random Thought

I'm happy to say I haven't been sitting away whiling away the hours.  I've been at it from waking to passing out.  The result is that I haven't had much to say, but I thought I'd share a random thought or two.  Is fire alive?

According to my biology class, life is defined as having some things in common
1.  It consumes energy - well, duh!
2.  It reproduces - ask Mrs. O'Leary's cow about that.
3.  It moves - it depends.  Is there a draft around?
4.  It excretes waste - sure!  CO2 and a bunch of other stuff
5.  It dies - yes, it does, especially if you're camping on a wet night

There were a couple more things but from the look of it, yes fire lives!

Not really.  Take away the energy and it goes away.  So does everything.  Don't eat for a month or two and see what happens to you.  Reproduction is something that implies something can't exist unless it is created.  Take a big pile of carbon and hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, iron and phosphorous as well as a few other elements I can't remember and you'll never grow a human being.  Leave a pile of oily rags lying around and you might get fire.  Movement is more than a reaction.  Plants grow toward the sun and fire doesn't seem to care what is going on around it.  If I'm stupid enough to stick my hand in the torch flame again it will burn it the same as it did before.  It won't go out looking for me though.  There are byproducts of many chemical reactions and that doesn't mean they live.  As far as dying goes, in order to die something has to be alive.  No, fire isn't really alive but sometimes it's perverse enough to make me believe it is.

What has this to do with beads, lampworking or anything?  Not much.  Here are some pictures of things I made that are alive.

Good night and God bless.

My First Week

 My first week of unemployment has been a busy one.  I've concentrated on my lampworking and have made a bit of progress on that front.  I've started making watermelon slice beads again as they have been popular in the past and are proving to be so again as everyone looks to warmer weather.

I'm expanding a bit into non-lampwork jewery.  It's a saturated market but it's nice to be able to offer a range of prices rather than all labor-intensive lampwork.  It's also nice to have something I can work on late at night when the noise of the torch and dremel tool would keep the neighbors awake.