Resolutions Challenge - Sabine Little

FHFteam are running a challenge right now on the word theme of Resolutions. Here is the stunning necklace entered by Sabine of Little Castle Designs.

Sabine says:
I first came across Jenny Joseph's poem a few years ago, and it made me laugh out loud. I had visions of this lovely elderly lady running her walking sticks along railings, and I thought 'that's how I want to grow old'. At the time, I was single, and fancy free, no child to be a good example to. This has changed, and I think I now respond to the poem differently. Whereas before, both points of view (the Now and the Later) were alien to me, I now feel I understand better how it feels to be 'grown up and responsible' - whatever that might mean...but at the same time, I've learnt that our children need to grow up with a sense of silliness, of fun that harms nobody, and to take risks for what they believe in. To metaphorically 'wear purple' every day - that's my resolution for 2010...and every year thereafter.



You can find more stunning jewellery and lampwork created by Sabine at LittleCastleDesigns

Fritty Ruffles Tutorial (with rose and leaf murrini)

Welcome to my second photo tutorial. An extravaganza of dodgy poorly lit indoor photography with a diddy wearing digi in all its glory.

This tutorial does not cover all the nuts and bolts of melting glass in the detail that a beginner lampworker might require but is intended merely as a rough guide for combining several techniques together in one bead. Some previous lampworking experience is implied.



I am using some of my own handpulled rose and leaf murrini chips as embellishment in these fritty ruffle beads but any handpulled or commercial murrini will work just as well. Step one is optional: Pull some 1mm stringer – this will be used for cold tweaking your leaf murrini later.



Step two: Wind a roughly tube shaped base bead which is approximately 3cm long and 2cm in diameter.



Step three: Marver the tube in to smooth tube shape, pressing down slightly to create nice dimples.



Step four: Warm the surface of your bead and then roll your base bead in frit



Step five: Melt the frit in to the surface of your bead completely



Step six: press your bead flat between two heat resistant surfaces. Make sure you do not press your bead flatter than 3 times the width of the mandrel.



Step seven: Heat one side of your bead and then snip a groove in to the hot glass with old scissors. Repeat the process on the other side of the bead, this time snipping twice.



Step eight: Warm your bead through thoroughly to round off the corners of your cut ares.



Step nine: Flatten again gently.



Step ten: Turn your fame down and spot heat where you would like to place your rose murrini.



Step eleven: Take the murrini in long handled tweezes, move your bead out of the flame and then press the murrini firmly in to the molten bead surface



Step twelve: Heat the murrini through quickly and press flat, repeat this process 3 or 4 times, flattening the murrini a little more each time. This is where the murrini application process differs slightly from applying starburst murrini, where the murrini is heated strongly and pressed only once.



Step thirteen: Repeat steps eleven through twelve for each rose or leaf murrini that you wish to apply to your bead.



Step fourteen (for leaf murrini only): Spot heat your murrini in a low flame. Remove from the flame and pull a “tip” to your leaf murrini using your cold 1mm stringer. Flame cut the stringer from your tweaked murrini.



Turning Leaf murrini - created using Red Copper Green Effetre, apply in an oxy rich flame to get the pewter finish



Spring Leaf murrini - apply in a neutral flame to avoid any unwanted reduction effects

You can find more of my beads and glasswork on Etsy and on my webshop too.
Jo x

Pick of the week - New Year Resolution

Stunningly photographed artistry from FHFteam. Images and objects that I find jaw droppingly beautiful! Enjoy, Jolene


Featured this week are

Stirling - cute lampworked borosilicate glass mouse pendant by flyingbead
Large Silver core 'Storm Bead' by HelenPetersBeads
Freehand - Silver Earrings by ElelJewellery
Captured Beach by VeeBeads
Oil Slick by craftyclare

Resolutions Challenge - VeeBead Vicki

FHFteam are running a challenge right now on the word theme of Resolutions. Here is the stunning bracelet entered by Vicki of VeeBeads.


Vicki says:
For various reasons I am unable to torch at the moment, so I made a resolution to actually start making stuff with the beads I have made to date, and to learn and incorporate bead weaving and wirework into my jewellery. This bracelet represents a realisation of that resolution. The unusual shape of the Clare Scott beads just shouted to be a frame, so I was determined to use those as part of the design, and there was a tutorial in a bead magazine which I adapted to make the woven cuff. This bracelet has been many, many weeks in the making, and has been through many incarnations, but I am happy with the final result.



You can find more lovely glass by Vicki at VeeBeads

Resolutions Challenge - Lynn Davy

FHFteam are running a challenge right now on the word theme of Resolutions. Here is a stunning entry by Lynn Davy.

Lynn Says: The word has many meanings but I have chosen to focus on the aspect of personal resolutions, of the sort that many of us make when each New Year rolls around: to become better people by cultivating our positive traits and conquering our negative ones.

Resolutions Pendant - Inner Beauty, Outer Strength



You can find more stunning jewellery and fantastic beadweaving tutorials by Lynn at nemeton

Pick of the Week - Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night - Dylan Thomas

Jolene

Featured this week are

Spice Sunbaked Beads by LushLampwork
SEIKA - Sculptural lampwork butterfly by littlecastledesigns
SUMMER PEBBLES Lampwork bead set by PixieWillow
Lily the Pink. A set of handmade lampwork beads by Josephine Wadman
Flores Mexicanas Beaded Bead Set by nemeton
Mexican Wave by pandanimal
Flamong heck that's ORANGE by tanofcourse
Pink Watermelon Swirl Lampwork Beads Set by allthatsparklesbeads
Rainbow Doodle fused Glass Wall Hanging by Helenbluefairy
Polka Dotty, a set of Handmade Lampwork Beads by Dilunah

Featured Artist - Sabine Little

Little Castle Designs

photo by Richard Downton

1. How did you get started in lampworking/fusing/jewellery making;

When I was pregnant, my husband and I went to Venice for a 'last dash' before I was too far gone to fly. I'd done silversmithing, and so am always on the lookout for artisan jewellery...which, in Venice of course, meant glass! Sadly (or fortunately?), we had trouble with the bank, and I only had very little money to spend, on a few simple black, white and red beads. Not long after, my husband had to go abroad for work - I'd usually have joined him, but was no longer allowed to fly. Determined that I would have fun, too, I booked a one day glass bead making course. I remember telling my teacher - Mike Tillerman - that I had no intention of continuing with glass bead making, no matter how much I enjoyed it, that my heart belonged to silversmithing. 72 hours later, my starter kit arrived...

2. How long have you been lampworking;

I've been lampworking for about 2.5 years now, the last 1.5 years were the time I started specialising in sculptural beads.

3. Where do you find your inspiration;

I find inspiration...anywhere! It can be quite frustrating, actually, because I don't have the time to follow up half the ideas I have! I see colour combinations in leaves, curves in architecture, animals on Flickr...and I love words! So many poems and quotes I read are very visual to me, sometimes, I see a complete piece of jewellery in front of my eyes as I read.

4. What is your favourite piece of your own work;

I think it's very much always the most recent piece that was a bit 'different'. I loved the first dragonfly I made, I still have it, it's waiting for some kind of special bail. More recently still, I started making asymmetric necklaces, based on poems and quotes, and I love the 'Mad as a Hatter' lariat, because a lot of jewellery I've made to date is quite shy and retiring...this isn't!

5. Who's work do you admire most;

There are too many people I admire to mention individually - as a group, they have the common denominator that their work is always of high quality - no shortcuts, no excuses. I think that, if you do sell your work, you ought to do it as professionally as you possibly can - not in the 'how may I help you today, Ma'am' kind of way, but by producing the best possible quality you can, and being self-critical. And that's not just your actual work, but everything around it. I myself know that I could learn lots from other people in the way of photography, for example.

6. What are your goals for the future;

2010 will be the year when I 'turn pro' - lampworking full-time, teaching lampworking / glass bead making, and making jewellery. So, my most immediate goal would be to make that leap without too many mishaps - hopefully, getting more ideas from paper to finished piece. I've got two websites - http://www.littlecastledesigns.co.uk/, where I sell beads & jewellery, and http://www.nowforevermore.com/, which specialises in wedding jewellery and celebratory jewellery, as well as a selection of both on my etsy shop (http://littlecastledesigns.etsy.com/) - I've got this year to understand how to work all these to their best potential...if I find the holy grail, I'll happily share it! ;-) Being home in daylight should also help with those photos!