Happy New Year to All!  Happy Dreaming, Wishing and Creating!
This pendant is a mix of bead, treasure and metal stamping.  The beads are a white solid body bead rolled in a reduction frit.   The dangles are old treasured odd buttons all hung with antiqued copper findings and a hand stamped message plate. 

Resolution time! It think I have to keep it simple this year and just try to do everything I do...but better. A little more thought, energy and time...all works in progress.  Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

 I hope you have a wonderful holiday! 

I am whirling around trying to get all the last minute preps together.  I will slow it down later tonight for a nice meal and time with family. Most of all, I can't wait for the morning when I get to see those sweet smiles light up and magic just fill their hearts and minds.  They will be so happy and I get to watch them feel it with honesty and purity and buzz around in their little jammies.  It just hops out in giggles and smiles...laughter and sweet cheer.  I hope we all have a little bit of that during the holiday...those moments where happiness takes over and it makes us tear, or smile, or laugh out loud and just feel so good! I hope you are overcome with it even if just for a moment:)  Merry Christmas! 

 The 2 stacked large beads in this piece are unique.  I used a dark opaque colored glass that looks a light to medium brown prior to the flame.  It created a grey bead that hangs on the necklace as well and I also create this swirling duo. They look so different from one another.   I reduced the amount of oxygen in the flame after forming the shame of the bead and the reaction was amazing. I bought this glass as a treat and could not quite achieve a good look with it until these two beads came to be.  It is fun to experiment with the flame and create these changes in the glass while it is hot and molten in motion.  I love how magical glass is and the endless colors and looks that can be created.  I hand stamped DISCOVER and felt is matched well with the treasures that hang. 

These earrings are delicate and full of statement.  The crisp turquoise tiny beads dangle at the end.  I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!



http://www.etsy.com/listing/88681345/galaxy

This bead was fun to make.  The body is grey and layered with dots.  It takes a steady hand to get the dots as you want them and continue to spin the bead in the flame. Other than that it is a fairly easy technique.  It screams something alien or from space...silly but I love it.  
So the holiday season is quickly approaching...YIKES STRIPES! I am going to have to sneak out and be a little elf a couple of times in the next couple of days. So much to do!  It is fun stuff though...so bring it on.  I hope these merry, merry days are festive and fun!

 So the lights are lit on the slopes and there is a low hum of snow makers!  Everything has a dusting and the sun is making it all sparkle.  For me it is the last little touch to feel the holiday zest.  It is my understanding that Santa is coming to town, so I am taking two little goobers to see this wonderful man and put in a few little wishes.  I hope the holiday preps are all going well!

 This trio has a swirling mix on multicolored leather cord.  

Fun, delicate earrings with a small lamp work delight at the end. 

Time flies when....

Time just flies when we are doing just about anything, right?! The holiday season seems to speed it up even more.  I have been trying to stop, take things in and enjoy them.  Sitting to make a piece and listening to some great music...slows it all down.  I love this swirling blue bead. I combined blue glass with a touch of clear when I am working in the flame. I layered once more with a filigrana glass.  The filigrana has a deep blue rod of glass within the clear glass...dimension! Love it!  The charm has the blue bead of motion and is soften up with grey and red accents.   I hope everyone is having a great holiday season, winter intro and generally a nice week.

Fiesta necklace

Fiesta

I hope everyone had a little bit of a break and an enjoyable holiday.  Bring on the work week, the holiday prep and whatever is around the corner!   I have an interesting bunch of beads on the mandrels from yesterday. I tried some funky techniques and let the creativity flow...some were great and others...hmmm not so much..but it was fun to try.  I will have them in pieces this week and posted.
Have a wonderful Sunday and beginning of the week as well. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

So when 13,000+ people get together in a wonderful city to be thankful, run, dress up like turkeys and cans of cranberry sauce...you know you are going to have a great time.  What an amazing morning with my brother and what a great way to carry on the memory of my Grandpa and celebrate this amazing city he loved and we love as well.  I am so thankful on this day and will work hard to be diligent and thankful everyday of the year!  I hope your day is wonderful!  Let the festivities continue! 

Bright Colors and Sweet Little Beads

 The Wednesday before the big Turkey Day produced this fun piece.  I love the color and simple character of these small beads.  I use a smaller rod to build  bead of this tiny size.  This results in a smaller hole in the bead and a better balance on head pins and other metal work.  This piece could be hanging out with a fun weekend outfit or dress up a party dress for the holidays. 

Celebration Dance

I hope everyone is have a wonderful build up to a great celebration tomorrow.  I look forward to running in the 116th Turkey Trot to down town Buffalo tomorrow and then eating a large amount of yummy food in the great company of family.   Happy Thanksgiving to all and I am thankful for you!

Buttons, Buttons, Buttons

Let me preface this with, I used to go into my Mom's sewing basket when I was a little girl and dump out her tin containers of buttons and sort them. I would sort them by color and size and detail and I still remember today the way they felt and the fun of the little treasures I saw them as. I have no idea what it is about buttons that I love. Call me crazy...but I think they are amazing. I still seem to have to buy them when I see a dusty old jar of buttons at a garage sale and I still love to dig through them and discover each one individually. Maybe it is because buttons are so functional in our lives but we totally embrace it and make them tiny works of art. I really don't know that much about buttons but I do know they are made out of just about everything and have been around for a very long time ( how specific is that..lol)...but they are undoubtedly little treasures.  They find their way in to a piece I make here and there and I often even buy brand new buttons at the craft store because they are gorgeous and I can't resist. Even to this day, we are still using teeny tiny buttons as expression, function and works of art.

 The other joy of button hunting is the random stuff you find in hanging out with the buttons.  What the heck is all this stuff...love it!

 The strings and tatters that are still attached call you to wonder where did these buttons first reside..how old are they? Whose fingers touched them as they dressed for the day? 

Little treasures and fun details!  Jewelry to come..I spent a little too much time in button land...but no fault in enjoying simple pleasures..right?

A Saturday in late November.....

 We are pretty lucky to be able to make both snow angels and  plant bulbs in late November..even more so if they come up in the spring.  Digging in the dirt and getting these last ones in was great pleasure.

 It called for a hot pot of soup....

 Which created a few happy customers.....that later took a nice nap:)

 Deer season started today and in my side woods I spotted this work of effort....I was impressed...My guess it that he used his horns to make the mark.

These are few fun pieces of recent creation...more to come. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86554976/dots-on-grey

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86579563/sweet-swirls

Earthy Flair

 I bought a bracelet at a street market in NYC years ago. I have since taken the piece a part and I used 4 of the stone beads in this piece.  I don't know what the green stone is but it is topped by tiny LB lamp work beads.  The leather strap is a bit rustic yet soft and natural.  It was a fun design to put together and I see myself duplicating it with other natural stones and lamp work. 

 So look closely at the picture above. It appears to be nothing too special at a glance...a simple spot in the  woods.  Check out what a few steps to the right look like. I hope you can see it:)

 This path leads to a Revolutionary War memorial ground.  Sometimes things deserve a second look or a slow moment to take them in. 

Beautiful skies today south of Buffalo...a pretty sad loss by the Bills but onward march to the week we go. Have a great end of the weekend and week's beginning.

A little of this and a little of that...

Chain and dangle with charms

Loops and swoops and simple beads

Swirls of transparent glass and layered frit

Today was pretty all over the place. A day off from work called from some serious "to do list" checking off. I consider it a success with 2 estate sales, a stop in Hobby Lobby, a visit to the Kissing Bridge ski swap (new pair of cross country ski boots and some teeny tiny skis and boots for my little guy), a meal out at amazing Betty's downtown, a visit here and there with good company, a bit more shopping and still a play date for the kiddos tonight to come...whoa!  Happy Veterans Day to all. I am not overly expressive in my political views but I am so thankful for my freedom and never take for granted the sacrifices others have made to maintain this for us all.  Thank you to our past and current members of the military. 

Oh Betty..so yummy!

Not too shabby for a Tuesday…

 Happy random Tuesday! I was at the Fisher Price sale today and it was wonderful. It is so well organized and being in the company of crafty crafters was great.  I love shows and all the creativity swarming around a room.  I saw some items that just made me happy (like the ornament below).  My brother's wife, Morgan, is off the charts creative and was at the show as well. She makes a wide variety of things using refurbished silverware ranging from jewelry to this amazing creation.  The spoon is painted green then layered with resin and an image printed on transparency paper. I Love it!!!.... (and now own it)

 So off to vote I went after that and my drive through the hills to the polls was gorgeous. The weather continues to be wonderful and as the sun set over the hills the moon was rising....large and bright.  Thanks to everyone I met at the show today and I hope the rest of the week is filled with great moments as well.

What makes for a good Saturday?

 Well...it starts with a November in Buffalo that in the near 50s!  I have been given a few bonus days with this weekends to really get things in order pre-winter and snow.  A good Saturday also involves a full kiln..here is one in process above. It is holding steady at about 950 F.  These will be done tonight and I can fill it up again early tomorrow (before the Bills game of course)

 A messy messy work table is always in the mix for this great Saturday too.  I have quite a few pieces going right now and a freshly washed group of beads just waiting to get in on the fun.  I finally got Semi (my crazy cat) to sit still for a shot of her fancy new kitty cat bling.  She has been walking around the house with a zip her step...I think it has everything to do with her new outfit. 

What makes a great Saturday also is a nice time with some friends tonight over some good food, a "I can't help but get excited for the holidays" early screening of a Christmas movie with my kids and a shrinking list of things to do...loving this weekend so far.    I hope everyone is having a great weekend too and that your Saturday mix is crazy and fun.  I am going to be working working working hard to make some great pieces to list on etsy and showcase on the blog to get ready for the holiday season.