Flame Crazy Lampwork Beads

End of year sale...

2011-12-14T05:19:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that there is only 18 days left in 2011. Time flies when you are having fun!

I an putting everything in my Etsy shop on sale for 20% off with no minimums. The sale will last now until Dec. 31st at midnight. Just don't forget to enter the coupon code "yearend20".

So go to my shop, buy yourself some pretty beads and make something uniquely your own!

Getting back into the swing of things...

2011-04-16T04:47:00.000-07:00

I have seriously neglected my blog page. Right now I am busy creating stock for The Gathering in Louisville in July and still keeping my Etsy shop new and exciting. If you'de like to keep up to date on when new beads are added, just "follow me" and you should receive emails when I post new stuff. ~ Peace ~

Silver lined Pandora Beads (and a copper one too!)...

2010-04-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

I've been busy making and coring Pandora-Style slider beads. These are so much fun to make. I think my favorite so far is the turquoise and purple one! Check 'em out in my Etsy shop here... FlameCrazy's Etsy Shop

Breaking out all of the enamels.

2010-01-13T13:39:00.000-08:00

I have listed a lot of fun and bright sets in my Etsy Shop today.

Check out Triplicate Arts!!!!!

2009-10-26T03:02:00.000-07:00

It's always a pleasure for me to see what has been done with my beads after they go to their new home. Jenell from Triplicate Arts really has a great eye for jewelry design and her pieces are trendy and affordable. There is a great sale going on now until Oct. 31: buy any bracelet or necklace and get matching earrings for free.

CIM Crocus

2009-10-10T02:45:00.000-07:00

I've been playing with some CIM colors lately. CIM colors melt like butter. I love the fact that the colors are not "fussy" and really hold up to prolonged shaping in the flame! The first bead is Crocus over Gelly Sty Pink with Raku murrini from Avenue Beads. The second one is crocus base with Thompson Enamels.

Kato ~ Our newest family member!

2009-07-25T01:23:00.000-07:00

I finally convinced my husband that our boys need a dog! Truthfully I wanted one just as much. We found Kato at the county animal shelter, he only had a few more days until they were going to put him down. When I sat down on the grass with him he immediately sat on my lap and nuzzled my neck. I swear I heard him say "please, get me out of this place!". He is perfect in every way. We love you Kato!!!

Check out an awesome etsy shop and a chance to win some cool handmade art!

2009-06-29T05:20:00.000-07:00

Michelle my Belle is having a Goody Giveaway
What awesome work she does, Check out her Etsy shop here

New beads up on Etsy...

2009-05-12T05:55:00.000-07:00

Check out my Etsy shop for some exciting new work. I am still stuck on working with enamels. The possiblities are endless and the color combination ideas keep flowing.

Super Cool Etsy Shop....

2009-05-07T05:04:00.001-07:00

If you are looking for something unique to add to your jewelry collection then I highly recommend checking out a new Etsy shop ~ The Eclectic Frog!
Lisa purchased some disc beads from me and has used them to embelish some of her wonderful resin pendants. There may be lots of resin artists out there but none compare to the originality that Lisa has. Here are a few of her pieces to tempt you...

Ahhhh enamels!

2009-04-27T05:38:00.000-07:00

I got my Thompson enamels sampler pack and have been playing with enamels all weekend! This stuff is amazing. I love bright bold colors and enamels are just the thing to add that to my beads. Here are a few that I have up on Etsy right now...

Enamels ROCK!!!!!

2009-04-21T03:55:00.000-07:00

So this weekend I took a 2-day class at Boca Loca with JC Herrell. There were many "Aha moments" and lots of fun too! I am absolutely amazed that after all these years of doing glass that I never even attempted to use enamels before. The colors are vibrant and bold and right up my alley! Thompson Enamels has a great and affordable set of sample enamels and I highly reccomend giving them a try. With the proper safety precautions, of course. I will be stalking the mail-lady until my enamels arrive. Until then my brain is just stewing with ideas. Peace Out!

Family Fun!

2009-04-08T04:43:00.001-07:00

We had a blast last weekend at Conner Prairie. The boys spent lots of time with the animals including 6 day old baby goats(twins). We got to hold chicks that were really warm from the incubator thingie they were kept in.

The boys strummed on a dulcimer and learned all about life in the 1800's.

New bead sets up on Etsy!

2009-03-22T04:56:00.000-07:00

I have been a busy girl at the torch these last few days. I have learned that when inspiration comes, you have to listen. If not it will go away and then you will kick yourself for it later. I am especially proud of the way the floral beads turned out. It's like Christmas morning every time

I open the kiln!

This bracelet is amazing!!!

2009-03-17T02:56:00.000-07:00

Click here to check out this stunning bracelet that Brenda of Beads by Brenda created with my lampwork beads. Her work is so beautiful. I love the combination of freshwater pearls with the silver and crystals.

She has lots of other goodies in her shop that are just as lovely. Click here to check out all of her other yummy pieces!

If I were a rich girl, da da da daaa daaa dum!

2009-03-12T06:21:00.000-07:00

I am a furniture junkie! Yeah that's right, I love really well made handcrafted furniture. I dream of being able to do woodworking myself but could never give up glass. So I am content to browse Etsy in search of drool-worthy furniture pieces. Check these tables out ~ AMAZING!

New Focals up on Etsy

2009-03-05T05:41:00.001-08:00

PURPLE PATHWAY ~~~~~ SOUTHWEST PATHWAY

I am very proud of both of these beads. I have always loved strong colors and these focals represent the kind of beads that I like to wear myself. Just one bold focal on a cute silver bail strung on a leather or silk cord - that is my idea of the perfect necklace!

You gotta check out Deb Kaplan's etsy shop.

2009-02-24T14:23:00.000-08:00

One of my customers just sent me some photos of a necklace she made with my beads.
I love seeing what happens to my beads after they leave the studio. This necklace is so cool, very feminine and light, I think it would look great with a cute summer dress!
Check out Deb's Etsy shop HERE

A truly gifted artist!

2009-02-13T13:18:00.000-08:00

One of my customers sent me some photos of what she did with my disc beads and I am amazed at the craftmanship. I have never been able to create jewelry, the time and planning just gets me all flustered. Below are the photos of Dorothy's work. Her attention to detail and her sense of color and symmetry are second to none.
~~~~~ Click here to see her Etsy shop ~~~~~

I'm in a treasury!!!!

2009-02-08T18:09:00.001-08:00

Check out this treasury that I am in, very pretty spring colors. I love it!!!

This is the bead... and the link!

Etsy people are the best!

2009-02-07T03:23:00.000-08:00

In my short year and a half as a seller on Etsy I have had met some of the nicest, kindest people there ever. That is the case with Joanie from BeadRuby. She sent me the most gorgeous pair of earrings for being the 1000th person to "heart" her shop.
She is a fellow lampworker that makes very unique jewelry and you should definetly check out her shop. Click her to see her work!

Here are the amazing earring that she sent me and I wear them all the time!

Now this is a fun Treasury!!!!

2009-02-04T16:16:00.000-08:00

I have been featured in another Etsy Treasury and this one is super fun and colorful!
Check it out ---- HERE!
And these are the beads that are featured there...

Here is another one that I just stumbled upon that I am featured in too...
These are the disc beads in that treasury...
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=37950

Snow, snow go away, don't come back another day!!!!!

2009-02-04T03:25:00.000-08:00

I am really getting tired of this snow. Last week we received 12 inches(aren't we lucky). Yesterday another 2 inches fell. The boys however had a blast with Playdough.
Brody tried to eat it as every little kid tries at one point or another. It was hilarious as he just held his mouth open and said "Ucky"!

Gotta make the Beads!!!!

2009-01-26T03:35:00.000-08:00

Today is one of those days where I woke up and felt the overwhelming need to create!
Some days I just have to and I always listen to that inner voice because you never know when the muse with visit again. So, stay tuned and see tommorrows blog to see what comes out of the kiln!!!!

In the meantime here are a few new listings that I have up on Etsy...

FIRE and ICE

HOT PINK SPIRAL DISCS

2009-01-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

EBONY PATH

This is my newest focal bead for sale at Etsy. I love the way the rippled path turned out and the silvered icory against black is pretty dramatic too. While you are at my Etsy Shop make sure you check out my lampwork pairs. They are perfect for making your own earrings and I have jsut lowered the price on them too!

New Focal Bead - FLORAL GARDEN!

2009-01-22T07:41:00.000-08:00

Floral Garden Bead on Etsy
I am in love with this bead. It is a black base that has been acid etched with raised flowers that I left shiny. Together I think they really "pop" off the black background.

Today is a great day!

2009-01-20T06:46:00.000-08:00

I really try to keep politics out of my blog but my mind is consumed today with the joy of our great country. We will never be the same, we must always remember the past and keep our eyes to the future. No matter what comes our way we can overcome!
You can do what you set your mind to do with a hard work and discipline.

Today is a Great Day!!!!!

Just set up a new shop at ArtFire...

2009-01-19T05:57:00.000-08:00

So, everyone is talking about this new site ArtFire and after giving it much thought I decided to give it a go. I have only 2 things currently listed but more will be up in the near future. I still love Etsy and that will be my primary store but it never hurts to try something new, right? Here are the 2 focal beads I have up so far...
Click here to see my ArtFire shop!

I'm in another Treasury!

2009-01-12T15:07:00.000-08:00

I love browsing through Etsy Treasuries and am always honored to be featured in one.
This is a great one created by RiversEdge.

Click here to check it out

2009-01-12T02:46:00.000-08:00

EGGPLANT WHEELS

I am still having a blast making these "Wheels". I love how uniform the shape is. I have issues with beads not being the same size. Maybe there is a 12 step program to help me get over that.

New Treasury

2009-01-06T19:14:00.000-08:00

Check out my treasury that I just created featuring LEST members...
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=31524

New Shape!

2009-01-05T02:55:00.000-08:00

I have been toying with the idea of disc beads that are more chunky than the spiral discs that I make. I really think this new shape which I am calling "Wheels" would work really well in lots of different jewelry designs.

Bright Wheels

Fellow Lampworker Mary Van Hoy has opened her Etsy shop!

2009-01-04T06:07:00.001-08:00

Mary makes all kinds of great beads but her off-mandrel fish are my favorite.
Check out her new Etsy shop and get one today - You'll love them too!
http://www.vanolivelampwork.etsy.com

New Bead Sets on Etsy...

2009-01-02T03:31:00.000-08:00

Bubbles

Wine Wispy Beads

Sand and Waves

I'm in a Treasury!!!

2008-12-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite thing about Etsy is the treasury. If you are unfamiliar with it, it is where any member can make a list of their favorite things on Etsy and create a mini-gallery. It stays up for about 3 days and is great advertisement and quite the ego boost! I love creating treasuries but that requires a bit of stalking that I don't always have time for. When the regular treasuries fall below 333 then they open up for new ones to be created. The kicker here is that you have to be pretty fast, because once it opens up it closes just about as quickly. Anyhoooo, I was browsing around and found that someone put my sunshine disc beads in their treasury.

Here are the beads!

Click below for a link to the treasury!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=37162

My Customers Rock!!

2008-12-24T06:26:00.000-08:00

Aren't these earrings stunning! I envy people that can make jewelry. I am the first to admit that finished jewelry pieces are something I struggle with. That is why I stick to creating beads for others to make gorgeous things with!

These earrings are by Erika Price, she made these using my pink and green watermelon wispy beads. Check 'em out here in her Etsy shop.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_1&listing_id=15885277

Crimson Path

2008-12-21T03:23:00.001-08:00

One of my all time favorite colors glass colors is Moretti Transparent red. Depending on how you use it and the base color you can get all kinds of varying shades from deep burgandy to bright candy apple red! Here is the 411 on this bead...

Base glass is Moretti white with a thin linear casing layer of trans. red, flattened and lines of DH's Luna 2 and silvered ivory. I have had lots of lampworkers ask me how to get that "frazzled" look to the silvered ivory. Pretty simple, after you melt it in just hit it with a really quick reduction flame. The dots on this one are crystal clear and Psyche. This one is in my Etsy shop.

Recent Focal Beads...

2008-12-21T02:27:00.000-08:00

I have finally gotten back to making focal beads again. I go in spurts as to what I like to make. I was doing nothing but bead sets for quite some time. I am really happy with the way both of these turned out. I have no secrets so here is the 411....

This focal bead was started with a long barrel of white. I then encased it in Vetrofond transparent brown. When encasing a large bead I almost alway use the linear method where you stripe on the encasement layer vertically. For me it is much easier that way. Anywhooo, after melting and shaping the encasing I used light Turquoise and Raku for the "stripes" and melted those in. I gave it a good heating and flattened. Added some dots of crystal clear and DH's Triton, gave it a good fire polish and into the kiln. Voila, there you have it. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=290284228575