Glass Honey Badgers Don't Care

The Honey Badgers have given up on snakes and are after Santa!  Luckily, he's magic and this is what happens...

I think he made them the official bouncers for the North Pole and even with that awesome title, we all know...Honey Bears Don't Care!

I'll show you next week what they encounter next.

pssst....these Honey Badgers are available from my StudioMarcy Etsy shop.  Get them, before they get you.

My Bead Soup Blog Party Partner...Say That Ten Times Fast

I really enjoyed getting to know my recent Bead Soup Blog Party partner, Melissa Clarke, (Liss).  As you can see she loves color and whimsical style.  I wonder how we got matched up??

This is the wonderful necklace she made for our exchange, using some of my lampwork beads that I sent her...with more projects planned to use some of the others.

I am enchanted with this style.  If you are what you make, I can tell that she's a delightful person and hope that I get to meet her some day.  To see the journey of designing her necklace, click here to her blog.

Hot Times 2011

Hot Times in Asheville, NC was a wonderful event again this year.  It's an extra long weekend of demos and camaraderie, live auction & raffle to raise funds for Beads of Courage and trading beads.  This year, hosts Marjorie Langston, Terry Hale and Gary Newlin invited Jeri Warhaftig, Nolly Gelsinger, Deanna Chase and Cindy Lemmo to demonstrate and each one created awesome pieces.

As important as the demos, are the attendees.  To be honest, it's a major reason that I try to attend each year.  I love seeing old friends, and meeting new ones.  Having time to look over their beads and see what they are working on now, what has changed and hear what interests them is fascinating to me.  And so often, even as an old timer, I learn so much from the newer ones who have chosen to go in different directions or might even have one of the latest & greatest tools or colors that I haven't seen yet.  

Our field is generally a solo situation.  We usually are alone working at our torches throughout the year.  It's situations like this (or my teaching) that give us the ability to form strong, lasting bonds and networks with others.  And I have to say, I'm totally convinced that we have to have one of the nicest groups of people.  Laughter, smiles and friendships (okay and perhaps the jalapeno grits) along with the wonderful glass and sharing is what makes my Asheville experience so special.

Lampwork Glass Bead Space Minions New Spokesmodels on CiM's Website

I sure was tickled when I heard that my little Vortex Space Minions were being featured on Creation is Messy (CiM) glass's website. I designed them for one of my entries for the Beads of Courage Space Shuttle call for artists and this one went up on the NASA Space Shuttle.  Pretty exciting!

 I am now making reproductions of my little space traveler to be sold on Beads of Courage's website which benefits children with cancer and other life threatening illnesses.

He is made entirely from CiM glass with the main body color being "Mermaid" and his face is "Zachary", which are two of the many colors I like so much.  

Hope you can pop by and see little Vortex's new celebrity status.  I'm afraid he already had a big head.  Now to keep both of his feet firmly planted on Earth!

NY Fashion Week

I may not dress fashionably, but I still love to look to see what's out there and imagine what would I make for jewelry for some of the current fashions.  And sometimes I look at the prints, styles, or shapes as beads.

Cool, huh?  Can't you see the combination of patterns, the shapes and the top dress's "stringer control"?
I wish I could remember the name of the two designers.  But I've googled and not come up with them. If you figure it out, please feel free to let everyone know.

See you tomorrow.

Witches and a (Blue-ish) Black Cat

My friends on Facebook have already seen these, but I thought I'd share them with the rest of you. These are my first three witches of the year.  I was working on a small variety to decide which one I wanted to teach in an upcoming  2 hour "Wicked Witch" class at FlameTree Glass in Roswell, GA on October 4th.

And the next evening October 5th, I'm teaching a black cat class there too.   Although this one is actually blue.  I was playing with Czech glass and tested the design with it.  This one is actually available in my Studio Marcy Etsy shop.

If not for those, I also have a Santa and Elf Bobblehead making class at FlameTree on Nov. 5th for a full day.  Lots of workshops lined up close to my home.  Hope you can join me.

Extreme Organization

It seems like some folks have "the gift".  Now to some of you it's natural and to some of us, well, it's an understatement to say it's not natural.

Meet Swiss artist and comedian Ursus Wehrli who has the gift.  Here is what he does to a bowl of fruit salad.

And to be totally entertained, click here for his NPR interview and mini blog post about some of his other projects.  I'm guessing whether you've got "it" or not, you'll be entertained.

And now I'm off to write him a fan letter in case he'd like an extreme case to organize....my house!

Money Making Dog

Oh how I wish I had saved the link, but there's this dog in Alaska who rolls his tongue on command, and people pay a dollar to see it.  I thought this photo was so cute, that I had to post it.  

Do you have a pet that does tricks?  I'd love to hear about it.  Please post a comment.

Hope your day is perfect!  See you tomorrow.

Heather Does the Twist and You Can Too!

In all honesty, I can not attest for teacher and glass beadmaker Heather Trimlett's ability to perform that famous retro dance from the 60's, but I can tell you she is an expert when it comes to twisting molten glass into gorgeous, symmetrical non-dog-boned lengths.  I don't know about you, but I'm a bit jealous.  

Well, we're in luck.  Heather has an awesome Twist tutorial that is available on her website, www.HeatherTrimlett.com.  And just like her classes, it is beautifully done, thorough, easy to  understand and filled with lots of extras like tips, step by step clear photos, FAQ's and even a supply list with photos.  

And if you are very experienced, it's a nice refresher course with probably a little new info and reminders.  I love her photos of her variety of filigrana applications- showing me what happens when you apply multiples.  Now of course I will not share my copy with others, but I know some of her hints will probably creep into my classes for private students.  I've taken two classes with Heather (in person) and loved her teaching style.  You can almost see the lightbulbs going off as she's showing and explaining her techniques.

So not only does Heather has this marvelous tutorial but I found that she has others too.  I don't know how I had missed them before, but three others are available as well.  "Foundations, Foundations, Foundations" (no tummy control, but great glass flamework basics), "Dots!" and "Bumps!"  Classic, techniques used in our beadmaking.  Sweet.

So don't expect dancing on these downloads, but do expect high quality, excellent information.  Hope you take a few minutes and check them out.

CERF Has Emergency Preparedness Webinar Scheduled Soon

(photo by Mike Hollingshead) I received the following message from Laura Arnasen from CERF.  I thought the fastest way to help get the message out is through this blog.  If you are interested, please contact Laura by clicking here.  "Have you noticed all the severe weather we've had recently? Unfortunately, being prepared to deal with emergencies is a necessity. To that end, CERF+ is offering a free 50 minute webinar on Weds., 9/28 at 2:00 pm EST and an identical session on Tues., Oct. 25 at 4:00 pm on Preparedness for arts organizations and individuals who present professional development information to artists. The webinar's focus is on incorporating emergency preparedness tips into existing presentations, and on the use of the Studio Protector wall guide and online guide. Webinar participants receive: PowerPoint slides, list of  FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) and a set of handout cards - all designed to help you easily convey this information to artists in professional development programs or in one-on-one discussions. We've presented this webinar throughout 2011 and it has been getting great reviews! Any interest? Or possibly send someone from your staff or forward this to a friend who presents to artists? "

Magical Christmas Ornaments and Holiday Bead Class at Blue Moon Glassworks

Come join me for a really fun 2 day Christmas bead and ornament class in sunny Austin, Texas at Blue Moon Glassworks November 19 & 20th.   We'll be shaking things up a bit and making some traditional and as you can see, some rather non traditional holiday beads and ornaments.  All of them designed to bring a smile to your face and to anyone who you chose as the recipients of your new talents.  (or you can keep them as your own private keepsakes!)  And please note:  if you have taken one of my previous  classes, these are all new beads- no repeats.

I hope you'll come join in on the merriment, new skills and techniques.  You know how Jim and Rose Berry are such awesome hosts.  Please contact them to sign up, by CLICKING HERE.  Ho, ho, ho!

Bead Soup Blog Party Celebration!

Welcome. In case you don't know me, I'm Marcy Lamberson a flamework glass  bead maker and instructor.  I was paired up with Melissa Clarke, who who does wonderful bead embroidery....lots of seed beads.  So we are pretty different in styles, but have really enjoyed getting to know each other.

Melissa sent me a variety of beads and I only used two in this piece.  I anguished over the selection and knew that the focal is the most important part.  But being a beadmaker instead of a seasoned jewelry maker, I went back to my roots and made lampwork companion beads for her pink and  black dyed agate focal.  Yep, those smaller ones are all glass.  I've helped out friends before when they couldn't match a stone, so I decided to take that skill to make a necklace that I wanted to wear.

Now my remaining goodies will be another piece or two of jewelry when I have a little more time.  I'm looking forward to that.  Here is a photo of my huge selection of beads for future jewelry.  I'll post photos when I make those.

 Visit Melissa's blog (I sent her some cool bee/garden style lampwork!) to see what she made...click here!

And to view the rest of the participating BEAD SOUP Party blogs, click here!

Thanks for visiting my blog...Marcy Lamberson /Studio Marcy

Alice in Wonderland Focal for Beads of Courage

One of my recent requests through Beads of Courage, was for an Alice in Wonderland Tim Burton-ish movie type bead.  We make these special requests for children with cancer and other life threatening illnesses. When I saw this one, I decided it was my turn to interpret it.  I wanted her hair to be a similar color and the dress blue like in the movie.  She is larger than the bead, to show when she grew tall from eating the pills. (ah, if life only worked that way, I'd be taller instead of rounder.)

And of course on the back side, I added the rabbit wearing his blue jacket and of course he's late.  An Alice bead needs at least one of the colorful inhabitants of Wonderland!

I hope the little girl and her family enjoyed receiving this bead.  So seldom do we hear about their reaction.  But next week, I'll do a blog post about my chance to work directly with one of the Beads of Courage kids and make her special Dream Bead while she watched and took photos.  I think that experience meant equally a lot to both of us.

See you tomorrow- yes, on a Saturday!- for the Big Bead Soup Blog Party reveal.  Wait til you see what I made!

Ahhh, Glass!

One of my friends was selling off all of her 104 coe glass, as she is not making beads any more.  This is my new loot that arrived yesterday.  I can't wait to go through it and see what is in there.   I'll let you know if there are some hidden treasures.  You know, sometimes there are old corals or colors that just aren't made the same way any more.  Cross your fingers for me.

Halloween Beads

I've been making Halloween beads with my students and for my Etsy shop already.  It may feel a bit early to you, but jewelry artisans want them in time to make up their scary jewelry for the holiday.  Here are a few that are new to my repertoire.  The black cat is really a dark blue transparent that I was experimenting with.  You can see the shade in her tail and ears.  The little black crow on the stack of pumpkins is really black, however.

And here's a tip if you're a glass artist making a cob of corn...
I used the end of a small hollow mandrel to make the kernels.  I had cased the yellow with a transparent amber so when pressed down, there would be a little bit of color difference which creates depth.

You can find these in my Etsy shop, (StudioMarcy).  Needless to say, they'd all love to go to new homes.

Penguin Party

Well it's that time of year.  My daughter has returned to Antarctica to work.  Luckily, there is an easy way for her to communicate with us, despite the cold, windy weather.  (It was -10 the other day).  This photo of Emperor Penguins found down there, which was on one of their websites.

And here's an Adelie Penguin.  Cute little thing, isn't it?  My daughter has photos of these type of penguins following some runners during a marathon.  They look like the Happy Feet movie kind.

See you tomorrow.

Hard Boiled Eggs Kind of Sweet

I saw this and other examples of what a sweet husband made for his pregnant bed-bound wife who was on a restricted diet of two hard boiled eggs and a piece of wheat toast.

His attempts to entertain her and show his love are touching and a delight.  

See you tomorrow!

Seed Beaders- What Do You Think?

I saw these watches somewhere-- can't remember, but i think they're metal bands for Timex watches.  I keep looking at them and seeing woven seed bead bands instead.  And thinking how totally cool that would be.  Now, I'm probably way late, and I know, watches aren't worn quite as often...but don't you think a beaded snakeskin (I read "python" is the big animal print this year) style pattern would be so in-style this year and totally awesome?

Let me know if you're already doing it and post a link to where you have them.  You know, it's fun to share your art....

See you tomorrow!  www.studiomarcy.blogspot.com   And please sign up for my mailing list.  It doesn't come out too often, and always has a great deal for my subscribers.

Bead Soup Party Goodie Bag

I'm participating again in the Bead Soup Party.  Anyone else out there doing it too?  It's always a lot of fun, but this time around, I'm a bit more perplexed.

You see, my partner and new friend,  Melissa Clarke (Liss),  sent me this wonderful selection of beads.  My photo isn't fantastic, but you can see the agate slice focal, lots of little sparkly beads in shades of pink and some black lava beads that are textural and very cool.  Oh, as she is a seed beader, lots of those too in a lovely coordinating selection.

I've never worked with bright pink and black together.  So this decision making is taking a little too long.  I wake up and mess around with combinations,  I go to sleep wondering what the heck I'm going  to do, and the deadline to post on my blog- is Sept. 17th.  Coming up soon!

So be sure to visit me on the 17th, (and of course you are welcome every other day in between), to see what I end up with.  I've been making some coordinating flamework beads, which I think will help me make decisions.

See you tomorrow.  www.studiomarcy.blogspot.com

Mosaic Pond

I have to tell you how tickled I was when I saw the photos that Terri, my mosaic artist customer showed me.  You see, she made this fabulous pond mosaic and then included some of my custom pieces for her as a raised detail.  If you look carefully, you can see three little turtle sculptures.  They aren't beads, because the hole doesn't go all the way through.

And it's a bit harder to see in this photo, but Terri used a little glass frog sculpture for this section.

I loved making these custom pieces for her .  I love the idea that someone wanted to add a little bit o what I do, to the big picture.  And because of Terri, I learned how to make frogs- not the cartoon style, but more realistic.  And the other fun part was thinking about the designs from another point of view.  Literally.

These were to be viewed from the top, so that angle had to be the most important when people are looking at them.  Just another way of looking at things.

So thank you Terri for sharing these fun photos and I sure appreciated being a tiny part of your wonderful art.

Have You Seen These Pitaya Fruit?

These are pretty cool looking fruits that I saw on a Tony Bourdain tv show.  I had to quickly write down the name so I could find some photos of this funky item.  Have any of you seen or tasted it?

I think it has been called "dragon fruit" in other countries.  Don't you think they would make cool beads too?  I'm going to see where they take me....

Meanwhile, it might just be time for a nap.  I love a day off...

New Pet Needs a Name

Meet my little buddy who showed up on my window after the last rain.  He needs a name, and I'm open to suggestions...so add a comment and let me know your suggestion.  He's a pretty cute little guy.

And by the way, I was at Beads of Courage events the last few days, but I popped out to the lake for a little fun.  So I'll let you know how it went in a few days.  Until then, happy weekend.

Fishing Around for Inspiration

So what kind of shops do you go to for inspiration?  I hadn't been into a salt water fish store for a long time, so I popped in to have a look.  I love the big fish especially, or the ones with the bright colors and beautiful patterns.

This one wanted to be my new BFF.  He kept coming over to have a better look.  Right up against the glass.  I've never really noticed any alive thing with real blue lips before.  Pretty awesome (and one of my favorite colors too!) 

And the colors- I think this moving item (what is it anyhow?) was gorgeous.  It is my inspiration for Fall colors. I love the warm, rich shades - red, purple and gold together.  And the shape would make a gorgeous bead too.  Watch for this one!

So what do I find in a store like this?  A lot!  I find nature's gorgeous color combinations and patterns.  I find shapes not only in the fish, but in the corals, and that unnamed purple/red/gold unit that I love, and I even saw some little creepy crawly things that looked like they could be inspiration for Halloween, when it comes around.  Not bad for a quick visit.

So tell me, where do you like to go for off beat inspiration?  We'd all like to hear.  See you tomorrow on my blog, http://www.StudiMarcy.blogspot.com

Sunglass Ads with a Twist

Australian sunglass company, Isson, had photographer Cybele Mylinowski capture their new line of Bauhaus sunglasses.  Using 1930's imaginative personas and quirky pets, these two shots are a few of the ones being used.  And here is her blog, with more shots.

Personally, I love them.  They would make me notice the ad, and remember it.   How do you react to them?

Donation Form? Here's How To Find It.

So I was getting my spare flamework glass bead donation together for Beads of Courage- you know they always need more "Acts of Courage" beads.  The ones that can be anything- as long as no sharp edges, fumed or silver glass and safe for kids.

And boy, do I have plenty of those.  

So I emailed my friend the Bead Czar (Ha, ha he does have a different title, but I like this one better) and asked whether I could give them to him at FlameTree Glass's Beads of Courage beadmaking day this Saturday.  Well, we figured that this load of them can fill a box, and they should head out early.

But in closing, Robert told me to remember to fill out "the form".  And my mouth almost dropped open, (relief that it didn't)  and asked him, "What form?"  I have never filled one out to my recollection.

Well here it is.  http://tinyurl.com/donatebeads  ( I made the url much shorter, and easy for you to remember, in case you don't see it on the website.)  You could even print off a few and have them ready to go in advance.  

And I'm adding tags- BOC donation form, donate lampwork beads, Beads of Courage to this blog post, so you can come back and find the link if you misplace it.  (That's what I do.  I added the search function as much as for myself, as all you readers.)

See you tomorrow here on www.studiomarcy.blogspot.com.  And don't forget you can friend me on Facebook under Marcy Lamberson...just write me a note and tell me you're a blog reader.