A Little Husky

I am still following musher DeeDee Janrowe in the Iditarod Race.  She is carrying two of my Husky Dog beads for Beads of Courage.  Currently, DeeDee is in 10th place and I am so excited for her.  And thankful that she is so kind to carry beads for this awesome not for profit.  Beads of Courage makes a difference in this world, and I am lucky to be a very small part in all of what they do.

My Favorite Costume from Halloween

Meet Danielle wearing her Halloween costume which is a strand of Beads of Courage beads.  What a wonderful costume!

 I had the joy of meeting and then making Danielle's Beads of Courage Dream Bead in person with her at FlameTree Glass in Roswell, GA.  It was so much fun sitting with her in person and having her choose the exact color of glass that she wanted for her bead.  Danielle is one courageous girl whose sparkling personality lights up the room and her costume says it all.

And of course a quick reminder...if you have some spare lampwork beads that can be donated to the program, they are always needing more.  3/32 clean holes in them and no sharp edges or metals used on the exterior of the glass.  From what I've seen, kids like everything.  So if you aren't sure they will, send it any way.  I watched a boy look through hundreds of beads and then pick out a plain blue one that was exactly what he was hoping for.  His favorite color and he thought it was perfect.  So send them all in, please.  Here is the Donation Information.

See you tomorrow.

Beads of Courage Needs Acts of Courage Donations

My headline pretty much says it all.  Beads of Courage is low and trying really hard to supply all the hospitals that they are affiliated with.  Is there a chance you can help?  Here is the link to their donation page which also gives you their address, what kind of beads qualify, (just about anything as long as it doesn't have metallics on the surface, sharp edges, annealed and well cleaned.  Pretty easy to find some spares, isn't it?)  And from my experience, kids love the less than perfect ones just as much.  I save mine with the slightly crooked smiles, color experiments or just doodling around, because I know some child will enjoy them very much. (As pictured in the photo above- some of the loot that will be heading their way:)

http://www.beadsofcourage.org/pages/beadartists.htm

Here's a little story.  One time I was visiting one of the Atlanta hospitals with the Beads of Courage program and kids were coming by and picking out a special bead.  There were all kinds of fancy beads in the tray, but a little boy kept pouring through them.  His fingers were moving them around until his face lit up.  He found a very simple but really nice royal blue bead and said this was the very bead he had been dreaming about.  It had no decoration on it, but to him it was just perfect. That was when we were asking the kids to design a Dream Bead and he told me that he had just found his Dream Bead and didn't need anything else.  The beadmaker happened to be present and told him that she had brought two, so you can imagine his delight when he found and got to take the second one as well.

That stuck with me.  We don't have to submit the fanciest beads. Each of us makes something that will touch someone's soul and will be special to them for the rest of their lives.

I'm hoping you'll join me in a donation in the near future.  It makes a big difference to these kids, and I don't know about you, but I get just as much from it as they do.

Glass Rooster Bead Redux

Just wanted to show you the final photo on the lampwork bead that I'm sending out for Beads of Courage. After blogging on Tuesday about my designing in glass references, now you can see the outcome.   I think it definitely reads "rooster" and although the legs are a bit shorter and thicker than in real life, I wanted them to be a bit sturdier for practicality.

Wishing you a wonderful day and see you tomorrow.

Rooster Beads

I just had a request for a glass rooster lampwork focal bead.  I wanted to show you how Google is such a big help as I design what I want to create.

For this one, I chose a face close up, to get the eyes and those hanging things (ha ha, I am such a technical person), as well as a good look at a the comb.  (I got one of the terms correct!)

And then I chose two real roosters as much for their coloring as well as their profile.  I love how the shape reminds me a bit of a heart.  And the final two pictures include two that aren't real.  I like to see how other artists capture the essence of what they see as important to the bird.

What I don't do, is look at other glass artists' renditions of roosters.  Even though this is a special request from Beads of Courage, I don't want to even accidentally take on any characteristics of their work.  I want to keep it my own.  If I happen to end up with a similar style that has been done, I always know in my mind that there wasn't an influence from my glass friends.

Is this the way you work too?  Would love to hear about it.  (or if you know what those hangy down thingys are called.)

Now I'm off to make one or two and get them in the kiln.  I'll show you the results in a day or two.

Sixty Ladybugs for Beads of Courage...Done!

It's bug season.  Ladybug Stars for Beads of Courage have been populating my studio recently.  You can see most of the 60 that I completed in this photo.  I have made it as a limited edition 100 beads and all are completed now. (can you see me doing a happy dance over here?)

This bead was designed by a young Pittsburgh patient for Beads of Courage.  I took her drawing, and did my best to interpret it in glass.  We even emailed, so we could come up with a design on the back-  which is the flower that you see.  You can buy these fundraising beads from Beads of Courage here.

And of course, I have to tell you about the BoC book.  My bead is on the cover along with the Jester bead that my friend Stephanie White made.  You can find the $14 book here.  It's a small book that has photos of each of the beads offered.  The different ones were each designed by someone associated with Beads of Courage- patients, medical staff, etc.  And then interpreted by members of the lampwork community.

So I know that this post is kind of a sales pitch, but it's for a great cause and not for me.  I love this organization and have personally seen what a difference it makes in these kids and their family's lives during their illness.  And it makes me see the strength and courage it takes to get through all of it.  I am in awe.

Hope you have a wonderful week.  See you right here tomorrow!

Hola! Dora the Explorer

There was a request for a special Dora bead for a special 4 year old little girl through Beads of Courage.
Ashley from Beads of Courage lets us beadmakers know, when it is important to make it quickly and get it in.  I understand the meaning and was able to respond for this one.

I was especially happy she had chosen Dora because Dora represents Courage.  And that is a big part of what this wonderful Beads of Courage is about.

Here's hoping this little Dora bead is enjoyed for many years to come. Wishing strength and courage for its new owner. <3

Beads of Courage's Stash Low- Beadmakers- HELP!

Beads of Courage has been helping a lot of kids recently and are REALLY LOW on inventory.  Here is a link for the form and address. Please help if you have a some spare lampwork beads- they need Acts of Courage beads, which means anything that has at least a 3/32 smooth hole.

I know the program, and especially the kids will appreciate your donation.  Thanks!

Beads of Courage Ladybug Stars

Imagine dreaming up a bead design and having it chosen to represent your hospital.  Fifteen year old Beads of Courage patient, Christina Perry was the winner to represent Pittsburgh and I was the lucky beadmaker chosen to interpret her design.

Its a yellow outlined sculptural star, with polka dots, a fat ladybug with green legs and a flower on the back side and will soon be offered on the Beads of Courage website.  I like this design so much.  It is sculptural (always prefer those), it has cheerful colors and a happy design.  Christina's message was that it was to show HOPE.  And if I have ever worked in hopeful, optimistic colors, it's this one here!

There are  other beads designed by patients, parents and medical staff involved through Beads of Courage that will also be for sale. Some are listed already, you can find them HERE.  And they are so reasonably priced at $25.00 each.

See you tomorrow!

Beads of Courage Pittsburgh Bead

I have recently committed to making 100 of this  bead designed by a 15 year old Pittsburgh Beads of Courage patient.  I love the whimsy and fun that it contains.  It looks optimistic and hopeful to me.

I exchanged emails with the young designer and she has given me her thoughts, so we can add a small design to the back as well.

First, I need to make the prototype.  I've tried a few already and am still working to find the right scale, colors, design and darn it- yellow that doesn't react with the sky blue] base color.

Cute, isn't it?

Just Met Muno

So I recently found out about Yo Gabba Gabba's Muno.  One eyed and quite orange, he was a request for a Dream Bead from Beads of Courage.

When making these beads, I think about the age of the recipient and try to make them so they will be "durable".  The one I made is a little shorter and wider in proportion, but according to some little children, they knew who it was immediately.  Whew!  

Here is quick photo of my bead.

And he's on his way to his new owner as I write.

Beads of Courage is a wonderful program for sick kids. By collecting beads, it gives them and others a visual sense of the journey that they are traveling to get better.   If you aren't familiar with it, you can find it here.   It's so nice as a glass artist to have place that can use my skills to give back to others.  I'm hoping all my glass friends out there  remember this wonderful program and donate beads when they can.  

Fashionista Carol Saker Cycles for Beads of Courage

Do you ever meet people and are proud to know them?  Well Carol Saker fits in that category for me.  She has gone through a lot medically and is now cycling on the Team Beads of Courage to help bring awareness to the organization.  How can you not love folks like that?

She has a wonderful blog post about being a spokesmodel and shows off her different clothes and accessories which are related to Beads of Courage.  I feel honored that she is wearing one of my Space Alien beads (named Sparky after my daughter) which is a replica of one that went up on the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

She has other special gear she's showing off too.. Pop by her blog.  It's well written and do read her "About Me" on the sidebar.  It has me smiling.

Snow Folks for Beads of Courage

Our Southern Flames Glass Chapter is doing a test for Beads of Courage and has committed to donating about 275 snowmen for the kids in the Atlanta hospitals who will have to stay there over the holidays.

This is my first batch along with some that I've started selling in my Studio Marcy etsy shop as well.  They are cute on necklaces, but also, I like them as holiday tree ornaments as well.

And just for a smile...imagine trying to get that many rounded body beads trying to stand up at once for a photo.  I should have shot a video as they started leaning and then would bump into another...pretty funny- like those domino videos where they all topple creating a chain reaction.  Funny!

See you tomorrow- I hope.  My computer is acting up and going into the shop today.  If you don't see me tomorrow, I'll be back as soon as it's fixed.

Join Me for Creative Beadmaking Class at Glassic Arts in Florida

I'm teaching in Deland, Florida at Kathi Truba's Glassic Arts Studio on November 12-13th.  The class is called "Creative Forces" and teaches you how to interpret photos, words or items into 3-D sculptural beads or as surface decorations on traditional  bead shapes.

I make these for the Beads of Courage Dream Beads, but also these simple techniques work so well for custom orders, holiday ornaments and even for those family members who you hate to turn down when they say, "can you make me a _____?"  (Do you get those requests too?)

I've shown you a little sock monkey bead that I made for one of the kids in the Beads of Courage program.  That was the request.  Below is my picture that I used as a frame of reference.  I modified my piece for shorter monkey limbs (sturdier for little hands playing with it), and added the letter C for the child's name.  Here is the photo that I used as a basic inspiration.

So come join me for class in sunny Florida.  You'll come home with fresh and new ornament and bead ideas and more importantly, some great techniques that will just get better.  You can tell by the photos, that Kathi's studio is a lovely place too. 

Now here's another great part...Kathi and I have put our heads together and we're donating part of the (very reasonably priced)  class fees (both the students' and mine) to Beads of Courage.  So click here to find out more about the class. 

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!

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!

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.  

Spiderman...Artists on Call for Beads of Courage

Spiderman was one little boy's request through Beads of Courage's Artist on Call program.  Where children ask for a special bead to be made just for them and glass artists choose from what has been requested and craft it for them.  Our Atlanta Southern Flames group did a test for this program, at the time called it Dream Beads.  

I have a feeling with the new Spiderman movie coming out, that there might be more requests over the next year too.  So I wanted to show you how I interpreted it, in case you'd like to volunteer with the program as well.  (contact BOC- or me- to put you in touch)

I first found a photo of a spiderman that I thought could be interpreted on a bead in glass. Knowing the child is young, I wanted to do a raised picture on a strong background, to be safe and sturdy.   This is the photo I found to use.

It's a child's Halloween costume.  It simplifies the outfit, yet gives the major details. Just what I wanted.

From there, I transferred the idea onto glass with some changes.  Mine obviously is not perfect, but a child would know immediately by the costume colors and design who it is, which is the result I wanted.

If you think this is fun, I'm hoping you'll volunteer with Beads of Courage too.  And if you think you need a little more practice, this type of interpretation is in my Creative Forces class that I teach.  How to take a 2-D or 3-D (or even words) description, and make a bead from it.  Which, combined with teaching, are two of my favorite things to do!  

See you tomorrow!

Artists On Call

So yesterday, you heard about my class, Creative Forces, which teaches my glass students how to translate pictures into beads.

I thought I'd show you the three that I am working on now.  This last one, could be the hardest. Spiderman.  Lots of movement and little lines.

Do you see how I chose the reference photos?  In this case, it's a child's costume.  It simplifies the details, and yet gives me the most important "clues" to the viewer as to what they are seeing.

And more importantly, these beads will go to the special children who requested them, through Beads of Courage.

And don't forget, because these are gifts and not sold, and there will be my "artistic spin" on them as well, I still need to be careful.  I would not sell anything like these copyrighted items.  And I wouldn't be making a bunch to give away either. I know that people ask for this type of thing all the time, but it's not really "our art" if we're making something that someone else already thought up.  And for me, it's important to be respectful of making them even for Beads of Courage children.  I'm probably telling you something you already know and respect already.  But doesn't hurt to say it, once in a while.  (okay, carefully stepping down from my soap box now)...

I'll show you the results next week when they're done.  And I'm hoping you can join me for the class in Florida and whenever I am teaching it in other locations.

From 3-D to 2-D

Talented graphic artist, Arlene Pedersen of Pedersen Design Group, has transformed my little chubby yellow space alien bead that went up on the Space Shuttle, into a cute little graphic for Beads of Courage promotions.  

The 3-D glass bead replicas are sold on Beads of Courage's website to help raise funds for their programs benefiting children with cancer and other life threatening illnesses.  

Beads in Space posters are now available on the website too!