Sea Shells From Glass

This is one of my favorite recently made seashells.  I made it from glass, of course, and it's a focal bead or it can just be part of a table scape or keep you company as it reminds you of a favorite vacation.

The velvety feel of it is due to a bath in acid to etch the glass.  It feels like beach sea glass, which is one of the things that I tend to keep in a pocket and just kind of rub on- its soft texture soothes.

This shell and others (I have more to list too) are in my StudioMarcy Etsy shop.  You can find them here.

Now don't worry, this blog won't be all about promoting my glass, but I have to toss in a few every now and again to let you know what's going on.  See you tomorrow!

A Day At The Beach

I'm a beach person from way back...I grew up on the beach and then moved away as a young teen.

So if there is an opportunity to get near the water, I jump at the chance.  Last weekend we went to St. Augustine, FL.  Having never been there before, I was delighted with all the ocean, boats, history and yes, even the tourist kitsch.  ( Easily amused, I must say.)

We visited the Fountain of Youth- and were told that this really wasn't the exact one, because it had dried up a long time ago.  I am not sure what made Ponce de Leon think he'd stay young from it, because it really didn't look that great to begin with.

But we stayed up the road on Vilano Beach.  Being off season, there was plenty of beach to share.  Here are a few of the morning squatters.

And using the camera on my phone, I took this photo to see whether I could capture a bit of the sparkle in this shell...

I believe the answer is "yes".

I'll have some other photos of the area in the near future.  For those of you longing for a warm beach, this wasn't it.  Chilly and windy, but still lovely to my eyes.  It will be quite a while before that water is warm enough to dip your toes in.

See you tomorrow- www.studiomarcy.blogspot.com

Laura Zeiner- Amazing Artist

WOW!!!

My Bead Soup Partner, Laura Zeiner of Stick Lizard Designs,  knocked it out of the park as far as I'm concerned.  After a few emails discussing "likes and dislikes" and checking out her etsy shop, I came to the conclusion that her love of nature, neutral colors and specifically the beach would be a great jumping off point for my bead gift to her.  We needed to provide a focal, clasp and plenty of goodies in between.

I couldn't help tossing in some "etched beach glass" and some other turquoise rings for a pop of color, just in case she wanted it.  If not, I knew it might go into something else later.  In fact, I sent what I thought was enough for a couple of pieces and was amazed to see almost every last piece incorporated into her gorgeous necklace.

But if you want to see the best photo of all, you'll need to visit her blog.  It's at the bottom of her post and I love it.  I'll give you a hint...a non human is wearing the necklace and looking very happy doing so.

Serenity

I know we're in the middle of a crazy shopping season, but somehow, this glass seashell that I made, seems to make me feel serene. I can't figure it out exactly...the color, the form, or the wonderful memories I have of being on the beach and near the ocean.

So just trying to do my bit to help you chill out and relax. Take a moment. Remember that wonderful holiday at the beach...maybe even with a glass of wine or margarita (or more!).

...this message brought to you by, StudioMarcy, where not all beads are red & green this time of year. (but most of them are and they can be wired into ornaments too if you prefer.)

Aqua Reef Bracelet by DG Designs

I love this sterling and lampwork bracelet that one of my customers' Debbie of DG Designs (stoutdg2) on Etsy made.

She named it "Aqua Reef" and it goes so well with the silver and glass beads that she used.

Debbie is one of my longest customers and I am so happy that she and her husband stopped to visit me on one of her trips a few years ago. It's those personal connections that turn to friendships that I treasure the most. So if you want to see more lovely jewelry, stop by her shop. It's right HERE.

Sally Is Selling Shells...on Etsy

I've just recently listed a couple more seashells, because we must be in the shell selling season. (Sally says say that three times fast).

They've been my biggest sellers recently and I know I'm ramped up wearing them as the weather has gotten hotter too.

So I wanted to show you two very different but similar shells. The top one was made with Bullseye Glass which has the COE (co-efficiency of expansion) of 90. So what does that mean? It's a little stiffer to work with compared to my usual glass, Effetre or Vetrofond. I love the color of the glass and how well it swirled together. Definitely, I'll make more out of BE.

My handmade bead is wound from my softer glass, Effetre- light ivory. It's gooey fun to wrap around the mandrel and just oozes where you want it to go. For non glass folk, its COE is 104.

I particularly like the look of the carnelian glass for the inside and ruffled lip. You don't always know what shade it will be or whether you'll need to strike it to bring out the color. Don't forget when striking glass, let it cool quite a bit, before reheating it and then repeat if necessary.

I've got a lot more beach, shells, and other aquatic items in my Etsy shop here.

Hope you're staying cool. See you tomorrow!

Arrrrgh, Act Like a Pirate

Arrrgh, so you like buried treasure, eh matey? How about being the one hiding it?

Please join me for the ISGB's Release A Bead program, either in your area, or perhaps, you could consider sending in a few spare lampwork beads to be released in Miami, FL prior to the Gathering. (These are due by June 30th)

I'm thinking this could be a lot of fun, don't you? I've got a few spare beads that folks might just enjoy receiving. I've included a snapshot of the card that you're welcome to download here to use. (don't forget to sign your name.) And you can go to the website to leave clues too. Just think if each of us released 5 beads. It could be our own way of our industry stimulating the economy...new people learning about what we do and forming connections- no harm trying it.

Anyone game to join me in this adventure? You can click on the link above for complete details and the address where to send them, if you want yours to be found in Miami. (not a bad idea, because there will be more PR down there about the ISGB). I'm now deciding what I want to release- probably a few seashells- and what do you think about some bacon and eggs? Margarita drink beads? Help me out here. Visit my lampwork glass etsy shop and let me know what you think. I'll be grabbing some beads from there.

Inspired by the Sea

I think you know that anything ocean and beach related really appeals to me. I'm sure growing up on the Connecticut coast and swimming in the ocean had a lot to do with it. (Remind me to tell you my jellyfish story sometime. Sometimes I was a little bit naughty as a child.)

So you can imagine my happiness at being included in the lovely treasury, "Inspired by the Sea" by Luv2Have on Etsy. (She makes wonderful fused glass pendants!

My lampwork bead is in the upper left corner. I made it using a stainless steel hollow tube and two colors of glass. I'm still working on improving them, but have some listed in various colors in my Studio Marcy etsy shop.

And of course I'd like one of each of everything else too. I just recently bought a bunch of sea urchins. I've been making them out of glass for quite a while in a stylized manner, but would like to make a few that are more realistic too. (mine are a bit "pungent" right now. They're outside.

Don't forget that these treasuries are ephemeral. This one will just be up through 6/1/09. Feel free to take a copy of this photo, if you want it for inspiration.

So now you know that one of my loves is the ocean and beach. Do you have a category that you adore also? What is it? I'd love to know.

Officially Mermaid Season

It's official, it's mermaid season.

I love mermaids. I like making them in all shapes, styles and hair colors. And I've learned that brunette mermaids sell better than other colors. I'd like to note that all my blonde mermaids are natural, except for the ones who are out in the sun a lot and have highlights, but that's natural too.

This is Ali the mermaid. She's currently in my Etsy shop, but I'm hoping that she'll find a new home soon.

I make her using a 1/16 th mandrel, so her neck can be small enough. Sometimes using a 3/32 mandrel doesn't give enough room for curvy body definition. It's all in the proportions, isn't it?

And most of my mermaids have a wreath of some sort around their heads, instead of just a single flower. I can't help it. I was around in the 60's (dang, I'm old), and I've always loved the look.

Ali and the other Studio Marcy mermaids live in a category in my Etsy shop called, "Fish/Shells/Beach". They co-habitate with starfish, anenome, sea glass and everything related to "all things beach-y". If anyone can think of a better category name that is under 23 characters, I'd welcome your ideas. Please post them in the comments.

Meanwhile, it's mermaid season. People are thinking about summer vacations, swimming and those wonderful days at the beach. Hope you have your vacation lined up. I'll be going to Miami in July for the International Society of Glass Beadmakers' International Conference, where I'll be teaching whimsical sculptural glass. (sounds rather "toasty", but I know there's plenty of air conditioning). I'm hoping that some of my readers have signed up for that class, as it's not only a really good one, but we have lots of fun too. I'll write a little more about it some other time.

Seashells by the Seashore

It's always a delight to see one's glass art turned into jewelry by a customer. I love how each jewelry designer manifests their own point of view.

My friend Debbie, from DG Designs on Etsy has honored me not just by a simple credit, but also including my name in the title. Wow, that means a lot to me.

This is "Marcy made a seashell" which is listed in Debbie's shop. You might have seen this seashell in my previous blog post. What a joy to have it made into this pretty necklace. I'm not sure whether it's the Swarovski crystals that match so well or the little handmade brass sea urchin beads that make me like it so much, but I sure do.

Last summer I was lucky enough to meet Debbie and her husband when they were traveling through Georgia. We had emailed so much beforehand, it felt like we had been friends for years.

So thank you Debbie for the recognition. I am truly touched and so appreciative.

Silver Glass Class 3

My next silver glass tip, is something that is pretty important. Did you know that there are two categories of silver glass? One is reducing and the other is striking. Geesh, I was so far behind, I didn't even know that.

I've got two samples of striking colors on seashells. I used seashells to try out the different glasses and techniques, because they are sculptural with the ruffled lip and yet have some relatively smooth surfaces of regular beads. I thought this would give me both styles and an idea of how the glass reacts with both.

Both of the seashells were decorated with blown shards of the striking silver glass. I used a hollow mandrel to blow the bubble and then applied the broken pieces to the base bead.
(That's always fun!)

The top bead used Double Helix's Elektra Glass shards on an ivory base bead . You can see how the silver glass partially fumed the rest of the bead in places. I know you can get a variety of colors and metallic finishes with that glass, but I was going for the turquoise end of it.

The bottom seashell used Raku R108 shards that I blew. I applied them to an ivory base and added additional ink blue for the edge of the ruffle for fun. You can click on the link to my Etsy shop for more views of it.

I found when making the shells as samples, if I used the base bead color as the dots on top of the shell, it was easier to remember what I had done.

After I applied the shards and melted them in, I slightly marvered with my brass Stump Shaper. This was as much to chill the glass and help bring out the color. Both glass types were quick to do that. If I wanted, I could have cooled and then slightly reheated to strike the glass some more. I kept my flame slightly oxygenated for this.

So if you are a newbie like I am, you have a little homework. Go separate your glass. Not only should it all be labeled, but you should know which rods are striking and which ones are reducing. It makes a huge difference on you treat them to get the color out of them. And if they are both, it's your call. I bet you can guess what I'll be writing about next time it's a "silver glass" blog day. Yes, my favorite of the two types, striking glass. Love the shine!