Etsy Shop Owners...Have You Done This Yet?

Hey Etsy Shop Owners....
Have you added the FB page like button and the Twitter follower buttons to your Etsy shop?  Go into Info and Appearance and you can click and add it there.  And please stop by and see me in my StudioMarcy Etsy shop, or visit my business page on Facebook, or even tweet with me (studiomarcy there too!)  Would love to see you and am adding more glass beads and sculptures each week.

Post Christmas Ideas

Oh sure.  I bet you received some great gifts and have already delved a bit into them.  But are you like me, that all the leftover debris from the wrapping feels a little wasteful?

If the paper is pristine, I re-use it and definitely the bows.  Some ends up rather shredded and gets recycled.  But sometimes there is some cool paper that is between both of those parameters

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I saw these decoupaged wooden bangle bracelets on www.finecraftguild.com and thought it could be a fun activity...either with adults or with kids.  And if you don't have some old bangles, I wouldn't be surprised if your local resale shop might have some for just a little more than a song.

Here are the directions.  And if you have time, this is a fun website to check out.  Hope your day is great.

My Handmade Glass Snow Globes Back in Stock!

I'm starting to add my snow globes into my http://www.StudioMarcy.etsy.com shop.  Here is my cute little handmade glass puppy with antlers.  Just the right amount of holiday with plenty of snow.  Shake 'em, baby!

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

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!

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.

Ooooh, Aaaaaah.....Fireworks!

Happy 4th of July!

Don't you just love listening to the crowd when they are watching fireworks?  I do.  But I love watching them even more.  The sound, smell and all the lovely colors against the night sky.

Each year, right around this time, I start looking at photos of fireworks and wonder, just how could I interpret that in glass?

And each year, I just scratch my head and keep wondering.  So if any of you have ideas, please share them with me.  Because I think firework beads would rock!

Hope you have a great holiday, if you are from the States and if you aren't, wishing you wonderful day just as well.  I'm on my way home from the beach.  Will post some photos of our adventure later this week.

Shell and Starfish Class Wrap Up

Here's a quick snapshot of the some of the shells and starfish from my last  2 hour class at FlameTree Glass.  I was really impressed that my students did so well.

Those starfish can be a bit hard to do the first time around.  And we all were laughing.  Before they get their decorations, they look a bit like an uncooked chicken ready to be popped into the oven.

Custom Bobblehead Pets

Meet Yogi and his mini-me glass bobblehead.  Yogi is a goldendoodle, which is a combination of golden retrievers and standard poodles.  He is already a media darling. He models in  his owner's landscape company advertising.  What a sweet face!

His owner saw my bobbleheads at Pismo Fine Art Glass in Denver and asked if I could make a custom bobblehead for her.  I worked from photos that she sent and designed my miniature Yogi Jr..  She took this photo of them together.  I fell in love with it and it will also be my postcard for this year's ISGB Gathering.  I just couldn't ignore all this cuteness in one photo.

With his new found fame, handsome Yogi might just need a talent agent.

Demo Daze at FlameTree Glass

Thursday night, Sylvie Lansdowne and I had a great time demonstrating some of our whimsical glass art at FlameTree Glass in Roswell, GA.

I went first.  Yikes, that tanked oxy and phantom torch were quite a difference from my small concentrator and Minor that I generally use.  But what fun!  I could make such different and much larger pieces using that great set up.  I chose a one of a kind seahorse focal bead to demonstrate.  The gooey dark ivory Moretti glass combined with the heat, made it both a challenge and a delight.  I'll post a photo after I pop by FlameTree to pick up my work.

Because my allotted time wasn't up, per request,  I also made a little spotted dog with his long tail extended and a bird sitting on the end of it.  I love playing with heat control and seeing what I can do to stretch the glass.

Sylvie entertained us with funny comments as she made one of her gorgeous multi part mermaids.  Oh they are so pretty and she is generous with her tips and tricks.

Maureen and Lance McRorie were the consummate hosts too.  Food, drink, and lots of air conditioning were offered along with the free demos.  You can find more dates, topics and presenters for future Demo Daze on their website, http://www.flametreeglass.com.

Eye for Color - Great Color Wheels

For my birthday, my friends  Kristy & Margie gave me this wonderful set of Eye for Color color wheels by Beverly Ash Gilbert. And it's really cool!  There are interchangeable color wheel disks that fit into place, with  the black templates that snap over the top of them.  It sure makes color selection easy, when you're debating which combination might work best.  

Napolean Joins The Ranks

Ah, bonjour.  I wanted to present to you Napoleon, one of my latest glass bobblehead creations.  I thought he would be fun to make in glass with his big hat and his hand in his uniform. 

Currently he resides in Pismo Fine Art Glass gallery.  And yes, his head truly bobbles and mais oui, he is "available".  He has not yet met his Josephine.

Don't Forget - See Me at Pismo's Reception Today

Pismo Contemporary Art Glass's reception for their Bead Exhibit...today 12 - 5 pm.  Come visit and see all the glass goodies.

Join Me & My Friends At Pismo Contemporary Art Glass This Sunday

Yep, I'm really excited.  This is my first year for the Denver 2011 Bead Invitational at Pismo Contemporary Art Glass on Sunday, May 1st, from 12-5 pm.  Some of my favorite Bobblehead celebrities will be there too- Salvador Dali, Elvis, Einstein, Napoleon Bonaparte and more.


If I already know you, come say hi, and if I don't, I'd love to meet you.  I'll be the middle aged blonde woman with the huge grin.  Hope to see you then.

7000 Bracelets for Hope

I love the look of sea glass.  It reminds me of walking on the beach and the peace that it brings.  It seemed appropriate for this special project of Lori Anderson's to bring awareness for rare diseases, because this bracelet will be going to a family member with a child  who has a rare disease.

The Global Genes Project is an advocacy group who launched "7,000 Bracelets for Hope".  You can click and read more about it.

There are quite a few more folks who are participating in this bracelet hop.  You can find their clickable links here on Lori's page.  Please stop and visit them.  You'll see a large variety of lovely bracelets and can get all kinds of inspiration from it.