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.

Christmas Ornament & Bead Class at Blue Moon Glassworks in November!

I wanted to let you, my blog readers know first, that my 2 day Christmas Class in Austin, TX at Blue Moon Glassworks will be the weekend of November 19th & 20th.  This is going to be a blast, because I love Christmas and so do owners Jim and Rose Berry.  So we're going to do it up BIG!

We'll be making really fun glass beads and ornaments in which you will be able to put your own special twists on.  Elves, angels, dogs dressed up with hats and antlers are not only a blast, but you'll be working with a variety of sculpting techniques that will give you the skills to make lots of wonderfully unique miniature ornaments, focal beads and special treasures either for others or to keep for yourself.

Of course heat control is one of the most important techniques, but we'll also be working with some silver, reactive glass, setting a CZ or two, canes and other ways to add sparkle and magic to your beads whether wearing them yourself or making them into tree ornaments.

You can email or call Blue Moon Glassworks to register  -  512-380-0770.  I hope you can join me for the fun and holiday magic.

Red Riding Hood Revisited

Two days ago, I told you that I was working on my bead for our Southern Flames Glassworkers group postcard.  And I showed you the darling print of the guinea pig dressed up.

So here is the end result.  No, I didn't dress up an animal as Red Riding Hood, but that still may be in the future...  But I did make this cute little girl and just happened to have a spare wolf hanging around my inventory (I know, what a coincidence).  I'm going to create a glass base for the two of them and make them a nice woodsy place to co-habitate.  Can't we all just get along?

See you tomorrow!  Right here at www.StudioMarcy.blogspot.com  or find me on facebook under Marcy Lamberson.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Keep smiling and enjoy your holiday!

Guess What I'm Doing?

Guess what I'm doing today?

Look down the checklist for the fourth bullet. I'm teaching a private lesson. But this isn't just any private lesson, it's one where my student came from out of state and is staying for a few days. Oh boy, it's fun!

We started on Tuesday and will go through Friday. It's mostly about sculpture and learning how to look at photos and 3D items and translate them into glass. There are different steps and techniques to learn along the way which is what we're following, but at the end, we'll have plenty of time for specific beads that she wants to learn. I hear dragons, mermaids and angels are on that list.

So if you don't see me around quite so much, I'm having a ball working with my friend. Lots of glass, chatting and learning all going on at once.

See you tomorrow- same time, same place.

Glass Resolutions for 2009

Every year I make glass resolutions. It's almost like I have an overall concept of a revised Mission Statement in my head and they are the steps to back it up. They're areas that I would like to enhance or focus some of my energy.

2009 Glass Resolutions

1. Add more movement to my pieces. Make them look and feel less static.

2. Work on some big, "out of the box" projects. I have two major ones that hopefully I'll complete in 2009. I've been making beads and branched into more assemblages and bobbleheads in in '08. It's time to take it step further.

3. Make more jewelry out of my glass and actually remember to wear it. I get so wrapped up in creating glass for others, I forget to make some wonderful pieces for myself
.
4. Teach in more locations. I want to travel and spread the joy of sculptural glass. I'm teaching (2) two-day classes in February for the Southern Flames and then a two day class in Miami for the Gathering. I'd love to help others either learn or improve their sculptural glass in a fun and relaxed manner.

5. I'd like to branch out and add a "gallery" style line to my work. I have other sides of my glass that I don't show that are more serious and inspired by people's connection to nature. I'd like to explore that facet of interest in glass.

6. I would like to be more "deliberate" in each of my beads. Think each one through, before making them. Work harder towards improvement.

7. And perhaps I should stop taking photos with my computer's camera first thing in the morning before brushing my hair and putting on make up. (Sorry about this- I just didn't have a photo to go with this post and decided to wing it.)

Happy 2009 to each and every one of you fellow glass lovers. Wishing you joy and health and of course, plenty of glass.

I would love to hear some of your resolutions or focuses for this new year. Please share with us.

Meet Marabelle the Seahorse

Meet Marabelle the Seahorse.  She's a feminine seahorse who has all her curves and maybe a few extra details.

Brad Pearson taught seashorses in his class last week.  His was quite different, and of course, each time we learn something, we need to change it and make it our own. 

So his "boy" seahorse example, which had a black body with white enamel over the stomach and red details, morphed into my girly one with two toned transparent fins and pink lips & cheeks by me.  She also is a bit curvier and was built differently  on the mandrel.  I made her go straight up with the hole going through her head.

What is interesting to me, is that each one fits with each of our personal beadmaking styles.  I would have loved to see his include a little of his masking technique that is so beautifully done.

For another view of her, visit Marabelle and her other friends in my Etsy shop .

Vacationing In Style at Bead Camp

I'm at Bead Camp two hours away from my house and loving every minute of it. A couple times a year, one of my friends, Marjorie Langston hosts instructors and torch time. In her own right, she's a wonderful teacher and I will post another day about her teaching gig (along with Terry Hale) in Ireland this summer.

Her garage seats 12 comfortably and then some of us sleep upstairs in her above the garage studio on air mattresses and sleeping bags. Of course we chat until too late and have a great time.

Thursday and Friday I took a fantastic class from Brad Pearson. He's a not only a wonderful teacher, but so very talented. I like taking his class because he works so precisely and uses techniques that are very different from what I normally do. If you are a regular reader, you'll know that I believe strongly in taking classes that are different from your style. They'll stretch your abilities and you'll find ways to incorporate those techniques into your work.

So greetings from Chattanooga, TN, and I'll be back Monday with lots of info and tips from this weekend.

Twins Zelda & Imelda Witch Finally Arrive

Meet Zelda and Imelda Witch. They must be fraternal twins, because their bodies are the same, but their features are different. Each are posing with the family pet, Gerta the owl.

Zelda the first (and she swears that she's the older twin too, but who cares when they're over 600 years old?), has a little spider hanging from her hat. Her nose wart is solid green, so you can compare between the two witches, which style you prefer when making your own.

She also has two-color eyes. Instead of having whites, her base eye color is orange with a black pupil. Red berries and green leaves rest on the orange hatband. A small spider is hanging from her hat. She is attached with a small piece of 1/16th mandrel directly into the hat. I added a small dichroic glass stringer to somewhat camouflage it and add a touch of sparkle if the light hits it right.

Although her head was made on an atypical mandrel so it is concave, I still made it to look rather "bicone" shape. See how the chin looks "witchier" when pointed. Purposely, I left her mouth as a thin line which adds to the effect. Full lips would have made her look friendlier. I added a few extra lumps on her nose and an extra one on her chin which makes it more asymmetrical and bumpier.

Imelda looks closer to Pam's original witch. I wanted to try what Pam did and sure like the effect. I personally prefer the black wart on her nose over the green one on Zelda. She has a lumpy nose and black dots for eyes. Imelda has a very simple flower and two leaves on her hat.

Both witches were made in a sitting position, which I did as a challenge to myself, to see whether I could do it. Next time, I'd do it differently. I made a base bead and then starting extending her legs horizontally and then built them down at 90 degree angles. Problem was, that I didn't measure the stand first, and I made them too short. Now I need to make her a special stand, instead of using my existing commercial one.

The girls are wearing a Victoria's Secret Bustier made for witches. It laces in the front and is a sexy light grape shade. It really shows off their glowing green complexion. They are wearing striped tights from Urban Outfitters and black Baby Phat hip hop shorts. Rather eclectic, but what do you expect from these wild and crazy girls?

If you have any questions about any techniques that I employed, please ask me. You can contact me through my website, http://www.StudioMarcy.com, or you can post here too.

Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate having people read what I write.