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
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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.

Winter Snow Scene...Choosing Colors for an Assemblage

Here we go... the last glassy post for 2008!

Today I have a photo of my entry for the Winter Challenge.

It's a three bead Winter scene, with a bobble head snow woman and a child with a carrot for her nose and a dog with a tennis ball.  They are on a white glass stand which is a bead also.

Today, I wanted to write about how I made some of my color decisions for this scene.

Of course I knew that the snow chick would be basically white.  I wanted her to look "girly", so decided to have her wear some clothes.  Periwinkle looks so pretty with white and as light blue is associated with winter sometimes, this would be a little stronger color that would show up better.  I added the swirls on her apron for interest and to tone down that amount of color in one place.  Her hat is periwinkle also with band of variegated greens, one is the bright key lime green that you also see on the child.  There is a crow sitting on the side of the hat, and that black is mirrored in the faces of all the characters.

I wanted the child's clothes to complement the snow woman.  I used the bright green on the jacket which would draw the eye in towards the face and make the child the focal of the assemblage.  I added some purple swirly details to the jacket and a small scarf.  Lapis blue is the other main color which although it's bright, still recedes a bit compared to the green.  The child is wearing blue gloves while holding the orange carrot.  They are opposite colors on the color wheel and will frame and bring more attention to the carrot this way.

The little dog adds a touch of detail to the scene.  Often I make white dogs with brown spots.  I knew that I needed a neutral color that would show up against all the white, so I made him from dark ivory glass with silvered ivory stringer spots for fun.  (Just had to try it to see what it would look like.)  He has a bright green tennis ball in his mouth, which helps your eye travel down to notice him.  I had thought to have him turned more to cover more of the snow lady, but liked this angle in the photo, because it looks like he's in motion.

And finally, the base.  I used four rods of white glass for it.  Holy cow, it got a bit heavy.  I had made a "pattern" out of play-doh in advance.  I figured out where each piece would stand and how much room was needed between them to keep them close enough together, but so they would easily fit too.  That play-doh is great stuff for working out logistics.

One of my 2008 New Years Resolutions was to be more "deliberate" in what I made and how I made it.  I still have a long way to go.  But today, I wanted to show you the thought that went behind this particular assemblage regarding one single aspect of it... choosing color.   We tend to talk technique, patterns, shapes and other more technical aspects, but deliberate color choice can be equally important.

Wishing you a happy ending to a crazy year.  I'm sure you can guess...tomorrow I'll write some of my beadmaking and glass resolutions for 2009.  Start thinking of yours, because I'm going to ask you to join in and post them.

Kiss My Curvy "S" or What Should I Name These?

Conundrum time. I have acquired a new brass bead press from Mallory. It's for a special project I'm working on, but I wanted to play with the press and try out different glasses in it and styles.

So I made a few and am going to offer them in my Studio Marcy Etsy Shop.

However, I'm just not sure what to call them. It's a "Wiggle" press, but I don't want to use their name.

I've been mulling over other ideas...wavy, curvy, swoosh - (nope, Nike has the corner on that market), worm, squiggle or undulation. I ended up listing this one as an "S" Curve with a little amusing joke written in the listing.

My husband looked at them and said the colored ones look like Gummy Worms to him.

This blue one I etched to look like sea glass. It's a light transparent blue that got a dunking in acid etch. I've got a few of these in other sea glass colors made too.

I'm open to ideas. Anyone have a name for these? If I choose your idea, I'll send you one that is a funkier version than these shown. I think you'll like it.

Thanks for your help. I'm taking suggestions through Thursday 10 am Eastern Time. Now get out there and put on your thinking cap. I need YOUR help!

I Like Some Spam

Now I haven't gone as far as joining the Spam Fan Club, but there was something calling to me to make the can of classic Spam into a a lampwork glass focal bead.

I admit, I ate it once in a while when I was a kid. It was what a lot of kids ate along with Tang, the drink that Astronauts took to the Moon.

And I understand that Spam is served in Hawaii pretty often too. I say, good for them, if they enjoy it.

But for me, I just made it because it makes me smile whenever I look at it.
Hopefully this Spam bead makes you smile too.

ps, don't forget, when writing on glass, case your stringer with transparent glass, so there's more separation between the letters.

See you tomorrow!

Remember to Adjust: Your Flame, Your Torch & Your Mandrel Position

This is my very first bead that I ever made. I thought it was going to be a turquoise donut. I burned it pretty badly which makes sense, because that's the way I cook too.
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One of my beadmaking friends wrote to me and said that she was having problems with her new torch. She has recently changed from a Hothead to an oxy/propane mix and is concerned that maybe she didn't choose the right torch for sculptural beads.

I remember the learning curve from changing from a Hothead to a Minor. My first bead just oozed onto my tabletop. Whoa...that was scary. Then I burned a few- a little too close to the cones. It all takes time, and lots of practice, doesn't it?

So here are a few tips that I sent her for changing torches and at the same time working with sculptural beads and for some of you they are just a refresher course and for others, perhaps an idea or two to consider adopting. And if you're doing all of them already, pat yourself on the back and add some more tips in the comment section, please.

We'll call this "Consider these Adjustments"

1.Reheat & Read The Heat: After you do anything to your bead...anything....reheat your entire bead. That includes adding a single spot to your dog's body, reheat, adding an eyeball, reheat. I'm sure you get the idea. (and when I say reheat, I mean looking and "reading" the heat color of the glass that it is warm.) Sometimes people have let their bead get a little cool and just seem to wave it around in the flame and think it's warm. Watch the color of the glass to be sure and double check the farthest ends of the bead.

2. Adjust your Flame Often: I think beadmakers forget that those knobs are for adjusting while you're making your bead. Sometimes you need a bushier flame or more of a pinpoint...that torch is there to help you. Remember to use the knobs to enhance what you're doing.

3. Adjust Your Mandrel Position: Move your mandrel to get the flame to hit the bead exactly where you want it while keeping it warm. Sometimes we learn the horizontal way of holding our mandrel and keeping it parallel to the table top for making donuts, tabs, and bicones and stick with that style for making sculptural beads. Nope, not the way to do it. All rules are off when sculpting. Twist, turn and move that mandrel to get the flame exactly where it needs to be to heat the right spot. (don't forget to adjust your flame too.) Watch your heat of your bead, so the glass doesn't move in the wrong direction. But this is a very free-ing feeling once you start do this.

I'm guessing that everyone knows these adjustments already, but can use the reminder. We get intent on a bead and the focus turns to "how do I place this limb or can I keep that eye from totally melting in?" instead of "did I remember to reheat every time I placed some glass on my bead?" So kudos to all of you who already do this. And to those of you like me, who need a gentle reminder, here it is. I wish you happy beading and a good memory.

See you tomorrow!

Need An "Easy Button"?

Late this fall, I noticed lots of television and print advertisements for a particular office store talking about how complicated it can be when getting simple tasks completed. Their tag line was to use their large, red "Easy Button".

Drawn in, I imagined what life would be like if we actually could make life easier. And I've come to the conclusion that definitely there are times when I'd love one, but sometimes the journey to get where we want to go, is the learning that enriches our lives more than the goal or destination.

I feel that way when I take on custom orders. I love the challenge of figuring out new ways to achieve a desired outcome that I haven't done before. It's like little individual puzzles which stretch and enhance my knowledge of glass.

Making this Easy Button reminded me of a few things.
1. It's hard to write on a very small space
2. I need to case my stringer, to keep some separation between the letters
3. We still don't have a great way to make a shiny silver look and that our silver plum makes a dark pewter no matter what I try.

And to make it "easy" on my customers, I have FREE shipping in my Studio Marcy Etsy shop for orders over $25 through the weekend. Why not?

...and that I still want an "Easy Button" when dealing with phone calls when I have to push a different button 12 times to get to speak with a live person to ask a simple question.

Starting Early on New Year's Resolutions

I'm starting one of my business New Year's Resolutions early.  I'm trying to improve my photo backgrounds on photos that I post for my Studio Marcy Etsy shop.

I've gone through the phase of the colored backgrounds, and the gray backgrounds and now I'm on the "white" backgrounds.  My artistic concession is to sometimes keep a bit of the shadow, while I white out the rest of it.  You can see my mermaid beaded ink pens  with two whiter backgrounds and one original.  Quite a difference, isn't it?

Of course it would help if my original photos were better and I will work on those too.  But for right now, Photoshop Elements 4.0 and its Magic Wand Tool  is my new BF.

If you've got a Photoshop trick for improving photos, please feel free to post it in the comments section.  I think we can always use some helpful hints and new ways to do things.