Peacock Feathers Everywhere

Well you've gotta love 'em. Peacock feathers have always had a bit of a mystical feeling to them. The gorgeous colors, the eye in the middle and the way they shimmer, just a little bit.

Thought I'd show you two dresses that incorporate them. (although, just wondering- who would wear the first one?)

The second one seems infinitely more wearable and rather sweet, actually.

Enjoy the fashion trend and I bet you've seen some lovely lampwork peacock beads as well. I know I have. As well as door knobs too.

Have any glass url's that you'd like to share that are of the peacock variety? Add them into the comment section so we can all see your work or that of your friends.

See you tomorrow for more glass chat.

Fired Up

....All I can say is that I hope she uses one of those aloe type shampoos.



Happy Sunday. I'll be back tomorrow with real glass info and more fun. http://www.StudioMarcy.blogspot.com

Fall Colors

Okay, so they are not exactly what Pantone has told us, but I couldn't resist the caption of "Fall Colors" for these folks all dressed up and looking at the shoe kiosk.

I'd toss in a little deep purple & rust and call it my personal list of what people should have for this upcoming season. And just imagine making spacers and posting this photo with the caption, "these colors are what everyone is wearing.". That would make me smile.
See you tomorrow at http://www/studiomarcy.blogspot.com

Join Us for Heather Trimlett's Class

Southern Flames, (the Atlanta chapter of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers) has a few openings in upcoming instructor, Heather Trimlett's Marble Beadmaking class on October 22 & 23, 2009..

So here's the low down from my perspective. Heather is a fabulous teacher and although her style, is definitely not what I do, I'm taking her class. If you follow my blog, you know how I feel about learning from teachers who do things very differently than you do. I think it leads you to more interesting options in your glass adventures and opens your mind to new possibilities. And for me, Heather's wonderful deliberate technique provide a counterpoint to my whimsical sculptural style. Besides, I always feel like I "get it", when she's teaching.

So I'm hoping you can join us. If you can come, please contact our class coordinator Margo Knight, margo.knight@alston.com.. And visit our website for more details Southern Flames
And let me know you're coming. The Thursday/Friday class has openings.

I'm in the weekend one, but I'd love to pop by and say hi, if you're in town. We also have a reasonably priced hotel nearby, where everyone stays. If you stick around Atlanta for the weekend, our Southern Flames group has its meeting on Saturday night and we'd love to have you join us.

Hope you can make it. It's a first come, first served, so contact Margo right away for more information.

See you tomorrow for more fun and glass chat at http://www.StudioMarcy.blogspot.com

Stringers Everywhere!

Oh, I save too much stuff. That includes stringers and little pieces of glass that I probably will never use again. I just hate to be wasteful.

So some days, I just try to use up a bunch of it. One of my favorite methods is to group a bunch of similar colors in one hand and melt them onto a transparent rod of glass. Then I pull it out into a larger stringer that I can really use. (alert: time waster, but fun).

Or I'll lay down a bunch of my less attractive ones to start off a shape of a bead and then add the base color over the top. (alert: time waster once again) This reduce, reuse, recycle thing gives me guilt trips if I don't find a way to use up this spare glass.

So now I'm trying to be mindful of making stringer. Unless it's something that I use a lot, I'm trying to make smaller ones to use up and store less. I find that I use the "emergency stringer" style of pulling it- (small amount off of the end of the mandrel that I'm using), serves me a little better some of the time.

So, this is a before photo of my table. I'm wondering...what do you do to tame the stringer and loose ends department of your glass work? I'd love to know.

See you tomorrow.

Art Studios Out of Recycled Subway Cars

What a cool idea! The Village Underground is a creative area for a mixed discipline of artists in London, England.

Apparently, rescued abandoned subway cars (or Underground tube train carriages) have been turned into low-rent studio spaces for artists.

There's a restored brick Victorian warehouse below them which can be used as a gallery to show of their work. The subway cars are rented for about 15 pounds a week.

I love seeing something old being re-worked into something wonderful. Great idea! It's a win/win situation.

Cookie Jar Bingo

Thanks so much for making some guesses about the cookie jar contest on my 8/21 blog post . I'm so glad you tried. But I have to say, I'm a little disappointed that no one guessed correctly this time. I'll do more of these posts where you can win something, though, promise.

My two cookie jars that I like the best are the pig with yellow pants and the birds on the right hand side. The pig has great sculptural definition, (sounds a bit like a pig body builder, doesn't it?) I like his bow tie, his jowls and definitely the way his cute little piggy feet turn in.

And the birds are....well, birds. If you've ever seen my earlier work, almost every bead had a bird sitting on a head, a shoulder or somewhere.

I continue to feature birds often. My studio overlooks my backyard, which has a couple of bird feeders, and my neighbor calls it Cinderella's garden with the small animals scampering among my feathered friends. I'm just waiting for two mice to start a conversation with me. I have a feeling that as long as my wall of windows open to the sounds and sights, there will always be something flying around my glass beads that I offer.

Check back tomorrow http://www.StudioMarcy.blogspot.com. You know I'll have a juicy little post for you.