Lego Stilettos...For That Playful Party Look

So I saw where artist Finn Stone (check out his fun fiberglass furniture and public sculpture)  had constructed these Lego Stilettos and is showing them in a gallery in  England.  And it got me wondering.  If you wear high heels, would you wear these?

And wouldn't ones with some of our glass beads look sooooo much better?  Have you made any shoes that incorporates glass beads that you made?  (Yes, I know they're glass...but look what it did for Cinderella)

I want to hear about them...or plans for what you'd like to do.  How about joining me in a movement for world class glass domination (wouldn't that be cool?)  in the fashion shoe and accessory industry.

Come To Austin With Me for Class!

I'll be teaching "Take a Walk on the Wild Side" at Austin's Blue Moon Glassworks June 25 & 26th  and I'd love for you to join me.  (just scroll down the link- lots of classes listed on that page)

We'll complete a full garden necklace before you leave which features a variety of imaginative sculptural flowers, a lampwork and wire clasp and of course a little creature with wings- (maybe bird, butterfly or bee) to hover over your flowers.  You'll have it done to wear home.  AND we'll also make a tree branch bail that teaches you the technique to apply to other sculptural items to make into bails.

Of course we'll have fun and it sure will be nice to have something totally completed to take home with you too.  And as many of you know, Jim and Rose Berry treat their students so well, you can't help but smile while you're there.  (And Austin is such a cool city!)

Attempted Textures

I've been interested in tree bark recently.  Not the smooth stuff, but trees that have other things growing on them, or bark that has a lot of texture.  I found this one on a great texture resource website, www.mayang.com/textures/.  It's not just bark, but a boatload of other items too.

I use them in my beads, when I'm trying to change up how it feels. I think glass doesn't have to be just smooth or symmetrically bumpy.  You know what I mean. Just wanted to add another resource to your list.  So tell me, what textures would you want to interpret?  Are there any you are drawn to in particular?

Help? Devardi Glass's Frog Green

If any of you out there have some spare Frog Green by Devardi Glass, I'm interested in buying it.  I have been out for awhile, and really miss it for making leaves and of course, frogs.  I know it spits and does some misbehaving glass-like things, but I like it anyhow.

If you have some that you'd like to let go, please contact me this way.  Thanks!!

Asheville Torching

By the time this posts, I will have been in Asheville, NC for the long weekend at Fire On The Mountain with about 30 other lampworkers.  Organized by Marjorie Langston and Terry Hale, this twice a year gathering of beadmakers, is such a delight.  It's held in an old Fire House which is Touch of Glass and owned by Gary Newlin.

Not having photos yet to post, I used the little gorilla that I taught up at this retreat quite a few years ago.
And below is a class photo from the students who watched my demos.

You see, there are a variety of demos for the participants to watch and then attempt.  This year besides lampwork, we will be learning some metal jewelry techniques as well.  These will be done by Angie Ramey, Melanie Hazen and Carol Crye.

Hopefully in a few days, I can show you what I learned and give you a bit more of a recap.  But until then, I'm just going to bask in the wonderful sharing that is going on, and cross my fingers that I don't get lost on the way driving home, like I usually do.

See you tomorrow!

Guilty Dog?

Watch this funny youtube about figuring out which dog in the family ate all the kitty treats.  It's got the dramatic music, the scintillating dialogue, (okay, both of those are overstatements), but it does feature Denver, the guilty dog.  I don't know who taught him to look guilty, but he might just win an Oscar for it.

I know this has nothing to do with glass or creativity, but it's entertaining.  TGIF!

Which Is Your Personal Taste?

I love having a nice outdoor fire on a cool evening,   Here are two very different fire containers from Etsy.  This top one is a FireBowl which is handcrafted and 100% recycled.  You can find it HERE.

And this second one, is also handcrafted, this time by Modfire on Etsy.  It is made to order and comes in a variety of colors.  You can find it HERE.

So tell me, which one is more your preference?  And why?  They are two very different, cool styles that do essentially the same thing.  I relate it to many of our other art/craft styles.  In my glass bead making world, I see a contrast between modern streamlined to a more earthy/organic style.  Both beautiful in their own way.

So..., tell me what you think?

Possible Trouble, But Doing It Anyhow

Yep, jumping in and publicly wishing my son a Happy Birthday today.  I try to keep my family out of these posts and give them their privacy, except once in a while.  Well, I guess it's my favorite son's turn.  Meet Grant.  It's his birthday.

So without going into all his attributes and causing further embarrassment to him, suffice it to say,  I couldn't wish for anyone better.  

Tammy Jones, New Lampwork Beadmaker- Wow!

I met my new friend, Tammy Jones on the internet.  I love reading Jewelry Making Daily's emails and metal jewelry artist/editor Tammy had mentioned in a post, that she had always wanted to try lampwork.  So I wrote her and told her that I would love to teach her.  (Heck, I felt like I knew her, because I had been enjoying her posts and I love to teach private lessons.)

So Tammy drove hours and came to my home studio for some fun.  And I have to tell you, she took to it immediately.  I was amazed.  You see that cupcake?  She made it after a few hours at the torch.  I can't tell you how impressed I am.

I didn't know how to take an artful photo of what Tammy made, because I was showing her how to use wires and form beads on the ends of them. (the wires makes the shot look cluttered.)  But you can see a leaf and a stamped flower bud on wires and the rest were on mandrels.  She made a red rose and girl's face too.  In the bottom corner, is her very first and only donut bead ever.

Needless to say, she aced her first class and I look forward to seeing how she incorporates her new skills in her jewelry. The new friendship was a real bonus and Tammy, can't wait for your next visit!

Steampunk Owl

I've been doing a lot of experimenting recently.  And I'm not sure where I'm going with it yet.  But here is one of my first attempts at making some sort of clockwork gears encased inside of an owl bead.  I used little metal pieces on other parts of him too.  His beak is made from a little screw and he has brass leaf findings on his wings for additional feathers. I used silvered ivory, hoping to tie the look together, but it might be too much.

I like the concept, but I think it doesn't quite have the look that I'm trying for yet.  Not sure where it will evolve.  I'd appreciate your comments- ideas and suggestions.

Krispy Kremes and Toddler Dreams

So last weekend on my way home, we stopped at a cute little airport north of Atlanta that looked more like someone's home than a place of business.  This is inside of the little cafe.  I love this bike.  Looks like it was for delivering newspapers.

And as we were close to a race track, there was this motorcycle too.  It's signed by all kind of racing luminaries.  So I took a close up shot, in case any of you are into it.

A handwriting expert would have a hey day with it, I'm sure.

But one of my favorite decorative items in that little cafe was this toddler car, which I really liked.  (Maybe it's just the little people who would drive it that I'm so fond of..not sure)

You know I'm in the South, when there are Krispy Kremes displayed with it too.

Hope you have a relaxing day planned.  I'll be talking glass and art tomorrow, but just wanted you to see a little airport's comfy cafe,  In a world where "newer" is often better, it was kind of fun finding this little hidden treasure.  Or as my kids would say, "Old School"!

One Eyed Spooky Baby Stroller

You know, when my kids were little, they got weirded out by their Mona Lisa shower curtain.  They thought she was always watching them, while I was just trying to start out their young life with a bit of culture.  You can imagine the thoughts going through my head, when I chanced upon this crazy baby stroller.

The flickr photos show this little girl to be perfectly happy with it.  And that's all that matters.  From a Mom's point of view, I might have a bit of a concern, but I know kids and families are wired differently from me and I could be projecting.  But from a creative point of view...well,  I bet they would sell well and it sure is entertaining in a one eyed, spooky/creepy kind of fun way.

So what do you think?  Would you buy one?  Would you put your kid or grandchild in one?

Faith and Begorra! Tis a Wee Leprechaun!

I think I found a baby leprechaun!  Actually, this darling knitting pattern can be found on Etsy here.
And if you have a touch of Irish in you like I do, have a happy St. Patrick's Day too!

Surreal Google Map Art

Artist Clement Valla has taken screenshots of Google Earth and found that if you zoom in at just the right angle, you  can make parts of the 2D road  dripping from a 3D world.  Kind of looks like it's melting.


He mentioned that technology is moving so fast, that pretty soon, this won't be able to be done.  So he's conserving the photos now, while he can.

I don't know.  Is this what it looks when beer goggles are worn too?  Oh nevermind, it's google, not goggles that we're talking about.  Almost dropped a "giggle" in there too..


See you tomorrow.

Japan Tsunami and Quake Relief Donation Set on Etsy Site

Hi everyone-
I'm going to be listing some beads whose proceeds go to the American Red Cross Japan fund.  These terrible disasters are so very sad and it feels better to help in some small way.  These are listed in my Etsy shop here.  I'll be adding more beads that will also be 100% for the relief fund in the next few days.

**this set just sold, but I have now listed a pretty striped sea shell and 6 coordinating little beads for the same reason.  They are to increase the donation to the Red Cross fund drive for Japan Relief.  Please consider this set.

Please link, tweet or post on fb, if you can and help me help the ones in need.

thanks so much!
Marcy

Faces Everywhere!

I'm not sure why, but I seem to notice faces in a lot of inanimate objects.  Do you?
This is a vintage hammer, owned by my buddy Jim Berry, of Blue Moon Glassworks.  He was showing me how cool it is because of its age, but I was noticing that it looked like it was smiling at me.  (and no, I don't see dead people, either.

This is what it looks like from the side.

So then I found this hook...again, another face.

You see it, don't you?  Looks like he's been telling lies.

Where do you see faces?  Or don't you?

World Beard and Moustache Championship

If you're anywhere near Trondhjem Norway this spring, the 2011 World Beard and Moustache Championship will be taking place on May 15th.  Unfortunately, I am not able to attend.  However I did find their website here.  And you can see all kinds of amazing photos.

Look for the man who has made his beard into a castle....I'm not kidding!

Venting Machine

Artists Katja Kublitz and Ronnie Yarisal have created an "Anger Release Machine" which is stocked with cute little porcelain cats, beautiful vases and other highly breakable items.


It makes me laugh- you pay for the item and just like the vending machine in its other life, the coils slowly push forward and release the item.  It falls onto the bottom of the bin and smashes.


I'm not sure whether that is then "containing one's anger".  And I also wonder if there are nearby mosaic artists who can then reuse the remnants...


It makes me laugh even more imagining someone being furious who would pop down to their local anger release machine to pay for it to break something for them.  "Hang on a sec love, I'm seeing red, but need to find a few bills and a brisk walk, so I can release this anger."  Ah, I love art.

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.

Duh, Winning

Charlie Sheen appears to be a piece of work.  But for some reason, I am slightly fascinated by this train wreck.  He has quite a way of verbalizing his opinions, some of which have been captured on this website, "http://www.livethesheendream.com"  Just click on his head and a new quote comes up.

I'm still watching for Tiger Blood...

James Corbett's Cool Steampunk Sculptures

There is something about the Steampunk style that entrances me.  I don't know if it's the combination of odd pieces that make up the whole, or whether it's trying to figure out, whether I could make something cool out of some of our odd pieces of garage fragments that would fit the style.  It's been around for awhile and I keep thinking this phase should be over.  But I guess others enjoy it still too.

This owl sculpture is amazing.  James Corbett is the artist and you can find more wonderful pieces here.

Red Riding Hood Bead Inspiration

I have an upcoming deadline for my Southern Flames glass group to make a bead to go on our Chapter's postcard.  We have quite a few members, so usually I make something that has a bright color on it to stand out, or is just plain fun to make.

So this year, with all the commercials for the Red Riding Hood movie, I thought a cute little girl might be fun to try.  So I went to Etsy.com and did a search for Red Riding Hood and look what I found.  I love this picture.  It's from a shop called "When Guinea Pigs Fly", which cracks me up.  And this sure is a sweet little painting.

You'll need to wait a bit to see whether I made an animal in the red cloak, or a little girl.  But there is no wait to find what inspired me.  You're looking at it.  (BTW, I did NOT make a guinea pig)

And I'll see you tomorrow with more fun stuff.

Draw & Fold Over

Remember that game you played as a kid?  You draw part of a picture and then fold it over and the next person has to add the next part.  I remember laughing pretty hard at the funny combinations we came up with.

Well, here it is online.  I think we could have fun with regular drawings, but is anyone interested in designing beads this way?  Talk about crazy!  Let me know.  Maybe we can get a small group together to do it.  I think there are 4 folds in a finished piece.  We can design other things too or just play and have fun.  Wishing you a perfect Sunday.

Mosaic Association's Member Show

I was really lucky to be able to attend the Mosaic Artists' All Members' Show a few weeks ago in Austin, TX.  Not having been around the mosaic scene much, this was a great introduction to this art form.  Just like in our glass group, I could see trends, various styles- and most of all, I loved all the very diverse materials that a lot of them used.  Some pieces were painterly, while others incorporated patterns, and others were sculptural.  So cool seeing it all.  I'll post some of the pieces that I photographed in weeks to come.

Buildings With A Sense of Humor

I had quite a response with my "face house" that I posted on Sunday, so I went looking for more examples.  Boy, did I find them!  I love the sense of humor that both the architect and the home owner must have.

This first one is in Kyoto, Japan.  I would definitely seek it out, if I were to visit.

I don't know where this house is.  But I read that it has a different face on each facade.  I think one face is enough, personally.  I can just picture little kids getting a bit creeped out, like they do with clowns.

This is my favorite.  It's subtle and just keeping an eye on the neighborhood.  And in my very understated way, (ha ha) I could add more decorations temporarily, if the whim hits.

Of course, I love this one.  It looks like a potentially unloved, drab building has a sense of humor and life.  I can just picture kids daring each other to step inside through the mouth.

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.

The Big Beads of Courage Drawing for My Cricket Torch!

Perhaps you remember that this Cricket Torch raffle has been going on for the entire month of March.   For every 25 beads or $25, the donor receives a raffle chance.  And  wouldn't you know it, there's been an overwhelming response.  Way over 6,000 beads have been sent in to Beads of Courage.   I'm so delighted with our wonderfully generous lampwork community.  And even better, quite a few folks have stepped forward with additional raffle gifts, so there are lots more to give away.

Here are two photos of the many which have been posted on the raffle blog, http://www.givebeadsofcourage.blogspot.com.  Please pop by and see all of the wonderful beads that are going to the kids.  I'll leave the blog online after the raffle is completed for everyone's viewing pleasure.

So before I do the drawing today, I'm going to double check my raffle tickets to the donations and then I'll be using the online number generator.  You can see it here.  And after that- I'll post to the BOC Blog and start contacting both the recipients and the other gift donors as well.  I'm excited for all of it!

And of course, the big winners are the kids.  Having watched them pick beads at one of our local events, I know that they think about it pretty carefully when choosing.  (and like a complete bead dork, I was watching to see if they'd pick one I had donated.) 

Cheers to the lampwork community - you make me so proud to be associated with all of you.