Things Crafty April Challenge

So many of us enjoy craft.  We have different styles, techniques and mediums, but there's something about "making creative, fun stuff" that always is interesting.

I've recently joined "Things Crafty" website.  The two brains behind it, Ilysa and Kira really do a great job of running it.  And I found that we have a monthly challenge, with prizes! (Yay!)

So come on over and check it out.  This month's contest involves April Flowers.  Who doesn't love a fun flower?  Anyhow, you can draw, knit, build, craft, (make a glass flower) or something to do with a flower, surrounded by flowers, etc.  There are even 4 prizes.  So pop by.  You know you want to enjoy the fun!  See you there.

Bead Inspiration Through Embroidery

I'm always looking at other art and crafts as a source of inspiration.  Recently, I found this lovely blog by Mary Corbet, which offers free patterns, videos and tips & tricks.  I love beautiful needlework and wish that I had the patience to learn it, but instead, I buy it, receive it as gifts (that's what my sis used to do for me), or admire it from afar.

But meanwhile, I'll use some of the lovely patterns as inspiration.  I think this one is made for beads.  It's a great exercise in stringer control, layering dots and surface embellishment.  You could even take it a step further and make the leaves and flowers in murrine.  If you already tend to use these patterns, let us know your sources, if you don't mind sharing.  Google is my usual first stop.

See you tomorrow!

Micro-Photography - This Time...Sand

Growing up on Long Island Sound, I've always loved the sandy beaches.  And now, being a glass artisan, I've continued on with sand being a major component of glass.

So it didn't surprise me when I saw some of the micro-imagery of sand, by Dr. Gary Greenberg, that I enjoyed it so much.  This photo is of sand 250 times larger than life.  It's pretty,  isn't it?

Dr. Greenberg has a website, sandgrains.com, in which you can see more.  He is an artist, inventor, scientist and pretty well rounded guy.  He has several books out, including one I'd like to see.  "A Bug's Eye View of Flowers".  Sounds great.  He has another that you will have to see for yourself.  Lips are sealed on it.

Garden Urban Oasis - NYC

Funny, we visited NY recently and I come back with photos of plants and flowers.  Yes, I took some of the typical tourist ones and plenty of the not so tourist ones, which I'll spread out over the next few weeks, but it was flowers and plants that always catch my eye.

We found a little garden that was open to the public while walking in Greenwich Village.  We almost passed it by, but the little bright flowers were beckoning and as usual, I had my phone out to snap quick pictures.

It was a delight to walk along the shady paths and see all the little benches artfully placed, to achieve the most privacy.  Couples, families and friends were perched on all of them, having quiet conversations.

Cities really need that, don't they?  I think that was one of the factors that caused me to realize that I wouldn't want to live in NYC.  Too many hard materials and not enough softness and color.

So I'll leave you with these photos of the one little oasis that we chanced upon. And soon I'll post some photos of our adventures and other interesting things we found.  And in our usual fashion, we found some gooooooood stuff!!

Poppy Fixation

I've recently become enamored with poppies.  Not in a bad way, but I've been mulling over how I want to interpret them in glass.  I know other glass artists must make them, but I don't want to peek to see how they do it.  It's got to come from me.

My biggest concern is creating their delicate petals, so they are sturdy enough to wear, and yet look like they might move in a breeze.  They're still in the "germination" stage, but soon I'll sit down and try them out.

Tell me, do you have something you've been mulling over that is different than what you typically do?  Can you share?  We'd all love to know.

Spring-apalooza Bead Class in NC!

We're all waiting for Spring to hurry up and get here!  And that's the theme of my fun glass sculpting class at Marilyn Peraza's N.C.  studio- March 12-13th.  If you're an advanced beginner or higher, you'll have fun learning bunnies, off mandrel flowers that we'll make into rings, birds and of course gnomes- which helps you learn simple faces, a little body movement and.... hair!  There will also be one special project that you will design with my help.  woot!  Lots of smiles,  good times and personal attention.  Come join the fun!  Class is limited to 6 students.  Hope to see you there.

Jewelry Design Dilemma

So you probably remember my post from Monday, where I showed you some of my new flowers in pastel colors.  I've been dithering over what I want to do with them still.  This is one of my options that I pulled out  I liked the silvery gray sparkle with the opaque flowers and some of the transparent bead in here.  I was thinking perhaps this one should be made into a bracelet?  What do you think?  Stringing ideas?  Change it up to something else?  What would you do?

Winter Garden Flower Jewelry

Pastel Flower Garden on Really Stiff Stems

So recently I've been on a funky flower and leaf kick. I've been choosing color palettes and then spending the day working on them with the long range goal of making some jewelry for myself and then selling the other components.  

This is an example of my very light pastel mix.  Atlanta had unseasonal snow and ice, and I think looking out my studio windows at all the white, gave me the inspiration.  We usually only get about 2" a year, and we got over 8" which quickly turned to layers of thick ice and shut down the city.  Kids were out of school for over a week.

But I digress.

My pastels in this palette were fun.  I don't usually work in this combination and was enjoying gray, white, pale pinks, soft blues, lavenders and a touch of CiM's Dirty Martini green, which I love.

So now here is my hard decision..what to design with these "parts"?  I've got such minimal experience in making jewelry.  Any ideas?  Tomorrow I'll show you what I was thinking, but meanwhile, please chime in all of you experts and give me some ideas please!

My Impatiens With Bunnies

I love bunnies. No doubt about it. But I have to say, my resident rabbit has been snacking on my flowers- impatiens to be exact, a little too often.

Sure, I understand that the flowers are lovely in their bright coral, pink and purple colors. And I also know that they're nestled in a nice patch of shade near the bunny hangout. But I just didn't know that they were that tasty.

All summer, they've been disappearing. I get a little sad, because I sure love the bursts of color- almost like exclamation points in my yard. I'm afraid the exclamation is turning into an apostrophe.

So here's my lampwork glass bunny bead named Juniper. Hopefully she will somehow telepath my wishes to the resident living breathing one and my poor impatiens will live through the end of the summer. And if you need help with bunnies in your yard, maybe she can help you too!

See you tomorrow

How Would You Use These Flowers?

Flowers everywhere.  You'd think I'd be content with the ones in my yard, but no, always need more.

These two flowers are some of the variety that I carry in my new shop, StudioMarcy'sWhimsy, on Etsy. 

I decided to sell them as handmade supplies, in hopes that artists and crafters might find them there.

You see, I think there are all kinds of places that they can be used.

Made on a medium gauge copper wire, they can be wire wrapped into a loop, so they'd work like large buttons.  I can just picture them as an awesome closure on a cool handbag.

Or jewelry makers could make them into focals or incorporate them easily into wired pieces.  I think pins, broaches or even handmade rings, (that's how I use them).

And of course, wouldn't they be great for brides or a bridal party?  No one has asked me for custom orders on them yet, but they could decorate a cake, be incorporated into bridal headpieces, bouquets, or boutonnieres.  (had to look that one up in the dictionary- my years of French classes didn't help at this hour in the morning).

I know this is a creative group of readers, so I'm opening up the comment hotline for your ideas.  How would you use flowers like these?  

Cherry Tree- I Miss You.

Here are a few photos of my cherry tree in Atlanta.

I've been in sub zero temperatures and snow a foot deep.

.....'Nuff said.

Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka- Glass Artists

Rudolph and Leopold Blaschka were a German father and son team of glass artists who were hired by Harvard University to make glass flowers for their botany department in the late 1800's. They also were known for their representations of invertabrate sea life.

You can see their story on the Corning Museum's video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHOx5H5vNx4

Or you can read about them here: http://www.journalofantiques.com/Feb04/featurefeb04.htm

I saw their Harvard exhibit while attending the International Society of Glass Beadmaker's (ISGB) Gathering in Lowell, MA a few years ago. Their work was magnificent. And thinking back to the exhibit, and now to the changes that have been made in the glass world- tools, equipment, types and colors of glass, it makes their artistry even more astounding.

Often times, lampworkers discuss whether glass is "art" or "craft". This topic will continue to be argued long after I'm gone. To me, I don't know how you can call their glass botany and sea life anything but "Art".