Frankie in Soda Lime Times

If you are a flameworking beadmaker, and haven't subscribed yet to Diane Woodall's Soda Lime Times, you are missing a great deal.

This month has the Halloween issue and I have a tutorial for Frankie, (pictured above) in it.  But within the 52 pages, (yes, that much!)  there is tons of content in her monthly subscribtion e-zine.  It is so worthwhile.  I have been beadmaking for about 12 years, and each issue teaches me something new.

What a Fox!

I am working on a new project and decided that I might need a fox for it.  So here is my first effort.

My second one will look closer to this photo, which I should have printed prior to melting the glass..but oh well, I have plenty of glass left to make more.  I must be making too many dogs, because the muzzle looks more like a police dog, than the fox.  But in fairness, the bead is small, about the size of the first joint in my thumb.  (who needs rulers when we have thumbs to measure with? Ha, ha!)

So I look forward to showing you my next iteration of a fox.  I love making the face only beads and those come out well, but making tiny full body ones, will take another try.  The second one will have a different snout, slimmer tail, possibly longer legs, but honestly there's a trade off between what should be and what works better for strength, and there will be a bit more white around the face and other parts of the body.

Wondering why I'm showing you my not quite successful one?  Because seldom do we do super well on our first try.  And it's good to see that even with this many years of melting glass, each new attempt is a learning opportunity.

See you tomorrow!

Great Post by Loribeads - Lori Peterson: Fellow Fire Diva

Check out Lori's sweet post about one of my beads! Thank you so much Lori. It means a lot coming from you.
Loribeads - Lori Peterson: Fellow Fire Diva...Marcy!

p.s. I'm sure I'll be back for more murrini from you this week. I love what you and Kim are making.

Does This Bead Match My Bag?

One of my customers constructed this bag and she is aiming to embellish it a little more. So she contacted me with the bottom photo and asked if I would design a bead to go with it.

Well of course I'd give it a try. I love looking at custom orders a bit like a puzzle. It's good to mentally and physically challenge oneself to figure out how to make something new.

Before accepting the commission, I look at the colors. Do I own rods that match, or can I layer or mix these shades? What about the shape? Is it within my realm of expertise? And technically, can I figure out how to attempt to do it...at least on the first try?

Often it takes more endeavors than just one. And I know that I don't usually charge enough to cover those extra efforts, but to me, the custom orders almost always are worth it.

Each one teaches me and that's one of the elements that I love. Foremost is the customer's happiness, when I'm able to create what they want. It makes me just as joyful. But definitely secondary, is stretching my boundaries in a different direction to practice looking at the 2-D object and interpreting it into a 3-D shape- boldly going where I have never gone before. It's like a mini class for myself.

Do I ever have to call it quits? Sure. Not often, but I have. Once someone wanted me to make a specific NASCAR racing car less than an inch tall with the numbers and some of the intricate details. What was I thinking? Suffice it to say, it didn't work. I imagine if I had chosen to continue on and make enough of them, I'd get it, but I didn't quote a price anywhere close to the hours I was putting into it. That car is still on my bead rack to taunt me.

Some of the more memorable custom orders? Well I delighted in concocting someone's cat dancing on two legs, wearing a pink tutu and a black pirate patch. Creating pets, or the grandchildren face beads, school mascots, special mermaids and fairies or funny requests like Easter bunnies wearing viking helmets makes me grin. Bringing others' imagination to life is very rewarding.

So this swallow, (which matches a tattoo as well as the tote), is ready to be sent. Just wanted to share a portion of my art with you. These custom orders are a pleasing challenge in many ways of almost every day that I am at my torch.

If you have a custom bead you'd like to discuss, please contact me through my StudioMarcy Etsy shop, http://www.StudioMarcy.etsy.com. I'd love to chat.

Esme & Naomi BFFs and Inseparable

Meet Esme and Naomi. Esme is the pig and Naomi is her BFF and also the Bluebird of Happiness. Not a bad thing for a friendship.

Esme doesn't mind when Naomi sits on her head. I mean she just a feather weight and is always singing.

Sometimes Naomi even lets her choose the song. They range from the vintage Fraggle Rock theme song to even a little "I Feel Good" by James Brown. Who knew that pigs like to dance and get funky? I'm afraid I do get the giggles when they burst into "It's Raining Men". But music is personal taste after all.

If you have any song requests, please add them in the comment section. Who knows, they might just burst into song when you least expect it.

Esme and Naomi can be found in my Etsy shop, Studio Marcy. As always, there are more views, if you want to see other angles. If you choose to adopt them, I request one thing. Please reinforce that the bacon in my shop is probably just a soy product.

Come back to visit tomorrow. I'll have a great review of a wonderful blog that I know you'll love, if you haven't discovered it yet. If you're like me, you like to be entertained as well as informed. This one has both and more.

And if you've got a little extra time- feel free to "friend" me on Facebook under Marcy Lamberson. Be sure to write "blog" in the message, so I know that you're a friend. Or if you're on Twitter, follow me. I'm StudioMarcy there.

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!

Make A Sign Using Your Art Photos

I needed a basic sign for my Studio Marcy  Etsy Shop that said  "Reserved"

and "Custom Order" on it.

I could have just used text, but decided that I should dress it up a bit.

So I took one of my Christmas elf bead and used my Photoshop Elements to erase a section, draw a border around it and add the text I wanted.

This particular bead already had his arms spread wide, so he was perfect to hold the sign.  He's bright and stands out, as well as is kind of cute, if I do say so myself.

 I could see putting a sign in one of my dog bead's mouth, or a variety of other options too.  If you make long focals, why not turn it on it's side and erase a section of it to write your message?  Or bead sets could have words printed on each bead.

Just a little idea to keep you thinking about looking at the bead business from a slightly different angle and hopefully keep your art in front of your customer's eyes.

Happy Weekend!

Marcy

Blue Bird of Happiness and Karaoke Singer: Focus on Pink Cheeks

Here's a cute Bluebird of Happiness who has such a sweet face. For a change, I added pink cheeks. It's amazing what they do to add some "sweetness" to this bead.

She's joyful because this weekend she's going to be singing karaoke. I know, you don't tend to think of birds doing that, but this is a songbird.

She sings Rockin' Robin and Free Bird. The rest of the birds have a hard time lighting a flame at the end of the song, but now are using their cell phones instead. Three cheers for new technology.

As some of my beads are somewhat autobiographical, I need to be clear that this one
is not. I can't sing note and if you're lucky, you'll
never hear me utter a sound. It will bring tears to your eyes, and those aren't tears of joy.

So be thankful that I make little bluebirds instead. I'm leaving the singing to them.

See you tomorrow,
Marcy

Lost In Translation? Alien Drinking Coffee

You might have read that I'm in an online glass creativity workshop that I love by Sylvie Lansdowne. This past week's assignment was to choose a picture from those offered and translate it into a bead.

I chose the one on the left, which is angular and complex. It was a very tough choice. I was amused by her coffee with the swirling steam, the bacon and eggs on her left, the clouds in her coffee, (think of the song, "You're So Vain"), the Starbucks logo and most of all, the angular lines and the off kilter shape and size of the face.

You can see two of my beady attempts of the art.
The top one was my first and the bottom two are the front and back side of my second bead.

As I want to teach you what NOT to do, as well as what TO do, here are some of my findings.

1. Don't worry if it doesn't turn out beautifully. If you don't stretch yourself and try, you'll never know. I think these are two of the funkiest looking beads I've made, but I'm so happy to have tried them.

2. Simplify as much as possible- patterns, designs and colors. If you have something that needs to be the focal of your focal bead, you need to give it a background so it shows up well. See my second bead to exemplify that.

3. What are the medium's traits?- glass likes to be round, so it's a great exercise in patience and heat control to get the angular lines.

4 .On my second attempt at the bead, I took some of the details and placed them on the backside of the bead to make it interesting and to carry out the interpretation of the original artwork .

5. Don't give up. Try it again to see whether your analysis improves your interpretation a second time around. I much prefer my second bead which is pictured in the bottom two photos.

6. Most importantly, learn from what you did. I know now what I would do differently in that kind of interpretive situation. But these concepts work more than on just Modern Art. If you are making a bead that will remind you of a favorite family photo, or a landscape or whatever you choose. Distill the important parts out and focus on them. Choose your colors wisely and because of size and glass characteristics simplify all of it.

Now I'm going to put both beads up in my Etsy shop. Because one other thing that I've learned over the years is that a bead might not be my favorite, but often times, it appeals to someone else. This will be one more experiment that I'm trying.
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Inspiration Monday Part Deux

You saw Monday's frog costume for inspiration, now here is the bead.

Meet baby Abby who is wearing it. She is currently living in my etsy shop and if you'd like more views of this little cutie, just click here.
Of course she would be perfectly happy to hop over to your house too.

I thought if I wrote about inspiration, perhaps it would be a good idea to show you my final translation too. And if you missed Monday's blog, just scroll down to see the original photo.

Catch you tomorrow!

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Online Coaching Follow Up with Pam's Witch

Pam sent me these photos of her second attempt at a witch's face, which I think turned out really well.

I see all kinds of improvements that she was aiming for from her first one.

Although I really liked it too!

Pam had said that she wanted to make the black dots on her eyes, and give the witch a pointier and more pronounced chin.  Her hair looks exactly like what I try really hard to keep mine from looking like.  Perfect for a witch.  And Pam added decorations on this witch's hat which wa another goal.

Well done Pam!  I know it's harder to make a second round of a bead after it's been discussed so thoroughly, but it just goes to show how quickly we can make changes and see a big difference.  You can find these witches in Pam's etsy shop.

Next week I'll write a mini tutorial for you and then the following week we'll have an online coaching session.  If you're interested in being a student, please contact me.  

Happy Saturday to you.

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New Tutorial in My Etsy Shop

I thought about all my online coaching and how much I enjoy it. And perhaps there are some people who would like to take it a step farther than the bits and pieces that I offer in my blog.

So here is my first tutorial that is listed in my Etsy shop. Meet Santa Claus. I go through step by step each part of making this bead as well as the preparation needed and some alternatives to how and why I'm doing things.

Santa would love to come visit you before Christmas Eve and he would make a great ornament, focal or even package decoration.

Stop by my etsy shop and enjoy.

http://www.StudioMarcy.etsy.com

Artistry In Glass Contest & Fun Website

I've been told by family members that I don't toot my horn often enough, so today I'm practicing.

Hooray, I won first place in the Advanced Category of http://artistryinglass.on.ca/newsletter/contests.html's most recent contest. My little vampire was my entry.

Because he's rather dashing, I combined his photo with this fun website, www.magmypic.com, where you upload a photo of yourself or others, and they have some ready made "magazine covers" that go over your photo.
I made some with my own photo too, but those will have to wait for another time.

So beadmakers, check out http://artistryinglass.on.ca/newsletter/contests.html, for their next bead photo contest. I think it's an every other month type thing, with gift certificates from their online store as prizes.

And I'd like to mention that some of my friends also won prizes. I am so happy for you.
Deronda, Paula & Louise, you all sure deserved winning a prize. Hopefully more of my blog readers will enter and win next time too. (I'd love to hear from you about it.) See the winning beads here... http://artistryinglass.on.ca/newsletter/contestwinners.html

So, now that you're almost famous, stop by www.magmypic.com. It only takes a minute or two and sure makes you and your beads look almost famous.

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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.

Bead Makeovers- Taking Your Art In A Different Direction

I love cupcakes. Pink frosting with sprinkles sounds pretty yummy to me. And obviously a lot of other people like them too. This style and others tend to sell well in my etsy shop, http://www.StudioMarcy.etsy.com.

But other people make similar cupcakes and in an earlier blog, I mentioned that it's a good thing to reconsider beads that you make, that perhaps could be restyled, or taken in another direction. This can be good for you as an artist, and maybe add a little zing for your sales too.














Between watching Ace of Cakes, and wanting to incorporate a little of my surface decoration and sculptural approach, I decided to give one of my cupcakes a new twist. This one has a small branch made of aventurine with multi shades of green leaves. A sculptural butterfly in transparent aqua and a touch of lapis give it more dimension. To add a dollop of whimsy, bright pink transparent glass dots the surface too.

There are so many directions to try. I'll be adding more cupcakes over the weeks to show you more makeovers on them, and other beads.

In the meantime, if you are on Facebook or Twitter, please add me as a friend. I'm either under Marcy Lamberson or StudioMarcy. See you tomorrow....

Ask Studio Marcy ~ Online Coaching...Santa's Face with Mallory and Me

Mallory, of www.rosebud101.etsy.com has volunteered to be this week's online student for lampwork coaching. Thanks Mallory!

Here you'll see her very first Santa face, which she nicknamed, "the deranged Santa", because when she flattened his eyes, they went a little crazy. He is a hollow bead made with moretti's soft pink.

Here is an excerpt from my response...
"Here are a few hints...hope you don't mind me including them.
Make your base bead, Cool down your torch. keep your flame smallish, because when doing this much detailed work, it's easy to melt it all together. Your Santa's hair is nice and fluffy, so I think you might be doing this already.

Your comments about his eyes made me laugh. I can't tell you how many goofy eyed beads I've made. eye balls only need to be a tiny dot. (I use thin stringer) And as you put a dark glass on top of white, the white needs to be quite cool, because the stiff glass will pull it if it's warm. I then chill the eyeball by press down with my brass Stump Shaper. I always do pupils towards the end, because they have the ability to get warmed accidentally while I'm doing something else and then the eyes go all over the place as they kind of melt from the heat of the other details.

I always do my biggest details first and then add in the rest in descending order depending on what might melt in and be a mess versus what could get a touch too warm and still look okay.

If I were doing a Santa head, I'd probably do it in this order. (and after each addition, lots of bathing in heat to keep the entire bead warm.
Head, hat, but not the trim, white part of eyeballs, cheeks, bottom part of beard, white trim around hat, mustache, white ball at end of hat, pupils. And possibly I'd change up the order if the red hat came down low on his face. If that were the case, I might add his pupils in earlier, if I thought there might be a problem in reaching them when adding the white band trim around the hat."
So look at her second Santa head. Wow, what an improvement!
Mallory made a smaller head that wasn't a hollow this time. I like how his beard and white hat ornamentation are fluffy like cotton. His hat adds a lot to the face. Mallory told me that she was trying to make his nose "like a cherry", the way it is in the poem. Perhaps, I'd attempt a pink cherry instead and just try that out. This red might be a touch too much contrast. His eyes are much better and perhaps I would have added just a touch more black right on the center whether the one pupil is a bit smaller.

I've included two of my Santas to show you and to talk about a bit for additional ideas.

This first Santa I made for any of you who enjoy using presses. His face was made with a Zoozii tab press, but lentils, or other similar presses would work fine.

I added his cheeks, (CIM Gelly Pink for bright, cheery ones) as place markers so I would know where to spot his beard, mustache and the rest of his face. Then I basically followed the order that I gave Mallory and is written above. The benefit of a face bead made with a press, is that it lays really flat, which is nice when it's made up into jewelry.

This second Santa has a rounder head - more similar to Mallory's shape. I indented the space for his eyes with one of my whimzicalities sharp tools and then placed the black dots. It gives his eyes a little more shape and holds them in place better.

For his hair, (same as the other one), I clear encased white glass with clear to give it a bit of definition. Although I have to say, I think Mallory's fluffy beard is fabulous. I always make the beard first and then the mustache, so it sits on top of it and shows up well. This bead also has the CIM pink for the cheery cheeks. I like adding the pink, because it makes the white stand out a little more from the ivory face, adding a little more warmth to the bead.

Some of the places you might want to look for inspiration are holiday catalogues, newspaper ads, favorite tree ornaments and my favorite spot...google. I love having a selection of pictures at my disposal that I can print for inspiration.

To view more angles of my Santa beads, visit my etsy shop, http://www.StudioMarcy.etsy.com . They are both in my "sold" section. Mallory has listed her second Santa face "Peaches". Visit her shop, http://www.rosebud101.etsy.com.