I Didn't Forget Thanksgiving!

Just so you don't think that I've forgotten Thanksgiving, please meet "Punkin". She's one of my "sweetie pies". Perfect for any time, and available in my Etsy shop.

Don't forget, I love custom orders and now is the time to let me know, so your dream bead can be made in plenty of time for Christmas. I can make them into pendants if needed or ornaments too. And in case you're a Pandora bracelet type of person, I make sculptural big hold beads as well. Just contact me through my Etsy shop or email me at StudioMarcy@gmail.com.

Pumpkin Cupcake ~ Bead on a Bead

Sometimes I make beads just because I want a challenge or the concept amuses me. This one encompasses both.

I was discussing pumpkin bread with someone and wondered if there are pumpkin flavored cupcakes. I thought it would be fun to make a Halloween cupcake that showed that.

For a long time, I've been messing around with stacking objects on top of each other in my beadmaking, so it was natural to add a pumpkin on top of the cupcake. I needed to watch my heat control to keep it nice and distinct between the two and yet make sure that it is totally fused on, so that it doesn't crack off. That sometimes happens if they aren't heated enough together. But I didn't want the pumpkin to look like it was melting into the frosting.

I solved this problem by melting a smaller first wrap into the frosting pretty well, before adding the rest of the pumpkin. This is just one of a couple of methods that I use when attaching a section that needs to look separate.

This delicious pumpkin cupcake is available in my Etsy shop - here. And I've also recently added some other food items to make sure my specialty food shop has plenty of delicacies.
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Better Scents in the Studio

Good smells put me in a good mood. I know all of us have different tastes in what smells good. My particular choices tend to center around fresh baking. A little pumpkin pie, cinnamon, cloves and vanilla mixed with other scents, bring a smile to my face every time I'm around them. I can't wait until it gets cold outside, and then I switch to holiday pines and really feel the spirit.

And probably by now, you're wondering, how does this relate to glass? Well, stay with me, I'll show you how it does in its own way.

Today's tip is something that I do. I use soy melts, similar to the ones pictured above, in my studio. I have a kiln with a bead door, so my kiln is essentially front loading. The top of my firebrick kiln (AF-99) is always warm and just hanging out, wishing that it could be of use too. So I put my soy melts inside of a small pyrex heat proof bowl and then place that on top of my warm kiln. They scent the room and make it smell delicious. I like that I don't have one more flame lit in the studio for a candle. (Please note: just one at a time is plenty so there's no chance of spills and only while you're in the studio. Safety is always important.)

These photos are for MULLED CIDER Dye Free Soy Break Away Tart Bar - 3oz and 4 PUMPKIN SOUFFLE Dye Free Soy Blend Wax Muffin Melts / Tarts - 4oz courtesy of etsy shop, TenDigitCreations also from Georgia. You can find these at http:www.tendigitcreations.etsy.com or other similar shops on etsy too.

Let me know if you have some favorite etsy shops for these types of melts and what scents have you tried that you like? I'm always open to finding more sources of delicious smells.