I Heart Macro -" A Thousand Flowers"

Hello dear friends,

Today is a gorgeous Spring day.. I am keen to get out for a touch of sun on my skin. The wind is a bit fresh and strong.. so I may not go to my little green shed today... open windows are required for glasswork and if the wind is too gusty it can play havoc with the flame... way too dangerous!

Today I am linking up to I Heart Macro. Theses little flowers you see below are actually made from glass and the name "Millefiore" is the Italian name for a "thousand flowers". These little pieces of cane are traditionally seen in glass paperweights. The ones you see below are in a pendant which my two daughters gave me one year for my birthday. I love it. Each of these tiny slices of glass would have been carefully applied with tweezers to make the pattern you see here. Making these individual little pieces of art is complicated and another story in itself!

Millefiore pattern.

The last few days I have continued my fun with glass frit. I have also been trying to make the bicone beads you see here below, longer. So far I am only up to 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 inches long. Eventually I would like to do almost double that. Now that is a challenge!

On the reddish brown bead, that little round 'spiral' is a reactive piece of murrini (Raku Mojo by Jet Age Studio) melted in fully. You can just see another peeping out from the next bead. Murrini, in essence is the same sort of thing as Millefiore, except of course the millefiore were /are flower shaped. Murrini can be any shape including flowers! 

Bicone shaped beads withglass frit application.

I also couldn't help but play around with frit and encasing... such fun... and SO much to learn! Glass is such a wonderful and addictive medium!

Please click on the above logo to take you to see a little more "photos for macro makers and the cameralogically challenged"

Until next time, I am off to enjoy that Spring day...

Bead Table Wednesday, A 21st birthday necklace

Hello dear readers,

As some of you have read on an earlier post, it was my youngest daughter's 21st birthday just recently.
As part of her gift from me, I decided to make her a  glass (lampwork) bead necklace, made with ivory and black short bicones.
Laura had seen a similar necklace that I had purchased in Italy and mentioned she liked it.

I was a little wary of  emulating the look, but decided that it was different enough in colour choice, clasp selection etc to still give it a go.

I used a brass tool to help shape the beads, thanks for that, Peter.
The black was easy to manage however the dark ivory glass was a little more difficult due to it's sensitivity to heat . A very light touch was needed to shape the ivory bicones.

Necklace in the making

I used a beautiful box clasp with a dark grey stone which matched the transparent grey spacers

at the ends.

The birthday girl and her necklace.

Hope you are all enjoying your day,

Bicones revisited - a "man-bead style"

Hello readers,

Well, I managed to get a little time in the studio this weekend and all I could seem to make was large bicone shaped beads - well they are pretty large for me!

Slightly more than a year ago, I did a bead-making course at Blue Dog Glass in Moorabbin, Melbourne, which was organised by the lovely Sue from Bead Glass in Patonga N.S.W.

The guest instructor was Jim Smircich from U.S.A.
Jim's speciality is control of heat whilst making beads. He seemed to favour the bicone shape at the time (that seems to be a favourite shape of his).
We were shown how to shape this style of bead using heat and gravity and minimal marvering.

I think I did a flurry of practice immediately after the class, but have not made very many of this shape since then.
However, I do love the shape - although it is a shape that can be challenging to feature in a piece of jewelry.
Simply suspending a bicone from a chain or leather cord can be an effective approach.
I think because of this simplicity of style, the bicone shape can be appealing to men.

Men!  Yes men.
( I can hear a strange and rather nervous guffaw coming from my husband when I say this.)

"Surely you are not going to make me WEAR beads now....?"

So... here are a few of my "man beads" from the weekend........

 

Light Fossil base with reactive Intense black, light ivory ends.

 Rear- Base of medium fossil with twistie of Vetrofond purple-red, Effetre apricot yellow and Kugler Light Beige (used to be called ASK Moroccan Swirl) and Effetre Dark Ivory.

Front left - Base of Opal Yellow with twistie of Effetre Opal Yellow, Effetre Copper Green, EDP and Intense black. (very reactive).

Middle Right- Base of Vetrofond Yellow Ice, stripes of CIM Stoneground and Effetre Coral, raked. Dark red-brown "caps".

Rear - Effetre Silver pink with twistie of copper green and Double Helix Triton.

Triton "caps" reduced for a shimmering finish.

( I love this bead, however it is pitted, so I am going to try and make it again)

The tab beads in the front are made purely from Dark Fossil.

I absolutely love this glass, it looks like marble or granite.

The little bead is Effetre pearl grey which turned  a soft caramel colour with the application of silver foil.

That's it for tonight folks,

Cheers,

Jenni