Can it snow yet?

Hello friends!

I have sure been the little creative busy bee! I spent the weekend making LOTS of creative projects in different media! It was really exciting to be working in so many different things. I had projects where I had to be sitting at a table and others I could do sitting on my couch under a blanket. I wish I could fill you in on more, but I don't want to ruin the surprises since THEY could be reading this too!

Remember when I was freaking out about my desk? Yeah, this is what it looked like!Ok so many of you probably like to work in piles like this, me, not so much! This is SCARY! I actually had to dig underneath stuff to find things. Ugh! You can see some pretty boxes I picked up at Michael's, the mini cards by my phone and the pretty ornament stickers that you can't really tell what they are. Under the crap you can see some Christmas beads, which also won't be apparent unless you knew what they were! lol I told you it was SCARY!

So you are probably waiting to see what is new in the shop since you noticed I didn't blog on Friday. I did, however, list an item if you were checking up on me!

NEW IN THE SHOP...

Oh winter! Where are you? I swiped this pic from the internet. I was needing a wintery background picture for my desktop. Now THIS is what I'm talking about...I totally swiped this from the net, so if this is your pic, thanks for taking such a beautiful pic and sharing it :D How does this relate to the listing? Well this set was inspired by the cool crispness of winter. Pale aqua blue and creamy vanilla ivory in designs with twists and dotties.Isn't it SOOO PRETTY? I am not usually all about Ivory, but wow does it work in this set!

SALE! This dainty little pair of earrings would go perfectly with the set above so I decided to put this baby on a little sale. Ultra fine sterling silver chain holds a teeny swirly aqua spacer. At the top an opaly pacific blue crystal connects it all finished off by my FAVORITE earring hooks with the teeny sterling silver ball.

Today's SNEAK PEEK item was actually supposed to go up on Friday, but SURPRISE I was BUSY so it didn't make it online. As the color of fall is finally starting to fade I snuck these little guys in with the late harvest set of wing dings. This funky little pair is on a base of ochre yellow with freckles of olive green. This shape is always fun for so many designs. I think these would make a funky little pair of earrings.
WHAT ELSE IS NEW?
Per usual my plate is way full with things to do. I need to go get some beads made today. When I am done I am going to hang out with my friend Tina and teach her how to knit! Lol It IS contagious especially when it's 39 degrees outside and you are working with snuggly soft bamboo fibers :D

I will try to get some pictures edited for tomorrow's blog so you can at least see the second scarf I knitted! I am already onto another! I TOLD you... Obsessed, I think! It is really nice to have a creative project that you can take along with you anywhere and one that you can just mindlessly work on :D

Well I am off! Have to make more beads for the show!!

Have a wonderful day!

Much love,

Genea

...Continued

Hello friends!

*Whew* Just got the pictures taken in time! Geez, daylight sure does fade fast this time of year, doesn't it?! So, speaking of pictures, want to see what's new in the shop today?

NEW IN THE SHOP....

Today's items are a few more frosty friend's from the south pole! Meet "Holly" the penguin. She is a sweet girl with a little black face and a white mask around her eyes. She has soft pink cheeks and a little yellow beak. A festive sprig of holly sits atop her head.

Meet "Rosie" the snowgirl. This sweet little snowgirl has a snowy white face and rosy soft pink cheeks. She has a small carrot nose and 2 tiny coal eyes. On top of her head sits a "rosy" pink rose.

Today's SALE item is one of my cave style organic focals called "Birth of Fire". A base of black is decorated with MAGIC in the form of silver, dichroic glass, raku, a healing hand and an eye.

SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW?...

Well as you have read earlier, I am SWAMPED with work to do. On that note I should be on my way to the studio to get some more done!

Have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Much love,

Genea

Back in a minute

Hello friends!

Wow! I am quite literally "UP TO MY ASS IN ALLIGATORS,"as my mom would say! Not only am I busily working on stuff for the show, I have more testing to do, a blog and order for Art Beads, and Christmas gifts! Did I mention that the beads I made for the last 2 days are still soaking on my table which is now unrecognizable due the amount of CRAP that has accumulated on top!

The cool thing about all of the "crap" that is on my desk is that some of it is: Christmas beads that are un-cleaned, a box of 30 mini cards(a HUGE hip-hip-horay to Michaels for fulfilling that need for me since NO ONE else had them, and for only $3.99!), super pretty ornament stickers for the new mini cards, snowman bags for Etsy items, and super AWESOME origami style gift boxes from Michael's!

Crap! I got side tracked again! I need to take some photographs before the sun light fades! BRB

Holiday business and new projects

Hello friends!

Wow, has it gotten dusty around here in my absence? Is "busy" just another word to describe my EVERY day? You may also feel the hussle and bussle of the outside world around you. I do, even in the comfort of my very safe and quiet home. I have been here, but just working on projects, holiday things, and even a hooky day! I sat and knitted ALL DAY! You wouldn't have guessed though since I am STILL not done with my scarf! Want to see what I've been up to??

NEW IN THE SHOP....
Fall/Winter always seems like the season for animal print stuff and colors so that is what is in the shop today! I have a "Sheena Jungle Princess" tiger button clasp and a "Safari" Florbital up for grabs. Both have root beer topaz brown, ivory, and black.

Today's sale item is one of my fun little Love, Peace & Flower Power sets. Bright colors of: pink, lime, red, yellow and white make up the color palette.

Here is what I did with a set of them. You will notice that the glass flower bead didn't make it into the design, but I managed to sneak in a sterling silver daisy instead! >:DWHAT ELSE IS NEW??...

In my travels I got to stop by Indigo Wild to make some jewelry repairs. Look what the sent home with me! Mmmmmm! Frankincense & myrrh, Almond and Sweet Orange Zum bars, a lavender and tea tree oil Zum kiss, and some Zum Rub for sore muscles!


Here are those pictures I promised of my first knitting project and my current scarf!Ok so this one is acrylic on bamboo needles. What can I say? Walmart was the only place open and they don't carry wool! I did ditch this poor project for the time being. You know me, I LOVE color and just HAD to get my hands on the variegated colorful stuff!Oh yeah! That's more like it! Mmmm color! The acrylic needles and wool blend fiber made it SO much easier to cruise along! I am on my second skein and still knitting along to the desired length! Both of these were made using the "garter" stitch(I didn't teach myself how to purl yet ;)


Speaking of scarf! Look what my friend, Ashley brought me back from Cambodia! Isn't it beautiful?! What a sweet girl!
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT- Kim Cocharan

You all know how I LOVE show-and-tell. Well my friend Kim dazzled me with her pretty BLING fringe bracelets she made using my beads!
Halloween designs.
The lone lavender bracelet. Why did this one get the super "spot light"? Well the glass color shifts to a blue hue in fluorescent lighting!

Like what you see huh? Well you may be in luck! Kim is thinking about selling her wares! I will keep you posted as to where they will be available when she gets that all worked out ;)

WOW! Is it already almost 4pm? Ricky will be off to school soon and I will be in the studio in the dark making Christmas beads ;) The days get so dark so early, don't they?! I figured if I didn't give you all an update soon you would divorce me! So I hope you enjoyed my week :)

See you soon!

Much love,

Genea

Genea Beads @ BOKAMO DESIGNS HOME SHOW! DEC 4-6TH!

Hello friends!


We are excited to announce that we have been invited to join Bokamo Designs at their home show December 4-6th! Hours are: Friday 12-7, Sat 10-6, Sun 10-5. Location is at the Bokamo Designs home- 5609 W. 99th Street, Overland Park, KS

They always have a fantastic selection of Steve's handmade boro beads, Terry's beautifully designed jewelry, Czech glass strands, Swarovski cyrstals, fabulous findings, tasty treats and more!

As always Genea Beads will be offering a 50% show discount on all beads and jewelry! WOO HOO!

So come see us to pick up your perfect gifts for the holidays!

Holiday cheer and scarves

Hello friends!

The weather is fantastically gloomy today! It's COLD too! A chilly 39 degrees today with rain! I like the snuggle in your warm house weather! I figured since it was cold I would go ahead and list some more holiday items!

NEW IN THE SHOP...

Today's first item is a set of 5 round beads in colors of: tomato red, grass green and white. These holiday colors always make me think of spearmint and cinnamon. You know like EVERY store smells like that this time of year! lol

Today's SNEAK PEEK item is a fun little set called "Bi-polar". This fun little pun set features a white polar bear face (polar) with 2 big snowy bear paws(bi) and little white lentils with black paw prints in the snow. How freak'in cute is that?!

SALE!
On sale today is a set of Daisy Vine earrings called "Cranberry Citrus". Juicy fuchsia and tangerine orange flowers are decorated with pink fiber vines with orange leaves.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW?..

Well I had to come up with another creative thing to do that wasn't "work" just for fun. I have always loved knitted things so I thought I would give that a try. I bought one of those horridly named "... for dummies" books. I mean normally I wouldn't have paid to get a book that called me an idiot, but I am a sucker for deals and It WAS a dollar! I mean you can't beat that with a stick right? I picked it up for a buck at Target in their $1- $2.50 section. The book was pretty easy to follow. I am a picture person so I read the text and just ended up learning from the pictures. I will have to take a picture of my scarf so you all can see my progress.

I sat down on the couch and tried to use some other fuzzy fibers I had collected on sale awhile back, but as to make my learning easier I thought picking a regular single colored fiber would be best for my first project. By the time I got out to the store Hobby Lobby was closed so I had to try Walmart. Unfortunately Walmart no longer sells wool, so I had to settle for acrylic. Now acrylic is pretty cheap so that was cool, but it squeaks when you work with it and I had wondered if wool was somehow greasier or something coming from a sheep coat and all. I dunno, but I still think I will go to some wool as soon as I finish my first scarf. I decided to just go long with it instead of being picky. I figured it's a learning scarf and it will probably suck, but I figured by the time I got to the end I would be a pro for my next scarf! I might just teach myself to purl! lol

The dogs are restless today. I think they totally pout when they have to sit indoors for most of the day. They don't understand what a PITA it is to wipe all the mud off of 8 paws when they return indoors! Poor kids! :(

I got most of my other projects wrapped up so I am on to making orders today. Tomorrow I will use for some other new stuff. I still need to make a few more Christmas things so I should probably get on that with a quickness too.

Well as always, I must be off.

Have a great day!

Much love,

Genea

Finally Friday

Hello friends!

Yes, you may have noticed the blog is late, but the listings were right on time ;) I spent the morning editing pictures, doing listings and getting some other little things done. I needed to fill a time slot before getting my chiropractic adjustment today.

It was AMAZING! I always feel so great when I leave Dr. Schultz office! We got to check out his new office over at Briar Cliff. His practice is in the M&I Bank building(it's the one with the clock tower) on the 3rd floor. He got such a lovely spot. You can see all of Briar Cliff village from his office window. It will be so pretty when they get the Christmas lights all lit up!

Well before I ramble off too long I bet you came to see what was new in the shop!

NEW IN THE SHOP....

I have an Emerald green iridescent dagger pendant to offer first. This bead was made with gorgeous double helix silver glass! The photo just doesn't do it justice. It's hard to capture all of the color and shine in silver glass.

Today's second item was a frosty snowflake lentil. It is on a base of pale aqua with a white snowflake on the front. The snowflake is accented with blue transparent dots and clear sticky outy(that is the technical term!) dots. The bead was then acid etched to give it a lovely satiny finish and frosted look.

Today's sale item is a Love & Harmony ring. You all know how much I adore the tinkle of bells. This sweet little ring has a teensy lime green and turquoise freckled heart, a small green Czech heart, a tinkly base metal bell and a ocean blue green swarovski crystal!WHAT ELSE IS NEW?...

Oh did you notice the new format I did on Etsy? I tried Daniellexo's suggestion for your description area of your listing. The listing I did this format on was the Snowflake bead. You can follow the link to see what you think. Please leave me some feedback :)

I was busy making new GB cards to laminate today. It turns out I have used ALL of the cards I have made! I really like tying them to the back of a nice solid card. It makes them look so finished :)

Ricky went out with BIG Mike and Brandon to get a pair of Vibram Five Fingers. It looks like I am seriously going to be the only one without them! Boo! :( Maybe Santa will bring me some! ;)

I can't believe it is getting so dark. I don't know that it even feels like November. I mean it was what 65 today? WTF? Pretty sure that isn't exactly fall/winter weather. Meh...

I got a few other straggler beads finished. You know those are the kind where you need to make one of this style for that project and you need to make one of those for that other project. It is kind of distracting to me to switch gears with each bead. I decided to start the happy candy set I need to make on Monday. I figure this way I can clean off my table and prep everything before I work. It always seems to be much easier for me and I really like to just sit down and start working instead of cleaning rods, pulling stringers and doing all that prep stuff.

Melissa and Levi are coming over tonight. I guess they should be here soon. I suppose I should go and straighten up a bit before they get here.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Much love,

Genea

A darker hue

Hello friends!

I am excited about the NEW beads I will be listing in the shop today. I had gotten them made the day before the show, but didn't get a chance to list them until today.

NEW IN THE SHOP...

Why don't we start out with the inspiration picture for the beads below?As most of you know RED has been my arch nemesis for many years? Why? Well I can't wear it having red hair. I can pull of the dark scarlet, but no BRIGHT red for me! Yuck! Anyways, with the picture above you will notice red snuck it's way into this set. A rich cool color palette in hues of: bordello red, bright red, moss green, grass green, amethyst and blue violet are designed in bullseyes of stacked transparents dots. Encircled around each stack is a set of bumply dotties on the front. Back is freckled with smooth dots for comfort while wearing.
Today's SNEAK PEEK item is another stacked encircled dot lentil. A large opaque dot of red sits in the center with a cane dot heart in colors of hot pink and pastel pink. A mirror bubble is underneath the heart allowing it to catch the light just right. Dotties of lime and pea soup green accent the rings. The base is teal green(which is actually more brilliant green than the picture shows) with lime freckles on the back. The back is smooth for comfort while wearing.

SALE!

Today's sale item is a citrus colored fringe in colors of: yellow, orange and green!

WHAT ELSE IS NEW?...

Want to see what mom made with one of my class beads? I thought you might ;)

Here is a shot of our table display at the Bead Renaissance show we just did this past weekend.
Look at the refreshments Stephanie provided Ricky for the show! LOL! They were pretty tasty too! You can't go wrong with curry and coconut!

I have a few things left to make for some gifts and an order to fill before moving on to some more work. So that is what's on the agenda for today.

The boys are getting tools to do surgery on my car. Cross your fingers and toes and say your prayers for them! I hope they can get it back up and running by this evening. It sure does suck to be stuck without a car!

Well I should get going down to the studio!

Later today Holly and I are going shopping. We are going to attend a fashion and burlesque show here in KC on Sat night while the boys are gaming. I think we are getting the better deal!

Talk with you soon.

Much love,

Genea

Nice people and beautiful beads!

Hello friends!

Ahhh now I have some more time to hang out with you without being rushed. So how have you been doing? Oh yeah? That's good. Yeah, I'm pretty groovy, thanks for asking ;)

So I got my testing done which really relaxes me! Holy crap did I make some HUGE beads! They are SO ROUND too. Whoa! Believe it or not, this is actually Pulsar by Creation is Messy. Unfortunately my camera doesn't like to photograph this color very well.

I guess I am kind of doing this basackwards huh? So I guess I will move on to listings and then some more good stuff. I mean what if you just came on here to see what was new in the shop and had to wade through all this madness?


NEW IN THE SHOP....

Some LIME and AQUA, BABY! Yum-my! My 2 absolute favorite colors together! First off is another "Happy Candy" set called "Radioactive". It is full of SUPER BRIGHT yellow limes, swampy green, liquid aqua and turquoisey blue! This is one of my favorite sets because it has all of my favorite things like: a heart, a lentil with a heart on top, a lentil with a raked daisy on top, a triangle bead, a poked-eye bead, a dotty, bubbly cone, some dotty spacers, and a love flower daisy clasp! Can you imagine a bracelet with this fabulous set?!

Today's SNEAK PEEK item is lime and aqua as well, but much more simple. "Lime Peel" comes with 2 tealy green based spacers with yellow lime dots and a super SWIRLY heart with light aqua freckles! You know if you got both sets you could have a fab bracelet, earrings and a pendant! Holy wow, huh?! ;)
SALE!
Today's sale item is a SUPER BRIGHT lentil fringe with:orange, yellow green, lime green, perwinkle, turquoise and baby blue!
WHAT ELSE IS NEW?...

One of my favorite things about making beads is show-and-tell! I LOVE it when people send me show-and-tell creations they made with my beads! Look what Jan Dee's did with a set of my falling leaves wing dings and falling leaves etched lentils!

Here is a set that she made with my Sun Drenched pendant! Didn't she do an amazing job?!

Thanks for sharing, Jan!

For those of you that don't know Jan, she is seriously one of the NICEST people I have had the pleasure of knowing! She is always so kind and creative!

Oh BUMMER :( My hubby just came and told me that our radiator BLEW UP! My poor car! Ugh... *sigh*

So I guess on that note I should be off to go check out the situation further...

See you soon.

Much love,

Genea

testing 1,2,3

Hello friends!

Busy, busy busy again! I have to run and do some more testing. Then I am off to the store in OP that has vibram five finger shoes! I sure do wish we were traveling there to get me a pair! We are going with Brandon to exchange his shoes. If you have not already seen the shoes they are pretty sweet! Remember all the things you love about toe socks? Yeah, well these are SHOES! How sweet is that. It's like being barefoot with a rubber sole!

I will be doing an update again later today when I get some more TIME! See you then!

Much love,

Genea

A little bit of this and that

Hello friends!

Wow! What a BUSY weekend! It even bled over into Monday. I hid out for the most part on Monday. Ricky and I just needed to get some more sleep and chill out.

I did get to visit the Zum girls and Boys over at Indigo Wild! I am really excited about one of their upcoming contests. I won't ruin the surprise! Just be sure to follow their tweets or site for more information! You are going to LOVE what they have in store!

NEW IN THE SHOP.....

Today is all about the love we have for our furry friends!

Today's first item is a red heart with a paw print on the front.

Today's second item is a dark ivory bone with a black paw print on one side and a red heart on the other. Reversible and fun for all of your dog lovers out there!

Today's SALE item is a red "Grow and Heal with Love" heart. This little heart is red with a mossy green healing vine growing out of the front.
HOW WAS THE SHOW?..

The show was fun. Ricky and I got to meet a lot of cool people. I even got to take a class with Dale Nichols! He taught us some fun projects. I made a ring and pendant.

A special thanks to Steve and Terry from Bokamo Designs! You all are the best!

WHAT ELSE IS NEW?..

Lots of testing today! I will still be doing more testing tomorrow.

After I get some testing done I need to work on some other priorities then I will be working on some new beads.

Can you believe it's almost the middle of November?! Holy crap! Does time fly or what?

Oh yeah, before I forget! Art Beads was kind enough to send a 10% off code for me to share with you all. This offer is good through December 31st 2009! You can shop at www.artbeads.com with the code SCF10P-ARTBEADS-0424. To use the discount code you shop and before you go to send your order there is a box below to add your discount code. Thanks for sharing the love, Art Beads!

Well I need to do some more work on Christmas gifts so I am off for now.

Have a great night!

Much love,

Genea

Hi and Bye

Hello friends!

Just a quick "hi". I have a TON of testing to do today and just some show recovery stuff. I will try to post some new things today, but if I do it will be later.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and Monday.

Talk with you soon!

Much love,

Genea

LAST DAY SHOW SPECIAL 10-25% OFF!!!

Last day SHOW SPECIAL! TODAY ONLY! SPEND $1-$149 GET 10% OFF SPEND $150 AND OVER GET 25% OFF!

WWW.BEADRENAISSANCE.COM

New Location!
Kansas City Market
Overland Park International Trade Center
6800 W. 115th Street
Overland Park, KS

Nov. 6 - 8, 2009
Fri. - Sat. 10 - 6 Sun. 10 - 5

Open to the Public - Admission Free

Genea Beads show details, recycling , and new items

Hello friends!

A few more friends from the south pole are visiting my Etsy shop today.

NEW IN THE SHOP....

Meet Gilbert, he's a little penguin from the south pole that likes to keep his ears warm with green and white candy striped earmuffs with red poofs. He has a little white mask around his eyes, pink cheeks and a yellow beak.

Today's SNEAK PEEK is a "Rudolph" pendant. You all know the story about Rudolph saving Christmas with his cute little red nose. You can celebrate his help on Christmas in this cute little pendant. Rudolph has a bright red shiny nose, little nub antlers, an ivory mask on red brown fur.
ON SALE....
What a STEAL! Today's sale item is a super AWESOME macrame flower bracelet with all lampwork flowers, spacers and even a peace flower button clasp! Don't forget to check out the sale tab daily for new deals for the holidays!

WHAT ELSE IS NEW?...
As you know Genea Beads LOVES being GREEN! I worked on this graphic last night. If you purchase one of my pairs of earrings, pendants or anything else backed on a laminated Genea Beads card you can turn your card in for a free bead(up to a $10 value)! Just send back your card and I will send you a bead from my stash in the mail! Recycling+a free Genea Bead= a happy planet and happy people!

Well I got all of the glass Zum bars done! I even did some new bars! I am really happy with the way they turned out!

I think I will make some last minute things for the show. I can't believe the show is TOMORROW! Wow! So again.. here is the information if you plan to attend.....

GENEA BEADS WILL BE AT THE BEAD RENAISSANCE SHOW NOV 6-8TH IN OP,KS! We will be helping out at Dale Nichols booth and will have a small selection of beads! See you there! Kansas City Market, Overland Park International Trade Center, 6800 W. 115th Street, Overland Park, KS
Nov 6-8th Fri-Sat 10-6, Sunday 10-5.

I'm off to the studio!

Much love,

Genea

Zum bars and winter buddies

Hello friends!

Just a quick shop update for today. I am busy making Zum bars for my favorite KC soapy girls(and boys). I really enjoy making their soap bars. I was inspired to make them one rainy day and the rest is history. I made a bracelet for Emily the owner of Indigo Wild and was super excited to gift her with it!

NEW IN THE SHOP....
Winter, winter, winter this week! Today's first listing is a full body penguin. This little guy likes to slide on the ice in the south pole when he isn't busy doing whatever it is that penguins do! He has a black body with flippers and a tail, a white tummy and mask and yellow beak and feet.

Today's SNEAK PEEK item is a little Penguin head girl named "Nadia". She is on a smooth black lentil base with a white mask, yellow beak, pink cheeks, and a blue frosty rose on her head.
Well I am going to go get to it in the studio. See you later for the late listing on Etsy.

Have a fantastic day.

Much love,

Genea

Andrea Guarino-Slemmon's class

Hello friends!

This week I will be focusing on some winter and Christmas themed items in the shop. I am also running around all crazy trying to get ready for our next show this weekend. I finally got my pictures edited from Andrea's class as well. Read on for more details....

NEW IN THE SHOP....
"The first snow" Nothing is as remarkable as the first snow of the season where snow falls silently over a bare slumbering landscape. Celebrate the first snow with this snowflake pendant. A base of etched clear is decorated with thin white snowflake lines and soft blue accent dots, sparkling Swarovski crystals in colors of: crystal ab, white opal and light sapphire cluster from the bottom.

Today's SNEAK PEEK item is a "Sled dog" pendant. My child hood dog was a darling blue-eyed husky named Mandy. Sled dogs always make me think of winter and of her. Sled dog is on a black lentil base with a white mask and muzzle handing from a 6mm sterling silver soldered ring.

ANDREA GUARINO-SLEMMON'S CLASS....

Here is my class update, FINALLY! ;)It's always nice to start out with a picture! Andrea was kind enough to let me photograph her tray of dazzling beads. Here you can see some of the beads we learned how to make in class.

I don't think I can say enough great things about Andrea. She was such an amazing teacher, so the next classes I take will have some pretty high standards to live up to! Not only is she an amazing glass master, but she is very down to earth and has so much knowledge to share. Watching her work the glass with such ease was truly amazing. Taking her class gives an even deeper appreciation of her work. There are so many steps in creating her works of art. To view her work visit her page at www.andreaguarino.com and pick up some beads while you are there.


The class was held at a lovely woman named Sandy Hagen's house in Omaha, NE. She is such a wonderful woman! She had a fantastic studio set up and was just so hospitable. She had all of the supplies we needed and had a well stocked kitchen full of fantastic food to keep us all at optimum performance ;)

In this picture you can see the teacher's table. Andrea sat on the far left and 3 students could sit at the other stations.
Here are the other student's work stations. Man was I spoiled! We worked on Mini CC's with tank oxygen. I'm pretty sure I Jizzed in my pants! lol For all of you that aren't familiar with that song. You can follow the highlighted link. There were another 6 torches set up in this area with a lovely view of her back yard through the sliding glass door. Here is a view of the backyard. I bet it was even more beautiful when everything was in full bloom.
Here was my work station. Kinda messy huh? lol. We had A LOT of glass and materials!
Here are my beads from the first day. The picture doesn't really do them justice. Sorry, but these beads will NOT be for sale. I feel that selling them would be disrespectful to my teacher.

The first bead we learned was the "star gazer" bead on the top left. This bead was made with enamels and fine silver wire.

The second bead we learned was the "stripe bead" it is next to the star gazer beads. This bead was also done with enamels.

Next we did the off mandrel hearts. HOLY CRAP did those take a lot of different steps and juggling hot glass. We used some of Jim Moore's AMAZING glass tools which made it super easy!

Next we made the" moth wing beads. "You can purchase this tutorial from Andrea's Etsy shop. They may just appear to be silvered ivory, but they aren't! There really is nothing like making the bead in person. I don't think you can fully grasp the amazing beauty of this style bead until you make one yourself!

Our last bead for the day was the "ammonite" bead. This one was one of my favorites! You probably can't tell from the picture, but the one on the left was more fumed than the one on the right. My torch had a stuffy nose from it's clogged port so this one didn't get the silver it was supposed to. Andrea was kind enough to light up her torch for me to fume my work when I go to that point. I would run from my torch to her torch, fume and then run back. While I was running through I would say "hot bead coming through!" lolHere are day 2's beads. On the top left and top right are "Galaxy beads". They were the first bead of the day.

Next we did the "Quiet Tides" bead on the bottom right(this one was one of my favorite beads I made). This bead was made with Double Helix's new color Aurae, again, there really is nothing like seeing this glass in person. When they say it has the look of mother of pearl, they sure weren't kidding! There are opalescent rainbows all over the bead! All I can say is WOW! I totally swear by our torches and tank oxygen too! I think it TOTALLY makes a difference!

In the middle was our "Flower Dot" bead done with silver and silver glass. The range of colors you can get are just remarkable. AGAIN, I swear this glass loves the Mini CC and tank oxy. The colors come so easily with little effort!

The final bead we made in class was called "Sea Garden" this bead has an incredible amount of layers and techniques all in one fabulous bead! I mean, WOW!
A class wouldn't be complete without buying one of your teacher's beads. This is the bead I purchased from Andrea. I am not sure what it's name is, but it sure is PRETTY!

Ok so if this doesn't convince you to go take a class with Andrea, you should probably get your head examined! ;)

This concludes my blog for today. I need to get my creative brain working so I can head down to the studio.

See you soon!

Much love,

Genea