Krisit Bowman, Copper Big Hole Challenge REVEAL!

Hello friends!

Wow, well I had so much information and trials for this post I had to write an earlier post about the process of my silver glass beads just so you could actually get through this blog without your eyes burning out of the sockets from so much reading! lol.

Well I am so pleased with my piece I just don't have words for it. I did so many new things I have not tried before and had wonderful success with them(the best kind!)!

So I will do my best to keep things somewhat short. Please feel free to skim to the design, I know there are a lot of participants for this hop ;) 

My Copper Big Hole Donut...

 

My donut came beautifully wrapped!

Here is the one I received!

It looks like a flowery sun to me. I saw wonderful hints of pinks and oranges. I did my best to capture the color, but you can't quite see it all in the photo. So now to figure out the design and make beads to match....

 

A sketch for the pendant I wanted to create as the focal point for my necklace.

Making the Beads....

I started out with using some silver glass that I had. I only had ONE rod of this very expensive glass so I had to not only learn quickly how to make the glass SING, but also save some for my actual designs!

Lucky I was a fast learner and had some really great results. I took some notes and the next day sat down to make the beads and headpins.

SUCCESS again! What a lucky girl! Ooohhhhhhhhh the COLORS!

Now to create more beads to finish up the design.

 

Some smaller size "Spiral Fire Coins". OMG look at the color and luster!

 

A "Fire Flower" connector ring. Oh the colors again!!

Some signature "Wing Dings" "Fire Dings" to match! I used some wonderful odd lot glasses to get all of the best pinks, corals and oranges!

BUT... I still need more. How about FINALLY cracking open my Painting with Fire book from Barbara Lewis?!

The Enamel failure and finally SUCCESS...

 

Safety first! Protect your lungs from that fine glass powder and your eyes from the flame!

 

Crock pot, vermiculite, enamels.  They did just post in the forum that these "Annealing Bubbles" worked pretty well too.

Day 1... Kinda burnt? Oxidozed? They chipped too :( Maybe I need a crock pot and vermiculite?

 

Day 2... crock pot and vermiculite. Kinda better, but still chipping. *hiss*

I talked with Barbara and she was telling me she had great success using dark annealed steel wire(which I love to use for my lampwork glass heapins for its strength, color and lack of leaving fire scale everywhere).

I guess I will at least play with my wire ideas with the junk ones to see how they work up.

I just LOVED this new way Staci did her bails and wanted to give this same idea  a try, but Genea style....

 

 

 

I like this idea too. How can I work Karen's new patinated ring into my design??? Hmmmm....

THIS TIME, I wasn't taking anything but success! My days were running out to make my necklace and the weather was BALLZ HOT! I fired up my torch to make my beads and enameled my pins. This time I put them in the kiln with my beads.

Here's what came out!! :D:D:D

 

I can't believe how much better these worked and turned out! YAY!! Off to coat them in Renaissance wax and then wire away. 

Wire it up!...

 

I wanted to make some sort of "cage" to hold my "spiral fire coins". I made them pointy to match the flower/sun rays on my donut.

 

Hmmm now I need a clasp! I remember Staci had posted a link to Cindy Wimmer's clasp for our Alice Blog hop. I just LOVE how it turned out! Did you see I added some of Marsha Neal's silk cording as well? :)

Now to figure out how to wire up my focal and get the "spiral fire coin" inside.

 

Hmmm.....

Getting there....

 

Now THAT is more like it!!

 

Now for some wired loopy links to make a chain. Maybe some open hoops?

 

Some assembly of my wired pieces with my "fire flower" connector ring.

 

Some recycled Sari Silk.

 

TADA!!! The necklace! I think this is the most ARTISTIC piece I have EVER done to date! I am so pleased with the design and all of the handmade elements I used to create my piece! *dreamy sigh*

 

What it looks like worn :)

Thanks so much for stopping by to see my finished creation! 

Now go check out what everyone else created!

KristiBowmanDesign

Dragonfly Close

Karen Williams

Staci Louise

Teathered Cat

Pine Ridge Treasures

Jennifer Cameron

Karen Totten

GeneaBeads(You are HERE)

Linda Larsen

Barbara Lewis 

SueBeads

The Crafthopper
LamplightCrafts
Spice Box Designs
All the Pretty Things
Jean A Wells
Kristen Stevens

xo Genea

HOT, HOT, HOT- Kalypso Silver glass Discoveries & Tutorial

Hello friends!

Well it is HOT outside for sure! I guess that makes this a perfect time to post for a few reasons. 1. It's too hot to turn on a kiln and torch inside when it's about 104 outside. 2. These firey got glass colors are prefect for the hotness outside.

So you may have been seeing my beads pop up on my facebook as I have been making them. I was fortunate to have a ton of luck with the silver glass considering I don't really use it much in my work. The glass will run you about $100lb which is CRAZY expensive for glass. The glass is so pricey due to it's high silver content.

I ventured out on my silver glass discovery to match my  Copper Big Hole focal for Kristi's Challenge.

Here was the donut I received from Kristi. I didn't quite capture all of the gorgeous pinks and oranges in my donuts heat patina, but trust me, they are there.

 

Here is where my adventure began. I checked out a few quick notes from Double Helix to see how to work the glass. I had all of ONE rod to not only learn, but to create some special beads! Yikes! How's that for pressure?! Here is what I learned...

From left to right:

B1- effetre White, Rubino, super clear, Kalypso and super clear. 

B2- effetre Clear, effetre Orange, Kalypso.

B3- Messy Peace, Messy Cranberry, Messy Clear, Kalypso, and Messy Clear.

*B4- Peace base, Cranberry, Messy Clear, Kalypso, Messy Clear- I got these gorgeous results by layering all of the glasses to Kalpyso. 

You super heat kalypso as you melt it into the surface. The glass will somewhat look clear. You want it kind of hot and soupy.  Then you let the bead cool til the glow completely dies out. Check your bead under you work table where it's dark. I then turned down my oxygen to make a reduction flame. I flashed the bead in and out of the flame until the silvery luster appeared. Keeping your bead out of the flame, turn back to a neutral flame, and encase in clear, taking special care NOT to get your bead directly into the flame as you will burn off the luster you just added. When you have encased the bead, bring it to the back of the flame and gently heat. You will see an iridescent blue flash as you are melting in the glass. DON'T OVER HEAT! If you don't see those blue flashes in the glass you have melted off the luster even under the clear encasement.

Also *** Make sure to get your Rubino, Cranberry, and Clockwork covered in clear! If they touch Kalypso you will see black as the silver glass and other glasses have a chemical reaction.

B5-Peace base, Cranberry, Messy Clear, Kalypso, Messy Clear. 

*B6- Messy Clear, Clock Work, Messy Clear, Kalypso and Messy Clear.

I did the steps above and reduced again(turn down oxy flame til you get a bushy flame). You will see the blues appear as you reduce. Gently flash in and out of the flame until you get a nice sheen on your bead. Encase like above.

B7- effetre Sunny Mango Coral odd lot, effetre Transparent Orange, Messy Clear.

B8- effetre Sunny Mango Coral odd lot, Messy Clockwork, Messy Clear, Kalypso, Messy Clear.

*B9- effetre Opal Yellow, effetre Rubino, Messy Clear, Kalypso, Messy Clear.

Followed the same steps as above for * results. It seems like you could see the luster in the bead when you after it was worked and put into the kiln. So if it looks pretty going in, it will be gorgeous coming out of the kiln later! It's nice that you can see the results and know you got the glass to sing :)

 

Below you can see the AMAZING results I got from the * posts above. I think the Clockwork, Messy Clear, Kalypso, and Messy Clear produced the best results! Those are the first 6 results from left to right. 

For more of a golden orange results like the next to spiral coin beads, I used: Peace, Cranberry, Messy Clear, Kalypso, and Messy Clear. 

FOR BEST RESULTS:

To get the ULTRA blue/purple iridescence you want to reduce the bead until the sheen looks dark. It doesn't take long. It also looks like you may have over-reduced the bead, but as you encase the bead and re-heat it in the flame to melt down the encasement you will see it lighten and the blue iridescent flashes appear!

The bright pink flahes come from super heating the Kalypso when you first melt in the layer of glass. make sure to use a hot oxidizing flame to get the glass clear looking when you melt on the Kalypso layer!

I have found that using Clock work under Kalypso gives you the perfect mix of firey orange to go with the hot pink and blue/lavender iridescence. 

Want to see what you can create using those techniques???

 

Just look at all of that COLOR!

 

Look at those gorgeous flashes of iridescence on the firey HOT pink and orange!

Be sure to stop back to see how I incorporated this incredible beads into my desgin with Kristi's gorgeous Copper large hole focal!

See ya on Saturday!!

xo Genea

Happiness in a box

Hello friends!

I sure do love getting mail! The other day was no exception! I received another wonderful box from my dear friend, Staci Smith! Wow the treasures that were inside my box!

 

So on the top of the box were our collab bead sets! I was SUPER excited to look at each and every one! I can't wait for us to reveal them to you! You are going to LOVE them!

So let's take a look inside my box!

Awww how sweet of Staci! Look! She sent me some beach glass, urchin spines and mop sticks in the bag on the left. She even sent me a little diamond bit for me to drill the glass! What a sweet girl!

Ooooo and look at all of these pretty semi-precious stone chunks and shell! So pretty!!

 

OMG! I LOVE these oils from Scent by the Sea ! How sweet of my hippy girl to send me some wonderful oils! I was so excited to receive these because when I was in high school I used to wear this oil by a company called Airs. They make the most wonderful smelling incense. Well, they had this oil called, China Moon that was my favorite! The moon bride made me think of it. Wow do these oils smell amazing! They wear really well too. I could smell the oil on myself throughout the day :D

 

Yay!! Sea glass! I just love this simple necklace and aqua blue!

 

Look at this amazing beachy goodness! She sent me some of her new "Sea Bones" head pins and one of her amazing connectors called "Poseidon's Fury"(I think that's what it was ;)! They are so gorgeous! I just LOVE the pendant she sent me from Marsha Neal Studio! Did you see the sweet stripey shells like the ones she used in her AIW necklace from our Curious Design Challenge?!

 

Isn't the necklace gorgeous! You can read Staci's post here incase you missed it ;)

 

OMG look how beautiful these beads are!! I just love every single one of them! I can't wait to design with them!

 

OMG and look at these!! I just love them!These batiked connectors are to die for!  The donut is BIG too! It must stretch across my palm! It's going to make such a cool focal in a necklace!

 

Awwww! Look she sent me earrings like hers!  Staci posted these gorgeous earrings that are going to go in her shop soon.I just raved and raved about them, maybe she thought I needed some too :D:D:D

 

Here are her earrings! Gorgeous huh?! I just LOVE them! She used my midnight jewel headpins for the drop.

 

Here is her whole set with her necklace she made with my "Ancient Pebble" focal as well! I just love the look with her cute hippy do rag!

 

Here are the earrings I made with my components from Staci! I assembled them and put them on right away when I went out Friday night :)

 

Here is the INCREDIBLE necklace she sent me as well! OMG, it is SOOOO PRETTY! It makes the most wonderful noise when you move around too. All those layers of metal and chain!Mmmm!

 

Here I am wearing my new jewelry :D

Thanks so much for stopping by to celebrate with me! 

Have a wonderful evening and see ya soon!

xo Genea

Trip to the Sea- Beads

Hello friends!

It's about that time of year when people are hitting the beaches to be close to some body of water. Here in Missouri all we have is a dirty river(Bummer). Oh well, that doesn't mean I can't dream of the beach and the water. I go there in my mind with my color palette.

I am always excited when new glass colors come out from Creation is Messy. I get to test all of the amazing new glass before it hits the shelves for sale! One of my favorite new colors is Poseidon. This gorgeous watery cyan blue opal is just perfect for my new oceany beads!

The whole reason I got stuck in this oceany palette was the release of a new opal glass(see above) and my friends Karen Totten, and Staci Smith. I have been busily designing on my desk and so inspired by their GORGEOUS patinaed metals! I just love that oceany blue green! Mmmmm! So off I went to match some of my glass to the patinas for some of my designs and for YOU!

 

Here are some of Staci's Loop-T-Loops. She also makes these GORGEOUS sea themed patinaed pieces as well, but I am assuming they are going into her creations for some upcoming shows she has going this summer. You could always ask her just incase she has some available ;)

 

Here is one of Karen's GORGEOUS clasps in one of my favorite glazes! 

 

Here is what my desk looks like. *shiver* The me from a few years ago would have had a stroke for sure! Well what can you do when you are so inspired you don't even have time to finish a design before you MUST create more? Yeah, that's what it looks like! 

So in being inspired I made a NEW design that was inspired one of Staci's new flower focals that was inspired by my Vortex Flowers! I just love this "volleying" of ideas back and forth! 

  

From left to right: Vortex Flower, Swirl Flower, Vortex Anemone Flower.

So this leads us to today's shop listings!

Introducing the NEW Vortex Anemone Flower focal! "Ruffled Waves"- I just LOVE how this turned out. Not only are the ruffles super amazing, but the colors! OMG! They fade from a minty sea foam green to a gorgeous cyan blue!

 

Wing Dings "Sea Opals"- Mmmm just look at this wonderful color fade of opals from cyan blue, to minty green, to teal green, teal blue and finished off by capri blue.

 

"Sea Wheelies" - a wonderful minty green with hints of blue spiral disc. Thanks so Etsy's new feature I was able to list multiple sets! Hooray!

 

"Spiral Sea Coins"- OMG this is seriously one of my very favorite odd lot glasses! Just look at these wonderful shifting greens to blues to even a hint of brown and yellow!  These are that same wonderful coin shape, but only minis!

So what about those special limited addition sets Staci and I have been working on? Well we are almost done. Just a little bit longer for some creation time and soon will be the big release!  Here are a few little teaser photos to show you what's in store!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

See you soon!

 xo Genea