Local Show Announcement and NEW glass beads and glass headpins!

Hello beautiful souls,

I am excited to announce that we will be doing a local bead show at "the friendliest little bead shop," Bead Boutique in Kansas City, Missouri. If you all remember I spent many years working for Bead Boutique under the original and new owners. I am SUPER EXCITED to make a guest appearance since not seeing my bead family since about 2006! I will be doing a show November 17-19th, and then again on December 2nd(friends and family evening showcase), and December 3rd!

I have been making beads like crazy the last 2 days, and have many more days in the studio up until the show cranking out as much awesome new work as I can before then. I did a facebook live to show off the new work here. I feel super weird being recorded, but at least you can see all the angles of the beads like you were here with me in my studio :)

The spiny heart I will leave as is and take it with me to the show. The other two I am sending to a friend for a special collaboration. More details on that later :D

 I had the idea to make a hamsa hand and did a few designs. The one on the left was the first, middle second, and far right 3rd. Sadly, the middle finger of the center bead cooled too slowly and the glass cracked :/ The eye bead will be going for the collab as well. I can't wait to make more of them. 

 Who doesn't love glass headpins? Yep, I know... so I made lots. They can make tiny little pendants, dangles, or earrings. 

Oooo so pretty!! I got some gorgeous color in these Om headpins.

Christian and I went to First Friday so I will be posting photos and a blog about that soon. It was freezing outside. I took a few photos of Christian and me while we were there. Here is one of them :D

Boys, all 4 of the photos I took he's making faces. Lol. Oh well, I look good in the photos, right?! ;)

I will be back soon. Lots of beads to make.

Love, light, and creativity,

xoxo Genea

Find me on the web:

www.geneabeads.com, www.geneabeads.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/geneabeadslampwork, www.instagram.com/thirdeyegypsys.

NEW work and a few packaging changes

Hello friends!

I am just returning from the studio and getting back to normal in Olathe. When I am in KC I spend 3 days cranking out beads, then when I arrive back in Olathe, I clean beads, do the bead preview, price, tag, package up orders, and list whatever is left(if anything) on Etsy. Then I have a few days of whatever else needs to be done in Olathe, and back to the studio in KC again. The change is nice, but it takes me a little bit to transition from place to place.  I posted my bead preview in the middle of the day instead of the morning like I usually do. I have been having a day off with Ricky when I return from the studio so I try to take that whole day off together. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't.

If you are seeing this now you are in LUCK! Some beads have managed to make it to my Etsy shop! I have also been busily creating beads for my tutorials in Bead Design Studio for the March/April 2014 issue! I even created some kits for the tutorials so you can pick up most of what you need from my shop. You will still need to grab the Wooly Wire from Wooly Wire Etc ;)

So first I will show you all of the things I have created and then we will let ya know what is in stock ;) 

Here is a close-up of the left side of the bead tray. You will notice some past designs along with some new ones! OMG are the Urchin headpins amazing, or what?! I am SO excited those turned out so awesome!

More "Rainbow Serpent Sticks"! It's been awhile since I had those in stock! Since I was making "Ocean Urchin Eggs" I was on an urchin theme and just kept going with it. I even added in "Orchid" as a base color! Yum!

I even did a few new spacers in some of the new glass colors I received. I will get 1/4 lb increments to try out some new colors and see if it's something I need to add into my regular palette. OMG aren't the Urchin beads SO pretty?! There is something about the black base! Although I love me some ivory as well ;) 

Wow did you all go ga ga over these "Rainbow Chakra" headpins. They sold out FAST! I don't blame you though cause they are so pretty on that deep eggplant violet base!

"Sacred Om" glass headpins! These are all gone too! They sold out quickly. I saved a few for the kits, but I will need to make more singles soonish? I dunno I am almost out of this color AGAIN. It's alarming how fast I run through my glass now a days. If I don't buy a pound I almost need to re-order more glass after one studio day! Yikes! Pretty sure I can't be placing $200 glass orders every week like I have been! ;) LOL.

I couldn't resist here. These headpins are just SO incredible! Just look at those reflective urchin pools and the pops of rainbow on the back! So gorgeous. These are, of course, SOLD OUT. No shocker there.

Mmmmm Ivory, how do I love thee, let me count the ways... These are SOLD OUT as well.

Here is the "Sahara" base that little bit of warm golden yellow tan is such a perfect base for the rainbows as well. Yum! I even love that super pastel pool on the bottom right! So pretty! SOLD OUT.

Um.. lame Genea. So what do you have?! Well.. I have some gorgeous "Rainbow Serpent Sticks" in the shop along with "Ocean Urchin Egg" focals, and the magazine tutorial kits!

So here is what is currently IN STOCK!

"Sacred Om Lotus Kit" for the tutorial in BDS March/April 2014. This is the alternate design. The kits are 15% off from what you would pay for the kit piece by piece ;)

"Sacred Om Lotus" focal. If you just want the single focal you can find it here.

Here is the back side.

"Sahara" necklace kit for the tutorial in BDS March/April 2014. This is the necklace that is in the tutorial photos. The kits are 15% off from what you would pay for the kit piece by piece ;)

Spiral Earth Stone "Sahara" for just the focal.

Rainbow Serpent Stick "Ivory Rainbow

Rainbow Serpent Stick "Midnight Rainbow"

and last, but not least....

"Ocean Urchin Eggs"

So what's the word on this new packaging thing?

Well I decided to make a few changes for some of my regular customers to cut back on waste and allow for some more reusing!

So here are some of the changes you may have noticed:

1. You may have noticed that you have not been receiving as many extra beads. I have been selling out so fast that I have been left with no extra goodies to slip into your bags. So I have been adding other goodies like Czech glass beads, and sari silk :D So if for some reason you don't like some of the extra goodies you have been receiving please do let me know so I can send you something that suits your taste better ;)

2. You may not have been receiving business cards. I figure after awhile you know where to find me and you probably only need so many of my cards to pass out to friends. I also HATE to think that you throw them out. If anything else PLEASE give them to a friend or send them back. Honestly I would be shocked if you did throw them away. Moo cards are SO pretty that really, you can collect them like artist trading cards ;)

 3.You may not receive a personalized thank you note. I may talk with you frequently enough that I don't feel like there is anything else that I could write to you that I have not already told you in a message. This saves on paper waste. Think of it as saving trees :)

4. You may receive a plain kraft colored box with your goodies inside instead of a stamped GB box. Again with the, you can only have so many of those until you have TOO many. So I have opted to send you plain boxes so that you can REUSE them for YOUR creations! Yay! 

5. You may receive some of your goodies in a plain cello bag versus a decorative bag with decorative tape and a sticker. SOMETIMES your boxes are SO FULL I can't fit them inside so I opt for a smaller bag instead of sending yet ANOTHER box. 

So with all of that said I hope you can understand why I have opted to make some of these changes. *IF* for any reason you don't feel like you are getting that same "Genea Beads" experience by these changes, please do let me know what aspects you liked and I will be sure to include them in your orders. 

Thank you for EVERYTHING you do! I could not be able to do the things I do without all of your loving support! xoxo Genea

Double Helix Zephyr - Quick glass testing.

Hello friends!

It's been awhile since I posted a blog about my findings. I am always on the hunt for the "perfect clear". One that melts well, is free from scratches on the rods, bubbles, one that is compatible with the glass I use, one that only needs a quick wipe in windex or alcohol to be cleaned. I am excited to say I've found it! I added a few new clears to my last glass order and Double Helix Zephyr was one of them. I had wanted to try their clear for awhile and decided this was the time. Now what I am posting is only Zephyr. These are just my very quick glass tests to see how the glass "behaves" with things I like to use in my work.

Here are the quick tests- (from left to right) Raku encased with Zephyr, yellow filigrana encased with Zephyr, Rainbow dichroic encased with Zephyr, and Zephyr.

All of these tests were done to see if there was any incompatible cracking. As you can see it passed with all of the glasses! This means that I can safely layer these with Zephyr in my work without worrying if I will run into any troubles. The last thing you want to do is make a gorgeous focal bead only to have cracks appear after your annealed bead comes out of the kiln! 

The last bead is just Zephyr by itself. You may not be able to tell, but the glass is AMAZINGLY OPTICALLY CLEAR. No bubbles, no scratches, no anything... AMAZING! It's crystal clear! The glass has the perfect melting consistency. It's not too stiff, but not mushy soft either. 

This next test was to see how Zephyr reacts with silver leaf. On the left you can see what silver does on the surface of the glass. It is a bit shimmery with some gold looking tones. On the right the silver leaf has been gently heated as it was encased. Some clears will make silver leaf look gold when encased. Zephyr leaves silver leaf looking silver when encased.

This last test was to see if Zephyr could be used as a clear core for problematic glass, and to test how it reacts with baking soda. I have learned that yellow, coral and some orange glass tend to cooler faster than other colors. I was having some HORRIBLE cracking issues with some XL focal beads. I bought up this problem in the International Society of Glass Bead makers group on Facebook. They were kind enough to give me the tip of using a clear core as a base for these types of colors to avoid the cracking. So as you can see I have pressed the Sunburst Coral bead super thin and no cracks have appeared! 

Breakage- Sunburst Coral with no clear core.

The last test was to see how Zephyr reacted with baking soda as you all know I am totally diggin on my stone textured beads. It's a bit hard to tell from the photo, but the glass has a layer of white on it with very little pitting.So for the baking soda test I know that this will not be a clear I will use for the stone textured beads. This really isn't an issue since there are plenty of other clears that pit very nicely for stone beads. 

This test also tells me that whatever is in the formula for Zephyr keeps the glass protected from things that would want to destroy it's clarity. 

So what is my review? BUY IT! It's AMAZING! It's worth every penny you spend on it! 

Below you can see some of the clear in action.

 Beads with Double Helix Zephyr.

 Beads with Double Helix Zephyr.

I hope you found these tests to be helpful and that if you were thinking about trying Zephyr that this would give you that extra push to add it to your order.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

xo Genea

New Beads in the Shop and creativity at the C-K House.

Hello friends!

Are you tired from holiday prep already? I am already feeling the fatigue myself. It feels like there is so much to do and the days are FLYING by! Some of the newest beads managed to make it to the Etsy shop(YAY!), but don't delay! There is no telling how long they will be in there ;)  Want to see the new arrivals?

Here is the Q&D for you all that want a quick glimpse ;)

Beach Stones "Painted Desert"- Did you ever have those upcoming projects and you weren't sure what you were going to make, but you just decided to make a bunch just in case? Well that is what these spacers were. I guess I am over due for this combo. It's pretty nifty!

Beach Stones "Sea Glass Green"- YUM! I don't think I can ever fall out of love with this color. I only managed to make one set, but that is how "bead free stylin" goes. You make a little bit of whatever pops into your head ;)

Beach Stones "Yellow Lime blush"- You know how I love me some collections so what better to fit a collection than spacers?! 

Earth Stone Droplets "Desert at Dusk"- Boo! Only ONE? Yes.. that is how it goes. I had some singles, but only one pair. I ran out of baking soda by the time I got here. Something about using the stuff sitting on your table versus fresh out of the box. Go figure *shrug*

Earth Stone Droplets- "Painted Desert"- MMMm yes, ivory is always the answer. Add in some rainbows and you have a masterpiece!

"Sacred Om Lotus"(front)- I managed to make some more. This little baby will be featured in one of my upcoming magazine tutorials. You can expect to see it in March/April 2014! 

 "Sacred Om Lotus"(back)

Spiral Earth Stones "Yellow Lime Blush"- Hellz yeah! You know when you have a focal size, spacers, and headpins, you need to have a set as well. I love these rainbows on this vivid canvas! 

CREATIVITY IN THE C-K HOUSE...

Do you make art? Do you have other areas where you excel besides your main medium. Well I do too! With the holidays fast approaching, Ricky and I have been busily creating things. It's nice to step outside of your normal creative area and do something different. I am always amazed at my well roundedness in art. It's pretty exciting :D

Like our studio, I mean kitchen?! You wouldn't believe the other piles. 2 creative people sure do make a hellacious mess! 

Here is my budding little artist at work. Normally Ricky spends his creative energy creating edible masterpieces in the kitchen. Who knew that he would get into mixed-media?! I won't lie, I have always dreamed of dating an artist or photographer. Who knew I had married one? *beams*

Here is one of his latest pieces. He wasn't really happy with it in the beginning and he is still working on it, but it really came together! You can't totally tell from the photo, but he learned this amazing layering technique. You use matte medium and tissue paper to create see through layers! It's SO amazing! I loved it so much I even used in in all of the pieces I have done! We went craft shopping and he had to check every place we went for cool tissue! Lol, so awesome that now he knows what it's like to be on the hunt for your favorite supply! 

Here is his other piece that is still being created. He started like 3 projects at a time. I was a little worried for him, but he proudly stated that in the videos he has been watching "they" tell you to work on more than one piece. Look at him "schooling" me on how to do art! 

Did you know the last art class Ricky had was in 8th grade?! He didn't get to take any art classes in highschool or college. What a bummer! Aren't you so impressed with his intuitive skills? I sure am! 

Here is his other piece. I really love this one! This is just the bottom layer.

Here is the finished piece! It's SO awesome! There are so many layers and texture. Some of the stars are even textured with some kind spackling paste! He is learning so much from these mixed-media you tube videos he has been watching.

Ricky's new work will be added to his Stache Art Etsy shop in time for holiday shopping! He will even be announcing his Black Friday plans soon. You can hear all about it on his facebook page.

Here are the projects on which I have been working. 

I started out with layers of torn up newspaper text. I wanted a nice base for my work.

Next I did drips of water colors and glued on crayons. I was inspired by the gagillion diy tutorials on melted crayons! 

Here is my melted crayon. I love that you can see the water color drips underneath as well :D 

I added a few of those tissue layers and I'm still not done. I have been building this piece in my mind and working on it slowly :)

For this second piece you can see I did the newspaper and tissue layering again as my base. You can see the text through the purple tissue.

I was inspired by this image I saw on Pinterest and decided to take that idea and put my "Genea Spin" on it.  Here you can see I added some other elements and raised all of my designs with some foam sticky tape. I love the glittery paper and jewels I found as well! 

Here is the finished piece! I am SO in love with it! It's hanging in my kitchen right now so I can admire it :)

What creative projects have you been making for the holidays? Are you anywhere near done or have you not even started yet?

xo Genea