Playing With Boro

I had a chance to play for about two hours yesterday, and decided to break out the boro. Debbie from Pierce's Designs was generous enough to throw together a boro frit blend and send it to me. She makes such beautiful boro beads!! Thanks Debbie for all of your help and encouragement!! Here are the beads from the kiln this morning. I think some of these might make nice bracelets:

Thanks for looking and Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Merry Christmas!! Wishing you all many blessings, good health and much joy this holiday season!

Below are a few beads that will be listed after the holidays.

New Beads From the Kiln

Here is a Winter Blue - Subtle shimmers of frosty dichro under the transparent blue *Sold*

Flowing colors of blue, amethyst and olive green...very colorful and full of depth *Sold*

My friend, Julie Miller from IndyJules, passed some very large CZ's (in all different colors) my way. In order to keep them from cracking, they have to be heavily encased. I will be making more of these in different colors after Christmas.

Thanks for looking!!

Copper Viking Knit End Caps - Now Available

Available now in my Etsy Store:

Since I do a lot of electroforming, I use a lot of copper. Viking knit looks great in copper! I actually like it as well as sterling silver. If you have looked for copper viking knit end caps, you know they are next to impossible to find. So I decided to make my own. I invested in a nice drill press to make the process easier.

These end caps are solid copper, center drilled and tumble polished for a nice finish. The inside diameter is .25", a popular size for pulling the viking knit chain. The caps are simple, and will look nice with most designs.

Thanks for looking!

Like Freshly Fallen Snow....

The Winter White beads truly sparkle and shimmer like freshly fallen snow. Much of my work is nature inspired, and these beads are no exception.

*Sold*
There are woods directly behind our house that has a small creek running through it. Whenever it snows, Steve and I put on our warm coveralls and walk the woods. There is nothing more peaceful than a walk at night with the moon and snow lighting the way. It's always so quiet...only the sound of our steps and the wind through the trees. The crisp cool air even makes it seem easier to breathe. One of the simple, finer things in life for us.

I'm hoping for a white Christmas, and a family walk in the woods before the year end.

Thank you for the emails and your interest in these beads. Look for the Winter White beads, and others, on Etsy over the next few months.

Winter Whites and More!

My good friend Katherine came over Sunday and we spent the day torching. I had to give up torching on Saturday due to my burned finger, but thanks to the awesome healing powers of Sulfadine, it was much better Sunday.

Here are the beads from the kiln that will make their way to Etsy this week.

*Sold*
*Sold* *Gift* *Sold*
*Sold*
Thanks for looking!!

Red Hot Electroformed Bead

*Sold*

I did an electroforming class yesterday, and above is the bead that we processed while painting our class beads. I have another electroforming class scheduled for January 17th with one spot left. Please let me know if you are interested.

I had all good intentions of torching today to make several of the Winter White beads (thanks for the requests). However, that is not how it worked out. No painful details, but I spent the day nursing a burnt finger. Hopefully it will be well enough to try again tomorrow.

Have a great weekend!

New Beads in the Etsy Store

I listed 16 beads in the Etsy shop Saturday afternoon, and will continue to add new items throughout the week.

*Sold*

Featured here is a bead that I considered keeping for myself. It's one of my favorites, and if it does not sell soon, it might find it's way to my jewelry box. Bold colors of green, blue and amethyst with lacy silvered ivory, murrini and CZ's make up this bead.

Working a full time job and trying to keep up with the beads has proven challenging! So, I have hired my daughter to help me on Sundays. This past weekend, I showed Brittney how to take pictures and list on Etsy. Each Sunday she will list what I have made throughout the week. I should have new offerings on line every Sunday/Monday. Not only will it be a HUGE help, but I will so enjoy spending time with her. I'm very proud of Brittney. She has a work ethic that is unmatched by most 24 year olds.

And here is my new helper....hard at work!

Thanks for looking!!

Meet Betty Anderson of Flashtrack Gems

I met Betty Anderson of Flashtrack Gems over a year ago when she first purchased a few of my beads on Ebay. I had just started to do focal beads and electroforming. Betty purchased some of my first works, and has been a source of encouragement ever since. I'm always honored when somebody chooses to use one of my beads, and I appreciate her very much.

On of my earlier (and favorite) electroformed focal beads that Betty used in the set below

Necklace and Earring Set by Betty Anderson

Betty is a lover of lampwork, and has supported many bead makers by using our beads in her beautiful creations. Betty has over 300 stunning bead creations listed in her Etsy shop, Flashtrack Gems. Check them out, as she has a very special, unique way of combining natural stones with lampwork beads.

From Betty's profile: "My specialty is faceted colored gem stones. I learned meet-point crystal faceting in the 1970's. It's a perfect fit for blending my creative side with my linear side. Glass and crystals have always been an attraction for me. I started stringing beads 5 years ago, just for simple relaxation. I got hooked when I started using Lampwork glass beads for composition inspiration. When I see a beautiful piece of art in the form of a glass artisan-created gem I'm compelled to find stone beads, mostly natural, that compliment the glass artist's creation. I also have jewelry listed that use only natural stone components. I'll be listing frequently so if you don't see something you like today, it may be there for you tomorrow....... ....Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. "Live long and prosper", Betty

As always, thanks for looking! ~ Lisa

New Items Now Listed

I have listed new beads in the shop today, and will continue listing throughout the week. New listings will include Christmas focals. Thanks for the emails...I really appreciate your interest. If you would like notification of new listings, please email me or join the email list on my website: Touch Of Glass Designs

Thanks again, and Happy Holidays to you!!

So Much To Be Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving! My father is town this week and staying with us. We have had a busy last few days. We spent the evening and had dinner at my brother's house this evening. Of course, we all ate too much! Family and friends, a happy home and good health...we have so much to be thankful for.

I did take time this morning to put together a bracelet.

Copper viking knit bangle with copper end caps, electroformed acorn cap bead caps, red and amber electroformed lampwork focal bead:

Happy Thanksgiving and many blessings to you!

Electroformed Leaf Bead and More

What a whirl wind of a weekend! Saturday was my last day at the Indiana State Muesem, and although I had a great time and will miss it, I'm looking forward to a calmer schedule and more time at the torch.

Here are a few beads from this week:

Electroformed Leaf Bead: Amethyst, blue and amber with murinni and CZ accent and electroformed maple leaf on one side

Special Order Bead for Isabella's Beads (if it meets approval)

I have about fifteen beads that I will be listing mid week. Thanks for looking!!

New Beads From The Kiln

Here are a few more beads from the kiln.

This one is very soft baby blue and brown:

And a Christmas bead with very subtle gold stone glitters:

Thanks for looking!

Viking Knit Bracelet - Acorn Bead Caps

My little sister, Carmen, came over last night and I showed her how to do viking knit, and this is one of the bracelets that we made. I so enjoy spending time with Carmen, and love how close we are. This is just one more thing that we share...the joy of creating!

Since I started doing focals two years ago, I've spent little time doing smaller beads. We had to dig through the leftover, older beads, but I think it turned out pretty good.

Copper wire, lampwork bead, electroformed acorn caps for bead caps, and accent beads:

Thanks for looking!

A Few New Beads

Here are a few new beads from Friday. I had a few hours at the torch today, and mostly just played and tried new things. I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

Here is a cosmic bead....lots of depth

and a very simple black and white

Thanks for looking!

A GREAT Day at the Museum as Artist In Residence

It was a wonderful day at the Indiana State Museum! ISLAGA members and friends held their monthly meeting there, and visited the Artist in Residence area afterwards. It's always so good to see my bead friends, and make new acquaintances. I met Samma, a lampworker that I had met online sometime ago. It's always great to be able to put a face with an online friend. Thanks to everyone for their friendship and support. Special thanks to Julie Miller (Indy Jules - great vessels), who helped me "man" the station and answer questions from the many visitors today.

It's very, very exciting to see the interest in lampworking. It's wonderful that lampworking is perceived as an art, more and more, through public education. I am much honored to be a part of that.

The Artist In Residence area is set up with a big screen monitor, which I have a PowerPoint presentation looped, and a nice glass case. The glass case is set up with finished work on the top shelf, and equipment used (flamework and electroforming) on the bottom.

Just a note: My goal is to concentrate on getting items posted on my website store by December 1st. I truly appreciate the interest and inquiries.

Here are a few pictures of today’s event. As always, thanks for looking!

The Latest From The Kiln ~ Beam Me Up, Scotty

The museum presentation went very well, and I will try to get some pictures next Saturday.

Between the gallery and museum commitments and working full time, torch time has been very limited. I found a few hours to torch yesterday, and revisted some class notes (Andrea). Here are a few beads out of the kiln this morning.

I cannot tell you how much depth this bead has in "person". I layered and layered the glass..... My husband declared it his favorite bead that I have made to date. I think I'll slip this one in his Christmas stocking.

As always, thanks for looking.

Indiana State Museum - November Artist in Residence

Happy Halloween!! I hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful fall weather.

Tomorrow is my first day at the Indiana State Museum as the November Artist in Residence. I will be doing a presentation the first four Saturdays from 11:00 - 1:00. I spent a few hours this morning setting up the display case and dropping off some peices for the gift shop. The museum is beautiful, and I'm looking forward to taking in all the sights while I'm there. If you are local, please stop by. I would enjoy seeing you! (Directions and schedule links below)

Tomorrow is also my birthday, and my mother and sister are meeting me downtown. After the presentation, we are going to lunch at a greek restaurant that is conveniently located next to a great bead store. Maybe a little shopping afterwards...... Have a great weekend!

Indiana State Museum

Schedule

Directions

Electroformed Focal Beads

I have been very busy working on leaf beads, and getting ready for the Indiana State Museum presentation this Saturday. The leaves are turning here in Indiana, and the fall colors are beautiful. I really hope to get some time behind the camera this weekend.

The finish on this leaf bead is very shiny, has hues of magenta, blues, purples and brown. It truly has the feel of fall foilage.

Here is one made to go in a viking knit or bangle bracelet. It is acutally pretty small...about the size of a quarter.

Thanks for looking!!

Viking Knit - Boro Bead Bracelet

The weekend was so busy, but I did manage to get together with a friend and do some viking knit. I've been dabbling in boro, mostly learning what not to do. I used a few of the trial boro beads in this bracelet. Everything on this is hand made, including the end caps and the electroformed acorn cap-bead caps.

New Bead

Thanks for looking!

Beads from the Weekend

Here are a few from yesterday. I torhced all day yesterday (Sunday), and do not yet have all the beads photographed. Today was my first day back to work after having ten days off. It was good to be back (no, really!!) as I missed all those I work with. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful place to work....not saying that staying home and melting glass full time would be hard to get use to!!!

(Note: These two are spoken for)
Thanks for looking, and have a great week!!