More I ♥ Beads

Yesterday at LampworkEtc, artist Suzanne of JustMade Beads, shared a wonderful "Bangle Bead" in the daily show and tell. (I am not sure if the link will work for you to see the bead, but give it a try, scroll down!) Here super cool bead can best be described as a long tube with two large discs on each end, while floating in the center are a couple of loose large hole beads. It looks kinda like a rattle. Artists Jill Symons and Kim Miles also makes them. By the end of the show and tell, it was revealed that there is a tutorial on how to make these in Cindy Jenkin's book "Beads of Glass". The one lampworking book I don't have, lol. But it prompted me to get out and flip through some of my other lampworking books. I can't believe how long it has been since I checked out that eye candy!! In Kimberly Adams' "The Complete Book of Glass Beadmaking", I found an amazing heart tutorial!! I just had to try it on the torch last night. Today's photos are the result. What do ya think?

This one here is my favorite. And it is going to have a nice home on my desk, lol. I am not letting go of it and you aren't going to be able to convince me otherwise. Don't even bother trying. The other three are going to be sent all around the country. See, I joined a "Birthday Bead" exchange on Lampwork Etc. So these are all going out to bead artists that had birthdays in January. (Yeah I am behind.) And I need to make 7 more for the February birthday people. My birthday being next week, I should be getting birthday beads from other people soon. I can't wait to see what I get :D

I was really happy with how this one turned out too. It is transparent ink blue with a dusting of purple enamels and crystal clear "wings". It is just lovely. The hearts are really fool proof. You can't go wrong with them if you follow the tutorial. You have to stick 1 1/2 inch rods to make each bump and it is fun to twist 'n turn the bead getting that blob to melt in. I love making hearts this way. If you'll really really like them, let me know, I will make a couple for Friday's Bead Box update.

Did you hear that? Bead Box Beads on FRIDAY!! YOO HOO!! Since I was playing at the torch last night making these hearts, I haven't gotten much more done for the update. But I will have tomorrow and Thursday to get more done. I am still working on my new necklace design using the very large hole rings too. I am likin' what I am seein'. And as soon as it is finished, I'll share it with ya.

In a backwards turn of events... the kids had school today. It is still only 9 degree is sever windchills but for some reason, they didn't cancel today. Althought, all the schools (that were open yesterday) one county over, are closed. Weird. So with the nut cases out the door to learn some new goodies, Lauren and I will spend the day cleaning all the areas of the house the managed to trash yesterday. (You would pull your hair out if you saw the state of my jewelry studio space right now, eeekkkk) I may even venture to the mailbox, something I didn't do yesterday in the cold!