Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Exploding Gumballs

Sometimes, you (when I say 'you' I really mean 'I') need to put the pliers down and step away from the jewelry projects. I think if you (I mean me) pigeon hole yourself into one thing for too long you (I mean me) just go loony. As is evident in these new wine bottle toppers!!

I think I am addicted to epoxy. I love it... it makes so many new things possible!! I have not only been exopy-ing "Posters", but I have been making head pins too!! So that means new dangle earrings with a bead stuck on the end that does not have a little ball of silver out the bottom (cause the hole only goes half way through the bead).

It also means that I could bring these things to life!! I have tried in the past to 'stick' things in a bead (while being hot worked in the flame) so that something will be sticking out when it is done. I have never shown them before because they have all been hopeless failures. And maybe that comes from being self taught and not taking classes. I have never had anyone show me the 'right' way to do it. I don't know. But what exopy allows me to do is add the sticking out things after the beads are annealed. Cool huh? And the exopy is rated for up to 200 pounds, you'll have to be gentle with these but still, they'll be durable.


The first time I thought of wanting to have things protruding from a bead was for my beaded pens. You can check out a pic of a few of them HERE. By now you all know how much I love things you can play with. My sister calls things you play with "cat toys". (Like the silver spinner style ring she stole from me.... cat toy for her.) I haven't had a chance to try it on the pens... but hopefully I will soon! I have 3 or 4 blank pens that are just screaming to be dolled up.


So you may be wondering why I am working on wine toppers, of all things, when I have a show in just a few days. Like I said... it keeps me from going loony. And once the light bulb clicked on that I could make these they became idea stoppers as well as wine stoppers... nothing else would come out of my head until they did.

Anywhooo... I would love to hear your feedback on them!!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOVE them! Great fun, wonderful colors.

Lori said...

I love the colors but like the orginals better.
I own two of them and use them all the time

Anonymous said...

i love these wine stoppers! as fas as headpins...i just puchased some fantastic headpins made with stainless steel wire. i don't work with glass but she had made these as stamins (sp.?) for flowers. they are a kick! they are a bunch of different colored blops, points, thingybobs on the end of about 2 1/2 inch long stainless steel wires. she said they had been annealed. i think they will be fun to play with. your idea though with the glue is better for the larger beads you are using, i think. the ones i bought are tiny. good luck, keep playing so you don't go loony! lisa