Twisted Tuesdays - Spotlight Cassie Donlen

One of the things I love about being an author is getting to shout from the roof tops about artists that I think are incredibly talented and all around awesome people. In my Spotlight Series, I am thrilled to be telling you more about the artists that have beads featured in Totally Twisted!! I am especially excited today because not only is the artist in spotlight talented and awesome, I consider her a true beady friend and I am a better beader for knowing her. I am sure you have heard me gush about the lovely Cassie Donlen of The Glass Beadle before, but when in a spotlight interview, you get to see for yourself, through her own words, what she is really like. I don't know how you could disagree with me on this, she just ROCKS!!

Stay tuned all the way to the end of this interview because there is a pretty freakin' sweet give away and discount code for you all!!

And now, I bring you a recent chat between Cassie and me...


All the images in the post have been provded by Cassie! THANKS Cassie!!




Hey Girly!! EEEEkkkk, I am so excited to be talking with you for a Twisted Tuesday Spotlight!! Thank you for taking time out of your day for me, I know how busy your days can be. Hang on a sec while I stick my fancy professional interviewer hat on. There. Alright, first things first. Can you share with us a little about yourself and how you got started making beads and jewelry?
Well, lets see. I'm a busy mother of 3 boys ages 6, 10, and 12. There is never a dull moment in my house and the day that I can say that I'm bored and have nothing to do would be a moment of celebration. I always comment that my favorite part of the day is when it is finally time to go to bed. To be honest though, I love my crazy life and my family rocks. I have an incredibly supportive husband that is a dream and never complains about beads being everywhere or that once again I've neglected house work in favor of playing with beads.

My start into the jewelry making world is an amusing one. After our first child was born, I retired from being a pharmaceutical sales rep to becoming a stay at home mom. The decision was grand but it meant that we were on a very tight budget. One beautiful summer evening about 9 years ago I was having a girls night out with about 10 of us gathered around an outdoor table drinking margaritas. There was a gal in the group that I did not know. But she had on this KILLER bead ring. Oh how I was adoring that ring. I finally asked her about it and she proceeded to say that her friend makes them and that she is selling them at a local store for $75. She raved about how her friend actually makes the beads for the rings and how the beads on the ring were interchangeable. My immediate reply was that my husband would never let me spend $75 for a ring.

The following day I still had that ring embedded in my mind. Yes, I admit it. I was coveting that ring! I remember thinking that I can just make that myself. Then I wouldn't have to go spend the money on the ring. And that... was my introduction into lampwork beads. After a search in the yellow pages and a few phone calls, I found someone who was teaching lampworking classes out of her garage. She was in the middle of opening up a bead shop called The Glasshopper here in St.Louis. So after a few introductory classes I bought a hot head torch and set up shop in our garage. Once it finally started getting very cold outside, hubby took pity on me and built me a ventilated workshop. I purchased myself a minor torch that I still use to this day. I used to tease my husband saying he should have just let me buy the ring as it would have been way less expensive but look what I would have missed out on if I had.




I love that story! You and I have similar introductions to beads. Only, replace your friend's ring with YOUR beads and you have how I became addicted to wanting to learn!! For me though, jewelry came first, then learning to make beads. Which came first for you, beading or jewelry?

I guess from my introduction you can gather that the beads came first. Oh, I did get myself that bead ring within a few weeks of learning how to make beads! But making beads is my first love. At first, I viewed the jewelry as a means to the end. I loved making the beads but what good where the beads if they just sat there? I starting making lots and lots of bracelets and did my first local craft show within 4 months of learning how to make beads. It was all very exciting and without me even realizing it, the entire process became a true passion. Plus, the fact that I could earn some extra fun money on the side was a wonderful bonus. It is still so rewarding to see that after 9 years, I'm just as passionate about making beads and jewelry as I was when I first started.

Okay, so walk me through a typical beading day in your house!

My life is not very glamorous. I often joke that the highlight of my week is when I get to go shopping at Target. But I love my ordinary life and my daily routine. A normal day is spent with the daunting process of getting the kids ready for school, prodding them every step of the way to stay on schedule and getting out the door seems like a a feat in itself. With that accomplished, I sigh a big relief and then take an hour for myself doing a run or going to the local YMCA. I meet my BFF almost everyday when the weather pushes me inside and I get some great girl time in. Then by the time I get home, it is time to clean up, get organized, and start doing beady things. I swear the computer sucks me in though and by the time the school bus arrives at 4 p.m. I shake my head wondering where the day went and why did I not get Mount Everest climbed as I know there were plenty of hours in the day to do it.


Kid responsibilities and computer time sinks are another way our lives seem to run parallel! HA, maybe we should get our Parallel Crossings blog back up and running, eh? If only there were more hours in the day!! While we are talking about being a Mom though, how do you balance the titles of both artist and Mom?

I get asked this question often. Balancing both hats is quite a challenge. (As I'm sitting here, my 6 year old keeps complaining to me that he is bored and expects me to get off the computer and put the patches on his new Cub Scout shirt and is getting very upset that I keep saying soon.) Now that the kids are older and in school, it is much easier to be an "artist" during the day. Even with my school days free though, there is never enough time. My youngest complains that school is sooooo long and I always think that school goes by way too fast. Funny how we have different perspectives. I keep reminding myself that I get distracted by laundry, toys on the ground, clothes that the boys feel compelled to drop on the floor in random locations, and lets not forget taking care of all the crazy pets the kids convinced us they needed. Somehow in the end, it all gets done but when push comes to shove, my housework is the one that loses out every time. I used to pride myself on having a spic and span house. That just doesn't seem to be the case anymore and when I do 3 loads of laundry in one morning, I always act shocked when I realize that I don't get a week off from doing it again even though I just did 3 loads! As the saying goes "time flies when you are having fun" and that is so true. Playing with beads is still my passion and anytime I'm in the beading world, I feel like I blink my eyes and my free time has flown by. To make myself feel like I've accomplished something for the day, I do try to make a list of 2-3 things that I for sure want to get done. Anything else is just icing on the cake. It gives me something to focus on so that I don't get distracted with working on 20 different things that never seem to get completed.


What a great attitude to have about things! Have any funny kid stories from this summer you would like to share?

I always seem to be writing about my kids and family on my news page (which is really my blog) but I must admit that I feel like I've entered into a whole new world with having my first child reach middle school. Holy cow, it seems like from the moment my oldest turned 12, he turned into a tween. I'm sure you can relate Kerry with also having a 12 year old. But all of a sudden it is all about fashion, and being social, and text messaging, and having to use "Axe" brand deodorant. I remember how excited Keegan was when I bought him Axe shampoo a few months ago and he wanted to wash his hair right away. I wonder how disappointed the Axe manufacturers would be if they realized that their target audience has turned into a bunch of 12 year olds! Yes, and now the boys like girls and all of us mom's just sit back and shake our heads. It's really quite entertaining and fun to soak it all in. Keegan has a great group of core friends and we know most of the parents pretty well so it is easy to keep track of what is really going on with all the boys. I love being a mother and am so blessed with 4 special boys if you can't my darling hubby too.

I am just loving the photos you have been sharing on your news page!! And the new jewelry, just gorgeous!! Any future plans you have coming up that you would like to share?

I just started the big endeavor of updating my poorly neglected website. I'm updating the photos in the jewelry galleries that are used for custom orders, will be adding a new section in the bead gallery for custom orders of short strands of beads that only have 5-8 beads, and even going in and reducing prices of my jewelry and bead sets to help make it slightly more affordable in this crummy economy. It is a slow process though and will take me a few months to do it all. I keep saying that I'm going to make more lampworking how to videos and I really need to move that to the top of my priority list. Last week on impulse I made 2 simple videos on how I photograph my beads and jewelry. The video is extremely basic but photography can be a challenge and I thought it would be fun to share how I take my photos. You can watch it on my Facebook Page under "glassbeadle".

Cassie, you ROCK! I just love ya, girl!! I hold close those late night chats at Bead Fest Wire and seriously, anytime anyone asks me why I started making beads your name is the first thing out of my mouth. Thank you so so much for being a part my book and such a great friend!

NOW, as promised, for making it all the way to the end of this interview, Cassie has TWO awesome goodies for you!! Drumroll please.....
First, THE GIVE AWAY!!

Leave a comment here of my blog for your chance to win this necklace! How beautiful is that?!? It is one of Cassie's favorite designs and she wears one all the time. It always garners loads of attention. You know you want it, so leave a comment by Midnight on Sunday Sept 26! I will draw a name at random next Monday!! And YES, internationally comments are welcome!!

Second, Cassie is also offering a 10% discount on new orders placed on her website too! Just mention this interview in the comments section when checking out and you will be sent a 10% refund on the order! Hope over to Cassie's Jewelry Boutique or Bead Galleries to start browse all the beady beauties and start loading up your cart. Let's keep her busy straight through til Christmas with all our orders! YOO HOOO!

Thanks again Cassie. And stay tuned to Twisted Tuesdays everyone for more artist interviews coming soon!!

Twisted Tuesdays - All YOU!

I had a rather frustrating experience this weekend when it was brought to my attention that a seller on Etsy was actually using one of my photos, straight from Flickr, as his avatar. I immediately contacted the seller, but had no response. Thankfully a few days later, my image was removed. And yes, it is the same shop where my dear friend Lorelei is being knocked-off. I know just what she is feeling, as I had a very similar situation this past spring with yet another Etsy seller. You should have seen those side by side shots. It just plain sucks that people feel they can borrow other people's ideas like that. Ugh.

Rather than write another long winded post about stopping copyright infringement though, I decided I want to celebrate those of you that get it. Celebrate you that know just what being inspired by means. Often times we joke that when we teach our kids things, we always tell them what they can't do and forget to tell them what they *can* do. This is a post where instead of telling you NO, I am telling you YES YES YES!! From the beginning I have said I want to you make the projects I share in tutorials! That is why I write them, right? All I ask is that you acknowledge the source with a link back to the project, or the book. If can't share a link, at least share my name. That isn't crazy talk, is it?

I didn't need to go far to find fantastic pieces of jewelry showing just what I am talking about. All of them can be found in Totally Twisted Designs Flickr group. Slowly but surely since the release of my book, Totally Twisted, the pictures have been rolling in. And I love them. Truly, I love what people are being inspired to make.

Have a gander at these goodies! (click the image to be taken to the flickr account of the maker! click their name to be taken to their website/blogs!)

Orange Dangley Earrings by Jen Judd


Calypso Fun by Sheri Tober


by Lorelei Eurto


Twist to the Max by Designs With Heart (sorry, no website available)


Necklace ReDo by Kimberly Roberts


Out Of This World by Erin Prais-Hintz


by Debbie Fowler

Now, as if that weren't enough beady goodness for one day, I have even more to share! One reader in particular has taken on a rather daunting challenge. She has decided to work her way through every project in Totally Twisted. Yeah, that is right, Molly Alexander is making every project in the book! Here are just a few of her takes on my projects so far.

Projects by Molly Alexander

I would love to do more of these posts celebrating YOU and what you are making! So, please take a second and join the Totally Twisted Designs Flickr Group. Then, run to your studio, make your favorite project, and share it with us!!

Twisted Tuesdays - Spotlight Melissa Rediger

Welcome to the first post in a new Twisted Tuesdays series spotlighting the work of the bead artists featured in Totally Twisted! I am so excited to be sharing these spotlights with you. It is such a blast getting to play interviewer and I am thrilled to be able to help support these fabulous artist friends.

If you have a copy of Totally Twisted handy and flip through it right now, you'll discover that the artist I am about to spotlight isn't in the pages as she should be. So much of the publishing process is out of the hands of the author, it wasn't until I was looking at the laser proofs of the book that I said "hey, were did the Hula Hoopla earring project go?" and it turned out it had been edited out due to the book already being more than a dozen pages longer than expected. I was totally bummed because Melissa Rediger of Sea Of Glass is a wonderful glass artist that I really wanted to share with everyone.

Thankfully, I was able to convince Step By Step Wire that this project needed to be shared and Melissa's beads are getting their due time to shine. Be sure to check out the August/September 2010 issue for step by step instructions on creating a really unique earring design below. You can pick up the same beads I use in the project here on Melissa's website. And while you are there, besure to browse all her other beautiful beads. (I already spy a few that would be perfect for my second book!) AND, make sure you read through to the bottom of the interview because there is a special code just for you blog readers.

One more thing before the interview, there is an interesting tale to tell about Melissa and me. We were a "first" for each other each in a special way that the other will never forget!! For Melissa, in 2006 when launching her new website, she had set the site live and waited and waited and waited to see what would happen. Feeling a bit silly for thinking an order would come in right away, she took a walk to take her mind of it. When she came home, lo and behold, she had her first order. It was from me!! Who remembers this bracelet and this bracelet? That was the summer I was just learning to make beads and didn't have a torch of my own, let alone a kiln, or I dare say a studio. Fast forward to the 2007 Bead and Button Show and that is where the first for me happened. It sounds a little silly and even a little vain on my part but, Melissa was the first person to ever recognize me in public, LOL. Yep, I was walking the aisles and wandered in Melissa's booth. She said to me "Hey, aren't you Kerry from that blog?" I will never forget that!! It is wild when the cyber world and real world come together like that.

Without further adu, I would like to intoduce you to... Melissa Rediger!!! (insert applause here)

Hey Melissa! Thanks so much for chatting with me today. Of course, I have to ask, how did you get started making beads?
I am so honored to have this opportunity to share my beads with you and a little bit about myself. I got started making beads kind of randomly. I had never seen lampworking before or been into beads. Seems like so many artists I know have fun stories about collecting rocks as kids, rummaging through their Grandma's buttons, beads, etc. I have no such story. I had never been into beads or jewelry. I graduated from the University of Iowa in Elementary Education and substitute taught for a year or so before having our first daughter. I knew I wanted to stay at home with her after she was born. I was surfing online one day looking for "things to make" hoping to find something that would make me RICH ;) I came across lampworking, found a class in Iowa City and it took off from there (after convincing my husband of course) I would make a bead set in the afternoon when my daughter was sleeping, sell it on ebay for $20-$30 and be thrilled! I started making beads about 9 years ago when there wasn't as many listings on ebay.

I love love love color and by the look sof your beads, you do too. Is your favorite color in life also your favorite color in glass? What are a few of your favorite combinations to work with?
My favorite color is green or orange, so I would probably say it is not my favorite glass to work with. That is one of the struggles I find myself in, trying to think out of my box of favorite color combinations and think of what others would like. I am not a pink/purple person, but I know lots of people are. I am always worried that my sets would have the same colors or look alike, but the compliment I hear the most is that I have such a wide range of colors and combinations, so that really helps me to know I am doing what the customers like. I use a lot of glass frits in my beads, I love the way they react with different glass and silver. I would say that my favorite though is working with boro glass. I love the look of the organic swirls and earthy colors. I get bored easily, so it's good for me to be able to switch from soft glass to hard glass (borosilicate).

What gets you super excited, creatively, at the moment?
Right now I am excited about some upcoming publications that will be coming out, or have already come out with some of my beads in it. I am excited to see this issue of step by step wire with the earrings Kerry made. There is an issue called Creative Jewelry that has a couple pieces with some of my beads in it by Jess Italia Lincoln and Trish Italia. I have a necklace with one of my flower focals that will be in the October issue of Bead Trends. I also just got an email that some of my beads were used in a project that will be in an upcoming special issue of Handcrafted Jewelry. I LOVE that and appreciate it so much when people use my beads in publications.

One thing we have in common is kids and I have talked a few times this summer about struggling having the kids home on vacation. How do you balance the titles of both artist and Mom?
I feel very blessed that I have found something that allows me to be at home with my children and help my family financially. Finding the time to balance the two is a struggle for me. Having a business at home, I feel like any spare moments I have I should be working on beads/jewelry. There is so much that goes into owning a small business besides just making the beads. There is the marketing, organizing, advertising, creating, shopping, etc. With 4 children, it is hard to manage it all. That is why I appreciate so much when I have beads/jewelry in magazines and the advertising that comes with it.

Any future plans you have coming up that you would like to share?
This was my second year doing the Bead and Button show and I had a blast!!! (along with selling lots of beads) It's at a good time for me because then I really don't have any shows during the summer and can gear up for my fall and winter shows. Well, here we are, almost half way through the summer and I have not really made any beads. It is really hard to do when the kids are home from school and want to do things and be outside. In the last few days I just realized that my first show is in September and that is going to be here soon. My youngest will start preschool this year (sad face), so I will have a little more time to work on beads. Starting in September I usually do 2 shows a month until December. I do some trunk shows at local beads shops, a local festival where I set up my torch and do demonstrations, and I also have a store at my house and have an open house. I have lots coming up ~ not to mention all 3 of our girls birthday's are in December.

Thanks so much Melissa! You are awesome and I love that you were a part of my twisted book writing experience. Best of luck at your shows this fall!!

And as promised for those of you that made it all the way to the end here...
A Special Offer!! Melissa would like to offer my faithful blog readers a discount on bead orders placed through her website. Enter the coupon code totallytwisted in the code box when checking out and get 15% off your order through Friday. Visit www.mjrbeads.com to place an order!

And if that weren't enough...

A GIVE AWAY TOO!! In honor of that first order of mine, Melissa is giving away a set of the beads I bought that day! Just leave a comment here (say hi or tell me your favorite color, what ever you wanna do!) and I will draw a winner on Friday July 23rd at noon. What are you waiting for, leave a comment and enter!

Twisted Tuesdays - TV Appearances

I am combining Random Monday & Twisted Tuesdays into one post this week!


:: I drove to Cleveland OH Sunday afternoon to shoot another appearance on Beads Baubles and Jewels.
:: I ordered room service and watched The Princess Diaries on cable. I also treated myself to a piece of chocolate cake that ended up being the size of a football.
:: I brought the cake home for the kids :)
:: I didn't sleep a wink, can you tell?
:: Confession: coffee is my friend again.



:: I got to hang out back stage with three fabulous ladies. Katie Hacker (the new host!), Candie Cooper, and Susan Lenart Kazmer.
:: I was a big girl and dressed myself this year. Both the knit shell in dark teal and the gray wrap were found at TJ Maxx, cheap. (Remember picking my outfit last year?)
:: And my stars, my hair has grown! Check out details from last year's taping HERE and HERE
:: It was such a delight to see all the projects that will be shown this season and peek at the things people are working on. I even got to see Susan's new Industrial Chic line in person.



:: Yes, there really is an "on air" light that goes on.
:: Thankfully, my nerves weren't terrible this time around. I just got flutters when I was setting up my stuff on set.
:: I did what is called a Show & Tell segment rather than a Demo, and it was 7mins 15secs.
:: New to wireworking and wondering what wire is good for which jewelry application? Tune into Season 1300, Episode 11 to have all your questions answered!
:: I consider 13 my lucky number.




:: The make-up artist, Karen, is a miracle worker. Unfortunately, I am wicked allergic and was halfway to hives about 20mins after getting dolled up.
:: Season 1400 will be filming in December, and I really really hope to be invited back again. Wouldn't I make a fab-regularly-appearing-wire-guru? LOL.
:: Lots of hugs went round when it was time to head home. Even though this was the first time meeting Katie, it was like we have always known each other!
:: The drive home was uneventful as I listened to Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse on CD.
:: I was happy to see my family when I got home, but really should NOT have checked my email. That, as they say, is a story for another day though.

Twisted Tuesdays - Artist Quotes

One of the parts I envisioned for my book, Totally Twisted, very early on related to the artists that would contribute their beads to my projects. I had this vision of quotes from the artists floating in fantastic fonts across the pages where their beads call home. Being who I am, I asked each artist to tell me something, anything, that related to how they use color.

Here is what my 8 lovely contributors said:










Unfortunately, these wise words were edited out of the book due to length restrictions. The book, as is, ended up being 20+ pages longer then anticipated. I am thrilled that I could share their words here though. Thank you Cassie, Sarah, Melanie, Libby, Anne, Donna, Carter, and Jill for helping me to make Totally Twisted such a visual feast! I love your beads, ladies!!

should also be known as artist heaven

I got the most amazing treat for my birthday on Saturday!! I got to spend a little time in artist heaven on earth... Artisan Works. This place is a true Rochester Gem and I can't believe I haven't been to it sooner. I was a kid in a candy store. These are just a few of the 200 plus photos I took, and I narrowed all those down to about 80 here in my Flickr Gallery. If you have the time, grab some coffee and click through each photo. It'll be like you were there!! I was truly awed and amazed. *sigh*

After that, I had a wonderful dinner before heading back home to chocolate torte and wine with a movie. I was so spoiled. And a huge thanks to my Mom for taking the kids off our hands so that Ron and I could spend this quality time together. Love you Mom!!

So, how was your weekend?