Sunday 24 April 2011

Sunday 17 April 2011

Silent Sunday

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Silent Sunday

Bead a Day 16

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I am really very pleased! I made a pretty! a VERY pretty!
Really proud of the stringer work on the trunk here.
It's an Effetre Dark Ivory base with CiM Adobe Ltd trunk and leafy bits of Effetre Grass Green and Lime Green.

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I made the base bead, which is a slightly elliptical cylinder, then added a trunk with fairly thick stringer, I was so happy with my stringer control here, it really felt like painting it on which was fab!
I then added the grass green with stringer, just making globby spots here and there, it was looking good but needed something else, I had no other green stringer so spotted the lime green on direct from the rod, made sure it was all melted in, and that was it.
Amazingly it hasn't cracked! I love it! My fave of all of the beads I have made!

In Other news Riley (my boy cat) decided to jump on my workbench while the torch was on! I was SOOOO freaked! so that was one bead tonight ruined *sad face* as I had to chuck it in the bubbles while pinning him against the wall so I could get 2 hands free to get him down before he burned himself.
SO SCARY!

Anyways, Nighty night
Ceri @CainGlain

Bead a Day 15

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Hi, I'm a day late in posting this post too, I'm just too tired some nights.
I hardly had any time at all on the torch yesterday due to moving the living room around and being shattered!
When I did, I only managed a bead that looked like a 5 year old made it, I definately had a heat issue and I think scorched the blue or the flame was too propane rich or something.

Here is is anyways, it's Effetre Dark Ivory with Grass Green and Dark Sky Blue with White at the centre.
I did have a bit of trouble working out the heat, lets hope tomorrow fares better.
Onwards and upwards!

Ceri @CainGlain

Friday 15 April 2011

Bead a Day 14

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Today I replaced my propane and continued with the new stringer play (after watching videos by Laura Sparling my stringer pulling is much better) The above are today's beads and yesterday's beads together. my stringer control (or more acurately the control of the heat and my experience) isn't the greatest but I'm sure it will improve with practice, it aready has a lot!

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The beads are effetre Dark Ivory with CiM Adobe Ltd spots/bullseye things, vetrofond violet 272 with Effetre White stringer swirly things, Effetre Ivory with Dark Sky Blue stringer, Dark Sky Blue with White stringering, Effetre Dark Ivory with CiM Butter Pecan and Adobe Ltd and lastly Effetre Ivory with Grass Green stringer vines.
I was quite happy making beads and was doing my viney stringer one before disaster struck! Quite a chunk of the green stringer pinged off and under the wristband of my hoody! a lot of Ows and arm flailing to try to get it out it eventually seemed to and I went to sort myself out (run it under cold water) I now have 6 or so small blisters on my hand, painful!
So I stopped for the night and will do more tomorrow hopefully lol

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Picture of my poorly hand *sniff* not sure you can see it well though!

Anyways, Off to bed!
Ceri @CainGlain

Thursday 14 April 2011

Bead a Day 13

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I'm late doing this post due to unforseen circumstances such as running out of propane! NOOOO!
These are the beads I managed to get done before the flame went out, on the upside I have learned more about stringer control even if I didn't get much done
The beads are small Effetre Turquoise transparent (compare with the light turquoise earlier in the week), Dark Ivory with Grass Green and Dark Ivory with CiM Butter Pecan and Adobe Ltd.

Below is my new tank of propane! Horrah! *is very happy now* On to Day 14!
propane
Ceri @CainGlain

Tuesday 12 April 2011

Bead a Day 12

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So today I was out with the fam for ages, shopping and such and then was knackered and was toooooo hot in the studio, as a result I've hardly got anything done. Though I did clean up the workshop and started making a tiara base.

All the beads from the last few days survived the kiln which is always nice!

The above bead is fairly large and focal, I was doing some more playing with organic glass, bizzare that one day I can spend an hour lampworking and make 12 small teal ones and then the other spend one hour on one!

Love it though, it was very cool making the bead half purple and half ivory, it was actually a straight divide between the colours until I added the intense black, webbed it (which is when it started deforming a little due to the super heating) and added SIS and fine silver wire (which I added the day before too but forgot to say, I'll edit it in).

Hope to do loads more tomorrow
tata for now
Ceri @CainGlain


Bead a Day 11

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So I figured out how to use the SIS to make organics and I love it! I just made an ivory bead, put a little intense black on, webbed it, then put on the SIS and melted it in (edit: and added fine silver wire)! gonna have some fun with this technique!

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Also, I added some more small beads to yesterday's teal and have etched six of them, however, after composing this I think I'm going to etch 2 more for 8 as I think it'll look a bit more even.

Successful hour on the torch all in all hehe.
Hope to get more done tomorrow!
Ceri @CainGlain

Monday 11 April 2011

Bead a Day 10

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Wow, I can't believe I've done this for 10 whole days! *checks* yes 10! TEN!
Doesn't feel like it, obviously been having far to much fun for my own good.
So the first bead for today has gone wrong! Well, I pulled some silvered ivory stinger, got slightly confused when making this heart and used the SIS instead of ivory and it's gone a muddy colour. Ahh well, not the end of the world, the foot print didn't work out too well either so I don't mind too much.

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Second set is small effetre teal beads with fine silver wire with slightly larger effetre teal beads with silver leaf encased in effetre clear, I'm not quite sure why the silver leaf keeps disapearing even when encased but I'll find out!
Anyways, nighty night!
On with beady stuffs tomorrow!

Ceri @CainGlain

Sunday 10 April 2011

Silent Sunday

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Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

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Silent Sunday

Bead a day 09

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This bead is my first try with silver leaf and I added some silver wire too. I must honestly point out that this bead is an awful lot uglier in real life than it is in this photo, in the photo it looks AMAZING but it's not, it's kinda a browny colour where the silver has changed colour but the camera made it all yellow *boggles*.
I have learned many things today, first being do not put your silver leaf on the aluminium marver because now I have a somewhat silver plated marver and a not very silver leafed bead (leaved? leafed?)!
I have now used all my light turquoise transparent, which is a real shame coz I loved it but not putting in an order for more glass for a while. I have one rod of turquoise transparent now... have an idea I'm going to put into practice tomorrow.

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I made these small beads too, the one in the centre is only about the size of a normal bead, so the small ones are really quite small (spacers? I dunno) but I love them and these form the focus of my tomorrow based ideas, watch this space.
Feeling a little down now though, the central bead (which has the reverse problem to the one up top and the camera did no justice to at all) cracked after photographed it, which just sucks.
Hopefully I can make the halves into cabochons at some point though!

Anyways, bed time I think!

Ceri @CainGlain

Friday 8 April 2011

Bead a Day 08

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So I have given up on the idea of getting anything done today lampwork wise as I am shattered from all my gallovanting in towcester (aparently, pronounced toaster *boggles*).
So today's bead is yesterday's pre arranged focal, kind of hollow but with chunky walls.

The Flame-off was great, looked at things, bought things, spent way more than I meant to, had lunch, loitered... watched a few demo's on the screen downstairs, never actually got as far as upstairs, next year I may need to find accomadation so I can go for the Sat too to space it out and spend more time watching demo's.

Anyways, the what I bought list!
Copper findings
Liver of Sulphur
various flavours of pixie dust (mica powder)
enamel and enamel shakers
fine silver wire
silver leaf
1 rod of DH Aurae
1 rod of DH Aion 2
1 rod of DH Triton
1 rod of Reichenbach Dark Silver Brown
3 rods of CiM Butter Pecan
1 rod of CiM (I think) Stone Ground
and £10 worth of beads from Totally Beads

doesn't seem like much at all for the money but I know I have got myself some quality bits here!

Back to normal operations tomorrow!
Ceri @CainGlain

PS: Sorry sistertypes who have commented, hadn't noticed any, dunno how to get it to alert me when I have a new one.

Bead a Day 07

Well today I got my beads out of the kiln and my big purple one had cracked *frowny face* but it happens, not sure what I was going to do with it anyways, now it's going to become my bedroom lightpull so there's a silver lining to everything.

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Today's beads are inspired by a Pete Tong clubby music thingy on the radio while I was working, I don't know why but I was drawn to turquoise transparent, like the mediteranian sea or something.
The First set is Effetre Light turquoise with ivory and fine silver wire.

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The second set is Effetre light turquoise with I believe a blue that has something to do with ink (looks on tuffnells) either Ink Blue Effetre (a handmade special) or maybe CIM leaky pen with fine silver wire.
I really hate unlabeled glass as it's then impossible to judge which colour you need to order more of!

Flame off tomorrow, all excited! gonna end up spending much more than perhaps I should and I have no plans to buy anything in particular except for silver leaf. I'm sure I'll find lots though!

Anyways, bed time for tired lampworkers who have to be outta the house by 8am!

Wednesday 6 April 2011

Bead a Day 06

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Well, well, well, rather chuffed with the results of playing with silver!
love 'em very tempted to never let these out of my sight again!
Everything is in the kiln, so I hope it all survives!
the torch has sent my eyes funny, gonna google that, dunno if I'm just tired or if my special specs are sub-par.

The above are Effetre black with ivory and fine silver added.

The lower bead is another one I made today, a good inch and a bit it's HUGE and Effetre purple with ivory, intense black and silver with vetrofond clear which was meant to encase it but it's done a very cool thing all it's own.
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Bead a Day 05

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Today I didn't do a huge amount but had all sorts of people distractions, what I did was try to add to the sets I'm building up, it's all practice after all.
so I made yet more of the Ivory/Turquoise/Purple beads.
I also made 2 ivory and purple to add to the others and tomorrow I will get on with some more black and white... loving this stringer playing but today some of my turquoise went green which is a little confusing, still works overall though...
Gotta put on my kiln tomorrow! woot!
Loving my torch time, it goes too quickly!
Anyways, on with tomorrow!

Ceri @CainGlain

Tuesday 5 April 2011

Bead a Day 04

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Today I made a couple more for the purple/turquoise/ivory set but also went with this crazy humbug bead. it's a fairly big one, (like the BaD02 bead) but more stringer action, today I tried to find the sweetspot just to the right behind the flame.
Anyways, more tomorrow, hopefully have more time too! I'm enjoying this a lot though, feeling all creative and chirpy, I get the music playing on my phone and BAM! I am having the creative fun! Not used to playing but I'm LOVING it!

Ceri @CainGlain

Sunday 3 April 2011

Bead a Day 03

Bead a day 03Bead a day 3 (with 2)
Todays beads are more of the turquoise/purple/ivory variety in an attempt to make ones to match the one from yesterday... however, one broke, 2 look entirely different and I have scorched the turquoise.
This is normally about the point where I feel I'm no good and am just wasting materials and give up for a bit.
BUT not going to, hey, at least they're pretty decently round even if I am starting to disbelieve there's really a sweetspot with a hot head, the more I do the stringer stuff the more I'm discovering that melting the stringer means heating the other side of the bead more than I'd like. Oh well, onwards and upwards.
More tomorrow :o)
Ceri @CainGlain

Bead a Day 02

Bead a Day 02
2nd of April bead of the day is a cuboidysquarish bead, more playing with stringers, mixing turquoise and purple because I think they're pretty, maybe not together but pretty!

Materials: Effetre Ivory, Turquoise, Purple (272)

Bead a Day 01

Bead a Day 01
First Of April and the beads of the day are these, I was experimenting with stringers!
The one on its side closest to the camera is when I started gaining control, quite pleased with that one!

Materials: Effetre Ivory, turquoise, purple (272)

Saturday 2 April 2011

Bead a Day

I've decided to start a new project, I'm going to do at least one bead for every day, so I'll be posting them here with a little comment. The photos will be awful because they're on my phone FYI.