Where Has Shirley Been?

Wow - way too long since I've blogged!  But I've been really tied up with my tech job lately, so much work to be done in such a short period of time.

So this weekend I've taken a few breaths and a few breaks.  I actually spent a good amount of time on the torch yesterday.  I'll show you the fruits of my labor a little later in this post.  But first, I want to show you my finished February BJP "page".  I finished beading the other side, and now I'm going to wet and reshape it a bit.  Here are both sides of the vessel.

The influence for this February vessel was all the pink trees and bushes that start blooming around here in February.  But that's not the only month in which the 'hood turns pink.  The pink bushes right outside my front door get really full around the end of March, and every time I walk down my hallway I can see what looks like a big pink wall through the window in my front door.

On the weekend, we usually have breakfast at the local bagel shop.  On the way home from breakfast yesterday morning, I saw a rather shocking front yard.  So today I drove by it with my camera - talk about pink, yowza!!

Now back to beading projects - I've also been working diligently on my tall blue vessel.  I beaded the other side of it, and as soon as I'm done here, I'll start working on some kind of collar for it.  Then I will attach the Lisa Peters piece that was the inspiration for the beading that I did and it will be finished!  Here's the other side sitting in front of my big pink "wall".

And here's what came out of my kiln this morning.  These are supposed to accompany me to the Bead & Button Show - but I think I'll put them out into my Etsy shop tomorrow.

So this is where I've been for the last few weeks.  Despite all my tech work, I've been having a bit of creative time.  Now you go have yourselves a happy and creative day!

Some Unexpected Color

Just a quickie update today - not only have I been beading the reverse side of my February BJP vessel, I've also been working on the tall vessel that I originally made for my Lisa Peters star button.  Since the star color doesn't work with these vessel colors, I will be using a different Lisa Peters button on it.  And that calls for a completely different beading treatment on the vessel.  So here's my progress...

Typical lighting problem, but after it's finished I'll have it professionally photographed.  I am really loving this piece!  I never had any intention of using green beads on this vessel - but I love surprises, particularly when it comes in the form of unexpected color.

Now I'm off to tech land for the rest of the day - and you folks go be happy and creative!

February BJP - Side 1 is Done!

Wow, I put so much beading onto this vessel that now it won't stand up!  So rather than call it finished, all I can say is that side 1 is complete.

I didn't want to bead the other side, but it looks as though I will have to.  I didn't realize how heavy these little seedy beads could be - I guess there's quite a mass of them on my vessel.  But that's OK - it's been a very enjoyable process for me to put needle, thread, and beads to work during the late evenings while mom and I are in front of the TV.

Mom sits in her chair with her crochet project, sharing space with Niki.  I sit in my chair with my BJP project, sharing space with Peanut.  Mom's very tiny, so that's not an issue.  I, on the other hand, have a hard time fitting both Peanut and my bottom into a single seat.  Peanut doesn't seem to mind, though - I guess body heat is a good thing.

So tonight, as I watch Project Runway, I will be beading once again.  My dilemma... should I continue on with side 2?  Should I do some beading on the March vessel?  Or should I tackle my tall "galaxy" vessel?  I guess I'll have to wait until then to see which one is calling to me.  I have a feeling it's going to be the tall one.

But for now, I'm heading back into my tech world - business requirements have to get finished pronto!  I hope all of you have a happy and creative day!

I'm usually quite good with color - sometimes I even amaze myself with my color memory.  There have been times when I've had to buy some yarn, fabric, or beads to match the color of something that I had at home.  In my mind, I conjured up the color of that something, and was able to purchase exactly the right color that I was looking for.  Ah, but then there are those occasions when I have some sort of brain fart... it doesn't happen very often - at least not regarding color - but when it does, I just want to scream!  My latest vessel is a perfect example of this.  And the lousy thing about this incident is that I didn't even have to rely on memory - all of the objects were right there in front of me.

In my last post, I talked about one of the new projects I was planning - a galaxy-related vessel that was inspired by a star button that I have, made by Lisa Peters.  I made the vessel Friday night, and I just love the way that it came out.  But what on earth was I thinking?  When I put the star up to the vessel, the colors were SO WRONG!  The star is a nice bright warm silvery pewter color.  The fibers I chose were crisp cold blues, purples, and black.  The warm and the cold just don't play nicely together.  Here's my finished vessel, which now needs a new focal piece.

It just so happens that I have a lovely  pendant, also by Lisa Peters, that does match the new vessel.  And I've already chosen the correct fiber colors for the star vessel.  Perhaps tonight I'll create it - then I'll have two new  vessels to embellish for my Etsy shop.  

But today is a torch day for me - such a luxury!  As soon as lunch is over, I'll head out to the glass lab to make some long-awaited beads.  And you, my friends, go have yourselves a happy and creative day!

Building A Tree, Planning New Projects

More progress on the February vessel - the tree is starting to fill out.  I'll spend more time on it tonight for sure, I'm really ready to see this one complete!

I've also got a few more projects in my head and hopefully I can get to at least one of them before next week.  First up will be a vessel in which I will incorporate a button by Lisa Peters Art.  Here's the button...

And here's my fiber palette...

This will be a fun project!  Somewhere in my extensive stash I know I have some galaxy-related beads and charms, and I'm sure some crystals will show up on the piece as well.

The next project that I want to do will be based on a raku tube bead that I recently purchased from MAKU Studio.

I am totally in love with this bead!  I recently found out that the manufacturer of the Merino roving that I use most frequently has come out with some new solid colors - a bunch of them!  Here are two of them, which I will try to incorporate into the vessel for this tube bead.

There are hints of these two colors in the bead, but they don't show up in this picture.  I've also picked out the base color, as well as a few other accents, but I'm going to leave that as a surprise.  This vessel will be very organic.

That's about it for immediate new projects in the wet lab.  I have several projects that I have to complete in the glass lab.  One is for a pair of earrings that my tech-world boss wants me to make for her.  Another is a commission that I've received from a repeat customer for 3 beads.  And I absolutely must make 2 leaf beads for 2 folks who have been waiting for a little while.  Yikes - I'd better fire up that torch this weekend!

Now I'm heading back to the tech world.  And you folks go have yourselves a happy and creative day!

More Journal Progress

I've been doing a bit more beading on my BJP February and March vessels.  Here's a quick look at how I've started beading the tree on February.  These trees have a gray-brownish sort of bark, so I've chosen to have this side look a bit sunny.  As I move toward the right, the branches will get darker.  I'll also be putting more "blossoms" in the tree as I progress.  I'm going to have to make another trip to my local bead store to looks for seed beads in just the right colors.

As far as March goes, I've managed to place some leaves on the vessel - that's about it.  It looks really funky right now but after I do some bead embroidery it will start to fall into place.  That leaf that's hanging down on the right won't be hanging once I finish with it.  It's a pleasure working on this vessel - after learning my lesson on the February piece, I made the opening large enough to fit my whole hand in there.

I have to say, I am really in love with this vessel (the "virgin" part, i.e., just the felted vessel without any adornments).  I think I'm going to make another one similar to put into my Etsy shop.  Then again, I've got ideas for at least 5 different vessels floating around in my brain that I want to get out before I lose track of what I want to do.  I know, I need to write this stuff down.  Well... I think I'll go do that now, then head over to the bead store.  And you, my friends, go have a happy and creative day!

Allowing Myself Time to Bead

Things have been a bit hectic this week.  My tech job is heating up, I've got a bunch of stuff that's overdue, we have a house guest coming tonight, etc. etc.  But I'm finding solace in the evening when I sit down in the family room, a.k.a. the "bead lab", and work on my BJP projects.  I've been beading my February tree scene and I also started beading around the cabochon for the March vessel.  It's kind of nice having two of them going at once - if I get tired of one "scene", switching to the other is a nice change and it keeps me from quitting for the evening.

Here's what I've got done for February - not a whole lot, but that's OK.  I haven't imposed a deadline on myself.  I'm really looking forward to beading the tree!

March is barely started - but I'm really happy about how the vessel turned out.  Here it is with the cab on it and my first attempt to bezel the cab.  I had to quit last night at 11:00 p.m. because I had more computer work to do.  Tonight I'll finish the bezel and probably work more on February's tree.

But now it's time for a very late lunch - I'm a hungry puppy.  Hope you're all having a happy and creative day!

Doing the Happy Dance!

In case you're wondering, my OWOH post is HERE.

OK, so sometimes the little things get me excited.  I spent a bit of time on my torch yesterday - for the first time in I can't remember how long.  I didn't make a lot of beads, just the beads that I wanted for my big felting project.  This morning when I fetched them out of the kiln, I was very pleased that my project can now move on to completion!  Although I can't let the cat out of the bag yet, I will give you a sneak preview of what I'll be putting on the project.  Here is one of the beads that came from yesterday's session.  Isn't he cute?

I'm hoping to finish up the project by the end of this evening so I can get it photographed tomorrow - time is running short!

In other project news, I'm still trucking along on January's BJP "page".  Trucking very slowly, I might add.  I took the project with me to LA, but each night when I got back to my hotel room I was just to whooped to look at little seed beads.  So now I'm way far behind and the year-long project is just beginning.  I was afraid this was going to happen - but that's OK, I'll get there.  I worked on it a tiny bit more last night.

Right now, though, I'm off to tech land while I knock out 3 or 4 loads of laundry.  My accounting project is calling me...

And it's time for YOU to go have a happy and creative day!

Busy Weekend, Busy Week

I'm in crunch mode now, getting several creations ready to be placed in shows and galleries. This past weekend I spent Saturday making a few more vessels. Here's an in-progress picture of my wine country vessel. I have to embellish this one, but I haven't made the bead yet. It will be a small leaf bead (of course...), this vessel isn't large. It's going to the Olive Hyde Gallery in my home town of Fremont, CA for their annual holiday show/sale.

Here's the second vessel. I finished the beaded collar for it last night, I just have to sew it onto the vessel. I already have the leaf for this one. This one is for BAGI, and I'll be making another vessel for them. One will be for their annual glass auction and one will be going into the BAGI kiosk at the San Jose airport.

I need to finish these soon because they're going out to their respective temporary homes by December 1, and I really want to get professional pictures of them before they depart.

Speaking of BAGI, a few days ago we had our first "Super Sunday", and I was on hand for 2 back-to-back 4-hour torching sessions to answer any questions that came up during the sessions. These are sessions for any of my current and former BAGI students so that they can spend 4 hours of devoted torch time practicing any/all of the techniques that they've learned in my classes. It was nice to see all of these folks again, and wow - we sure had a full kiln! We'll be doing another Super Sunday on December 13, so if you've taken a class with me at BAGI and want to join us for 4 (or 8) hours of creativity, contact Chris at BAGI and let her know.

And now it's time for me to grab a quick bite of lunch, then get back to my tech job. "Making stuff" will have to wait until this evening.

Have yourselves a happy and creative day!

A Little Fiber, A Little Glass

Today I finished a sample piece for a "Join in and Make Challenge" that's part of the online felting community to which I belong. It was interesting and fun, and I learned quite a bit about this technique. I'll be incorporating my sample into a larger felted piece. I wanted to use it on a vessel but it's just too heavy. I may try this again with some refinements. Here's a lousy picture (my own picture... bad lighting) of my sample. Does it make you think of anything in particular?

Later, I'll be working on more of my embellished felt pieces for possible necklaces/pins.

Regarding glass... I got into a discussion with someone last week about flame annealing soft glass beads. I've been making beads for over 9 years and I've been a member of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers for 9 years. All the information I've read and heard on this topic is that so-called flame annealing does NOT properly anneal your beads. If you anneal them this way, they are more likely to break some time down the road than if you anneal them in a kiln. Why? Because flame annealing does not eliminate the stress that is created in the glass when parts of the bead (outside) cool at a different rate than other parts of the bead (inside). The person with whom I was having this conversation insisted that when she took a bead making class many years ago, they did not put their beads into a kiln. They flame annealed their beads, and she still has these beads many years later and they never broke.

So I ask all of you folks out there who are glass bead makers: What is your take on this subject? Is flame annealing sufficient? Would you ever sell beads that you only flame anneal? Would you even bother flame annealing?

And now I'm off for a Starbucks treat. Go have yourselves a happy and creative day!

Preparing For Show Season

Here we are, sliding into the holiday season ever so quickly, and I'm involved in more activities than I have been for quite some time.

I'm still teaching bead making classes at the Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI), and I'm also teaching them at the Art Glass Center of San Jose. Classes keep me busy 3 nights a week and a couple of Saturdays a month. Along with my association with the Art Glass Center of San Jose came an opportunity to display/sell individual works in the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. Here is my first piece that will be for sale there - a felted vessel I call "Morning Light".

On November 14 and 15, I will be selling my wares at the Bay Area Bead Extravaganza in Oakland, CA. I've been doing this bead show for several years now - and right now my inventory is rather low. I have GOT to get back on the torch pronto! I also plan on having some other items for sale that are new for me. I'll be hand-dying some silk cords that will coordinate with my leaf beads (that I haven't made yet - yikes!).

Early this year my friend Nanette (Scorpio Beads) and I had a booth at the Stitches West show, which is a show for folks who work with fiber. We were selling our beads, jewelry, hand-painted silk scarves and felted objects. The woman who is the artist coordinator for the Olive Hyde Art Guild's annual Holiday Show came by our booth, looked at our products, and asked us if we would be interested in having our work screened for the show. I responded with an enthusiastic "yes!". The Olive Hyde Art Center and Gallery is located in my home town of Fremont, California. The screening took place the Saturday after I returned from my trip to Portland and Chinook, Washington. Shortly thereafter, I was informed that my work was accepted into the show and was given a list containing the type of item and maximum number of items I can submit of each type. When I looked at the numbers, I gulped. Wow... must get busy, must get busy NOW! So I have been focused on creating new felted objects for this show.

Currently, I have 3 new vessels ready for embellishments. These pictures are awful - I didn't have decent lighting when I took them, but maybe it will give you a vague idea of what I'm working on. I've started embellishing the third one - that's why there's a thread hanging off the side of it (work in progress...).

I've dyed some silk chiffon for some new nuno felted scarves and I still have to dye more silk - I'd love to have 5 scarves in the show - but I also must make new jewelry. We'll see how much I can get done by show time.

And to top all of that off, I decided to take a short-term contract job back in my old field of software development. I'll be writing business requirements and possibly some functional requirements for software I haven't been involved with in 16 years. Holy cow! Looks like I'll be starting that next week.

Needless to say, my presence here in the blogosphere has declined a bit. I'm hoping to do a better job of giving you a glimpse into my little world of glass and fiber art. In the mean time, I'm off to work on embellishing those vessels.

Have yourselves a happy and creative day!

Back From the PNW With a Challenge

I got back from Portland almost a week ago, and now that I'm unpacked and a routine medical procedure is behind me, I can get back to work in the wet lab. And that's where I spent last evening and this morning - trying to meet a challenge given to me by the wonderful and talented Kimberly Affleck while I was in Washington. Kimberly commissioned me to make a vessel for her. She's going to embellish it with some of her own personal found objects as well as her beads. While she was auditioning color combos for this piece, she put a few together that didn't work for her. When she exclaimed, "Ewww, those colors are bad!", I told her that there are no bad colors and that I could make just about any colors go together. I don't know what on earth I was thinking! I had her pull together some colors that she thought would look dreadful together so that I could try to prove my point. Yesterday I decided that I was ready to face the music.

Here are the colors that I have to use.

Last evening I started making small felted objects that I would use to embellish the vessel. I also pulled out a few balls of yarn that I thought I would incorporate into it.

When I went to bed, I started to visualize what the body of the vessel might look like. I decided to make the vessel predominantly green and yellow, then I drifted off to sleep. This morning when I went out to the wet lab, I changed my mind about the vessel color and also decided to ditch the yarn. Here's where I am in the project right now.

I'll wait until this evening to felt it, then tomorrow I will attach the embellishments. This certainly isn't a color combo that I would have chosen to work with - I'm hoping that when it's dry and has shrunken it doesn't look too garish. But hey - Kimberly picked these colors, so she's stuck with them! :-)

The colors that she picked for her "serious" vessel are very rich and I'm really looking forward to working with them. I should be bringing you pix of that WIP in the next few days.

Here's Kimberly yucking it up at the Mexican restaurant the Friday night of Labor Day weekend. She and I were drinking Cadillac Margaritas - yowza! Vickie Branch is also in the picture - Vickie and her daughter Marion Ogle hosted the Labor Day weekend "knowledge exchange" event at their fabulous shop/studio M & D Designs in Chinook, WA.

Hmmmm... I just noticed the colors in these pictures of Kimberly. They look vaguely familiar... Perhaps I should name this vessel Cadillac Sunset.

And now I'm off to a meeting. Have yourselves a happy and creative day!

Made Something On a Whim

So today I was going to start a third wall hanging so that I could have an abstract design as a sample. Instead, I went in a completely different direction. I have some ceramic buttons by Lisa Peters that I purchased at the Bead & Button Show, and one of them was staring at me in the wet lab. So I decided to make a felt cuff. I really didn't know what I was doing, and I'm not very happy with the shape of the sides. But I'm going to embellish it anyhow - maybe the wavy sides will give it a more organic look. Lisa's button will be the focal piece on the top of this cuff.

Here's the piece of felt - it's not quite dry yet.

Now I'm off to have some tea with mom and work a bit more on my felted poppies picture. That one is changing quite a bit - I'm adding more needle felting with a bit of warm color. Yum!

Have yourselves a happy and creative day!

Fun at BAGI and the Latest From the Wet Lab

My weekends have been a bit busy since I took my glass coldworking class. Our Society of Glass Beadmakers Northern California group had a monthly meeting at BAGI (Bay Area Glass Institute) where I teach glass beadmaking. That was great fun - folks had opportunities to make a blown glass object and/or a fused glass tile, and also participate in the "bead toss". I want to thank the folks at BAGI for hosting the event and offering their time and talent to assist our group of bead makers with their creations. Thank you Tom Upchurch, Mark Murai, Treg Silkwood, and Johnathon Schmuck for all your time and hard work! And thanks to Malcolm for making a "soda run" - you rock!

Here are some pix from our event at BAGI.

In the hot shop - Mark gives a helping hand

In the hot shop - Treg assists

Lampworkers participating in the bead toss -

Johnathon and the fusers on the other side of the wall

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So now I'm getting ready to teach a mini-workshop in Washington over Labor Day weekend. My project is a small felted wall hanging, and I've started another one to bring as a sample. This time it's flowers - no birds, no trees, no leaves. But there will be beads on it - I can't make a felted object without embellishing it!

These are a few pix I took during the process. First I made a pre-felt from which I cut out the shapes for the flowers. Here are the fibers before I wet them down.

After felting the flower fibers, I laid out the fibers for the background. I had my little studio buddy Niki keeping me company - she just loves coming out into the wet lab with me.

After I wet down the background fibers, I placed my flowers, put additional fibers on them, and added wool yarn for the stems.

Now that I've fulled and dried the piece, the embellishing is coming along quite nicely. I've beefed up the stems with some needle felting and I'll be enhancing the flowers with some bead work. Before I head up to the Pacific Northwest this coming Saturday, I'll show you pictures of the finished projects.

Now go have yourselves a happy and creative day!