Rocking again

Its been a little while since I made Rocks and so I decided it was time for some, partly because I found a string of orphan rocks in my clearing out, and decided that I really liked the look of the thickly encased one therefore I needed to make some more, so I grabbed some silver glass and set off in search of that lovely mother of pearl shine.

My clearing out is part of the new studio plan ... work has currently come to a halt on the studio from a building point of view but I have been having a BIG sort out / clear out trying to get all bead / glass / metal / jewellery related things from their various locations around the house and outside into the studio. You would be amazed at some of the things I have unearthed !! .. or maybe shocked lol ! It has had the added benefit of me actually listing things in my Etsy shop again as I have decided for the time being to use that as a Sale area for all the bits and bobs I have unearthed.

Torch was poorly yesterday but Im pleased to say is better now (huge thankings to my lovely Himself for fixing it) so Im back off out there to melt some more glass and who knows there may be even more rocks soon !! 

Lace bead

I have had an idea for a bead running around in my head for a while now, I love lace (although I prefer mine not to be the frilly variety!) and lace patterns seem to be calling out to go on a bead. I started out by getting pieces of lace and looking at how they went together and thinking about the type of lace I needed for the qualities I wanted the bead to have - a delicate pattern that would, like lace itself, let you see through it to what is behind just slightly veiling. I drew out numerous designs and had several sets of transfers made up but none have been quite right. I finally got some I was happy with and set about having an initial go at putting it all together as I imagined it to be and this is the result -

I am pretty pleased with this as a first go although there are areas that need work so I think you will be seeing several more of these in the non too distant future !

And the bead goes to ...

Comment Number 8 - Rustyhammer !! Congrats Sharon :o) I will get you your storm coloured bead made tomorrow and on its way to you asap.

Huge thanks to everyone for taking the time to comment and take part !  

Change is as good as a rest..

And on my day off I made -



Please excuse the fact thy have not yet been cleaned, they are all big hole beads the big one is 12mm hole and the little ones 5mm, they are only very simple beads but I had such fun making them !! Very definitely "Happy Beads" I love the colours together and they make me smile just looking at them so Im thinking these are keepers to be make into something for me !!

Do you have colour combinations that make you smile ?? Do share please, Im in a happy mood and feeling like sharing it so if you post your colours I'll pick one person at random and make you a big bead in your colours...

I had a day off.

There I said it.

Yesterday, I took a day out of my making time, I still went into the studio and I still lit my torch but I had FUN, I played. It was important for ME to take a break, and a change is as good as a rest they say, so that is what I did, I had a change, I played and messed and poked about at my glass, and do you know what ? I didnt make a single saleable thing all day. !!

I know I should probably be telling myself off right now, after all what a disgraceful, frivolous, and downright unsensible thing to do but you know what I feel great. It was what I needed to do, today Im all geared up to make lots of exciting things, get the website and etsy updated, do some photography, finish my to-do list and basically aim for world domination lol.

Sometimes you just need to give yourself some time. Since I have been beading full time I have been getting a bee in my bonnet about spending all of my time making things to go online. I have been productive, and it does feel good getting lots done, but my "work / life balance" (to come over all corporate on you) was getting out of sync. I do this because I love it, and I want to keep it that way.

Things were getting rather too much like the second verse of this poem, I want to enjoy the journey and take time to see the real butterflies not just the ones that come out of my kiln....

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids

On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain

Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You'd better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Do you run through each day

On the fly?

When you ask "How are you?"

Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done

Do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores

Running through your head?

You'd better slow down

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Ever told your child,

We'll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste,

Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,

Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time

To call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere

You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

It is like an unopened gift....

Thrown away.

Life is not a race.

Do take it slower

Hear the music

Before the song is over

Mangobeads New Studio

What an amazing weekend ! We are home, somewhat tired but definitely feeling the love (and the cheese ) following a most fabulous weekend in Devon at the opening of Mangobeads gorgeous new studio.


(Picture of Manda Demoing in her new studio - isnt that the most gorgeous picture on the wall behind her !?!)

For a lot of the time as most of you know I spend my time in my garage on my torch, and as Im not exactly Miss Sociability this suits me down to the ground. It does mean that when the chance for a get together comes up it is quite a big thing and I have a tendancy to get rather over excited !! This weekend was no exception and was one of the nicest glassy get togethers I have ever been to, with so many lovely people there the only shame was in lack of time to talk to everyone I wanted to talk to for hours and hours each. There were demos to watch, both "formal" and impromptu and lots and lots of beady swapage going on and I think I can safely say a great time was had by all.

I dont have a lot of pictures (Got carried away with the talking...) but there are some on Flickr here for those that are interested.

As well as all the lovely glassyness we did discover on Saturday evening a (slightly surreal) carnival of pipe bands in Bideford !! Not, I have to confess, what I was expecting in the very south of England but fantastic to watch and listen to non the less.



Further down the road from where the bands were marching there was a funfair !! At which point I rather made up for the lack of photos I didnt take during the day funfairs being one of my favorite things to take photographs of !! I wont bore you with all of them, just a couple I particularly like -





All in all a fun filled and fantastic weekend with lots of lovely people, now I just have to work out how to settle back into my routine .....

Chameleon Designs now on Facebook

There is now a page on facebook for Chameleon Designs, and if you pop over and take a look you will see details of a competition I have just set up where you could win flutterballs, all you have to do to enter is "like" the facebook page (which is, I understand in my limited knowledge of facebook, like becoming a fan). The competition is running until next friday 10th September when I will choose a winner at random from all the people who like the page, pop over to facebook for the full information !

Busy busy bee

Where does the time go.. well for once I actually know. It has been a very busy but fun filled time, I have been at Stourbridge on a masterclass with the amazing and very lovely Gianni Toso, pictured below blowing a glass bubble on the end of a home made glass blowing tube !!



It was a completely amazing and awe inspiring class, there are a few photos on Flickr if you would like to see more.

There was a days "rest" - think running about meeting friends and blowing glass - on the friday before the Glass Market in Stourbridge on Saturday. A HUGE thank you to everyone who came along to say Hi it was lovely to see you all, and an extra special thank you to those of you that came along to introduce yourselves as you are taking my class soon.

For those of you who were wondering about just after lunchtime you will have seen the little band that struck up on the corner just opposite us in period costume, well I couldnt resist some shots with Hipstamatic, it just seemed to perfect for it



Now of course I am home again, back to my garage and my torch, I have a few orders to be getting on with but Im really really looking forward to some "playtime" and practising the techniques that Gianni showed us ... look out for some photos soon !!