It’s been a while since I’ve sat down and made coordinating sets of beads. But I recently received an order of pretty colored glass frit blends and they inspired me to make several beads that all go together. 😀
These sets are now available on Etsy:
Now that I’ve finished writing my newest tutorial, Making Beautiful Encased Murrini Beads, I have time to get back to the torch and make more beads! 😀
I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of making these…
I’ve also started making lentil focals again! I haven’t made them in quite a while, (as I was completely obsessed with making encased murrini beads for so long!), and I’m having so much fun with them all over again. I have more of these to come…;)
All beads are available now in my Etsy shop ~
Everyone knows how much I love murrini – I love making them, and I love using them a lot in my lampwork bead designs. I even wrote a tutorial on how to make beautiful murrini!
Something I have been working on perfecting for the past year has been encasing murrini beneath a layer of crystal clear glass so that it resembles an underwater ocean scene. It started with my pier beads and has evolved into my new coral reef series beads which are more complex with many different elements in the design.
Something new for me lately is the combination of metal components with my lampwork beads.
I have been exploring making my own bead caps, experimenting with different metals and different techniques, and finally developed a way to stamp and finish them that works well with my bead designs.
So far I’ve been working mainly in brass and copper as I love the rich coloring of these metals, and the way they look when antiqued.
Officially it is Fall, although you’d never know it stepping outside into 95 degree heat, but it is here. I do notice a distinct chill in the air in the early mornings, though. That little bit of crispness that tells you the season is here (or almost here in our case).
I am SO ready for the weather to change and for that chill to be in the air all day long. I can’t wait to see the leaves change color (yes, where we live in SoCal they actually do that – something to do with it getting cold enough here in the Winter I think…)
I really can’t believe that the holidays are right around the corner though – how are we already here at this time of year again?! These days, I seem to have to make a special effort to slow my mind down so I am sure to enjoy everything and not let it all go by in a blur.
In the meantime, as I pine for Fall and prepare for the holidays, here are a few new Pandora-style beads to brighten your day: 😉
CCGlassArt 