Video: Making a Reactive Silver Glass Raised Dot Bead

On November 2, 2018November 1, 2018 By ccglassartIn Tips & Tricks, VideosLeave a comment

In this video I demonstrate how I create an encased silver glass bead with tiny raised dots on the surface.

With the right type of flame, the silver in the silver glass is brought to the surface of the bead causing it to develop a slightly metallic sheen. Once I see that sheen I quickly and carefully capture that luster beneath a layer of crystal clear glass.

After encasing, and shaping and smoothing the bead, I apply three rows of alternating dots with a silver glass stringer pulled thin.

It takes a steady hand to get the dots just right! 😀

Once applied, the raised glass dots are spun through the heat of the flame just enough to allow them to melt about half way down. If they were not melted in far enough the dots would be at risk of being popped off when worn. But melting them too far down can cause them to lose their dimension and disappear into the bead altogether. It’s a tricky balance between too much and too little heat.

I hope you enjoy watching me work at the torch! 🙂

Christina
CCGlassArt

Handmade Floral Lampwork Glass Beads & California Poppies

On March 23, 2015October 22, 2018 By ccglassartIn Photos, What's Happening NowLeave a comment

With the first day of Spring last week, it’s no coincidence that this week’s batch of beads is full of floral designs! Flowers are one of my favorite designs to create. I taught acrylic painting classes for years and painted nothing but flowers so I naturally gravitate toward them. Especially now that all the flowers are in bloom here in SoCal – I’m so inspired!

Over the weekend we took a drive up north to the California Poppy Reserve. Unfortunately, our timing wasn’t so great. While the Reserve had the densest flowering of poppies this year that it’s seen in over a decade, the week before we had a sudden heat wave with temperatures in the 90’s. Sadly, the poppies were not strong enough to withstand the heat, and almost the entire crop died in just a few days 😦

So, although not the breathtaking ‘wall to wall’ display of bright orange it had been just a week before – the Reserve was still a lovely sight to see with its rolling hills of green and a few areas of wildflowers. Here’s one of my favorite photos from our trip…

california poppy reserve, california poppies, southern california wildflowers

I foresee a poppy colored bead in my future! 😀

Until then, enjoy these new beads available now on Etsy:

Been a while…

On June 17, 2014February 4, 2015 By ccglassartIn Photos, What's Happening NowLeave a comment

…Since I’ve updated the blog!

My family and I took a much needed vacay to FL last month where we had lots of fun in the hot, hot (and humid!) sun at Walt Disney World 😀 We had always wanted to take the kids there and were finally able to do it (had to work a little business in at the beginning of the trip, but made sure there was plenty of time for the fun stuff afterward) 😉 Here are a couple pics from our trip:

WaltDisneyWorld_5_2014 167 WaltDisneyWorld_5_2014 196

Once I got home, it took me a while to get back up into the swing of things. Especially when it came to making beads again. For one, I was all out of sterling silver tubing and it took some time to order it and wait for it to arrive. But just catching up with everything in life after a vacation takes time, ya know?

But now that I’ve got my mojo back and creativity flowing again I’ve got more beautiful beads to share. Some of the photos below were of beads I made before our trip – I am just now getting caught up listing them on the blog.

There may be a couple beads still available on Etsy from the batch I made since I’ve gotten back 😉

By the way, I always post new listings on Facebook but I know not everyone is on FB, or they don’t always see my postings. If you would like me to send out a personal email to you whenever I list beads, just send me a quick convo on Etsy with your request.

A New Year & New Lampwork Bead Sets

On January 3, 2014March 19, 2014 By ccglassartIn Photos, What's Happening NowLeave a comment

HaPpY NeW YeAr! 😀

I am still wondering how 2013 went by so fast! It really is true that the older you get the faster time goes by. I think I say this every New Years but I definitely need to start ‘smelling the roses’ more often so life doesn’t keep flying by… 🙂

Even though the weather has been unseasonably warm, high 70’s to low-mid 80’s, torching is still tolerable at these temps. So I’ve been busy making new bead sets for my Etsy store.

Here is a peek at some of my latest creations:

METALLIC NUGGETS - bead set (8) — METALLIC NUGGETS – bead set (8)

POPPIES - bead set (5) — POPPIES – bead set (5)

SEA GRASS - bead set (5) — SEA GRASS – bead set (5)

WILD LILIES - bead set (5) — WILD LILIES – bead set (5)

Sculpted Glass Leaf Beads & NEW Bubble Crown Bead Pendants

On November 15, 2013March 19, 2014 By ccglassartIn Photos, What's Happening NowLeave a comment

At loooong last we have finally begun to enjoy some cooler weather in my neck of the woods – save for the past few days which have been back up in the high 80’s/low 90’s. But I can forgive these recent hot days because I know that has *got* to be the very last of the hot weather for a long time. Not to mention all the pretty colors of the trees which are none the wiser to it being too hot for Fall.

So, now that I’m back at the torch I have a new collection of beads to share: