Capped and Cored Encased Murrini Beads

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

I have been having a lot of fun finishing off my encased murrini beads with these pretty caps! The beads are slightly bigger than my usual charm bracelet beads which just means I can fit even MORE murrini and other glass elements into them. 😀

The caps (in sterling silver, warm gold brass, and solid copper) really dress up the beads. They also add versatility since each bead would look just as lovely worn as a focal on a necklace as they do on a charm bracelet as a centerpiece bead.

All these beads are available right now on Etsy 🙂

Rainy Day Beads

On December 2, 2014April 17, 2015 By ccglassartIn Photos, What's Happening NowLeave a comment

We have rain! And I am most definitely not complaining… Not only are we are in a serious drought here in California, so the rain is very much needed, but I have been waiting sooo long for the weather to finally cool off. So while it’s dark, gloomy, and wet outside – it’s definitely a good thing!

Here’s some new beads to brighten up your week 🙂 Available now on Etsy.

At last…NEW Lampwork Big Hole Beads!

On October 6, 2014February 4, 2015 By ccglassartIn Photos, What's Happening NowLeave a comment

The past couple months has been brutal, weather-wise. We’ve had one of the hottest summers I can remember. And, sadly, we’re not done yet! We will enjoy a little relief at the end of this week, where the temps will only be in the high 80’s, then it’s back up to almost 100+ again for another undetermined period of time. 😦

Thankfully we had a short break in the heat last week which allowed me a chance to hop on the torch for a while. It had been so long since I had last made beads that I really enjoyed myself. Can’t wait to get back beading more regularly! Hopefully by November the last of the heat waves will have passed…

Available now on Etsy – Enjoy! 😀

Murrini Overload!

On April 24, 2014February 4, 2015 By ccglassartIn Photos, What's Happening NowLeave a comment

Is there really such a thing as too much murrini, though? Not in my world! LOL! 😀

I recently had to upgrade to a bigger tray to hold my ever-growing murrini collection:

I usually begin every torching session by making a new batch of murrini. This is part warm-up, part ‘feeding the obsession’ – hehe. 😉 I also like to keep my bead designs fresh and new so I’m constantly making more murrini to use in my beads.

Problem is (if you can call it a problem…) I always end up with wayyy more murrini in a single design or color than I’ll ever be able to use myself since each batch of murrini makes so many chips! Sometimes I will list my de-stash on Etsy. Other times I just keep it all for myself… 😀

I do try and put all the murrini I make to good use, however. Below are this week’s beads featuring some new murrini I made.

(Note: for the record, I do occasionally buy murrini from other talented glass artists as well – I love using it too much and too often to ever be able to make so many different murrini designs myself! One of my favorite glass artists, Lori & Kim, make some of the most unique murrini in such beautiful colors and fun patterns which I love to use in my beads. But the majority of the murrini I use in my beads are ones I’ve made myself. 🙂 )

Some of these beads are still available on Etsy:

How Many Murrini Can Fit Into One Bracelet Bead?

On April 16, 2014July 18, 2014 By ccglassartIn Photos, What's Happening Now2 Comments

That IS the question – at least for me it is lately! Of course, the short answer is, “as many as I possibly can!”. 😀

I definitely push the limits of what these little beads can hold – I try to keep the overall size of the bead at or under 1/2″ x 3/4″ which is already a little on the big side for standard Pandora sized beads. In my opinion, though, I think the trade off a slightly bigger size is definitely worth it for the extra eye candy all those murrini chips give you in a single bead.

So if you can forgive the ‘generous’ size of my encased murrini bracelet beads I think you’ll truly love these little beauties. They add so much color, interest, and fun to your already beautiful Pandora-style bracelets 🙂

There are a couple beads still available now on Etsy: