Rainy Day Beads

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.

CCGlassArt Encased Murrini Big Hole Beads

At last…NEW Lampwork Big Hole Beads!

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! 😀

New Big Hole Beads

Murrini Overload!

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:

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:

Harbor Mist Reef
Harbor Mist Reef
Key West Reef
Key West Reef
Lanai Reef
Lanai Reef
Low Tide Reef
Low Tide Reef
Morocco Reef
Morocco Reef
Pacific Reef
Pacific Reef
Flower Reef
Flower Reef
Pink Shell Reef
Pink Shell Reef
Point Dume Reef
Point Dume Reef
Rubino Reef
Rubino Reef
Sand Reef
Sand Reef
Sea Mist Reef
Sea Mist Reef

How Many Murrini Can Fit Into One Bracelet Bead?

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:

Calypso Reef
Calypso Reef
Cornflower Reef
Cornflower Reef
Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef
Hawaiian Reef
Hawaiian Reef
Kailua Reef
Kailua Reef
Jellyfish Reef
Jellyfish Reef
Kona Reef
Kona Reef
Pink Flower Reef
Pink Flower Reef
Rip Tide Reef
Rip Tide Reef
Safari Reef
Safari Reef
Sunshine Reef
Sunshine Reef

Encased Flower Murrini Big Hole Beads

Maybe it’s the warmer weather (we were in the 90’s the other day!), but this week I was inspired to make a few large hole beads with my handmade flower murrini. These particular murrini are incredibly painstaking to make because they involve so many steps – but the results are worth it. When encased in clear glass they come alive and have so much detail and beauty. 🙂

I hope you enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed making them –

Available now on Etsy!

ARCTIC Reef
ARCTIC Reef
GARDEN Reef
GARDEN Reef
HAWAIIAN Reef
HAWAIIAN Reef
ROSE Reef
ROSE Reef
SAFARI Reef
SAFARI Reef
WAIKOLOA Reef
WAIKOLOA Reef