Happy New Year - Be Courageous!

Sara Sally LeGrand

I'm so excited to be taking this class with Sara Sally in February!!!

It's time to put the things of the past year to bed.  It is a brand new year full of surprises (good ones), ideas, new friends, new beads, new techniques - It's time for a whole new year to be birthed.

I love New Years because it means we all get to renew our beliefs, faith and love for one another.  If the last year didn't yield what you expected - you get to change your expectations.  Lower the bar, raise the bar or forget the bar and just create.  Yeow!  

My New Year wish for you is that you prosper in every area of your life.  Spirit, Soul, Body, Relationships and Finances.

May this coming year be the most fabulous so far and may life bless you in every way.

God Bless You...Much Love

Suzanne - The Happy Beadmaker
Suzanne's Art Glass

Red Topper - Another New Ring

Hi all, made this one yesterday. It is such a dark red that it almost looks brown.  Just remember, whenever you are afraid to do something, that's not going to harm or kill you of course, jump into it with all fours for the experience. After conquering my self doubt, now, I'm having so much fun making these ring toppers.

The pics are of how they work.  Only one ring shank needs to be purchased.  Once you have a ring shank, you just need to purchase the ring toppers to change your mind daily, or even hourly.  It's a woman's dream...Right?

Love you all and Merry Christmas Eve,

xoxo
Suzanne

Ring Toppers - NEW

Hi All, I finally put my "courage" hat on last night and finished off the evening making a ring topper. I've had the supplies for a couple of months now but I was just afraid to try it. I imagined a glob of glass with no shape and a ruined little bolt under the glass stuck to the glass and not working after spending "my precious time" on something I wanted to be extra cool.

Well, I'm not so disappointed.  As a matter of fact I am wearing it right now and I love it. I'm recently into (besides "Periwinkle") polka dots. They are just making me so happy. So here you go. My first ring topper! viola ! I love it because it is BIG and GLASS and Periwinkle. haha

Let me know what you think..they can only get better.  ;o)

Love you and Merry 23rd of December. The Eve before Christmas Eve. Yes, I'll celebrate anything any chance I get.

xoxo

Suzanne

Merry Christmas - New Pile o' Beads

DING DING A LING - DING DING A LING - CHRISTMAS IS NEAR

I'm so excited

Hello and welcome to my new pile of beads. Straight out of the kiln this morning. I tell you I was so excited last night I didn't want to stop making beads. But, I ran out of mandrels! Note to self (dip more mandrels girlfriend before sitting down at the torch). You never know when inspiration is going to hit. This time it was just before I ran out of mandrels.

I'm getting ready to make bracelets from these fun beads.   And today I am prepared.  I have tons of dipped mandrels just waiting for their beads to appear and then be thrown in the kiln awaiting other new friendly beads to gather. Oh if I could just be a fly on the wall inside that kiln. (Besides being burnt to a crisp) - listening to all those beads chatter with each other as they anneal away. It's like a trip to the beauty salon for them. They emerge all durable, shiny, and ready for a long, long life in the hands of an appreciative admirer.

Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming posts of my new creations.  I'm awaiting beautiful leather soft cord from Germany and I've already received my heavy duty, quality, stainless steel magnetic closures.  I can hardly wait to get these bracelets out for you.   Thank you Claudia for inspiration (* kiss).

Love you all, Merry Christmas

xoxo

Suzanne

Sea Lillies by suzanne

Continuing with my ongoing love affair with "Perwinkle".

Measurements

32.5 mm from hole to hole

38 mm at the widest part

wound on 3/32" mandrel

It just reminds me of little flowers in an ocean gallery.

On my way out to the torch room now to see if I can find another color to work with today. Ha Ha. My other rods are getting a little jealous.

Love you all

Suzanne

Khaki Love by Suzanne - Set Lampwork Beads

Hi All

Yea I'm feeling much better thanks to all of your sweet prayers and much appreciated love sent my way over the last several days.

I made these loving the color khaki. It goes with everything and I love it with the red and blue accent colors. The heart symbolizes the love we have in our hearts for those closest to us. Once again, I'm using my 'New' shapes - rounds and disks. Seems to give sort of a unique quality to an otherwise typical string of beads.

I hope you like these as much as I do. Oh, and the bead in the middle is also included - it was extra after I'd already created the symmetry of the set...haha I know - anal retentive I suppose. ;o)

Enjoy this beautiful day.

Hugs

Suzanne

PERIWINKLE HEAVEN - Set Lampwork Beads

I think Periwinkle is not only my favorite color, it is also my favorite word to speak.  "Periwinkle" haha, makes me chuckle or gives me an emotional lift whenever I say the word.  Wearing Periwinkle does the same thing.  There is something about the color that is calming yet witty.  Like it's holding a happy little secret for us.

This little set of beads holds two new shapes for me.  Disks and rounds.  I am having so much fun making  and decorating them.  

On a side note, today it is raining in sunny California.  So, I have to find an alternative method to dip and dry my mandrels.  Usually I hang them upside down on a line next to the lemon tree under the climbing red blossomed bush (don't know the name).  That way the mud slides down the mandrel to the tip and then drops off.  As opposed to down the handle and drying in a big lumpy clump.  It's ok if you can't picture that.  With that in mind - looking forward to what comes out of the kiln tomorrow to show you.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hugs

Suzanne

Green Hornet - Set Lampwork Beads by Suzanne

This set of beads is a result of my class with Claudia Trimbur-Pagel.  Each set of beads I make using her technique for stringers, I get more used to the melting temperature required for stringer thickness.  Unfortunately, the bead usually is a goner.  Oops - too close to the flame for that hair fine stringer.  Bummer.  haha

This set of beads has four focals, one pod type for closure bead (maybe), three matching spacers and two fun flower beads.  Three whimsical spacer beads.

Will be placed on Etsy soon.  ;o)

Enjoy!

Hugs
Suzanne

Just for Fun

Love you all.

xoxoxo

Suzanne

A tribute to Tai Chi

Tai Chi -

Although our time together was short, I've never known a more unconditional mutual admiration.

 No judgment, only acceptance, no hurt feelings, only adoration, never sorrow, always joy.  Silky hair next to my face, a warm embrace with your foot aptly placed.  The butterfly kisses you gave as you walked on by - on the back of my legs, just to let me know you were there.

I loved how you'd come lay in one of your baskets just to be near as I made some beads.  You'd lay there for hours and not even tell me to hurry up and get done.  But, wait patiently until I cleaned up my shop and turned off the gas.  Then we'd begin our evening together watching TV and sometimes eat popcorn.

You shook your little gray dog til the cows came home - rrrr rrrr your little roar.  You chased up and down the halls of our apartment building making me laugh as you slid into home plate.  We were so happy together making our home filled with laughter, love and peace.  The way you would stop when you were through walking.  It was either pick me up or forget about it.  The first time I ever heard you bark, I couldn't believe it was you.  You were so afraid of everything - I think it even scared you.  That little bark was so adorable I knew you felt at home and were safe enough to let yourself be known.

It was a while before I knew you were sick.  Maybe two years, after we'd become so thick.  The doc said you had kidney disease and that the end usually came pretty quick.  I began to worry when you wouldn't eat.  You lost so much weight and slept nearly all the time.  A little over a year since diagnosed you became sicker and didn't find much joy in the things that used to make you laugh.  But, I held on, thinking my nursing and loving would keep you with me, forever.  Then you lost your sight in the one good eye you had.  Quite a blow and I knew it hurt you, but I didn't give up.  Found a medication to keep it in tow.  I think you could see a little.  But, your little blue eye - lost its glow.

When the pain was too much, for both you and I, I knew it was unfair to keep you here any longer.  The love that we knew said I had to let go.  So I did, today.

Now I remember how precious our time together was.  I will never forget and look forward to seeing you again in much greener pastures for each of us.  I will carry you here and carry you there and laugh and play with you once again.  We are joined at the hip my little darling.  So have fun while you're waiting for me to come home and join you.  Learn where all the good places are to go so you can show me.  Once again I'll feel your warm silky hair on my neck and the butterfly kisses on the back of my legs, just to let me know that you are there.

I love you my darling, my sweetie, my baby, Tai Chi.  Thank you for what you've done for me.  Sent by God for such a short time.

Til we meet again have fun little one
With the greatest known love

Your mamma

P.S.  Find out where the best peanutbutter is made in heaven.  I can't wait to give you your first heavenly bite of your favorite treat.

I promised I'd show you...

I promised no matter what they looked like I'd show you today the results of my practice.

Funny, it seemed as though when I was making these I was only doing scrolls and curved lines.  Now, when I look at them I see LOTS OF DOTS.  But, if you look closely, you might be able to see some pre -T- EE  amazing scrolls too.  (Since I love baby blue and purple, naturally, it wouldn't matter to me if they had anything on them at all.) Lie.  

Over all, I'm pretty happy.  They are 1) shiny 2) round 3)  glass 4) not broken or cracked (although one was - it is not in the picture.  It is in the emergency room but it's not looking good).  Perhaps it can be turned into  a nice looking ArtClay Silver ring!  Who am I kidding.  Much more practice needed before that is going to happen any time soon.  Oh and did I mention, a Lapidary (SAW) Grinder?  was NOT one of the tools I ordered as a result of the class with Claudia.  I'm around $600 to $800 short at the present.  Gotta sell a lot of beads to bring that into reality.  I'm pulling on it though...;o)  one of these days it will come popping into my studio as miraculously as all the other tools I have.  God is always on our side.

 These are rounds from 11.5mm to 16.5mm.  I made them on 3/32 mandrels  there are a few teardrop beads as well as some regular sized decorated spacers.

Let me know what you think.  I'll keep practicing.

Hugs
Suzanne

Here I am - back on the Torch! Hurray!

Here I am back at the torch today!  Yea...spent the entire day making round beads practicing hairfine stringer stripes and perfectly curved lines.  A technique I recently learned from Claudia Trimbur-Pagel.  Thank you Claudia.  I am bound and determined to make beautiful perfect lines just like you when I grow up.

Not as easy as it sounds.  If the stringer gets too hot all at once, it melts before it even makes it to the bead to become a decoration.  If the stringer is too thin, forget about it, if it is too thick, it looks like - well - bad.  If it is perfect and I goof - the bead is ruined.  Well,  maybe not ruined.  I can always turn a goof into a beautiful flower!  haha

I should have something to show you by tomorrow.  The new beadies are in the kiln as I write and I can't wait to show them to you.  Even if they are horrible.  Practice makes perfect.

Have a wonderful evening.  I'm so happy my mouth is happy once again.  Horrible to live in fear of a tooth ache...am I right?

hugs

Suzanne

Oskar's New Toy

I'm feeling much better today.  Thank you for your sympathy ;-))))))   Just what I needed.  

Cleaned up my studio and moved my new toys out where they are within close reach.  Turned on the kiln and turned off the kiln.  Just not quite ready to jump in with all fours yet.

Love you all,

Suzanne

This is adorable...I fell in love with Oskar.  Enjoy!  

Third Day on Chicken Soup

What's wrong with you mom?

Hi all,

So sorry nothing happening in my Etsy Shop or on the home front.  This root canal has been rough.  The first week I was suffering because of a 10 year old root canal gone bad.  This week I'm suffering because in the surgery a 4th canal was found in the tooth and viola! the reason for the first canal gone bad.

I'm swollen, throbbing and the worst is, after the silver and glass class with Claudia Trimbur-Pagel I ordered some new tools and they are arriving!  I'm so excited to get started but - throb throb throb - I need to stay pretty still until the swelling goes down in my jaw.  Antibiotics make me sick to my stomach and pain killing ibuprofen puts me to sleep.  Not a pretty picture if I am huddled over a a flaming torch!!!  haha

Tomorrow will be a better day and I'll be back doing the bead dance.  Yeehaw!

Love you all - hang in there with me.  In the words of the "Terminator" - "I'll be back"  ;o)

Hugs

Suzanne

Claudia Trimbur-Pagel - An amazing woman/artist/instructor

  Pics from the amazing two day of classes in Redondo Beach at "The Mandrel". Claudia Trimbur-Pagel was the instructor and these are her beads. Wish I could say they are mine, but they are not. I will be practicing these techniques for sure. Claudia's beads are amazing.

This little bird on top the bead reminds me to think outside the box and to take a dare I've put up for myself.  See what happens.

There, he peeks over the top but hides his feathers hidden on the other side.  I'm going to have to name this little guy.

Although I made the ring set up in ArtClay Silver, the bead was made by Claudia.  I don't know quite how I maneuvered that but the ring is gorgeous and I'm happy it is in my care forever.

I purchased the two blue beads (one already a bracelet) and the other to make a matching pendant.
Love it.

SHANGRILA by Suzanne - Lampwork Glass Beads

SHANGRILA - my dream home. Full of fun designs, fun shapes, unique plants, a range of colors I've never seen before. A frisky, frolic through the meadows, across the streams, skipping from one side to the other on decorated stones which show me the way home.

This string of beads will delight you with its frolicking nature. Fun as heck.

5 focal beads

PLUS 10 spacer lampwork beads

(the tiny beads are purchased opalescent purple)

27 mm to 29 mm hole-to-hole

25 mm to 28 mm wide

8 mm thick and made on 3/32 mandrel

Great fun and popping colors await your unique styling in a OOAK piece of jewelry designed by you.

Thanks for stopping by. Much love and appreciation.

xoxo

Suzanne

CHERISH by Suzanne - Lampwork Glass Beads

CHERISH To treat with tenderness and affection; to nurture with care; to protect and aid.

I began this string of beads over four days ago. I was so happy with the results when I recovered them from the kiln the morning after they joined us on earth. (Just saying - they weren't here, and now they are ;o)) I began cleaning out the holes with my dremel and two of them just broke in half. A third was cracked! What had gone wrong? All of a sudden this little string of beads became so important to me. I loved the beads that had not made it. I'd taken so much care in creating them and they made me smile when I put them in the kiln for the night. Such is the life of a bead maker. Some make it and some just don't. When they broke in my hand, my heart sank. I felt the loss of something I had treated with tenderness and affection, nutured with care, had protected and done my best to aid until they reached their final destination.

I created three more to take the place of those I could no longer use. I became so involved in healing this string of beads that I created even more matching spacers and unique little beads that were not in the original plan. Hopefully they will inspire those talented jewelry designers looking for a set that calls out to them "Buy Me (kiss kiss)".

The end result is even better than I'd hoped. Just goes to show you - never give up and love what you do. Oh Yes - and - make Lemonade when the world tosses you a lemon.

Measurements

5 larger beads

PLUS 4 unique and just for fun beads

and 24 matching spacer beads

25 mm to 29 mm hole-to-hole

25 mm to 28 mm wide

8 mm thick wound on 3/32 mandrel

Enjoy Suzanne

CIRCUS! CIRCUS! Lampwork Glass Beads - SOLD

I love the color of these beads. Bright, cheerful, just colorie all over and lots of details on both sides. My very own handmade murrinis (those little stripy flowery dots) inside dots..haha Everyone laughs at the clowns that dress like these beads. What an action filled bracelet or necklace this set will make.

Measurements

5 focal beads

PLUS 8 handmade dotted blue and purple matching spacers

30 mm to approx 36 mm hole-to-hole

24 mm to 31 mm wide

Beads are approx 8 mm thick and wound on 3/32 mandrels

Take a jaunt over to Etsy to see more views if you like.

Hugs to you all.

xoxo Suzanne

SERENITY - set lampwork glass beads

Green and blue translates to Serenity in my world. (smile) As these two colors peek from behind each other in this set of beads they leave lasting impressions rarely seen in glass.

Measurements

5 focals

PLUS 10 matching spacers

31 mm to 39 mm hole-to-hole

21 mm to 27 mm side

Beads are about 8 mm thick and wound on 3/32 mandrels.

More views in Etsy shortly.

CHEERIO - Lampwork Glass Beads - SOLD

Cherrio everyone! Last night on Rosie, Sara Ferguson was a guest on the show. I love it whenever I get a taste of the Royals. Or in this case, ex-Royal. At any rate, I love Fergy.

This yummy set of beads just made me Cheery as I began to post the pics. I love the lilac, mmmm, cherry/rosey speckled color of these beads. I might almost even call it orchid (maybe)which is another favorite color of mine; paired with black and a hint of dry martini green is amazingly gorgeous. The character of the glass shows up loud and clear with a 3D depth in layers of clear throughout the set.

Measurements

5 focals (perfect for a bracelet)

29 mm to 35 mm hole-to-hole
24 mm to 29 mm wide

Beads are about 8mm thick and wound on a 3/32 mandrel

More views posted on Etsy shortly...Enjoy!

Hugs

CARIBB - Set Lampwork Glass Beads

This is a very colorful set of 5 focal and 6 lampwork spacer beads. It makes me feel like dancin! Yeh! I should have named it "Saturday Night Fever"..lol

Measurements

19 mm to 29 mm hole-to-hole
20 mm to 29 mm wide

8 mm thick and wound on a 3/32" mandrel

This little fishie is on the other side of the above fin bead.  He's a happy little guy named "Fredrick".  For more views of this set please click on the Etsy pictures in the right hand column.      

Hugs Suzanne

ENCHANTED - set lampwork glass beads

ENCHANTED is a set of 5 focal beads and 7 decorative spacer beads and 14 purchased tiny black spacers. It reminds me of taking a trip through the rain forest in Washington State. It has an enchanting aura about it. There are layers of clear giving an interesting 3D effect.

Measurements

31 to 33 mm hole-thole
26 to 31 mm wide

Approximately 8mm thick

Thanks for stopping by - Suzanne

PURPINK - Lampwork Glass Beads (Set)

This funky little set of PURPINK beads was so fun for me to make. Pink, Purple, flowers, squigglies, dots on each side decorated with hair fine glass stringers as always glass on glass melted in the flame on a canvas of my hand made glass beads. How grateful am I to be living my dream? Very grateful.

Hopp on over to Etsy for more views if you like.

Measurements

34 to 36 mm hole-to-hole
21 to 27 mm wide
8 mm thick

wound on 3/32" mandrel

Having some struggles with my overwhelmed computer. Anyone have a Macintosh 2013 model they'd like to give away to a lampworker in Los Angeles named Suzanne??? ;o)

Love you all - xoxoxoxo Suzanne

DELIGHTFUL - Lampwork Glass Focal Bead

This bead is just sooo delightful. The flowers are dancing right off the bead! Lots of motion and bright COLOR.

Measurements

54 mm hole-to-hole
33 mm wide
11 mm thick

Wound on a 3/32 mandrel

"Delightful" has many layers of color and clear for an enchanting 3D experience. 

I can see it simply as a perfect pendant all by itself on a sterling bead and ball chain.  Wow!  Everyone who sees it will want to hold it in their hands and investigate further.

I hope you love it. Please check my Etsy store for views of the back side if you like.

Hugs - Suzanne