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