And the Winner Is ... (Plus the Contest Answers)

The winner of my guessing contest is Deborah L. Gray-Wurz, owner of Sneekbead on Etsy.  You can also read more about her on her blog "Bead Indulgences."  Just for posting her answers here on my blog, she wins any dichroic glass item of her choice from my Etsy shop.

The answers to the contest are:

     1.  Millifiore Glass  (although I do admit it looks a lot like Christmas candy!)

      2.  1/8" Diamond Copper Mesh

      3.  Fine Silver Wire

These items are all available from Delphi Glass and are part of their "Ring of Fire Contest."    The contest is open to all artists - not just glass artists.  They also have Pressed Flowers, Mirrored Tiles, Krafty Blok, DG3 Art Gel Glaze, and Recycled Glass Tiles.  All you need to do is purchase one item, create something and enter it in the contest.

The prizes are fantastic.  Grand Prize Sponsor: Jen-Ken Kilns Delphi Ez-Pro Deluxe 15-6 Kiln – Fuse glass and ceramics in one kiln
Plus:

• Choice of instructional video from Glass Craftsman
• Choice of Best-Of Glass Patterns Quarterly instructional CD
• Choice of book from Wardell Publications

All Delphi award winners will receive:

$50 Delphi Dollars

Multi-media craft pack, including KraftyBlok from Diamond Tech Crafts

Choice of instructional video from Glass Craftsman

Choice of Best-Of Glass Patterns Quarterly instructional CD

Choice of book from Wardell Publications

Delphi’s Favorite award winner will be featured on one of Delphi’s catalog covers.

Artfire will award the following:

Free Lifetime ArtFire Pro Account $100 Shopping Spree on ArtFire Free ArtFire Pro Account 1-Year Membership with Graphics Package from ArtFire’s designer

I originally purchased the Dichroic Scrap package and created this as my entry.  I call it "Say It With a Flower."  You can vote for your favorite entry here.  Just click on "View Entries" and choose your favorite.

I hope you will be encouraged to enter the Ring of Fire Contest sponsored by Delphi Glass and Artfire and their Sponsors.  Have fun!

How Joy Gets Spread Throughout the World

Today I received a surprise gift from a Facebook friend.  I have not met this friend in person yet, but I'm excited that in just a few short weeks I will.  She is a reminder to me that we can all make the world a better place by being thoughtful of others.  Here's the beautiful pendant created by ViSart on Etsy that my friend purchased and mailed to me.

My friend bought the pendant for me simply because I had posted a link to it on Facebook and had said that I loved it.  I originally saw the pendant on Polymer Clay Daily.

A short while after she purchased it from ViSart, I introduced my new line of DichroCentrics - a layered glass cabochon with a hole in the middle (dare I call it a bead?).  I'm sure you can tell that the pendant by ViSart was the inspiration for my new line.  I called this necklace "Lizard Tango" and entered it in the BeadStar contest.

I call this one Rhubarb Pie:

And this one I named Tangerine Dacquiri:

You can see more of my DichroCentrics and other dichroic glass cabochons, buttons and pendants in my Etsy shop.

So the world was made happier today by the thoughtfulness of a friend.  I hope we will all pass on this spirit of joy to brighten the world even more.

Can You Guess What These Are? Plus A Little Giveaway

Here are three pictures of items I just received in the mail.  Let's see how good you are at guessing what they are.   Whoever attempts to guess what all three items are and what purpose they are for (even if they are wrong) will have their name put into a hat for a drawing to win a dichroic glass cabochon of their choice from my Etsy shop.

Just post your answers here on my blog and be sure to let me know how to contact you.  The guessing will end Monday, May 17, at midnight.  The winner of the drawing plus the correct answers will be announced on Tuesday, May 18.

 

I haven't decided yet what I'm going to make with these interesting pieces, but I have a pretty good idea.  You'll have to check back to see what develops and find out the answers.  Good Luck!

Ring of Fire Artist Challenge at Delphi Glass

Ring of Fire Artist Challenge is a new contest sponsored by Artfire and Delphi Glass.

This contest was designed for artists of all crafts and abilities. All you have to do is create a project of your choice using one or more of the products from the Ring of Fire. You can also incorporate elements from your favorite craft. Whether you're interested in fiber, glass, paper, jewelry, fabric or any other craft, this contest is for YOU!  Check out the contest rules.   You can also check out the fantastic prizes  here.

I purchased the scrap bag of dichroic glass and created this pendant which I called "Say It With a Flower." 

If you would like to help me win, you can vote for me on the Delphi Ring of Fire Challenge site.

Etsy Beadweavers May Challenge

The theme for the EBW May challenge is Embedded Colors in the World of Insects.  The entries have been posted on the EBW blog.  You can view them and vote for your favorite from May 9 and May 15.

Making Gifts for My Family

One of the things I love best about being an artist is making gifts for members of my family.  I never did like shopping for gifts for people.  But I do like planning and creating handcrafted gifts as they are truly from my heart.

I recently made two necklaces - one for my Mother for Mother's Day with beading around a petrified palm root cabochon ...

(even though brown is not her favorite color, I chose it so she would have an excuse to go out and buy a new outfit to match)

... and another for my sister, Sherry, who loves turquoise - a belated birthday gift.

The necklace for my sister was made by beading around one of my dichroic glass cabochons.  The beaded chain on both necklaces was made using the herringbone stitch.  I love using that stitch.

I often daydream that my gifts will one day be heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation.   Well, one can dream, can't they?