Only One Day Left to Vote

The VOTING is almost over at the Beadweaving Emporium Market. Only one day left to vote in our first challenge with the theme "New Horizons."

Please go to http://www.thebeadweavingemporium.blogspot.com to vote for your favorite. The voting polls will be open from July 9th through July 15th, 2009.

The participants are as follows:

1. Sandfibers with You are my sunshine

2. Njema with New Horizons Bowl

3. Slavetobeads with Green Earth the New Horizon

4. Beadazzled of Oregon with A New Horizon; Sunrise

5. Three Fates Design with Rising Sun-New Horizon Necklace

6. Rachele's Originals with A New Horizon Barrette

7. Enchanted Beads with New Horizons Wedding Necklace

8. Beadsforever with Night Vision Necklace

Thanks again for your support!!

Finished Goods and an FFF

I thought I'd better show you the finished product using one of my first dichroic glass cabochons.

Just by coincidence I had been working on a right angle weave chain necklace made with Japanese rainbow colored beads. I was about three-fourths of the way done and I was feeling good about it. I had conquered RAW.

When I looked at my new cab and then at my new chain, I thought they complimented each other and so a new necklace was born. The bezel around the cab and the bail were made with peyote stitch. It feels so good to create something from beginning to end. (Well, OK, I didn't create the seed beads!)



My necklace is on it's way to a new home. A fellow Facebook friend (better known as an FFF) and I agreed on a trade. I'm receiving a wonderful leather cuff which will be a surprise and my daughter in South Dakota is receiving a necklace and leather bracelet. I think I made out very well on this trade!

My FFF has two shops on Etsy - Tocadora Leather and Blest Beads. Please check them out. Here's the bracelet and necklace that my daughter picked out. Aren't they beautiful! My daughter and her husband love EAGLES so this was the perfect bracelet for her.



Thank you FFF. Sometimes Life if So Good!

Ta Da! My First Dichroic Glass Pendants

I'm not a morning person. I usually stay up until 11pm and then read for at least 1/2 hour, so waking up before 8:00 is not my cup of tea, so to speak. But this morning was different. My eyes popped open at 6:30 and I had to sneak out of bed, get dressed and skip out to our shed where my kiln awaited. It was Christmas time!

My heart was beating fast and I was holding my breath. I was full of hope, but prepared for disappointment. I cautiously opened the door of the kiln.

I should have taken a picture of the pendants still in the kiln, but my mind just wasn't working that way. I couldn't wait to get my hands on them. Here's my precioussssssss pendants!

Pendant 1

Pendant 2

Pendant 3

OK, maybe they aren't the most beautiful pieces of dichroic glass in the world, but they mean so much to me. I learned a new skill and it was FUN! And I'm so looking forward to doing it again - and again - and again.

Let me know which pendant you like best and why. It will be fun to read your comments!

New Venture - Glass Fusion

I took a dichroic glass fusion class from Fusion Glass Company in San Diego last month. It was so much FUN! Using a variety of 90 COE dichroic glass and total freedom to be creative, we built our "potential" pendants. Here's an example of the pieces I chose for my 1st pendant. The black square will be the base.








I used this grinder/polisher to shape the glass.
I rounded down the corners so it wouldn't be
quite so square.







The pieces are all shaped and stacked on top of each other in the pattern and design I chose.

For my second pendant I chose a vibrant orange colored base, some wild glass for the middle and a clear glass top - and again I rounded the corners.



Both pendants are currently in my Sierra kiln. I'm praying that I was able to program it correctly so that it will do all the things it's supposed to do at all the right temperatures.

I'll know in about 6 hours. The suspense is intense (at least for me)!

Stay tuned for pictures of the finished product. Hopefully I will have some beautiful pendants to show you.