Did you say vessels?

So, I got this new glass and felt the need to make a bunch of it into vessels. It is wispy and nice to work when making hollows... a bit "stiffer". These are not the best pictures... not a great angle, but they were quick and dirty, just to get them up.

"Orange You Glad" I started with this one? I grabbed this vibrant orange rod and voila! The very center wrap is yellow which doesn't show up unless you are really looking for it. The neck of this vessel is very slim and sinuous, swelling to a voluptuous body... wow!

"Spun Sugar" I almost feel like this one would be sugary and sweet like cotton candy at the Fair. I even love the (unplanned) bubbles in the handle. It is just sweet, sweet, sweet. The top is straighter than it looks in the picture - as I said, the photos are not the best.

"Deep Sea Amphora" This one looks like it may have been dredged up from the depths, or found by chance along the shore. What a find that would be! Again, I'm using one of those colors I love that remind me of beach glass. Pale turquoise swirls.. yum.

"Sparkling Jungle" Can you see the sparkles in this one? The glass has tiny bits of silver all through it and in a bright light, it sparkles like stars shining through the canopy of a rain forest.

Tomorrow, some experiments with some more of those half and half beads... and a trip to the Intergem show at Timonium.

Outta the kiln...

These are the florals I was talking about yesterday (I think it was yesterday). I was having some problems getting a good picture and finally got the tripod out and these turned out better. The one on the left has silver wrapped on the base, under the flowers and the oneon the right is an experiment with dichroic. I think I need to read up on that a bit more.

I'd save the best for last, but I'm so anxious to post this. It is Caliente glass from Canada and very similar to Gaffer. It is hand pulled and I love the effects that result, just from the "plain" glass. The handles are even. which is a major accomplishment in itself! And the Foster Fire release, again is amazing, not much residue to wrestle out in a vessel... YES!

These are what resulted yesterday from just trying to make something interesting with some of my favorite colors... Teal and Topaz. I'm not thrilled with them, but will persevere and maybe wind up with another nifty charm bracelet full of various styles of beads, with just colors to tie them together.

In the groove

It seems I've finally found my rhythm. Get up early, turn on the kiln, clean and photo beads, then torch for a couple of hours. These are the goodies I produced yesterday and I'm pleased. Nothing spectacular, but a fun set nevertheless. They remind me of toy jacks, so that is what they will be called.

I also made a couple of large florals - one with silver inside and another using dichroic (one of my first ventures into using it). I didn't get any good pix of them yet. Gotta get the tripod out for the close ups.

The rest of the day is free for soap and whatever other project awaits.

The current project is trying to get my sister, Tina, moved. We're experiencing a LOT of rain and storms, so actual moving is out of the question and luckily, it isn't pressing (except, she and her daughter are ready).

We have had a lot to sort through because this was the house where our mother lived until her death last March. Mom had not only her own possessions, but also, those of her mother stashed throughout the house. She was also something of a pack rat, so there are lots of decisions to be made.

We made three piles: what needed to stay, what needed to be thrown away and what would go to a yard sale (to be held next month at our brother's house). This sorting is interesting as we find the bizarre and the long lost treasure. Feelings would have been too raw to make the decisions that had to be made last year and I am glad we had the time for healing.

So, the kiln is clicking and it's time for my morning torching session... I can hardly wait to see what comes out of the kiln tonight!

Onward!

Phew! Well, it appears that little blip is over, so on we go...

First, I must begin with these beads. This is one of my favorite color combinations in glass. They were in my head and actually appeared as I envisioned them. (I love it when that happens!) I cleaned the holes, but they still need a bath in Coke to clean up the grayish haze on the solid color. Even with the haze, they are just what I was hoping for. Such a "beachy" feel to them, I think I have to make something from them rather than holding on to them to sell as a set.

Not to be outdone, we played with some new soap ideas and are pretty pleased with the results.

The first soap, on the left is the result of the Bear fat I showed in a previous post. It is so hard and creamy and white. We scented it with a nice smoky, woodsy combination of essential oils and it turned out really nice. I washed my hands with it almost immediately, even though it hadn't cured yet. The lather is lotiony, but, of course, since it isn't cured, my skin was tight (although still very soft) after washing. If those mountain men could have gotten hold of some nice coconut oil, they would have had a lovely soap!

The swirly copper colored soap is "Wild Ginger". We love the scent and if it holds, it is a sure winner. This is the first soap I have ever made that will actually match the terra cotta pavers in our main bathroom and also, our "cinnamon taupe" (okay, pink!) kitchen. And the aroma.... a citrusy ginger.

The third soap is something I just wanted to do for midsummer. We made all three of these on Midsummer's day, but this was special. Almost every fancy schmancy oil and butter I had went into it along with powdered rose petals and rose clay. Not as glamorous as I had hoped, but it should be fabulous when it is cured.

For any soapers reading this, I have to mention that after making soap since the early 90's I have never tried discounting my water before and these are the result of my first experiments with water discount. After this experience, I will never use full water again and can't believe it took me so long. If you have not tried it, don't wait any longer!

Hmmm Something strange going on

I don't know what's going on with this blog. Everything was fine and suddenly there's no sidebar and no history... I'm aware of it and am working on it, but with my limited knowledge of html, I'm not sure if it'll get fixed. If not, I guess I'll start a new one and post the link to it here.

Edited to add: Well, it seems all I had to do was to make a new post... I have no idea!

And still more..

Yes, I waited 'til the kiln was cool enough. And I have to say, I've been using Foster Fire bead release and can't get over how quickly and completely the beads clean up with this stuff..

Anyhow, I had to come up with a name for these and all I can think of is "Custard Dots". The yellow color reminds me of custard, so creamy and oddly enough, I guess the pale lavender/periwinkle color does too. I had some fun with a new press for the cubes and "jewels" and was pleased to see that I was accurate enough that the dots actually hit the corners of the beads. A few squiggled kaleras sprinkled in and it's a pretty nice set. Oh, and of course, the heart!

And then I made "Daisies Won't Tell". I've personally been wearing a lot of the bright "grizzly green" (as my grandmother would have said) with my jeans and this is a perfect match for that combo. Doesn't it look - perky?

The flowers are pretty detailed in that I split the petals so they look even more natural than usual. The round blue beads are some sponge coral that I searched and searched for last year because I knew it would match this glass so well - and because I just love the color.

All in all, it has been a pretty productive couple of days. I need to do this more often!

Torching again

I've been back to the torch. A little rusty with the stringer control, but this color combination just inspired me to keep going and going!

There are enough here to do a bracelet and earrings, maybe even a necklace, if there are plenty of "companion" beads added in.

I have some others in the kiln and am having trouble letting it cool completely. I'll post them later, or if I must, tomorrow.

The past couple of mornings, I've been getting up early, coming out to the shop and just "going to town". It's a good system for me and I need to keep at it. There is a "edge" involved in lampworking and too much time away from the torch will cause one to lose it.

Babies & bear fat

Aren't these little guys adorable? They're the latest additions to "Bob's Menagerie". I wish he had put his hand in with them so you could see how tiny they are. Fluffed out, they aren't quite as big as ping pong balls!

They are partridges - chukkers. We raised them before and a few of them hung around for months. They found a place to roost inside one of the bays of our shop. We left the doors open and they would come in to get out of the wind. They would line up on a rafter and it was a bit disconcerting to be standing there talking to a Christmas tree customer and happen to look up and see a line up of chukkers looking back. I'm sure it was even mor startling for the customer!

And then there's this stuff. This is bear fat. A customer was here for trees and one thing led to another. The next thing I knew he came back with these jars of bear fat for me to use to make soap.

I know how to do it. I have no doubt it will turn out well. I just can't decide how to scent it. Something woodsy? Yeah, that's probably a good idea. What should I add? Coconut for bubbles, for sure. Nothing will be necessary to harden it up. Maybe some honey!

And one last thing. Have you seen the new Ford commercial with Taylor Hicks - our new American Idol? I like the guy. I like the commercial, but, jeesh! They must play that commercial a million times a day!

Catching up

It isn't that I haven't been thinking about blogging. Everything just wasn't in the right place at the same time... how's that?

Last Saturday - was it that long ago??? we got the latest edition of The Essential Herbal in the mail. As always, it's going to be another great edition, full of lots of info and fun articles.

We somehow managed to get this edition out at almost the same time we put Tina's latest book together. It's the one about wild foods I mentioned before. I may be tempted to try some new "wild" stuff even though that isn't my usual cup of tea, so to speak!

One of the last few evenings, I snapped a picture of the sunset. They are so beautiful around here - the creamy colors of the sky and all the trees in silhouette.

This is our view from Frog Hollow. As you can tell from the name... we are usually looking up at the sunset.

I have been working on jewelry and beads.

I think I've shown these fairies before. One lady bought all three as Christmas gifts - and another lapiz one that I haven't finished making into a necklace yet.

Anyhow, this is how I string them on waxed linen with matching beads from my stash. The fringey part must be trimmed and finished, but I'm happy with how they are turning out. They are special beads and they will be very special necklaces.

Today, I was working with twisties and made a couple of pretty nice vessels with them. I like to make them so that they are transparent and it is easy to see that they are actually hollow. I haven't cleaned it yet... I get the idea I shouldn't be showing it without cleaning, but I was excited that I produced something for a change, so here you go...! The little post in the center will be gone once it is cleaned. That is the "mandrell" or the stick that the glass is wound around while it is being worked.

I made another vessel that unfortunately wound up with a pinpoint hole in the side, so it will just have to reside with me... It's ivory and covered with various twisties. I guess it was just a little too complex to make it.

What a Weekend

Well, this was a fun weekend! After finishing up the orders, we had most everything still packed up, except the soap, from Landis Valley.

Alloway Creek Herb Farm is tucked way back from the main road. Barb and Roger Steele put together a great bunch of artists and herb people to produce a really nice show.

There is garden art, jewelry, clothing, plants (of course), soap and bath products, books and magazines - and great food, too!

We met some great people and really enjoyed ourselves, despite the heat of Friday and the chill on Saturday - all the while being menaced by hovering clouds....

One of the cutest things we saw was an 8 week old Corgi Puppy! One of the vendors was telling us about her new baby and then her kids showed up at the end of the show to help break her display down. They brought the baby along.... awwww....

Almost enough to make me think maybe Rudy DOES need a new brother!

The other adorable thing we saw both nights, on the way home, was the neighborhood Alpacas. I've shown them here before, but they never warmed up to the camera before... and now they've been shorn.

I'm not sure what is going on with the black one on the left... but they were all much more friendly than ever before... I wonder if they think they look funny when they are wooly and so they try to hide.. Yeah, that must be it... shy...

Doncha just love the little pom poms they leave on their heads?

Burning the candle at both ends...

So, we got home from the weekend of frivolity. I knew I had two big orders waiting to be filled. I knew we had a garden show to get ready for. I knew there is a new book and a new magazine which will need to be set up very soon.

I had forgotten that the show begins on FRIDAY. That meant a 3 day week!

Tina came up and gave me a hand. We got the orders out and 4 batches of soap put to bed. I got most of Tina's book transferred into the right format and actually have a few days to get it "massaged" into shape. Parts of the magazine are in place...

One more day of prep for the show... I think we'll make it.

Oh yeah, and she's trying to get moved! At least that can take place at a leisurely pace - more or less.

Pictures at 11 - well, soon.

The Weddin'

So here we have the new cousins-to-be, Kristin, Molly and Rob. Kristin is holding her bouquet, Molly is holding some "props" for a blending of the sands ceremony which works well in beach weddings - much better than the unity candle. Rob is just standing there with the girls, waiting for the wedding to begin.

This was a pretty nifty idea. It was early enough (10 am) that the beach wasn't yet crowded or overly hot. The weather was glorious after all the last minute worries about a stormy day.

And the happy couple were gorgeous themselves. I have a feeling everyone is happy that it went well and is OVER!

The wedding went quickly and then many there hung out on the beach.. We aren't especially fond of the beach anymore, although the kids came back to the motel, changed and then headed back over for an hour or so.

Dinner was scheduled for 5 PM and we had a great dinner at the Village Inn in Chincoteague. We all went back to Sue's parents' house to play a little Guesstures and then headed back to the motel... A game playing family .. sounds familiar!

Chincoteague

So, here are the beads I made to match the sarong/scarf that I'm planning to wear to the wedding tomorrow along with my dress.

They wound up pretty "flashy" so I etched them to try to make them a bit "softer". I did manage to make a bracelet and probably will get a pair of earrings done for tomorrow. I don't have the chain with me that I would like to use to make the necklace from the extra large straught sided lentil. Maybe I can make it into a pendant since I do have some silver wire with me.... we'll see.

So, the day today was mainly spent driving to Chincoteague. This is the view from our balcony - sunset over the Chesapeake Bay... a "God sky".

I used to come this route when I was traveling back and forth from Norfolk for some medical stuff over 20 years ago. It used to be so much easier back then - or at least it seemed easier.

The roads seem to be much improved although also much busier.. I really did love the trip back then and, in fact, would drive it from time to time just to visit friends who were going through procedures at different times than I was!

Exciting events

I hate to be reporting on the same things as my sister, but since we basically spent the past two days together and they have been somewhat eventful, I guess that's what I'll have to do!
Tina's been working on a new book which will be called "Wild Foods for Every Table". Yesterday, we decided it was time to start planning the cover. As we planted the garden up at what will soon be her new house, we discussed ideas and by the time we were finished, we decided to give it a shot.

The picture to the left is not the one we will be using for the cover. You can see the finished product at the link to the book, above. This particular picture didn't have enough room at the top for the title, but we loved it and think it would make a great poster... We'll see! Of course, I played around with a couple of effects on Photoshop which make the candle flame more prominent, etc.... (Don't worry, I still have the original, which is probably better anyway).

The other memorable thing was this morning. We had a delivery to take out deep into Amish country and set out on our way relatively early. We got off the highway and immediately noticed a LOT of Amish buggies on the road. I mean a LOT! It appeared that the entire Amish population was out and about... taking back the roads!

We saw the basic buggies, and THEN there were the chariots, the station wagon style buggies, open buggies with ponies pulling them and any other kind of horse drawn vehicle you can imagine... It was very weird. I've lived in this county all my life and NEVER seen anything like it. The buggies, which are usually relegated to the side of the road, were two abreast (they were PASSING each other).

As it turns out, this is Ascension Day, which is a big Amish holiday. It is an excuse to take the day off and picnic with family and friends... very similar to the way we celebrate Memorial Day. All the Amish businesses are closed today (which foiled our delivery).

I know I wound up in Amish Country before on either Ascension Day or Whitmonday (which I still don't know what that is - apparently both are quite important in Amish holidaydom!) and no one was open... I just never saw the profusion of families on the move before.

Aside from these two things, I did finish a "different" set of beads this morning and may be able to photograpgh them a bit later. The colors are perfect to match a sarong/scarf I just bought and may wear this weekend (as part of an outfit)for our brother Tom's wedding at the beach. Stay tuned!

Fairies - as promised

Here's a surprise! For a change, I am doing what I promised.

Yesterday, for the first time in a long while, I sat down at the torch and decided to create some new fairies. They seem to keep flying away, which is a good thing, but I do love them and love having them around.

The first fairy is a combination of purples. She has some silver inside which sparkles through the purple layers. Somehow I grabbed an orange stringer (by mistake) to start her hair and it turned out just beautifully. The orange hilights add a little oomph to her coloring!

It is unusual to see them alone - not made into a necklace - because they just seem to inspired me and I can't help but put them together with some gorgeous beads. I guess it's because fairies have such an affinity for sparkly things!

Second is the blue fairy... I just love doing these because I use the Galaxy glass I got a year or so ago to give the blue fairies a dreamy look. And, before you ask, no, she is not topless.. she has a gossamer wrap about her (ample) bosom.

I tend to hoard this glass because I've never seen it available since that first time. I tried buying, from another supplier, a glass called "Iceberg" that is very similar, but has yellowish tinges to it, rather than the pure icy, creamy blue of the Galaxy.

Anyhow, the blue just seems "right" for fairies... too much Pinnochio, I guess!

So, what's new?

I will show you some of the latest.

The lovely birds on the left are the most recent addition to our never ending menagerie. Bob decided we need some wild turkeys in the woods... so he bought in some peeps and here they are. They are standing on one of the numerous shelters inside their roomy cage. They are still too young to be out in the world alone... although yesterday, we were planting some wild plants down in the woods and thought we heard some wild, wild turkeys chattering away just waiting for their new friends to join them.

The cage (aviary!) is next to the asparagus patch and these guys are about as friendly as they can be... We go out to pick asparagus and they are all over on the roof (like in the picture) asking what we are doing, and when are we going to throw in some more of that delicious chickweed?

There are some younger pheasants in the garage.. still bathing under a heat lamp and we're waiting for a bunch of partridge chicks... Never a dull moment. Yup, that's why I married him!

And then, there's this structure. My brother, Tom, had to call me just to find out what the heck this is for. Well, this year, it's going to be an arbor for gourds to grow on. That will be the experiment this year. Next year? Who knows?

Oh, the little towers in the front? It seems my dh, Bob, was watching Martha Stewart(!) and saw this use for old windows. He had been rehabbing some rental properties and just happened to have a number of old window frames. They are now tomato towers... pretty cool, huh? You plant the tomatoes inside and tie them up to the windows and crossbars. We've never really groomed them properly, but I think if you keep after them, they'd be really nice. Maybe this year we'll do them right!

Tomorrow.. some new fairy beads!

What I could say

I could tell you about the past couple of days at Landis Valley and all the fun it was seeing old friends and making new ones at an event we haven't attended for over 5 years, but, you'll have to check in at Tina's Blog for that.

When I got home last night, I put my feet up and pretended to watch TV. From time to time, I would regain conciousness and think about eating something or going to bed, but it wasn't 'til about 11 when I finally dragged back to bed and crashed for real!

I think my Mothers' Day gift was the guys showing up yesterday afternoon at the end of the show to load up the tables and everything they could take in the pick up. Neither Tina nor I are as spry as we were 5 years ago when we would load and unload everything with no problem except a few laughs and groans. The guys came in like the cavalry and really were wonderful.

This morning when I came out to the shop to unload the Rav, these flowers were my Mothers' Day bouquet. I took a bunch of pictures, but loved the rose against the turquoise, red and white of the shop!

Resin experiments, etc

For the past week, I feel like I've been in a whirl with a number of projects going at once (like that's something new)! I'm getting ready for Landis Valley Herb Faire, working on a Viking knit bracelet (how ya doing on yours, Faith?), catching up on soapmaking and playing with resin.

The class I took a few weeks ago from Susan Lenart Kazner was about casting with resin. Shapes, embedding, etc.

Sunday morning, Tina & I were playing with it and yesterday, I finally sat down, with a bit more experience under my belt and produced a few things that might actually warrant a look.

The yellow flower in the first photo is a tiny Johnny-Jump-Up. The resin is apparently alkaline and pulls blue colors out of most things that are embedded. I think the flower wound up looking like a yellow orchid.. pretty cool.

The background is still rough and will become quite smooth if I apply a thin layer to the back of the piece and allow it to cure.

The second picture - the Maple leaf is actually a stamp of a Maple leaf. I stamped it on a piece of Shrinky Dink and shrank. Then I applied a "dam" around the piece and added resin.

I think it turned out pretty well. The leaf looks real - very tiny and detailed. Because it is on a clear backing, it seems to just float in the middle of the puddle.

The last piece I'm showing is my Lancaster County Soapworks logo.

I did a couple of these and they all turned out well. I printed out the logo on the computer... it's only 1/2 x 1/2". I had a tiny square of glass the same size and put "dams" around the sides.

First I poured a drop or two of resin on the bottom, then slid the tiny slip of paper on top of it and finished filling the mold.

Since I took these pictures this morning, I have worked on the charms and found that the sides on most have come off somewhat easily and after a bit of filing, they look almost like cabochons. Little nuggets. Now, to decide what to do with them.

I'll have to think about it as I continue getting ready for the Herb Faire... Still got lots to do on that project!

Candle & Soap beads and the real thing!

Wow.. I'm managing to combine a bunch of things all in one post. It even has something to do with business!

Last year, I started making soap beads with holes large enough to be strung on a chain and hung around the neck. We took them to a couple of soap conventions and sold quite a few.

This year, Kitty from Kangaroo Blue contacted me to see if I could make someting special for her. Kangaroo Blue is a popular supplier to soap and candle makers.

I made a slightly different version for her. They are charms - wired with a sterling silver loop for hanging. I found a rectangular press so they are now much more uniform in size and shape than last year.

Kitty wondered if I could do something for the chandlers and I wracked my brain until the idea for this candle charm popped into my brain.

It so happened that shortly after the idea hit, I was attending a bead show where I was able to find the exact components I needed to make this charm.

I love the little sterling candle holder and the sparkly crystal candle "flame". It really turned out better than I had even hoped!

Now, as to soap... Yesterday we had a fun, creative and yet productive day making some new soap varieties.

We had some special soaps to make for one particular customer, but once we got started... It just got the creative juices going et voila!

Starting from the top left and going clockwise:

Rosemary - scented with Rosemary eo and swirled with the powdered herb.

Doublemint - one of my favorite combinations of eo's and double swirled with the same colors (red and aqua) as the Starlight mints flavored the same.

This is close to the scent I call Wise Woman, but changed just a bit for a special customer. So we don't get confused, we marbled this one with burgundy oxide.

And finally, Happy Camper, a soap made to combat the itching of poison ivy and mosquito bites. We collected and blended jewelweed and plantain to make the interesting "pesto-like" addition and then scented lightly with tea tree and lavender eo's.

Numma!

Wisteria memories and an ID

I love Wisteria! I remember it growing over the back porch at my Great Aunt Mary's house and sitting out there with various great aunts (my grandmother was the youngest of 17!) while they chatted in early spring. The bees would always be buzzing away as they explored the intoxicating fragrance of the blossoms.

Later in the summer, the lush green leaves were a cooling canopy for us while we cleaned "snap" beans for a family dinner.

I suspect those memories prompted me to plant the one in the picture above about 8 years ago. In the past couple of years it has finally come into its own. I'm sure I planted it much too close to the house and with construction planned for the summer, it may have to be moved.

Spring is so full of beautiful sights, I can't seem to stop posting about them. Soon, I may have some glass to gush about, but right now...

This yellow flower is one we couldn't identify off-hand in one of our rambles. As it turns out, it is Marsh Marigold. Seeing it at a distance, we just weren't quite sure of it - thought perhaps it was an amazing stand of yellow violets. We saw more and more expanses and finally got close enough to snap a few pictures. After some consultation with a wildflower field guide, we came to the correct conclusion.