This is How It Starts....

Having recently discovered working with hot glass (in a small way), I take particular pleasure in knowing that Hudson, where I have lived for over thirty years was the site of a glass industry located on the shore of the Lake of Two Mountains. At it's height over a century ago, it was still possible (at least in the early years when I first moved here) to find colored glass while walking along the beach or just below the wharf.

I'm happy to have a place to work on my torch in my home even if it is in the basement. This is at it's messiest but it's a happy, colorful mess.





The glass starts out in rod form (as you see on my table next to the torch. Heated in the torch, it melts and I guide it on to a steel mandrel coated with a bead release formula that will let me slide the bead off later when completely cooled. After the base bead, several other colors can be added (a little like painting with molten glass) and texture can be left or completely melted in and then shaped into perfect little spheres, barrel shapes, squished between graphite paddles or even molded into presses. Lately I've been experimenting with sculpting the glass using small scale steel tools (steel because they can stand up to the heat taking care not to let them get so hot that they stick to the molten glass). Sculpting beads would be for the goddess type beads as an example which require shaping with the aforementioned tools as opposed to a symmetrical bead. Upon completion and while still so hot they've just lost the red glow, they are put into a fibre blanket to cool slowly to avoid thermal shock.
Then I gather together finished beads from the fibre blanket and slide them onto some mandrels to be put into the kiln to be annealed (takes the stress out of the glass that's accumulated during the time it's in the fire) although personally I find that part stressing myself......Finally they must have the bead release residue cleaned out of the holes before I can use them in jewellery.



.....and then the satisfying part....designing the finished product....

Barbados Inspired

The blue/green theme was definitely inspired by the shades of cool blue/green water stretching to the blue horizon.
The cluster of pearls in the first photo reminds me of the frothy surf.

Something New

I've done several designs over the past year that I'd like to expand on especially for weddings. Look for new "sets" of jewelry specifically for weddings that I'll be working on. I tend to follow my creative muse but will be doing more collections for the bride as well as the bridal party......here is just a sample......

Lucky Me!

Just had to show you what my daughter surprised me with this Christmas. I was blown away by her inventiveness. She's 19 and an aspiring photographer. She often uses her friends as models and secretly took their pics wearing jewelry that I made this year and then had it bound as a hard cover book. I was so excited that I wanted to share this with you. I'm now thinking that I will do another book with a compilation of my YOJ (Year of Jewelry) submissions and then maybe my paintings!
The model (Lindsay) is a friend of my daughter's.

Some of the vintage pieces that I have influenced some of the art work such as the antique Remington typewriter and the
doll size sewing machine.....and the last image of the hand in the jewellery cabinet was a gift to me of a trailing vine of
Morning Glories that krept in a barely opened window at one point in late summer and I couldn't bear to cut so I let it
grow and grow it did!......and bloomed in and around my cabinet.....a better display I couldn't have imagined.....

Two new necklaces....

Two new necklaces that I've added to my Etsy shop. The first one is a 40" plus beaded crochet lariat that is great to wear with jeans. It has a supple, sensuous feel to it too. The other is a triple strand of pearls alternating with hex cut bronze tube beads that glint and glitter...a nice counterpoint to the lustre of pearls. The pearl colors are pinks and shades of bronze and moss green. A nice departure from the usual pearl necklace......

This week's theme for the Year of Jewelry Project that I belong to is
"Atmosphere" - I thought this pearly grey Mother of Pearl with natural pearls and sparkling crystal
was "atmospheric" and frosty - appropriate for this month of March......