I just Completed Stephanie Lee's Handbook of Elements

online class!

I love Stephanie's classes!  She is an excellent teacher!

Here's the link to her blog with all the information you will need.

I truly enjoyed this class and I look forward to taking more classes from her in the future!

The class I took was called Handbook of Elements

and it was project based class in which we made books.

Now, Stephanie makes very big, beautiful books.

I made a very tiny, but I think, beautiful book

I am making more to take to my show next week.

Here's a sneak peek at the one I made.

I hope that the people at the show like the others.

This is one I'm keeping for me!

I'm wearing this one on a choker!  I really like it, and I've received many compliments on it already!

Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing your knowledge!

I'm Homesteading with Stephanie Lee!

These are works in progress.
When I'm finished,
I will have 3 rings made and quite a few pendants.
Yesterday,
I was able to solder on the ring bands.
I also added patina to several of the pieces,
but not all,
because I need to solder jump rings on to some of the pendants.
Today,
I will drill holes in the pendants that need holes.
I will add more patina,
then,
I will begin to add resin to the bezels and my bead cabachons.
So, what am I doing?
I'm Homesteading with
Stephanie Lee!
If you have a chance,
I do recommend this class.
It's well taught.
It's full of videos.
It's full of information.
It's been worth taking.
Thank you, Stephanie!
See the badge on my sidebar.
It should take you to the Homestead site!

Bernadette Fuentes, Master Artist and Teacher

I'd like to introduce you to Bernadette Fuentes, master artist, teacher, one of the most creative glass artists I have ever met.
I recently took an online class at CrafteEdu.com.
That class was titled: Flameworked Off Mandrel Hand,
and
it was taught by Bernadette.
Now, I don't have my hand to show you,
I need to watch the class again.
I have 11 times more to watch it in the next year.
I think I am going to need all of those viewings.
Bernadette makes something that is very difficult look very easy.
This tutorial is absolutely wonderful!
Bernadette explains each step completely.
However, there is a significant difference in her abilities and mine.
I need to watch the class more times so that I can make an off mandrel hand.

Now, Bernadette did send me some photos of her hands.
However,
because I have a quick delete hand,
I accidentally deleted it.
My next option was to photograph the hand I own
and show that to you.
So, I did.
In structure,
it is the same hand.
The colors are different.
I love my BF hand!
If you check out Bernadette's web site,
you'll be able to see
the hand that she teaches.
It is awesome
and
very reasonably priced.
Bernadette also offers another class on CraftEdu.com.
The class is called
Clear Encased Flower Bead.
That class is next on my list of online classes.
Now,
enjoy the photos I was able to steal from
Bernadette's Facebook Page.

Master artist!

Amazing Beads

Master Teacher!

I cheated!

You saw the elephant painting a self portrait! Wasn't that absolutely fabulous? If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't have believed it. Anyway, back to Sylvie's online Facebook class. This week the assignment was to make a bead that was a self portrait. I cheated! I uploaded 3 beads because I couldn't decide which one I liked the best. I'll let you decide. Sylvie suggested that we go online and look at the way other artists portrayed themselves. That's how I found the elephant video. I also found many of the more traditional self portraits, then I found Picasso's self portrait. It was fabulous! His nose was in one area. His eyes in another. I was absolutely fascinated! That's when the idea of an abstract self portrait might be the way to go.

So, I doodled and doodled. I found one design that I really liked. I used black as a base and pink, guess who loves pink, as the other color in the bead. The doodle I made just reminded me of an Egyptian symbol. for what, I don't know, but it did. (Since I am also working on improving my stringer control, I thought this would be the way to go.) Oh, I know I need more practice, but that's not the issue. This self portrait made me feel the joy of being open to new experiences. Hmmmm. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

So, then I cheated. I added two more photos. We were only supposed to add one, but.....



















Again, I tried to show joy in the movement of the glass. Arms are up in the air, and I feel like I am dancing.



















This bead shows the diva in me. If I knew how to make eyebrows that weren't frowns and lips that weren't crooked, this diva would be much happier. If she didn't have a crack in her forehead, she'd be happier, too. I suppose there is a diva in all of us. I have found mine.

So, Sylvie, forgive me. I cheated. You can scold me in your nicest mean voice. (Sylvie isn't so tough.) This was a great assignment!

No, this is not the challenge yet, but, the winner is....

I was really torn about which photo to use. The ones that were suggested in the comments were the ones I was thinking about, too. Tomorrow, I am making a bead that looks like the mailbox with the red flag. Well, maybe not the mailbox, but a bead in black with white and a huge blog of red. I am also going to make a turtle! I wish I had some glow powder. That would be fun because the turtle is a solar powered light.

Here's the photo I used, and here's the bead. The bead was very hard to shoot, so the pictures aren't very good. It's so much prettier in person. I honestly wish you could see it. It does remind me of the picture. I have to post this in the group yet, so you get to be the first to see it!
This is a shot of the city at dawn. It was about 6:30 AM. It is so pretty at that time. Yes, I am an early bird!
Doesn't this remind you of dawn? I'm going to show a brighter photo, too, just to show some of the details, but, I feel that this photo shows the bead best.