More of my 10,000 Favorite Etsy Artisans!

Don't you just love those fabulous glass artists who can make glass do anything they would want it to do? In this blog, today, I am going to feature some of my 10,000 favorite glass artists on Etsy. You will be drooling before you finish reading this post!

I've just discovered this fabulous artist! She does amazing things with glass. Take a look at this owl. Isn't he sweet?







This wonderful work of wearable art comes from
Betsymn's Handmade Lampwork Beads on Etsy. Be sure that you shop this store for more great articles of glass!

Lakeside Lampwork, on Etsy, is another wonderful store who's proprietor can do magical things with glass. Look what I found in this store!















Wouldn't you love to wear this awesome work of wearable art on your bracelet or necklace? Amazing!

Anne Ricketts of AMR Glassworks is also on Etsy! I took a class from Anne a few years ago, and I learned so much. Take a look at some of her fabulous work!


















This tribal mask, featured by Anne in her store, is Amazing! When you visit her store, you will find so much more there, too!

Beads by Traci is another fabulous glass store on Etsy.














Oh, my goodness! Look at this bracelet with all of Traci's fabulous beads! I know I'd sure like to own this one! Wow!

Last, but not least, is Lenora's Art Glass Designs on Etsy. The glass in this store is as yummy as anyone else's you have seen in this blog today, and I am truly drooling. Look at this work of wearable art found in Lenora's store.
















It is amazing! I love the colors and the silver caps on the bead ends.

I hope you enjoyed this quick tour of some of my top 10,000 glass artisans on Etsy. Stay tuned, there will be more to come!

If you haven't seen this, sit back and enjoy!

Making a Necklace

How do you make a necklace. Here's what I did. first I made the chain. It's a viking knit chain necklace. That was step one.














Step two: Lay out the beads the way you think they would look good on this necklace. I made all the beads, and I've very happy I made them.

















Sometimes, things happen and change, but the result is still wonderful!

















This is one I'm keeping! I love my new necklace!

How Many People Have a Rainbow in Their Bedroom

Today, I slept in a bit. When I woke up, I looked at the wall to my left. Look what I found--a rainbow! How many people wake up and find a rainbow in their bedroom? That's the first time it happened to me. How about you? If you were making a bead or another type of art, what would this inspire you to make?

Some of My 10,000 Favorite Etsy Stores

Well, I'm not sure that Etsy has 10,000 stores, but if they did, the stores that I will showcase would be among my favorite 10,000!













Of course, as a very proud mom, I have to show you Jenny's store first! She's an astounding photographer! Her store has lots of cards for you to use! You won't be disappointed. Here's Illuminated!

















These beads are from Deb Batten's store: Firebird Flame Work. The gorgeous beads are called:

Petrified Desert - Accent Disks and Rounds Lampwork 21 Bead Set, SRA

Right Turn Artwerks, curated by Sharon Driscoll, is a fabulous store full of brightly colored beads, both sculptural and, somewhat, traditional.













These are Baby Skulls, and Sharon makes them by special order.

Now, how about a visit to Sydney Austin Designs?













This gorgeous necklace is called: Peppermint Necklace. Be sure to check out her other items.

Last, but not least, comes from Plays With Fire, a store curated by Patty Lakinsmith. Patty has some fabulous items in her store, including tutorials, and this great brooch.














This fabulous piece of wearable art is called:

Pink Lipped Lil Green Meanie Brooch!

Aren't these store great! Take some times and visit! You won't be disapointed.

All Right, Who Put These Beads in My Bead Box? They Can't be Mine!

At first, I though, these can't be mine! The colors are muted! The beads are etched! These are totally different from my normal style of bead. Hmmm! Could I be changing? I don't know. I only wish I knew which part of my brain they came from. We'll see what happens as summer mutates into autumn.

Beads of Courage - Tear Jerker Get the Kleenex Ready

Beads of Courage! You can help, too! Get the kleenex. This is a tear jerker, but please watch it! This tells the store of courage that just can't be matched!

I love This Etsy Store!

This is one of my many favorite stores on Etsy! The little blurb under their banner might scare you away, but don't let it. What does it say? "Steampunk Jewelry Gothic Jewelry Macabre Jewelry"
Don't let that cause you to move beyond the first page of London's Gate. Look at the remarkable items I found in this store!




The title for this ring is long, but look what an amazing find it is!

Tiny Shiny Brass Vintage 17 Jewel Watch Movement Unisex Steampunk Neo Victorian Adjustable Ring (BB1)

The great thing is, that there are so many other items there, too!

















This gorgeous piece of jewelry also has a long name, but it's fabulous!

Antique Silver Vintage 17 Jewel Watch Movement Pink Rose Steampunk Book Locket Pendant Necklace

Isn't their work amazing?













Here's a touch of the macarbe, but I like it!

Skeleton Key Skulls Silver Steampunk Pendant Necklace

See what I mean, their work is amazing!

















Here's a touch of gothic. I love it!

Sateen Black Antique Silver Genuine Vintage German Crystal AB Glass Cabochon Steampunk Choker Pendant Necklace

I love what they say in their shop announcement.
Welcome to Londons Gate! We create Dark Themed Rings, Pendants, Earrings, and other forms of beautiful jewelry. Our wearable art has Steampunk, Victorian, and even Gothic influences. All pieces are handmade by either myself or Hallucination. We are not a business. We're just a couple of young people doing what we love in our little 'valley' apartment. We do all the creating, picture taking, listing and packaging ourselves.

Now, what could be better than that?

I'm a Big, Fat Copy Cat!

Do you remember this post by AngelinaBeadalina in her blog? Quick, go and take a look. It's important for this blog.













Ang, made this elephant and showed it in her blog.

If you have read Ang's blog or followed her art online or visited her Etsy shop, you have been fortunate enough to come to know an exceptional artist! That is reason enough to call AngelinaBeadalina, a master of her craft! This now takes us back to this elephant, and why I wanted to talk about it.

Yes, I am a big, fat copy cat. Yes, I deliberately copied a piece of Ang's work. In this day and age when copying issues are huge in the glass community, I copied this elephant without Ang's permission, but with Ang's gracious permission I am going to show you my version of Ang's elephant.

















Clearly, you will see differences. I don't know why, but so many of my sculptures have boogers in their noses. We used different glass colors, but I don't think this is a bad copy. I'm also not as good a sculptural artist as Ang is, but I'm working on it.

Oh, and lest you think I will benefit from my act of being a big, fat copy cat, I'm not. This bead will be in my next box to Beads of Courage. Thanks, Ang!

Happy 30th Birthday, Nick!

I don't know how this happened. My baby, who yesterday was still a baby, turns 30 today!

Happy Birthday, Nick!













Now, for the memories.

I remember the little boy, who when we lived in Chicago, came running into the house yelling, "Mom! Mom! I'm rich! I'm rich!" Why was he rich? He found this.
Yes, he was rich! Me, too! He shared his riches with me!
















This is my little boy who called me into his room, after we had moved into our new house saying, "Mom, come and see! I have the prettiest look!"

















Just a few more memories.








Nick was in the newspaper. He was eating a hot dog at a local festival when he was a sweet, cute little boy.

















Of course, now that he's grown up, there are even better photos to share!

















One of my favorites! Nick, the die hard Cubs fan!
Happy Birthday, Nick!

Somedays You Should Just Stay in Bed

Do you notice anything about my socks? Some days, it pays to follow your instincts and stay in bed.

I didn't this morning. I wonder how many people noticed? I didn't notice until I had finished torching. That was almost near noon. Luckily,
I did shave my legs.

Breathe Again

New Toys, I Mean New Tools

Like Deb Batten of Firebird Flamework, I recently purchased some new tools. I also purchased the tools from CG Beads. Donna also has a store on Etsy where the buyer can purchase these wonderful tools!



These are the tools I purchased. I bought the large oval and the donut maker. Did I say that I love these tools? They are so easy to use and they work like a dream come true! As I make more beads, I will show photos of these beads! I am in love!

The other tool I bought is one I found in a local thrift store. I paid 25 cents for this tool! Take a look, I have a new masher!

So, what do you think? Have you tried CG Beads tools? If so, how much do you love them? Do you like my new bead masher? I love it. It works so well, and I don't have a tendency to loose it!

What do you see when you see a lentil?

One of my favorite bead presses to use is my lentil press. There are many different types of presses available on the market. The one that I am using now is made by Cattwalk tools. I'm actually using Catt's button press as my lentil press, and I love it! You can see from the photo that this press has had a bit of use! To make a long story short, one day, as my muse sunbathed near the Adriatic Sea, or where ever she was, I decided to see what I could make with my lentil press.






#1) a pretty bead



















#2) The alien in each of us!



















#3) An eye bead


















#4) A cheese pizza



















#5) A Big Fat Cupcake


















#6) A Cherry Pie



















Now, what do you see when you see a lentil? More to come much later.

Tooth Soap! Huh?

I knew I was going to need some toothpaste soon. Instead, I searched Etsy to see if I could find some tooth soap. Yes, you can believe what you are reading--tooth soap. There had been several discussions about tooth soap on Lampworketc, a forum for people who make and sell lampwork beads.

I came across a store on Etsy called: Rose of Sharon Acres.

It was here that I found my tooth soap and many other wonderful herbal remedies. There were choices available. Monica carries tooth soap in different sizes. I chose the family size. I think this will last me until the day I die! There is tooth soap with and without Xylitol. Read the information on Xylitol in the listing. It's very interesting.

When my package arrived, I took it upstairs and started to brush my teeth. Suddenly, I went back to the days of my childhood when money was tight, and all we could afford was Ivory Soap to brush our teeth. Well, to be truthful, when the moment of truth arrived, even though this tooth soap is flavored, (I chose the mint.), I still tasted soap.

















From the discussions I had read on LE, the people who had used the tooth soap, and now swore by it, said it was necessary to rinse many, many times. The people involved in the discussions, also said to be sure to rinse with mouthwash. That is true. The great news is that when you have finished brushing, and you have finished rinsing, your mouth is clean.
















It does take a lot of rinsing to get rid of the taste. Yes, when you are finished, your teeth are clean and your mouth is clean. I love the tooth soap. No, I don't like the taste, but I love the results!

What are you Reading Now?

I'm reading the 15th book in the Stephanie Plum series written by Janet Evanovich. The wonderful and memorable characters of Stephanie, extremely sexy Joe, Lula, hunk of a man, Ranger, have already made appearances in the book. I'm only on Chapter 4, but I think this will be a great! This is a series I recommend if you don't mind laughing until tears roll off your face. I also think you need to remember that you will get to know the characters in the book, and you will want to invite them over for the holidays. Don't read this alone. Be willing to share and don't be afraid to laugh.

Holly's Folly

Wow! When I first started out looking for items to feature that would tell the story of Holly Dare, I had no idea of all the spots I would find. Holly is on Etsy, 1000Markets, Blogger, and she has her own website. Whew! That's a lot of work for anyone!










Look at this beautiful shell! As you can guess, Holly makes lampwork beads.















Look at this shot of Holly's blown shells. This blown shell is to die for! Amazing!

Here's what Holly has to say about herself: "Old fashioned Southern Belle (yeah, we still exist) whose greatest joy is the daily hikes with my dog. I make food safe rubber stamps (combining the love of baking and stamping) and also make lampwork beads and sell jewelry. In my spare time, I write for tv and other clients and dabble in web development. "

Wow! I'm tired already! I don't think I could keep up with her. Be sure to visit Holly in the places I listed! I think you'll see some wonderful beads, and learn more about this very interesting artisan!

Like Discs? I have Discs!

Lately, I've been making discs. I love discs! There are so many uses for them. You can add discs to necklaces or bracelets. You can even make rings. Since this is going to be a shameless self promotion day, you'll get to see some of my offerings.










I made this bracelet for last month's Art Bead Scene Blog's monthly challenge. I listed this in my Etsy Store.
















These discs are called Albuquerque Sunrise. I was always an early bird, and these colors remind me of the colors of an Albuquerque Sunrise. They are in my etsy store.
















This set of discs called Toxic Blue is in my Artfire Store.
















This set is called "On the Edge," and it's also in my Artfire store.


















This necklace is called Ripening Olives, and it's in my 1000Markets store. Note the ruffled disc in the center of the necklace.

That's it for today. No more shameless self promotion for a while!

Art Bead Scene's Monthly Challenge - Cave Paintings

I don't participate in every monthly challenge from the Art Bead Scene Blog. (The link will take you to the monthly challenge.)

This month's (July) challenge is the Lascaux Cave Paintings. The goal is to use an art bead made either by yourself or someone else and turn the item into a finished product. Now, I think my entry will qualify. I made a bead then turned the bead into a bracelet by adding one of my viking knit chains. A random drawing is made at the end of July and a winner is selected. There are prizes. Woooohoooo! So, ta-da! Here's my entry. What do you think?