Look How I've Improved!

One of the best things that I've done this year is to go to Atlanta to meet Marcy Lamberson and take Caitlin Hyde's class with her. Now, Marcy is way ahead of me when it comes to sculptural work, but before I went, my sculptural pieces had psycho eyes and faces. The problem was little to no heat control. I was overheating every piece of glass I touched! Now, look at the difference.
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Meet Rapunzel.
She's a much improved sculptural figure, and she has no psycho eyes!





This figurine is a totally modern
Red Riding Hood. She wear jeans and a hoodie. Her eyes are good.
What a difference heat control makes. I needed to see the difference. By watching both Marcy and Caitlin, I learned what flame to use. It's much smaller than I had used before.


Isn't it great? Seeing is believing.
I learned a lot by seeing.

What I Learned in Caitlin Hyde's Class - Some of my class beads

We started out with faces. The face on the left is my class bead. The face on the right is the bead I made when I got home.

Oh, these beads are two sided. Stay tuned for side 2.
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Here's side 2.
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Skulls. The one on the left I made in class. The one on the right, I made at home.
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I've learned that it's all about heat control. I'm working with the smallest flame I have ever used now.















How about a creature?
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came about as a result of a doodle. I wanted to make a cell bead. It became a creature.


















It's my first Pixie bead. It's cute, but I like the second one so much better. Remember what I said about heat control? I'm learning. I'm learning!

















Now, this is my favorite. It was my last class bead. Caitlin's conference helped me so much!

Guess who this is?
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I'm wire wrapping it tonight!








Thank you, Caitlin, your class was excellent!

Caitlin Hyde--Watch her Make a Bead!

If you aren't able to make it to the Austin Blue Moon Glassworks on March 13th and 14th, you will miss an amazing experience! You will miss a class with Caitlin Hyde. You will miss the opportunity to learn how Caitlin makes a bead using a few simple tools and amazing heat control.

I was able to be in Caitlin's class last week in Atlanta, Georgia. Not only did we have a wonderful time, but we were taught by an excellent teacher who could explain to us the why's and how's of what we were doing. We learned about drawing out our designs. We were invited to conference with Caitlin, who, by the way, helped me so much with my beads. Overall, it was an amazing experience for me.

Now, if you can't attend Caitlin's class at the Blue Moon, please watch as she makes a bead.





Caitlin uses very few tools. I think I counted 3 + stringers. She worked primarily in ivory and black. This was such a switch for me who loves to work with many colors.


(Notice the bead she was wearing! I wish you could see it close up.) It was a beautiful picture bead. We made silhouette beads. Wow!







Notice the glow of her bead? That's a part of her amazing heat control. She teaches this technique well.
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Here Caitlin has added some basic colors to her bead. You should see this in person!




















See how this bead has changed? Wait until you see the end product.





















The round bead is now flat, and more is to come.
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She teaches you how to make this bead look the way it does. I was truly surprised.















Here, she's adding some dots to the bead. Almost finished!




















Wait! This is the tease photo! Where's the finished bead? Well, I have to tell you the truth. I forgot to take a photo of the finished bead. I have to say though, it was amazing!
If you want to see similar beads, be sure to visit Caitlin's website. You will see similar beads, or, if you're in the vicinity of Austin, Texas in March, you could sign up for her class. You will never be disappointed.




Oh, just a tiny bit of information about Caitlin, she's also a knitter. Marcy Lamberson, Caitlin and I went yarn shopping in Atlanta. It was fun! Caitlin was making socks! She chose some cute yarns.

Caitlin, did you finish your socks?

This is a teaser!

I have run out of time tonight to do justice to the class I took with Caitlin Hyde! Tomorrow, I will post more about the class. Just let me say now, it was AWESOME!

I also want to thank Marcy Lamberson for the invitation to visit and attend Caitlin's class. It was a blast!

Atlanta is a huge city, but it was so much warmer than here! Tomorrrow, I will blog about Caitlin's class. The next day, I hope, I will show some beads that I made in her class.

If you ever have a chance to take Caitlin's class, do not walk, but run to sign up! You will never regret it.

Look What Came in the Mail the Other Day!

My beads from Jennifer (Jangles) Heynen's class at the Bead and Button Show!

Jennifer, I don't think I'll be much competition for you in the art of ceramic beads, but thank you for the outstanding class!


I still have some clay and glaze, so I had better get in gear and practice this new craft. Maybe, someday, then, I'll come get closer to your level of design and skill!

If you have a chance to take a class from Jennifer, you will not regret it. Thanks, again,
Jennifer.

Sara Sally Grand Bead Class at the Bead and Button Show

Wow! Wow! Wow! You can call that my reaction to the class I took at the Bead and Button show taught by Sara Sally LaGrand. Not only is she a classy lady, but she is an awesome bead maker. Be sure to look at Sara Sally's website for a better look at her beads.

The class I took from Sara involved both color theory and the use of silver glass in bead making. For our non bead maker friends out there, silver glasses are not silver colored rods of glass, but glass rods inundated with silver that react in very distinctive ways when kissed by the flame of a torch.

Now, when you visit Sara Sally's website, you will see examples of beads using silver glasses made by a master bead maker. My class beads weren't the best, but I certainly learned a lot in this class about treating silver glasses more kindly than I had in the past. Here are my beads from the class.


















I love the pod beads and the crater bead. It cracked, though, but I will find a way to wear it! Thank you, Sara Sally, for the great class.

Oh, and Sara Sally was also featured in the Convergence display at the Bead and Button Show. The Convergence display was sponsored both by the Bead and Button Show and the ISGB (International Society of Glass Bead Makers). Here's Sara Sally's entry. Trust me when I say this, the photo does not do her work of wearable art justice.

















Do you see what I mean when I say Sara Sally is an amazing artist? She's also a class act person! So ends another day at the Bead and Button Show!