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Friday, January 25, 2013

New work for the Tucson Bead Show!


I just looked at the date of my last blog post and can't believe it was January 9!  Well, I should believe it because my time has been spent getting ready for the Tucson Bead Show, February 5 - 10.  Those are the dates of the show but our stay will be more like 10 days.  

 It's a major undertaking, but a good exercise in organization and creation!  The thrill will be when we get to Tucson and I have the pleasure of meeting students and customers.

These are some glass head pins in opaque and luscious transparent glass.  They're annealed in a kiln for strength.  Before I was introduced to enameling, I was lampworking so I'm revisiting the joy pulling taffy-like glass from a rod!

 These can be used as head pins but also are great woven into a necklace with other enamel beads.

Glass Head Pins
After making a few dozen bellflower shapes, I decided to get a little more sculptural.  The two head pins on the left have a dichroic glass overlay.  I love how these look in intense pink glass. 

Glass Head Pins with a More Sculptural Look!

From there I was led to enamel some links ... Normally I do an annealing process in heated vermiculite for the links and enamel head pins, but I thought, "What the heck, the kiln's on!"   The high-pitched "ting" they make when they touch each other is a delight to the ears!  I wanted these to look as though they'd been dug up from an archaeological site!  The metal that looks "naked" has a thin coat of enamel on top to prevent rust or oxidation from forming.
I can't wait to show you more links in different colors.  If you had a choice, what colors would you make?







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8 comments:

  1. DVArtistJanuary 25, 2013 at 9:15 AM

    ooohhh those links are awesome! Have fun in Tucson!
    Nicole/Beadwright

    ReplyDelete
  2. Barbara MartinJanuary 25, 2013 at 10:55 AM

    Looking forward to seeing you and all your new baubles in Tucson!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cyndi JJanuary 25, 2013 at 1:09 PM

    I love the new headpins! Cat's coming over for a play date tomorrow so I think I'll make some links, too. Have a wonderful time in Tucson.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownJanuary 25, 2013 at 8:18 PM

    Have a great time in Tucson. On the colors I'd have to say that my favorite is orange (goes so well with copper) but as far a sales go orange isn't a great seller - but blue sure is. Love the new goodies.

    ReplyDelete
  5. dreaminofbeads / SAS Jewelry DesignsJanuary 25, 2013 at 9:19 PM

    Love the flower head pins...you going to be selling those?
    Sonya

    ReplyDelete
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  7. Adaptable Kay January 26, 2013 at 7:12 PM

    Wow, it sounds like you're keeping yourself quite busy with this upcoming show! How exciting that must be for you :)

    Those floral glass head pins are stunning, especially in all those different and vibrant colors!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Laura TwifordJanuary 30, 2013 at 10:17 AM

    Love those headpins Barbara! It's funny how one medium leads to another and then back around again isn't it? As for the links which are wonderful, I love the colors of the water, blues, greens and then of course a pop of purple every now and again! Can't wait to get back and have a real visit with you soon!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting me today! I love it when you leave comments. A lot of times, something you say gives me a different insight into what I said! Does that makes sense? I hope so ... All the best, Barbara