Oh No Snow!

I woke up to snow... and yes it does snow in February here in Canada..... but please! My tulips are showing already! The past few weeks have been so unseasonably warm, and I have been looking forward to Spring with great anticipation.

So I leave you with this:
Snow White Handmade Lampwork and Sterling Bracelet
as I head out to the Studio to make some Spring inspired beads!

Make 'n' Tell Challenge Day 19: Fun With Beads and Wine

Two of my favorite things come together for a Saturday night Make 'n' Tell. Beads and wine!


Crazy neon berry beads and metal tags with fun words and phrases, set of six wine glass charms!

Make 'n' Tell Challenge Day 16: The Colour Purple

Love'n the colour purple! I used my handmade lampwork glass beads and oxidized sterling silver in this Make 'n' Tell bracelet. I used ivory glass and fine silver foil to create the organic look of the larger focal beads.

Make 'n' Tell Challenge Day 14: Aubergine and Raku

Our weather's been fantastic! And I have to admit, I've been feeling a little bit guilty about spending so much time on the computer... and not enough time outdoors! So today's Make 'n' Tell Challenge is short and sweet. I made the beads on the weekend and put the bracelet together tonight. The base colour of the beads reminds me of eggplant, and I think the raku surface decoration gives the beads an organic look. I used wood jasper stone beads and a couple of faceted amethyst rondelles. I wire wrapped the beads together with 22 gauge sterling silver wire and made a hand forged clasp. I like the way it turned out.

Make 'n' Tell Challenge Day 10: Cranberries

For my next challenge, I decided to make some beads with my most challenging glass colour....the colour red. I don't make many red beads. I don't wear much red, but I do love red shoes and red lipstick! In the world of glass, red is one of the more difficult colours to work with. It is hard to see when layering with other colours in a hot flame as it appears black when cooling from molten orange back to solid. And it "burns" easily, that is, the red colour darkens with prolonged heating and can look dirty. I'm happy with how this set turned out, they're simple but remind me of cranberries! Now I have to decide what to do with them!

Local Talent...Artisans of the Okanagan

Shop local in Kelowna BC with Etsy.com!
This is a newly formed group of people who are Etsy sellers that want to promote each other locally. Our first in person meeting was on Monday May 25th at the Bean Scene coffee shop in Kelowna. We had a wonderful turn out, lots of great ideas were shared. It's great to meet new friends with common interests!