I’ve updated my studio page…

studio 

Ever wanted to see where all my creations are made…? this is it. 

(Click the picture to go to the studio page and a description of my work space.)

The photos should also help clear up much of the confusion regarding the difference between glass beadmakers and traditional glass blowers…  could you really see me running a furnace and blowing a vase in this tiny set up?

Buying my beads: because you asked…

 [rockyou id=96835124&w=450&h=350] 

I’ve put together a page detailing how/where to buy my beads and/or place a custom order.   If I’ve missed anything, let me know.

http://shebamakeda.com/my-glass-beads/custom-orders/

You can also find the permalink for it entitled “Buying my beads” in the Pages box on the navigation column to the right.

I’m still in recovery mode from yesterday. Cooking Xmas dinner is hard work – especially since i normally rarely cook on this scale.

Hope you’re all taking full advantage of the holiday season, family time and Boxing Day madness.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday Season…

… and my very best wishes go out to you, your family and friends.  Have a wonderful day!

xmas dove

sincerely, 

Evelyn & family,

ShebaMakeda Glass Art

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Tales from the torch: Dec. 24th/07

Another bunch of custom orders: requests were for oranges, reds, browns, golds… plus your first glimpse of anything “floral” from me.  They’re all around 2inches long or so.

 Red, orange, browns and golds

From left to right:

  • oval floral: (sold) this bead is my fave, I’ll have a hard time letting it go.  made with my new crunch bead press received for my b-day.  I’m realizing more and more I’m not really a “press” person – i find i only use them to start the bead and then refine the shape to suit my own tastes.  wish I’d realized that BEFORE i bought a pile of them…
  • rectangular tree: this bead was a total surprise – i layered the gold from the oval to the left over the orange from the teardrop to the right expecting a more muted orange but got this earthy brownish gold instead.  pretty cool… It has a bit of sparkle from the silver and gold leaf plus a bit of reduction around the bottom.  i left the frit partially raised so it feels great: all nice and nubbly
  • floral teardrop (sold): I like the shape and pattern on this one so much i think I’ll try it again with different colours.  Most noticeable here is how much my stringer (spaghetti sized threads of glass) control has improved – I can actually draw stems and leaves now!
  • flattened teardrop: this bead is a completely different and slightly retro direction. love it but the bottom half broke coming off the mandrel.  I’m thinking it’s either incompatibility between the glasses or else i didn’t keep it warm enough while making it.  I’m going to remake it to see which…

Tales from the torch: Dec. 23rd/07

 Here are the results from my last few torch sessions:

(Yup, I finally have my mojo back)

Earthy goddesses

A selection of earthy goddesses with a slimmer profile.  The last one on the right is sold, the other three are for a custom order – the client gets first pick then any remaining will be posted for sale on either Etsy or eBay.  Update Jan 2/07: Goddesses #2 & #3 are sold as well.

Spring Rain #3The Spring Rain design has been very popular, so I’ve decided to turn it into a collection – this bead is #3 (sold). The Spring Rain series is made with various combinations of transparent and opaque light blue glass, silver, and blue and white frit.  I love the way each bead maintains its own unique shape and personality while still remaining in the same family. In this bead, one of the middle frits turned slightly green (a lovely but unexpected reaction!) and the white frit was fumed a deep gold by the silver leaf.

Periwinkle SwirlPeriwinkle Swirl is a little more of an advanced bead style for me (sold).  It also begins with a base of transparent and opaque blue glass, silver leaf and frit. I then wrapped the bead in some thin blue stringer and a white and clear latticino (twisted glass cane) followed by a sprinkle of clear frit. I love the way the silver sparkles in some areas and has an opalescent shimmer in others.  Plus my stringer control has really improved!

Olive GardenOlive Garden is made with olive green glass with some darker green frit and just a touch of pure gold leaf (sold). Simple and absolutely lovely.

Dove

Winter Dove (sold) – This bead was my biggest challenge to date!  I’ve never made a bird (or any other kind of animal) before and I was asked to make a dove that could be wearable as a pendant.  I wanted it to be lifelike, full of movement and suggestive of a dove rather than a literal interpretation – plus it still had to be comfortable to wear.  It took quite a bit of planning but I’m pretty happy with the result!  The wings slant slightly to the back allowing it to rest really nicely against your chest…