Sterling Silver Lined Pandora Bead

Here is what I end up with when I use all of those fancy tools. I am addicted, can you tell? :)

Sterling Silver Cored Pandora Beads - Tools and Equipment

I thought yesterday that I would take a couple of pictures of the tools and equipment that I use to line my beads with sterling silver. A couple of months ago I read a tutorial on Lampwork Etc. about how to line your beads and made a list out for my sweetie to shop from. It was like a scavenger hunt and he did a really great job in finding all the things that I needed. It would have driven me crazy to try to find them. He drove all over the valley and had to go to several stores but when I woke up he had it all for me. Great man that I married. Then a couple of weeks ago we went to the local Harbor Freight and got my little saw. It is just awesome. I was cutting the tube with a pipe cutter and it was hard for me to hold on to it and turn it. The saw is just zip zip and you are good to go. I love it!

I need to ask my sweetie what the names of all of these items are but a few of them I do know. The digital calipers were well worth the money. They make measuring the bead so easy. Then add about 4mm extra before cutting. The little things in the bag are brownies and greenies... now you know why I sent Dale. He actually found them. They go in my dremel to polish the silver when I am done. There are three ?grades? to gently do the job. The stuff in the box is also a silver polish, I don't use that all the time. The little short hammer (real technical huh) is for the beating on the tools in the next picture (dapping or doming? tools). This gradually increases the diameter of the silver tube and helps to lay it over so you can flatten it with the longer hammer to the right (chasing hammer?). The chasing hammer does the fine beating of the silver. Can you tell I like to beat on things... :0) It really is a lot of fun. The metal block in the center of the picture is where I beat on the bead, and yes that is a dishtowel on my kitchen table and yes that little saw is sitting on my kitchen counter. Me thinks I need another room for metal working. Sweetie???? How about it????
So here are some pictures.




And here is the terrific man that lets me do all these wonderful things and is soooo supportive of all my sometimes crazy ideas. Isn't he adorable?

And here is what all of this "stuff" helps me to create. You can find this and many more in my Etsy shop. http://www.mycabincreations.etsy.com/

Online Coaching with Studio Marcy

Hi. I recently did an online tutorial with Marcy Lamberson on how to improve my witch bead. She gave a ton of great tips and then came up with her own version which she has on her blog. Please go check it out so you can see what an awesome sculptural artist that she is. I was just floored when I saw them.

So this last weekend I tried to put her tips to use. I am not a whimsical kind of bead maker. It takes a lot of work for me to be creative in that way, so I tried her tips and did get a tiny bit of whimsy added to my witch. Here is what I came up with. I will be listing it and the first witch that I created in my Etsy shop.

Marcy also just came out with a Santa bead tutorial. It is in her Etsy shop as well. Looks like it would be a good one to learn. Take Care. Pam

Online Coaching with Studio Marcy

Marcy Lamberson of Studio Marcy does online coaching of sculptural creations on her blog. I recently asked her if she would critique my work and here is the blog entry. I can't wait to see the bobblehead she made that comes out tomorrow. So go check out her site it has a wealth of information.

Sterling Silver Lined Pandora Bead

Here is a variation of the bead that I used on the bookmark in the next post. It is the same flower design just in a different shape. The first one I made I have hanging on a silver chain around my neck. Man is it pretty (humble aren't I). :) The bead is lined with sterling silver and will fit on the pandora bracelet or necklace. It has a 5mm hole so I think it will fit most of the Euro bead systems. I have 3 more of these at home that I need to get cored so do check back often. I think this is going to be one of my favorite designs to make. Altho that does change weekly it seems, so get them while you can. :) Pam

Lampwork Bead and Silk Ribbon Bookmark

This is a new creation that I am really excited about. I have been making these flower beads for a couple of weeks and decided to make thong bookmarks out of them. Actually a coworker kind of gave me the idea with the thong book mark and I decided that the silk ribbon would really add a lot of pizzazz to the bead. So there you go. The silk ribbons are hand made by Jamn Glass on Etsy. They are really nice and colorful. These would go nicely with a book for a gift. So anyway, go check out my Etsy store for the listing. I have several beads made and am just waiting to get more of the accent beads to finish a few more bookmarks. So check back. Thanks! Pam

Lampwork and Wood Pens

This is something new that my husband and I came up with. He makes hand turned wood pens and I make lampwork beads so we decided to try and mix the two. This pen is made with tulipwood. Here is what google has to say about the wood - The heartwood is a beautiful pink-yellow with a pronounced striped figure in varying shades of Salmon pink and rose red. The grain is straight but more often irregular, with a fine texture.My husband decided to use this wood after I made the red bead. I believe it is made with a red sangre glass and it is somewhat transparent but not entirely, if that makes any sense. Anyway, I think it really makes the grain of the pen stand out.This would be a great gift for a journaler or a teacher or anyone that likes to write, of course. :)It measures 5 1/4 inches long and is a twist type mechanism with black ink. Click on the picture to go directly to the listing on Etsy. Thanks Pam