I've been tagged!

Yikes, I've been tagged by the lovely Becky of Chameleon Designs! Thanks Becky!

Seeing as I'm still in "busy mode" you will have to bear with me for a few days until I get a chance to type up seven fascinating facts about myself, but check back some time over the weekend. You never know what you might learn about me!

Busy busy!

I can't believe it's been three weeks since I last blogged! I've still been in fossil bead mode, and seeing as I've had so many commissions for more I can't see that I'll be stopping any time soon. I don't believe I will ever get bored of making these beads because there is a never-ending combination of twisties to be made. Often the effect that the twistie makes in the finished bead bears no resemblance to the "raw" twistie, so it's great fun watching the effect develop in front of my eyes. I'm still making very long beads, as you can see.....



I'm also busy making commission pieces for a very special auction that will be taking place some time between now and Christmas. Intrigued? I will blog more about that shortly!

I anticipate the next few weeks being very busy indeed, so hopefully I will have lots to show you. I will also let you know where you can see my work in November "in the flesh".

Thanks for dropping by!

"Taveta" Pendant and more Fossil Beads

Taveta is the latest baby elephant rescued by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. He is just 8 months old, and his mother probably died in a poacher's snare. Thanks to the DSWT, Taveta is now safe and being cared for with his new family in the elephant nursery. To celebrate his rescue I have made a special "Taveta" pendant, which will be auctioned on Ebay this week.

"Taveta" is a beautiful pendant comprising one of my fossil beads. The bead has a base of black, and I have trailed a twist of grey, black and silver around it, which resembles elephant trunks to me! I've added a special Taveta elephant charm, in sterling silver.

So, this is your opportunity to grab yourself a wearable piece of art glass, and at the same time help a worthy cause.

100% of the selling price for this auction will be donated to The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

I have added more beads to my Fossil Collection this weekend, and here are a couple of my favourites;





I hope you like them. Enjoy the remainder of the weekend, and don't forget to bid for my Taveta pendant and help the orphan elephants. Thank you!

Sweet Dream Necklace

I'm very excited to be able to show you this fabulous necklace that Nia has made, using a set of my implosion beads.

I thoroughly enjoyed making this set. The deep blue transparent glass contrasts well with the soft white, and while implosion beads aren't the simplest technique to master, this set just seemed to come together. I must have been in the zone that day!



Nia has matched the beads with amethyst, which she explains "is believed to aid restful sleep and promote intuitive dreams" - swarovski pearls and crystals, and Hilltribe silver.

Nia is a very talented jewellery designer, and you can see more of her work on her website and on Etsy. She has a Flickr album too, full of her gorgeous creations.

Charm Pendants

No new beads this week, but I have been making some jewellery. I've had all the components for making these pendants for ages, and I'm really pleased that they turned out exactly as I'd imagined them in my head. It so often happens that designs in my head don't translate well when I try to produce them in practice, so it is always something of a surprise when they work!



These are best worn on a longer chain, or leather cord, and these are both on 24" long necklets. I love the way the charms move when they're worn, and the slight tinkling of glass on glass. The beads are quite dainty at around 13mm in diameter, so not heavy enough to do each other any harm.



I've listed them on my Folksy Shop, but it will be a wrench if they sell as I'm rather fond of them!

Fossil Collection

I'm still in "Fossil Zone", and I had a very productive day yesterday experimenting with different colours and effects. I absolutely love making the complex twisties that are the basis for these beads. Not only are they an excellent way of practicing heat control, they are also tremendous fun. I like to set myself little challenges, such as making the thinnest twistie, or the thickest twistie or the longest twistie. I just like to play really!

I will be listing these beads on my website some time over the weekend.

I'm Website of the Week!

Gosh! I have been featured in the Spotlight slot over at Dichroicglass.co.uk.

It is a really nice article, and I'm so pleased they have chosen my Bora Bora beads, because I absolutely love them! Those are them on the right-hand-side. I was so excited I took a screen grab. I've never been featured on someone else's homepage before!

They have also mentioned my fossil beads and included a photo of Mesozoic. They have described my designs thus; "whilst traditional in origin they are wonderfully contemporary". I am always interested to discover how other people perceive my work, as I'm highly critical of it myself, and it is impossible for me to view it objectively.

Pop over to Dichroic Glass's website for some great articles, and tutorials. It is an excellent resource for what's new in the world of glass. It's really flattering for me, as a lampworker, to be featured on a website that is mainly concerned with glass fusing.