Here are a few of the latest eggs. This is the first time I have tried using a grey for the base and I really like how the purple speckles thin out into clear and push the grey away making larger nesting places for themselves. There are also subtle speckles of a cream mixed in there. And I also like the raku on the grey egg. These will all be etched later when they have friends to jump in the etching solution with them. Holly, what do you think? Should I make more of these or keep working on other combos?
Here are some of the other special requests Lorelei had me make before she left on Sunday. I always love how encased beads look...everything is magnified under the layers of clear.
I will be doing a post later this week featuring jewelry artists who use my beads. If you would like to be included, please email me with a link to pictures I may use and if you have a preference for me linking to your blog or etsy shop. I would be happy to do this on a regular/weekly basis, but you guys need to give me a heads up that you're creating. :) This is partially for selfish reasons because I LOVE seeing what happens to my beads when they grow up and I'm just nosy like that. But also because I would love for others to see what you are designing, help throw extra traffic by way of your shop or blog.
Christmas is only four months away, folks! Let's get ideas out there for our loved ones of what they could be buying for you! I know I have family and friends who snoop out other shops that use my beads to find jewelry they would like to wear and they purchase what they love and can afford. It puts a big silly grin on my face anytime I hear back from someone wearing my jewelry or jewelry made by others using my beads that they wear it all the time or they get compliments on the piece or it just makes them feel good about themselves to wear it (silly grins also translate into run-on sentences).
Last night, Cindy commented that she thinks I'm an amazing artist (in addition to saying other completely sweet things that made me feel special in a deep sigh kind of way). This made me pause. I don't really think of myself as an artist. Yes, I make art beads. But artist isn't really a role I think of myself in (funny, because I look at my peers who make art beads and consider them ALL to be artists). It is only when I hear back from others, either with comments on the beads or my jewelry, that I think that what I have created might not be so ordinary. That my work might be considered artistic. And that I'm an artist. Thank you Cindy, for sending me to bed with a smile on my face!
Put them in a small jar or tupperware container & pour etchall over the beads. Stir once or twice during a 15-20 minute soak in the etchall. Please be careful, this is acid and can burn your skin if not washed off immediately. And pay attention to the manufacturer's guidelines to not ingest, this is toxic. Now, in spite of these scary warnings, I have safely used this product for years with great results. Be safe in your handlings as you pour the etchall out of the original container over the beads, stirring the beads for all-over coverage/etching and then pour the acid back into the original container because it can be re-used over & over & over. And over. Then thoroughly rinse your beads and dry.
Then the matte finish magically encompasses your beads, transforming them into new & different beads. A great solution if you've grown tired of their appearance, don't love them as much as you thought you would or just want a fingerprint-free finish. Voila. Your shiny beads are now given new life with a more organic appearance, transforming the above beads into these new beauties.
Or transparent glass beads into beads that look like glass that has been tumbled for decades in the ocean....
