Thursday, March 31, 2011

Life Throws Curve Balls the Key is Finding Grace

I haven't posted many blogs this month simply because I haven't known where to start. Steel yourself away a moment to share my story. I have no pictures to share today, but I do have a story to tell.

The month of March has been quite a challenge for me personally. I have had many debates with myself as to what is appropriate to share on my blog. I have decided that I am who I am and I won't change that for any reason. I am not overly complicated and I am not good at pretending everything is all peachy keen when inside I am feeling unsettled. So I have decided to share a piece of my story.

I was going to write a blog about beads but I wasn't feeling inspired to do so.

I was going to write a blog about the state of our world today. Many people are struggling financially, myself included (therein lies my lack of inspiration for writing about beads). Honestly sometimes I get tired of all the effort which needs to go into marketing. Some days I just want to create. I decided against this blog.

I was going to write a blog in celebration of March 26. This date means nothing to most people but it is a date I will never forget. It is the date, one year ago, that I had a stroke. I think you will understand when I say that this came as a complete shock to myself and my family. That was a curve ball for sure! I am grateful to be healthy with only a couple of very minor lingering effects. It seemed celebrating one year later and good health was appropriate. I never got to writing that post because I was thrown another curve ball.

My sister, my friend, a woman who was a surrogate mother to me when I was young, a woman who taught me my love of being an artist, a woman who continues to teach me about life was diagnosed with breast cancer. ****CURVE BALL****

We are at the very early stages of this ordeal and her course of treatments are not completely known to us at this point. So much is unknown to us. My sister has requested internet privacy while she travels this road and I will respect her wishes. However her journey directly effects my path, so there will be parts of it I may feel compelled to write about. I have found writing and blogging to be healing for me so I may wish to write about certain events as they effect me. I hope she can understand that.

I am finding my own personal grace in realizing that when the world may seem turned upside down life can throw you a curve ball. It is then that you can choose to find grace. All those "things" that were upsetting or stressing to you suddenly seem very small. You realize what is important and where your energy needs to be focused. My family is the most important part of my life. As long as we are all together nothing, and I mean nothing, else matters.

I thought it fair to share some of this with you because I may or may not be active in my ability to create and sharing my creations with you. I can't really say right now. I need to allow the story to unfold. Obviously my sister will be my top priority. My family and I will all be finding grace together.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Customer Appreciation SALE

A sale is happening in my Etsy and Artfire shops, now through April 2.
20% OFF ALL lampwork beads.

You will find a coupon code in my Etsy shop. The prices in my Artfire shop are already marked down.

Choose your favorite from my Kalypso Pearl series.....


or perhaps your favorite will be one of my Tree Silhouettes...



This is a Fire Diva Team Sale. Swing by the Fire Divas Blog to find out about all the great sales that happening.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Monochromatic Challenge Fire Diva Style

The Fire Divas have created some beautiful beads for this Monochromatic Challenge.
You should vote for your favorite and you could win a lovely prize, a coupon for 20% OFF anything in Lori Bergmann's Artfire shop, AshlynDesigns.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Seduced by Kalypso

She is a silent seductress. She quietly reveals herself; a friend recommends her beauty, she slyly poses for photos and before you know it I find I am tempted. Next thing you know she has worked her way into my studio and I find Kalypso is sitting on my work bench.

OK...so I jest, but some glass is hugely expensive, running in the area of $100 per pound (a pound is roughly 10 or 12 rods which are approx. 12 inches in length) and Kalypso is one of them. Her colors are brilliant and beautiful! I was thoroughly tempted and purchased some and now I have fallen in love with the beauty of this glass. Kalypso rods are created by adding silver to the glass. I don't know the process but as you can imagine, adding silver to anything these days can be quite expensive.

Silver within the glass rods is fascinating to work with. The colors achieved can vary. It all depends on the levels of oxygen vs. propane in the flame, this means that you can produce different effects. So far I have been able to create a soft orangey look, a beautiful deep pink and even a shiney silver look, all with the same Kalypso glass.

This bead has a base color of Kalypso which I worked into a deep rose color and even began to attain a shiney silver surface.

Here is a Kalypso base worked gently to maintain its' peachy/pink colors.


but I find I love her most when used as an accent to the bead, as with my Kalypso Pearl focal beads.



and the Kalypso Tree focal bead...


I am selling the GORGEOUS Kalypso beads in my Etsy and ArtFire shops.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Gray Skies are Gonna Clear Up

A whimsical collection created by my friend and fellow Fire DivaLauren of Maybeads.


Lauren creates the most fun and whimsical lampwork beads. It is so much fun browsing through her Etsy and ArtFire shops. 


and just look at this adorable puppy.


Enjoy browsing.

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