Beadbijoux

I've always been about the color. I think that is what drew me in to glass in the first place - the bright and beautiful colors. My latest sessions at the torch have been trying different color layering combinations and working them in with different techniques. These little variety sets also work well with my need for constant variation. Rounds seem to be my go-to shape lately as I find them to create the most visual depth of color. Still love me some sprees and nuggets, but the light definitely passes through the rounds in a way that gives the appearance of more depth. All these little sets available soon on Facebook and Etsy. Happy New Year!

Design ruts. Hate them. When the creative muse goes on vacation it can be difficult to get back on track. This is usually when I take a full blown hiatus and go do something else. Like gardening. Gardening is good for my soul ... and my backside - pretty sure I did the equivalent of 500 squats weeding the garden, and 30,000 steps up and down the ladder pruning the vine. In addition to all the fabulous muscle toning that gardening provides, I find it also recharges my creative muse and helps get me out of my design ruts. I always find inspiration in nature, and quite often the varied greens of the trees in combination with a clear blue sky will re-ignite my passion. Pretty sure you can find lime green and blue in nearly all of my creations - and frequently you will find them paired together. My latest jewelry pieces were born out of my favorite color scheme inspired by green trees against a clear blue sky. Minimalist and statement at the same time I find they are a fun contrast of

Getting old is not for the faint of heart. Over the Memorial Day weekend we celebrated my birthday. It was fun and fabulous, until one false move... Doing the 'mom' thing, my hands were full and loaded down with food and beverages for the hangry children that were ready to keel over from starvation and dehydration. Said supplies were in the fridge of a friend's boat. Said children were at the beach area waiting impatiently. I thought I could make it. I got this. Moms are basically super heroes. I am used to performing heroics. Not this time. It is not entirely certain exactly what failed. Did my eyes misjudge the distance across? Or perhaps the depth of the drop? Did my leg and foot fail to execute the step properly? Did the boat move at just the wrong moment? I did not stick the landing. I fell shin first onto the concrete dock. Then bounced thigh, shoulder, and finally head. At least the head hit last and didn't take any force. Pretty sure the feet never even to

For whatever reason bead pairs are hot sellers right now. This trend works really well with my glass A.D.D. because I can switch gears and change directions more often. We all know how much I struggle with making large sets in the first place. This pair business is right up my alley and so much fun I just can't stop. For the first time in a long time I am actually writing down my color recipes too. That means I can actually tell you what glass I used to make these. Cue the shock and awe. The best part of making these little color sample sets is that I can determine which recipes I like and what color families I want to work with. The stand-outs will surely become larger bead sets and the others will simply go off to their new homes as fun little pairs. These sets will be listed on a Facebook auction group this week. Follow my Facebook page to get notified when they are available.

Last week I blogged about my tendency to go off in a myriad of directions - especially when I start to feel like I have been pigeonholed into a specific style. I definitely do this. Versatility as an artist isn't a bad thing. But let's be honest. No matter how much I like to branch out, stretch my wings, and try new techniques ... I always come back to my 'signature' style. Has there ever been a set of beads that so perfectly captures all things me? THIS. IS. IT. The quintessential Leslie beads. Striped sprees in bright colors with fun colorful accent beads to seal the deal. Yep. Anybody who has followed my work over the last 12 years would take one look at these and know they were mine. What can I say? I am a creature of habit after all ...

If there was a spectrum for adult ADHD I am pretty sure I would land on it somewhere. Not enough to be diagnosed with actual ADHD, but seriously ... SQUIRREL! Every time I begin to have a 'signature' style or color combination I suddenly lose interest and am onto the next thing. And the next. I get bored so easily that I frustrate myself and then I step away from the torch. It always amazes me to see the large sets other glass artists put together. I wonder how on earth they can sit down and make 20 of the exact same bead. It is something I have challenged myself with often. My latest series on color families has helped me to finally achieve this goal. It worked in combination with my other mission to clear out my studio of all 'odds and ends' colors to focus on my stock color palettes. I had 2 rods left of this mystery light blue and decided to pair it with silvered ivory, amber, and brown. I also had a mystery jar of frit with all these same colors so they n

I was perusing my blog the other day and was amused (annoyed) at how much I talk about the weather. Not just a little. A lot. Pretty sure half my blog posts have some mention of the weather. Lame. It was only fitting I name these beads after the latest weather phenomenon. Even Twitter was trending with #AprilSnow last week. Because of said [April snow] I was in the studio making beads instead of playing outside in the yard preparing for my garden. These colors are a play on their namesake. Pea green and violet are for the lovelies that should be coming up from the ground dotting my yard with sprinkles of color in April. Icy blue is for the reality of what is actually my yard right now ... snow and ice. Sigh. Available for auction later this week. Message me if you want more info.

These are my happy colors. I mean how can you not smile when you look at these beads? Sunny orange, bright blue, spring green ... they just ooze happiness. I bring you another set from my new series focusing on color families. What I love about these is the concentration on just a few colors that compliment each other. My primary focus is on shaping the glass and alternating between opacity and transparency - letting the beauty of each color stand on its own and join forces with the other two. Clearly I was fantasizing about the return of summer as I was making these. Come soon summer. We miss you.

Spring has arrived! Or so the calendar says. Judging by the amount of snow still on the ground and the inch that fell this morning, I call BS. Warmer weather, however, has definitely arrived. The days of sub-zero, suck-the-life-right-out-of-you temperatures are behind us. That means I can dust off and fire up the torch. After a 3 month hiatus I decided to play around with some variety shapes, staying within a color family. Normally I stick to a specific style when making sets, but this time I decided to focus on the colors as a whole and the joy of shaping. The spring green reacted with itself and made for some lovely striations, while the turquoise left trails of tiny bubbles that some may consider a flaw - but I find add character. Purple was the natural choice to complete the trifecta and bring them together as a set. I find I often work in trios of colors - although usually all within the same bead. This was a lot of fun and I have a feeling these kind of sets will be sho

We have been in a deep freeze for so long that I haven't lit the torch since mid-December, the last day the temperatures were reasonable. Then we plunged into the negatives and I went into hibernation. Because what else can you possibly do when it is that ridiculously cold besides curl up into a ball under as many wool blankets as you can find? If you know me, or have followed my blog for any length of time, you will know I like to complain about the weather. A lot. Too much. That will probably never change. Until I finally move someplace warm. Someday. #whydoilivehere After experiencing studio withdrawals my sweet husband reminded me we have a space heater. Praise God for secondary heating devices. Still too cold to light the torch [the exhaust fan would freeze me out in 10 minutes or less] , but definitely warm enough to cut some glass and fire up the fusing kiln. So I decided to get my glass fix on by making some new night lights exploring the techniques I used for the ch