If you read me regularly you know that I went to visit my friend Christy this past weekend.
Christy has an AMAZING studio.
Its awesome. She's awesome (yadda, yadda, yadda)
;-)
Part of christy's studio is dedicated to glass. Lampworking. And it is there that I fell in love. I've loved lampwork beads before and I've paid heavily for that love (those beads can get expensive!), but this went further than that.
I didn't just fall in love with a bead at Christy's.
Nope.
I fell in love with lampworking.
Christy showed us how to make a bead, then she put us on the torch. One minute I'm watching and the next minute I was making my own bead! Just like that! FOR REAL! She just sat us there and let us do it.
Then she hopped back on there (after we each made a bead) and she showed us the stringers and dots and frit. Then she let us go at it again!!!! And she walked away....and although I was bitten and smitten right off, its then that I really fell head over heals, t-totally in love.
Punchdrunkstupidlove.
I can't stop thinking about it, when I close my eyes I see molten glass....its really rather disturbing. I think I'm in trouble. Especially because its expensive to set up a glass studio.
I mentioned pictures this morning, so here's the part you really want........ Here are my first few beads, get that - MY beads!!!!
I think I made about 7 in all. One I completely shattered trying to get if off the mandrel with a rivet gun. And.........
My absolute FAVORITE one I cracked in half the same way...
But in addition to my somewhat round bead up there, this little lentil came off just peachy. :)
And the ones below were spared certain death and were left on the mandrels.
They are now plant stakes.
I don't know if I should thank Christy for being such a generous hostess and fab-o teacher...or if I should be really really annoyed.
I think I'm a goner.
They look stunning in my den. ;-)
I don't know if I should thank Christy for being such a generous hostess and fab-o teacher...or if I should be really really annoyed.
If I can give one piece of advice to you all - stay away from the glass rods. . . melting glass in a big flame is totally mezmerizing. And quite 'zen'.....I could have sat there for HOURS. Truly. All in all I think it was less than a half hour....but that was some super sweet 30 miuntes. And I'm already scouring glass forums and online suppliers. I have no idea where this love affair may go, if anywhere, but I'm enjoying the 'high' of new love while I struggle to concentrate on other respsonsibilities. Really. Its that bad.
I think I'm a goner.
~Janice
