Thank you for your vote!

NEW SPECIALS ARE NOW ON THE "available beads" page...click here to go and check it out.

 

FROGS will from now on be listed on a separate page ... click here to see the frogs that are available.

 

Specials - how does it work? Basically, whoever emails me first gets to buy the beads. Sometimes I feel "sorry" for the people who don't have time to look at my site during the day, then I let the specials sit all do and do a "random drawing" at the end of the day. That always gets me in trouble, but I still do it about once a month. Once in a while I also agree to remake a special you like, but don't count on it. Shipping for all specials is $ 2.00, and the easiest way to pay is via paypal, to my email address corina@interisland.net, that's also where you ask about the specials...and thanks for checking, of course! And no, I don't have a mailing list to let people know when I list specials, I am too stupid to figure out how to do that!

 

(Tuesday, 20 of June) - A few little "cellphone dudas" today - I took them all in one picture, so, you will just have to describe the one you want...unfortunately the internet access at Lakedale Resort is down today, so I have to drive to town to receive emails. So, today it's "random distribution", not "first to ask". Each lanyard is $ 20, which INCLUDES SHIPPING.... this series is called "Moshimoshi"....(which is what the Japanese say when they answer the phone, and cellphone dudas are BIG in Japan....)

 

 

 

(Monday Floral Specials) - I really had fun making those lily beads underneath the frogs, so, I decided to make a few florals with just the lilies (I will do a tutorial on those for the Spotlight on Florals...). The beads are fairly large (about 3/4 inch high), with inclusions of dichroic, little white flowers and pink lilies...I have 3 focals for $ 40 each, and one that is a little larger and has some roses in it for $ 45...if you want the bead turned into a pendant like the one on the left, it would be $ 5.00 extra.

 

 

(Sunday Frog Specials) Today I have 5 frog pendants for sale - I spent quite a bit of time on these...pulling the cane for stamen...and putting them together as pendants with bead-caps and lobster clasps...so, each is $ 50 (unless otherwise stated) - but at least that includes shipping.... just let me know which flower you would like - or whether ANY would do for you...(ALL GONE)

 

# 1 - "My favorite" - on a pink lily. (  $ 55 - I just raised the price for this one...because it's my facorite, no other reason!!!! And I have to keep my fridge stocked with rich single gal kind of food...maybe a bottle of Champaign???)

 

 

# 2 "Big Blue Flower" (one eye is a little flatter than the other, but that makes him look sort of mischivious, I don't consider it a flaw...just like in real life)

 

 

# 3 "White Lily"

 

 

# 4 "Big Pink Flower"

 

 

# 5 "Smaller pendant with blue flower" ($ 45)

 

 

# 6 "Econofrog on dark amber lily" (this is "only" $ 30, because I didn't like the dark amber as color for the lily..but the frog is adorable)

 

 

(Tuesday Special) - Today I am offering something my friend Carol HAS to sell, because she is moving to the island and needs to rent a truck to bring all her things...good news is: she is renting the appartment above my former studio, AND my studio....with the kiln and the oxygen concentrator and a torch (I have backup for everything, so I used the smaller versions into my trailer, except the $ 2000 oxybox, that one I kept for myself, so I can run two torches for my private classes. Anyway, Carol has been buying my beads for years (I had NO idea how many she had)  - and it's tough for her to part with them, but sometimes we have to make sacrifices in order to move on (I bought my favorite of her bracelets for myself!) - I priced each bracelet, for what I think is a fair price considering what she paid for the beads and the findings and labor she put in it. I promise that you won't be disappointed. Each bracelet is strung in a way that it fits any size wrist...

 100 % of the procedes of this sale will go to Carol!

 

# 1    "Northwest Summer" -  200

 

 

# 2  "Midsummernights Dream"   Bracelet with matching earrings, $ 225

 

 

# 3   "With all my heart" --- a TRUE Corina-bead sampler, I almost bought this for myself, but maybe it will give me a reason to make more of those favorite beads. I priced this at $ 250, because it truely is special....

 

 

(Saturday Special) - The first set I made in my new Bead-Mobile, it's called "The Grass is greener" - 8 beads (12-13 mm in diameter) in different shapes, plus 8 mini spacers for $ 75. Random Distribution today, since my email-server is down. I'm not sure when the will have fixed the problem...hopefully by tonight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ALL WEDNESDAY SPECIALS ARE SOLD, THANKS A LOT, AND MORE SOON! (PROBABLY A FEW TOMORROW)

 

 

Wednesday - Cigarbox specials! Why Cigarbox? Because in the early days I used to throw my leftover beads into a cigarbox...and I am actually still doing that...and leftover beads I have...I think I could stock this page for the next two weeks and not run out...but I rather spend the time making new beads....5 sets today, which I spent 2 hours "picking" out of the miscellaneous boxes laying around, and I tried to combine beads that somehow go together.... for convenience sake each set is priced at $ 40 - no matter how many beads are in it....nothing wrong with any of the beads in any of the sets....otherwise I woulnd't be selling them, even as specials!  Just let me know the number/name of the set you want. I have to do some stuff around the house, so I won't be able to hang around the computer...so, I'll do "random distribution again"....If you DON'T hear back from me, SORRY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday Special # 6 - "LailaLily" - Rather unusual for me, but still a damn fine bead, my attempt at making something identifiable as a lily....on a long squeezed bead made with silver plum, sprinkled with raku frit. It makes a simple but elegant background for the flower. 2.5 inches long pendant - $ 40 (SOLD)

 

 

Saturday Special # 5 - "Hurray!!!"  A decorated floral plunger in the "Tales from the Kiln" series, with a little girl jumping up and down, a little diamond in her bellybutton....$ 65 (I haven't glued the bead onto the plunger yet, so, if you would prefer to wear it as a pendant instead of use it as a tool, let me know...) (SOLD)

 

 

 

 

Saturday Special # 4 - "Lizard on the Wall"  A fun focal I made at Red Deer - a "streaky lizard" is clinging to a squeezed rocky bead...pretty cute, if I may say so. Mounted with a hand-made fine silver headpin, 2.7 inches long  (!! Thanks to Susan Burwash for teaching us as Red Deer) - $ 45 (SOLD)

 

 

Saturday Special # 3 - "Not so perfect in B&W" Four black and white tumbled orrbs that have little flaws, either the holes are not perfect, or the black and white twisty is slighty bleeding - still, good enough to work with, $ 12 for all four. (SOLD)

 

 

 

 

Saturday Special # 2 - "Time for Comfort" If I hadn't kept the watch I made yesterday for myself I would be tempted to keep this one as well. But hey, how many watches does a girl need? ??????????????

Geneva watch with wonderful whispy tumbled beads in cream caramel...fits any medium to soso large wrist. $ 125 (the feathering on ivory takes a lot of patience and time, this is why this watch is on the expensive side...) (SOLD)

 

 

 

 

Saturday Special # 1 - "Cousteau's Treasure" Probably one of my favorite bead in the "Tales from the Kiln" series to date - Most of the focals I made were long and skinny - making this type of bead as a lentil is a lot more tricky, because you have to heat the glass quite a bit before shaping it, and the heat causes the glass to react and do all kinds of weird things.....But to this particular bead: it's an underwater theme - lots going on (also on the back...) - you can lose yourself in the thought of floating around down there, and discovering a world unknown to most of us mere mortals.

The lentil is 1.5 inches in diameter, and I turned it into a pendant, ready to wear. $ 100 (outch, yes, but not as outch as some stuff out there...if you know what I mean...) (SOLD)

 

 

Friday Special # 1 - "On time in Switzerland" - a cool watch, paired with chocoloate brown orrbs with purple/turquoise decoration and a Sterling Silver Tassel. This watch will fit any medium/large wrist....it's 8 inches, but of course, you can always re-string. $ 95 (SOLD)

 

 

Friday Special # 2 - Deluxe Floral Plunger. This one I made about a month ago, and I thought I would keep it for myself, but then I realized that I am always using the other one I wanted to keep for myself, so, it's time to let this one go...the bead is really cool, I masked the dichroic part and etched only the black - which I tried after that a few times, but Bullseye glass doesn't etch easily, so, this one is definitely "one of a kind". $ 65 (SOLD)

 

 

Friday Special # 3 - "Heavy Metal", a cute set I made in Canada for myself...I even bought some spacer beads and Stretch Magic at Michaels, but then I decided I didn't like the way I strung it - it definitely neads some Silver in it to "spice things up". So, although this LOOKS like a ready-to-wear bracelet, I would rather see it as a strand with a knot it it. 8 beads (1 cm in diameter, except the "focal", with is 25 mm wide, 4 lampwork spacers and a bunch of Czech glass bicones for $ 80. (SOLD)

 

 

Friday Special # 4 - "The Flog" - an adorable frog focal with "slit eyes"....about 1 inch high sorry, I was too lazy to take pictures from different angles, but he sits on a bead with a pink triple-layer encased flower....very sweet. $ 40 (turned into a pendant if you wish)...(SOLD)

 

 

(Thursday noon) - 5 specials today - all smallish encased florals (about 3/4 inch in diameter), each has three larger florals in different colors with stamen, and a bunch of tiny flowers in matching colors - let me know the color you want, $ 35.

 

 

 

 

(Tuesday) - Only one set today - I was in a melancholic mood last night, and stringer decoration always soothes my soul...so, I called this ivory/caramel Orrbs "Creamy Comfort". 10 beads, enough for a bracelet, if you add some spacers, and a Sterling Silver Tassel to round out your design. $ 100  The beads are tumbled, for that smooth "no gloss" look of bone (HA! me Too!) SOLD

 

 

(Saturday) Two Maui inspired sets today, the first one doesn't look particularly "Hawaiian", but it matches a shirt I got last night, some kind of surfer brand called "Maui Built". This set are medium sized orrbs - have nothing to measure here with me, but they are between 1/2 inch and the biggest size...7 beads are perfect for a bracelet, the picture doesn't show it, but the white lines have that lovely silvery outline that sometimes happens between black and white...$ 80 (SOLD)

 

 

The second set is definitely more "Mai-ish"...lime green and teal on black, with lots of clear, representing the water that surrounds us, and some of those fun "raindrop" speckled spacers, inspired by Jill Symons wonderful designs. The cubes are not tiny (SOLD)

 

 

(Friday from Maui) - I have one set of floral beads (of course I could split them all up and sell them at single "mini-focals"..but I hope that one nice person will make a stunning necklace with these...I really don't know how much to ask for these (they took me basically all evening/night yesterday, so, you can make me an offer!!!!!

 

 

(Tuesday afternoon) - One relatively large set of "sample beads", nothing wrong with any of the beads, they just didn't make it into a set, and I think they would be perfect to make bookmarks or other non-jewelry items....sizes are from 10 mm diameter (miniature Orrb) to about 3/4 inch (vertabrae Orrb) - 14 beads which come in a SPECIAL POUCH for $ 125 including Priority Mail shipping. (SOLD)

 

 

and three more "Tales from the Kiln" focals (these are getting fancier! and they make wonderful pendants) - for $ 60 each, from left to right they are "fish-bone", "Mountain goat" and "Arrow".  (all SOLD)

 

 

(Tuesday) The first special of the day is a givaway - everybody who is currently PREGNANT can "apply"...The name of the bead is "IT'S A BEAD!!!!".  The colors didn't quite turn out the way I wanted, and when I cleaned the crappy-to-begin-with beadhole a little piece of glass chipped off. So, free for someone is is currently carrying a baby....(oh, by the way, it's a 1.5 inch flat lentil) GONE

 

 

 

 

(Monday) Two nice sets today (some focals later) - these are "Tribal-Mini-Orrbs", 1/2 inch in diameter, and they are tumbled. I'll do a tutorial on tumbling tomorrow! Basically, tumbling takes the strong shine off the glass, without giving you a rough surface like etching....this technique really goes well with the tribal patterns. Two sets of 11 beads each, one in chocolate/turquoise, and one in brandnewbluejeans/turquoise, $ 85 per strand. Below a little picture of a bracelet I made for myself (which is why I know that it takes 11 beads to "fill" a 7 inch bracelet, each bead is wire-wrapped and dangles of a SS charmbracelet...when your hand hangs down it looks like a little "fringe", very charming, but jee, my skin looks like that of an elephant, better get my hand-lotion out.

 

SOLD

 

 

 

(Friday)...At first I wanted to show you a variety of some new beads I made the other day, they are LONG slender bicones (about 2 1/2 inches) with an earthy feel to them, but at the same time there is a lot of control in the stringer and the little "seashells"...I didn't bother trying to get all sides shown...you just have to trust me. Most of the variation in color results from the use of different types of ivory, different silver (foil or leaf), enamels, fuming...lots of stuff I had fun with. Each bead is $ 65 (looking at ebay these days, seeing how many people are willing to shell out several hundred dollars for a single bead, it is sure tempting...but, well.....) so, let me know which one you would like, and I figure out how I can "distribute" these without making a mess....Oh, these are called "Tales from the Kiln".

 

 

 one lentil along the same lines, for the "warrior woman" in all of us. $ 50

 

 

and something totally whacky - this guy is called a "No Hip-hugger"....ugly, but cute. A fairly successful attemt to hide an ugly floral -  $ 40

 

 

 

and finally another opal yellow frog, less funky - called "When Kermit lost his envy", $ 35

 

 

 

 

(Wednesday) - Just a few things today, I was busy with other stuff yesterday, so the "kiln-output" was low.

 

1. Klimt-style Plunger

 

This bead was really fun to make, I played with lots of silver and gold, not that this SHOWS, but I gues it influenced the colors (there are tiny speckles of gold left). The flowers have black stamen "oozing" out of the center...and since I thought someone might actually like to WEAR this bead, I haven't glued it on the plunger yet, but it's no problem to do so if the buyer wants to use it as a tool. $ 48 (SOLD)

 

 

2. This focal is called "Corina goes to South Africa" - because next year I might, I am "in negotiation" for a workshop in Johannisburg, but Steve is not as thrilled about the prospect as I am, because of the crime against whites in South Africa, Johannisburg in particular. A friend of mine who lives there has already been car-jacked 3 times...but what the heck, we only live once...and if we die, we die, which we will anyway, right?!

The stringerwork on this bead is not as fine as I would like it - the glass surpised me again, instead of "sinking in", like black usually does on dark ivory, it spread out...must have been all that gold and silver underneath...cute little touch, the stringer me is clutching on to a little "Diamond"...after all, that's what South Africa is famous for. Very "rocklike" shape and fun colors in the changing light (not visible in the picture)  - $ 40 (SOLD)

 

 

 

3. A cute little frog pendant - actually, not that little compared to some of my frogs...3/4 inch high...I was trying to make a sweet little encased floral with black "Earley-Stamen" this time...and then I did a crappy job with the encasing, some of the rubino bled out on the surface...nothing better than a frog to hide flaws...and since I didn't have any green stringer prepared, the frog is Opal Yellow now...with rubino decoration and a really stupid look in his face...$ 35 (top of the wire wrapping needs a jumpring, I was out) (SOLD)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Tuesday) Lots of different stuff today, if my kiln controller hadn't broken down there might have been more, these are mostly beads from the last week...couldn't make up my mind what to do with them...but here we go:

 

1. "Miniature Madness"  - the only set today - and unfortunately fairly expensive, considering the size (the "glass-dollar-ratio" is a little off, but just because the beads are smaller it doesn't mean they are less work, it's more the opposite). Today I took all the images with a ruler underneath, let me know if that is helpful at all.  A combination of lentils and tabs - 14 beads for $ 100. (These were challenging, but fun, I might make some more)  (SOLD)

 

 

The rest is all single beads!

 

After working on "EverAfterArtistry's" tutorial on the sculptural pansy (check out the sneak-preview page) I played a little with the design and came up with a slightly different "application" - which is instead of making a big pansy on a small lentil I made tiny pansies on a big lentil. Looks great! Or so I think....

 

The first lentil is called "Pansy Peeking" - because that's what the pansy on the left seems to be doing. I think for a balanced design there should have been three pansies....but it's still a lovely bead, which is not quite as pale as the pictures makes it appear. A little extra work was caused be the fact that I etched the BEAD, but I masked the pansies with nail polish, so they are still shiny. I think I spent more time on getting the nailpolish out of the little creases than I spent making the beads....considering that, it's $ 50!!! ready to go as a pendant. (SOLD)

 

 

And two smaller versions of the same idea. These are "Mini-Pansy-Orrbs", the first one has a hole going VERTICALLY through the beads (MPOrrb#1, $ 15.00) - the second one has a small hole going horizontally (MPOrrb#2, $ 15.00) (BOTH SOLD)

 

 

 

The next two focals were again attempts to apply a tutorial of the upcoming Spotlight to a different type of bead. I used Kandice Seeber's way of making raised petals (using the floral plunger, not a curved dental tool like Kandice), but again, instead of placing 4 flowers on top of a small bead, like Kandice, I made a small cluster of flowers on top of a large lentil.

 

The first focal was actually a "mis-press", like a big time "booboo" - but I liked it a lot and just went with it. It is meant to hang on a short chain, right in that hollow of your neck. I flattened the back so it really lays flat...the 18 inch sterling snakechain comes with the pendant! $ 50 . Oh, what I called this? I have no idea, just ask for the pendant on a chain. (SOLD)

 

 

Oh, yes, as I was uploading the picture I remembered - this style is called "Snowy in Spring...", because it looks as if the flowers are sitting in snow....so, here is the same design on a nicely shaped lentil, which should be mounted with the hole vertically... this one is $ 45 (SOLD)

 

 

We are almost done...one more focal - an "experimental bicone" with some new REichenbach glass I got...one of those beads that got uglier and uglier the more stuff I did with it...in the end I fumed it with gold and partically encased the fuming...so, at least it's a fun bead to look at, good shape...just weird colors, pinkish gold...$ 15 (SOLD)

 

 

And finally a finished bracelet - this one was my "favorite" for about a month, I wore it everyday, but last week I made one that I liked better, so, it's time to let it go...I restrung it, cleaned all the parts in my new Ultrasonic Cleaner....added a nicer clasp - voila, Corinabead-pret-a-porter...Black Orrbs, with small embedded chunks of dichroic, decorated with peacock metallic stringer work...8 inches long, $ 140 called "Classy Bracelet" (SOLD)

 

 

That's it for today, I will have more specials later this week, and I will try to get some more sets out! Thanks for checking things out....

 

Today I have only ONE set (I have a few focals too, but I can't make up my mind which ones to keep for myself and which ones to let go...) - I was debating with myself whether to put this set on eBay or not. I don't know how other artists who have websites with specials and lots of "traffic" decide...it seems like most people who get good prices on eBay put the majority of their stuff on eBay, because the prices go higher. I guess there is nothing wrong with that, but in the past year I have learned a lot of things about life and myself, and I don't know whether the "hardship" I went through made me a better person, but for sure I realized that money isn't all as important as it seemed to be there for a while. So, the joy of ONE person to get something for a fair price right now is worth more than the joy of one person who gets something because he/she had more money to spend than someone else... I hope this doesn't feel "uppety", like I am "less greedy" than a beadmaker who would put everything on eBay - because yes, we do have to make a living - but how much money we need is up to the individual, and I can make enough every day by selling my beads for what I think it's worth...geee, I am just blabbering..I bet this blurb will get me into trouble, because a few people might get the impression that I am attacking THEM - I have no intention to do so, we all follow our heart and sometimes just the necessities of our life...and nobody has the right to judge what other people do, because we never know the FULL story of their life...right?

So, having said all that, here is the one set I have today, I will let it sit till tonight to give everybody who is interested a chance....Please send me an EMPTY EMAIL with "Not all is black and white" in the subject line. I will put the emails into a folder (without reading them, so don't bother saying nice things or trying to bribe me with chocolat) and then "draw" the purchaser tonight.... the price for the strand is $ 100 for 12 beads. (SOLD)

 

 

(Updated on Wednesday at 1 pm)

 

The first special today was actually made the day before yesterday - it was "lost" in the bottom of my water-jar in which I clean the beads...so, it was a nice suprise when it emerged today. Since the flowers are supposed to be pear tree blossoms, the shape of the bead is also kind of pear shaped (of course, it is only a disguise of a lentil that didn't have anough glass to fill the mold...but nobody will ever KNOW that, right?) - I turned it into a pendant, which is called "Nashi-no-ki" - (Japanese for "Pear Tree"..) - $ 40  (SOLD)

 

 

Special number 2 is the second bead of a new series...the Cave-women of Friday Harbor. The first will be on ebay soon - this is is called "Yippee - life is good!" Actually made while referring to the following book (highly recommended for people who love stringer stuff) (By the way, the figure I drew was a representation of "Corn", if the book is accurate. I don't know, Yippee seems more adequate..maybe like "Yippee, the corn is growing this year?"

 

 

this is the bead (1.5 inches in diameter, back and front shown) - $ 50  (SOLD)

 

 

backside:

 

 

the last set is a strand I have been asked by several friends to put together: a "Corinabead Sample Pack"...I always have a hard time when selling beads that can't immediately turned into a bracelet or a necklace....but I think I underestimate people's creativity - there are lots of cool things that can be made with just one bead - and then there are people who don't even have to turn beads into anything, they just like HAVING them, maybe as a reference for their own beadmaking, or just because...So, for those of you who just want to see what my beads look like, here it is: Sample Pack # 1:

 

It contains: a flat flower, "Wakeup-call" bead with stringer swirls, "bomb-bead" (what did we call that shape again?), encased and rimmed cube, encased floral with stamen, squeezed bead, round dot bead, stone orrg, lentil, rickett-rock, tube bead, striped large hole spacer and a cone with dots and twisted rim....13 beads, not for the supersticious ones... total is $ 80, but it comes with a nice little pack of Thai-silver! and a pretty bag!  (SOLD)

 

 

 

Updated on Tuesday at 1 pm)

 

One more offer (I am listing "backwards" ) - another couple of "Flower-Plungers", tools for making florals with creased petals (either encased or raised). The sharp edge is shorter than a razorblade, which most people seem to use for creasing petals...this shorter tool has the advantage that you don't "overshoot" the petal, especially in the encased florals... the handle-bead was made on a mandrel (and what a pain it is to make a bead that long...) and glued to the stainless steel tool, which was lovingly handground by DH Steve. The top bead took me a long time to make and is decorated with "dogwood" florals, $ 50, the second one is a dark muted Carnelian, decorated with a little bit of goldstone stringer and small flowers, $ 45. (BOTH SOLD)

 

 

A few focals today - since I have spent hours and hours looking at florals lately I have to admit that it's very difficult NOT to want to make some myself. The problem of course is that I don't want to copy anything I have seen (at least not before the Spotlight is out, don't want to get accused of "Insider Trading" or something like that), so, I pretty much stuck with my own "style" of applied florals (simple and generic, no razorblade) - but I put some effort into the BACKGROUND the flowers sit on. There I had lots of fun, using enamels, frits and foils. Here is what I have:

 

1. Peartree blossom Lentil  - This lentil is flat, 1.5 inches in diameter...decorated with pink peartree blossoms (I went out in the yard and studied what is blooming right now). I really love the design of the bead, was even thinking of putting it on ebay, but there are some TINY speckles of silver on top of the blossoms (reduction from the rubino, couldn't get rid of it)...so, it's not PERFECT...Still, a very very nice bead which would make a beautiful pendant, $ 40 (SOLD)

 

 

 

2. Another "Japanese Blossom" - this one is a cherrytree blossom  - with the "indented petals". Since tree branches usually hang from the top to the bottom, I guess this one would have to be turned around....There is also a little "pool" of dichroic in the bead, which makes it a little more glitzy than the one above...again, flat lentil, 1.5 inches in diameter. $ 40 as well. (SOLD)

 

 

Also a bicone  - I really like the combination of the background here with the pale pink of the flowers...I flattened the ends of the bead AFTER I cleaned them (have a mini-trimsaw), to make sure that the beadcaps sit perfectly....so, I turned this bead into a pendant, with a little sterling lobster-claw-heart to hang on a chain or use as a keyholder, whatever you want to.. $ 50 as a finished pendant, I called this pendant "Monet". (SOLD)

 

 

The next bead is called "darn"  - it was probably my favorite bead of the whole batch - but the stringer is cracked. This is one of the weirdest cracks I have seen so far...the bead is fine, but there are 5 or 6 hairfine cracks right across the green stringer, you can even see them in the picture....I used a bunch of differerent glass types, which of course are not compatible....but everybody uses them all the time  - why ME????? This bead is not for sale....I will keep it and play with other stringer types, hope to manage to make something similar again....

 

 

(Updated on Monday at 11 am)

 

Just one special today - this was more an experiment to see how the colors react, so I kept the beads as simple as possible. The bead color is some weird blue from Ornela - the stuff that looks like nail-polish - and the decoration was made with Reichenbach Iris Gold - remember, the stuff we had to pull from frit, before they offered them in Cane (available at Olympic Color Rods in Seattle). I have to admit that I still have a hard time reducing this glass properly, I have tried all kinds of things, adjusting the amount of propane in the flame, trying the "dragonbreath" (which didn't work at all with the Mini CC) - then I tried to see whether the temperature of the dots/lines made a difference, with the result that "for the life of me I can't figure it out how to get a consistent result". on some of the beads the reduction actually "bled" onto the basebead, which adds a metallic hue - on others this didn't happen, some of the dots look silver, some look brownish gold, some look bluish..it's all over the place...the good news is that the Ornela glass and the Reichenbach have the same COE (96), so the stringer will not break off, like it used to do when applying stringer decoration with Iris gold on Effetre....my favorite beads in this batch are the tiny banded barrels....Since this is more of an experimantal set it's "only"  $ 55 for 22 beads....I think they might make a sweet "dangly" bracelet..since the beads are small (8-9 mm). Called "Heavy Metal". (prettier than in the picture, by the way...) (SOLD)

 

 

 

 

(Updated on Friday at 3:15 pm)

 

Miss Corina proudly presents a new tool: The Flower Plunger! Sounds like something you would use in the bathroom, but this is a tool that is perfect for making encased (and raised) florals - one side is a "standard" poker - the other is a sharp slanted tool which is fantastic for making creases in petals...there are some tutorials in books on how to make creased petals, and it always says "use a razor tool or exacto knife". But my problem was always that those blades were too long, I would "overshoot" and crease beyond the actual petal, because my flowers aren't all that big. So I asked Steve to grind one end of the poker for me...and the width was just perfect, since that's the average size of my petals....Needless to say, I HAD to decorate that handy new tool...and Kimberly Afflecks method of letting the glass "run" down the mandrel is perfect for that kind of long skinny bead. A couple of days ago I started playing with the idea...and I thought - "Ha, I am smart and make the bead directly on the stainless steel, no bead-release...." . Well, not a single one of those pretty beads survived. Then I thought "Well, glass obviously needs beadrelease...but it's almost impossible to get the bead OFF when it's that long and skinny," so I handed Steve all the beads on the thick mandrels, so he could grind the ends...and ALL the beads came off in his hands, without even trying. So, I cleaned them all and glued them onto the steel....that works just fine...I also played with the shape of the bead and found that the rounded end on the poker side of the tool works best, because your fingers can "rest" on it while poking.... Pretty cool, hmm? Anyway, I have two of these available...$ 45 each! (which includes shipping) !! I know, they SHOULD be decorated with flowers, but letting the glass run is way more fun.  (BOTH SOLD)

 

 

(Updated on Friday at 10:30 am)

 

Two specials for now, I have something totally different and cool up my sleeve - but I need Steve to do something on it for me...and he's in town...so, that will have to wait, but it's WELL worth the wait, I had a creative burst there for a moment!

 

Beadwise this is what I have today: the first set is a watch face (made in Japan) with 6 fuchsia colored orrbs. I was testing a new glass I had ordered (Caliente, 96 COE), and since it was a little paler than I wanted I rolled the first bead in frit, and since it kind of caught me "unprepared" I just grabbed what I had on my table - goldstone stringer and opal yellow stringer for simple "Ricketts-Flowers". Not particularly imaginative...but very pretty. The goldstone didn't hold up very well among the frit, I think because it took more heat to melt this glass than Moretti would have, some of the glitter burned off. That's why these are a little on the cheaper side...6 beads plus watchface for $ 50. Called "SPRINGTIME" (SOLD)

 

 

And one floral focal...very "simple" with a Japanese feel to it. It's supposed to be "Dogwood", but honestly, I didn't check on my Botanics first. It's an oval shape (Like a lentilized bicone) in a very pale pink that changes hue throughout the bead...Whispy goldstone decoration and a flower...the bead is 1.5 inches long $ 35 (SOLD)

 

 

 

(Updated on Thursday at 2 pm)

 

The revival of the round bead! I had lots of fun with these - they are SMALL (10-11 mm from hole to hole) and full of detail - the colors are a little "bizarre" - I layered the new Vetrofond Rubino Oro (which is VERY intense) on an old batch of Opal Yellow (which must have been the cause of the saying "Frit Happens"), and the rubino turned into a pinkish Amber. Very cool, actually. There are 11 bead in this strand, which is $ 100 (outch, but yes, these beads take a long time to make...and good eyesight...). Couldn't come up with a catchy name, other than "Suddenly Special". Again, the overall color is rather BROWNISH than pink!!! (SOLD)

 

 

(Updated on Wednesday at 11:15 am)

 

Here are all the frogs I have today - three "naked" frogs for all seasons, on a variety of florals (sizes of the florals are 9-13 mm). $ 30 each. The ones in the bunny-suit are $ 35.....I will "collect" your requests and will draw names at the end of the day....EACH person who asks will also get into a hat for the drawing of the largest focal I made...picture below....

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

(Updated on Saturday, April 1 at 1 pm)

 

The first set is yet another bracelet-lenght strand of Orrbs, I called these "Bababatik", don't ask me why. These were interesting to make - I made 4 of the beads two days ago, and 4 yesterday, all on a base of that strange "Moonstone" mystery Glass, rolled the bead in frit and then applied flowers in copper green. The Moonstone glass alone will cause the pigments in the copper green to "center", but the frit even accentuates that effect. BUT - on the beads I made yesterday the glass turned almost completely opaque, while the beads from the day before are a lot more translucent. Also, the streaks of khaki reduction that happens with copper green are more pronounced on yesterdays beads. I left the reduction on, because I think it looks interesting, but if you want to you can soak the beads in Coke or Toilet bowl cleaner and the khaki/silver will magically disappear. I have one "un-floraled" bead in the strand, if you have a larger wrist 7 beads won't be enough, so I added that one if needed...8 beads for $ 75 (SOLD)

 

 

 

The second set is a little of a "conundrum" - as far as pricing goes...we had this discussion many times - and the "standard formula" of $ 1 per minute of beadmaking doesn't quite seem to apply anymore these days...but if I would apply that rate the set would be about $ 140. Quite a bit of money (for some) - but then I wonder "What the HECK would anybody DO with this kind of bead??" I just had a lot of fun making these, for one I tried a couple of new tools for shaping petals, and then I loved the way that the glass turned clear when pressed thin, but stayed pearlescent when made into a round bead (the core of the little flowers). The larger flowers were made "petal by petal" - kept warm on a hotplate and then applied one by one to the core bead on a mandrel..Can you actually WEAR beads like that? I have no idea...the way I tested their sturdiness was to take the whole pile in one hand, and then "drop" it into the other hand, about 6 times back and forth. They all survived...so, sturdy they are, pretty they are - but again - WHAT would one do with them? I know, that should be of no concern to me, but still...that's why I am going to give a 50 % discount - and only sell the beads to someone who promises me they are going to send me a picture of what they did with them....hehe....I don't even have a fancy name, just FLOWERS. $ 70, have fun! (Oh, there are 7 small beads, one larger one and two medium sized, one has a little bit of green on the back, the others don't) (SOLD, even after all the warning!)

 

(Updated on Friday at 11:30 am)

 

The Second special is another "proof" of the pleasure of making something "favorite" in a new glass. I always enjoy making what I called "Chadwick" beads (after a mail order company that has lots of color inspiration in the catalog) - and I have tried just about every color combaniation known to mankind (well, probably not). But the challenge for the other glass I brought from Germany was to work in only ONE color (since I am not sure about the compatibility with other colors). What a surprise the beads turned out to be, the dark pink rod turned into a glittering apricot color that reminded me so of "Sunrays", so that's what I named that beads. 7 beads which are 11-12 mm wide from hole to hole...you will need some silver or other stuff to turn these into a bracelet. I strung them with faceted smoky topaz....and I will head straight to the torch to make another set for myself....and also to try what the blue rods of this glass will do. I promise that you will be totally delighted when you get these! $ 55 (SOLD)

 

 

The first  special today, called "MOON DREAMS"- one of the things I mentioned in my chat today was the repetition of a favorite design in a different shape/color. Of course, you have already noticed that my recent favorite shape is the Orrb (I don't use the 3 sized in one, I prefer the mold that has the same diameter, but different thicknesses) - the diameter of all of my Orrb beads is 3/4 inch...which I love for bracelets, it's a relatively large canvas, but not overwhelming on the wrist...anyway, this set is a variety of dot and stringer decoration on a glass I brought back from Germany last year. I THINK it is Lauscha, but I'm not sure. It is a very mysterious glass that is half translucent, half milky opaque...I mean, it's somewhat translucent, but depending on how the glass gods are breathing it appears more or less opaquish..The color is a VERY pale blue green, unfortunately I have only 6 rods of this glass left, and I used 2 rods for this set of 8 beads. $ 75 (SOLD)

 

 

(Updated on Thursday at 12:30 pm)

 

Last night I was in a froggish kind of mood - probably "induced" by the concert sounding up from the lake. It took me a while to get back into the frog-groove, so I only managed to make 5. They are all on the small side (not tiny), so I think they would work great as pendants or bookmarks...Each is $ 25, let me know which one you want (like "first on the top left", or "any"). Larger ones to come later this week. (ALL SOLD, MORE COMING SOON)

 

 

I was also in an "experimental mood" and made some focals with stringer and stuff on my desk. Hurray for clutter! One of my friends mentioned that she likes focals, but never knows what to do with them. There are a bunch of nice "interchangeable pendants" out there, so you can switch the focal without having to restring an entire necklace. That's probably how I would wear them, or just put them in my pocket to touch and look at...

 

The first focal is a long slightly flattened barrel (it lays better that way) - it's 2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide. Very sleek, and an interesting mix of  sunset colored "Vertebrae" and heavy veines of silvered ivory. I called it "Vertebarrel" - $ 28. It was made on a pretty thick mandrel (thicker than 3/32nd) and could be strung on leather cord. (SOLD)

 

  

 

The second focal is called "Never give up" - and it was one of those beads...it started out as a test for some new glass from Frantz, then I rolled it in chunks of Raku Frit, swirled and twisted it, fumed it, rolled it in silver...it took me a full hour, during most of which I was telling myself to stop and quit wasting time and glass...but in the end it turned out to be a wonderful mysterious bicone with a very earthy but sparkly quality (I guess anything can be rescued with a little bit of dichroic...). Didn't photograph well at all (actually, the photo looks horrible, I tried several versions...didn't get better), but I promise money-back satisfaction!!! Maybe it can even remind you of "Never giving up"...$ 40 (2 inch long bicone) (SOLD)

 

 

 

 

(Updated on Tuesday at 6:00 pm)

 

One more strand of Orrbs - I just love the way these feel on your wrist..the perfect canvas...now all I have to do is switch my palette to spring colors....

I called this strand of 8 beads (3/4 inch in diameter) "To tumble or not to tumble" - that is really a wonderful way to treat beads to give them a totally smooth satiny finish  - but some beads just don't look good, we ruined a few. The black one in the center is one that barely survived the judgement, it's the same as the other bead with the shiny stringer decoration, but the stringer lost its shine and is almost not visible anymore, but it's still a cool bead that fits in with the rest of the strand. $ 80 (I just realized that the ivory giraffe is actually a LENTIL bead, but it still fits in somehow) (SOLD)

 

 

One more strand of Orrbs, I liked these so much that I considered 2 other options: a) keeping them (oh how tempting) or b) putting them on ebay...but then I decided to offer this small strand here and maybe make a larger one later on. We'll see. So, they are on special for $ 100, for a special keepsake bracelet (geeee, THESE days $ 100 for a strand of beads sounds like a bargain, doesn't it...unless you buy from China or Russia...seems like the gap between mass production and "artist beads" is widening, which is sad for all those talented people who just don't have the name yet....)

These beads are raku-variations and black and transparent beads....called "Marge and Jim" (SOLD)

 

and then a couple of focals that are "Smircich Style", and they even have a decent shape. The one on the left is fumes with gold and has a nice shine, the other one is tumbled and a lot more subdued..Random swirls of ochre purple and black, kind of "male"...$ 20 each (The colors are NOT as bright as in the picture, and the longest bead is 1.75 inches long, the shorter one appr. 1.5 inches)

 

 

Here are the two black and white specials I promised below. They are basically "leftovers" from the Masquerade auction currently on ebay - I spent two full days exploring the placement of white and black dots and lines - for people who are into "precision" this is a never ending pleasure. Of course, the teacher in me took over and I was very tempted to take a picture of every single step, to demonstrate how the pattern changes with each subsequent layer. It is really fascinating, especially the "masking" technice and the distortion difference depending on when you place a dot. In the past I was rather lazy and always placed my dots and lines on black and white beads in a manner that all dots and lines would melt down at the same time. Most of the beads in these sets have 3 or 4 layers that were melted seperately, which takes a lot longer, but it allows a whole different variation of design. Considering the extra time it takes these are priced at $ 10 per bead, with a little discount for the simpler beads, so each strand is $ 75 (one comment to the pictures - the spots that look purple only look that way in the picture - they are a tiny bit purple in reality, but not THAT much.)

 

(both  strands are SOLD)

 

 

 

 

I have two more black and white specials "up my sleeve", but by special request from a tired lady in the UK I promised to hurry and get something up: PINKIES. A set of 7 slightly translucent pink Orrbs with light pink stringer decoration. This is the kind of bead I could make all day long, and I will definitely try it in a variety of colors. They were made with Opalino glass - it took me 6 years to figure out that it has to be worked very cool, way high in the flame - thus this little strand took me a full hour to make. not the most efficient beads to make, but the result is worth it, they have a translucency that the regular pastel colors just can't match. 7 beads for $ 70, enough beads for a perfectly feminine bracelet (the beads are 2 cms in diameter...) (SOLD)

 

 

(Updated at 2:00pm)

 

It has been a LONG time since I had specials for sale, but I hope that I get back into the groove soon enough so you will find something new if not every day, at least on a regular basis.. today I have three sets (still have to take pictures of the third), which I strung into bracelets, because this type of strand just "lends" itself to wanting to wear it. Of course, you could just clip off the clasp (I just used cheap lobster claws) and restring them after your own taste....each of these fits about a medium wrist (7 - 8 inches), personally I like it when bracelets with flat beads hang halfway down my wrist, I am actually wearing the first strand as I am typing this.

 

The first set is a mix of bluish green beads that have a mysterious "oilslick" look to them. You might wonder what happened with the little spacers - a new type of bead I got inspired to make by Sue Hunnel. I call these "nuggets" - a GREAT way to go crazy on a small scale, it allows you to do everything you were ever told in a beadclass NOT to do. Wonderful contrast with the even shape and the shiny surface of the Orrb shape. I called these "Bottom of the Ocean" - $ 100 (SOLD)

 

 

The second strand/bracelet is more earthy looking, I am having a lot of fun with making "Kimberly Affleck Runaway beads" on a small scale. But I had just as much fun picking the beads that go together as a set without looking repetive (I made 20 beads to get this nice set...). Strung with some matt glass beads from Marge's extensive collection, this set is called "Rock Hunters" and costs $ 125 (the Stonelook beads are tumbled, more about that later...) SOLD

 

 

and a final strand of Orrb beads - purple and olive (the purple very muted in some of the beads), most of the beads are encased, which adds a lot of shine. This strand would be enough for two elegant bracelets - 12 beads for $ 100 (SOLD)