Corners!


I've been playing with my lovely hobby fuser kiln this week and making some fairly simple bowls and coasters. Well they were meant to be simple but I can be a bit of a perfectionist so they've taken me a while to get them just how I want them. This is where my lovely friend Becky will tell you that what I really mean is I had to get the corners right!


You see I don't really like corners in glass. I don't know why but it may be the part of me which once flirted with engineering a long time ago. Corners are supposed to be right angles for me - absolutely spot on 90 degrees and that doesn't really work in glass. So when (and it isn't very often) I make beads with corners they have to be soft and rounded and almost not corners at all. That's a bit difficult when you're fusing a square coaster and as I can't cut circles (yet - I'm working on it) I've played with my fusing programme to get my corners just how I like them. Obsessive? Oh yes but at least I'm a happy obsessive!


Anyway, here's the coasters and a couple of slumped bowls too.


Sarah
xxx

Thank you.....


......to everyone who came to say hello to me at the Big Bead Show. Its always good to put names to faces and meet my lovely customers. It was also fun to hang out with my lovely friend Becky of Chameleon Designs who saved my day because my organza bag order was lost in the post and I was down to my last half dozen. So lots of you had elegant silver grey bags instead of my usual fiery red & gold.

Becky's beautiful beads won second place in the show's lampwork competition - check them out on her blog. Even better I got to take them home as Becky had to leave before the show ended - do you think she'll believe me if I say I lost them?

I've been in recovery mode today - it was a long day yesterday. So other than a nice roast at our local pub I haven't done very much. I have a few test pieces in my fusing kiln and I'm planning a cosy evening in at home.

I will be listing some new beads later this week so keep an eye on my website and etsy or follow me on twitter.

See you soon

Sarah
xxx

I can't believe how long it is since I posted - I promise to be a better blogger in the future!


So what have I been doing with my time? I've been making beads and beads and more beads for the Big Bead Show. The show is on Saturday 15 October at Sandown Park and it would be lovely to see you there. I'm tucked in a corner on Stand 63 - please come and find me & say hello! I've added some photos so that you can see some of my new stock. I haven't finished yet though so there will be more.


I've also been playing with my fusing kiln and have just received a rather big box of glass from the Warm Glass sale. I have lots of ideas for coasters & bowls so watch this space. 


But right now I'm off to my shed to make more beads for Saturday.


See you soon


Sarah
xxx

Hi


I've been very busy this week - working on some more Time & Tide beads, getting to grips with my fusing schedules for my big kiln and making some jewellery.   I spent Thursday making beautiful deep blue beads from a smashed up bottle I brought back from holiday last year and today turning them into a necklace with sterling silver and gorgeous turquoise discs. I don't have a photo as I've just finished the necklace but I promise I'll show it soon.


Instead, I have some photos that I took a week ago on a one day workshop with Charlie Waite and Anthony Spencer of Light and Land. It was a little daunting for me as these guys are fabulous photographers; Anthony is currently Landscape Photographer of the Year and Charlie has been in the past. My husband, Simon, is also a fantastic photographer.  I love taking photos but glass is my real passion and I can't compete with any of them! So I was a bit worried that I would be out of my depth and feel a bit of a fraud.


I was wrong, however, as Charlie and Anthony were very encouraging and didn't seem to mind that some of us on the course weren't as experienced (or skilled) as others. I can highly recommend Light and Land if you want to develop your skills or just spend some time learning about how professionals set up their photos. We spent the day at Stourhead which is a beautiful National Trust property in Wiltshire. The day was a bit on the grey side (don't you just love the English summer?) but I am quite pleased with how these turned out.

And finally, my lovely friend Becky has been interviewed by UK Handmade - its a great article so please have a look and don't forget to check out her beads too!

Speak soon!

Sarah

xxx

Hi I'm Sarah and I make things with glass - usually beads but I also fuse and I will be learning to sculpt in the flame in September. Having set this blog up in 2006 I thought it was time I used it!


So I thought I'd start by showing you some of my latest creations. When I started to make beads back in 2006 I arranged a course with the wonderful Diana East.  I already knew how to make a bead but Di taught me so much about working with glass and made such a difference to my technique.  I have always intended to go back and see Di for another class but time moved on and it never happened.  Until a few weeks ago when my friend Kaz arranged a special day with Di for her friends and experienced lampworkers. So we got together after Di's open studio last month and had a fabulous day.  Di showed us how to make her wonderful crinian canes and use them in beads. 



I've been practising those beads almost constantly for the last two weeks; they have become a real addiction.  I am very proud of these beads I've shown below. They are a work in progress and I know will improve with time but I wanted to share these now as I'm really pleased with my progress. I made all the components in the beads - some of the canes took a couple of hours as did two of the beads! I have had stiff shoulders as a result but I'm not complaining.


I hope you like them too.


Sarah
xxx