Thursday, October 31, 2013

My Dad as a Bead

My dad's birthday is today! On Halloween! So when I was a kid, we had lots to celebrate on this day. We ate candy AND cake. My dad's birthday cake was usually a Halloween scene, but one year my mom ordered a cake of his head. He has a very recognizable look, one that translated well to a cake. As kids, my sisters and I were also experts at drawing my dad's face.

My dad also is an ophthalmologist. When I was little, I imagined that he had a box of spare eyeballs. You know, like a shoebox filled with them. I figured that if someone hurt their eye so badly that it no longer was useful, my dad could pop out the bad eye and let his patient pick a new one from the shoebox. This turned out not to be true (bummer, right?). But being an eye doctor and having a Halloween birthday works out very well for gift-giving. We love to find him eyeball-themed birthday presents and there are lots of them out there this time of year. One year I got him eyeball soaps, and this year I found some eyeball post-it notes. But I also was delighted to find some gory eyeball murrini (made by Lori and Kim). I used some of the eyeball murrini on various animal beads, but I saved one for a bead for my dad. I thought and thought about what to make with it. I couldn't come up with anything quite right. Then a couple nights ago I thought, "I should make a bead of my dad!" How could I not? I had drawn his face so many times, why not make it in glass? So here is what I made:

This is my dad as a bead. He's wearing his light blue lab coat with yellow index cards in the pocket (he always has those there for taking notes and making lists). He's also holding a gory eyeball (probably freshly removed from someone's face). His face is pretty spot on, if I do say so myself (and if you can't tell, he's smiling under the beard). The only thing that's not quite accurate is his hair color - it's not exactly black anymore. But this is how I picture my dad. :)

Here is my real dad with his bead. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
AND
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Monday, October 14, 2013

Murrini Monday

 This awesome BOO murrini was just asking to be melted onto a black cat. I think the cat is more scared than scary.

These big-hole turtles love to show off murrini on the tops of their shells. I put a layer of clear over it and it gives it a magnified effect. The eyeball is sure to scare the pretty beads on someone's rope chain.

 Heart murrini is still one of my all-time favorites. It can be used just about anywhere, and I love giving it to little owls. This big slice almost didn't fit on this little yellow owl, but we made it work.

Pinky the owl is always impressed when an owl suitor looks her in the eyes, and not the chest. But his hooter wouldn't blame her new friend for sneaking a peek at her pretty pink and yellow murrini heart.


Murrini from this week's episode of Murrini Monday is from Lori and Kim!

HAPPY MURRINI MONDAY!!!