Pigs for Dylan

If you're a lampworker, then you probably have heard of Beads of Courage. It's a program designed to distribute beads to children in the hospital. They receive beads to string as they complete treatments, and they are symbols of their courage. I've sent two packages of beads to Beads of Courage, and I'm getting ready to send a third. The organization likes to get all kinds of beads so the children have some fun and beautiful choices to add to their bead strands.

But last week Beads of Courage put out the call for pig beads. There's a boy named Dylan who is very sick and in the hospital, and he's been lobbying his mother for a pet pig. He can't have traditional pets because of allergens. So sculptural lampworkers are making pig beads to send to Dylan. Even lampworkers who don't normally make sculptural beads are giving pigs a go. I've got three little pigs lined up and ready to hit the road.

You might recognize the pig on the left - he's been in my shop for a looooong time. And now I'm glad he's still there. I'll be sending Super Pig Dylan's way. The middle pig is a sweet little guy, he's pink with gray spots. And the last pig is - hey! Wait a minute. That's no pig. He's trying his best to blend in, but I'm on to him.

And so are the other pigs.

Nice try, little turtle. Clever disguise. Ok, you can go, too. Go pack your bags.

For more about Beads of Courage, please visit their website HERE.

Murrini Monday ~ Turtle Style

It's Turtlepalooza in my Etsy shop today. What does that mean? I'm cranking out the turtle beads! And lots of them are adorned with murrini to boot! Here's a little sample of what's to come . . .

This turtle's turquoise shell is decorated with murrini made by my friend Mallory, of rosebud101. Murrini is a fairly recent addition to Mallory's shop, and I give it two thumbs up! I had so much fun playing with this chalcedony blend, and I love how it spread out on the bead. Yes, that's a slice of murrini from the blend - so there you see it before and after.

A cheery turtle, this one with murrini from loriandkim.

Two turtles. Two different murrini blends. One love.

Big Hole Beads

I'm getting more and more comfortable making beads on the thick mandrel that makes the large hole and allows the beads to fit pandora, troll and biagi style bracelets. So the pandora section in my shop is filling up! Maybe I'll actually wear my prop bracelet sometime. In the meantime, here's a sampling of my pandora beads, and some of my fellow Fire Diva's big-hole beads.

Paco would add character to any rope bracelet.

Penelope and Gail are BFFs, but they're sold separately in my shop.

Bonita is sitting pretty alongside an intense blue bead.

This Dainty Flower Green set perfect for spring! Find it at DorsetHillBeads.

I spy murrini in this Fun and Bright funky purple big hole bead by Lutrick.

Smiling Snowman is a super cute two-bead set by glasstastictreasures.

Beads at Work

Naughty little sheep. Good thing there's a herding dog in the bead box.

Doggone Wonderful

This is our dog, Chunky. He loves his pillow bed, but not as much as he loves his tennis ball. And as much as he loves his tennis ball, which is a whole lot, he loves my husband even more. So I had this fantastic idea. I custom-ordered a keepsake of Chunky with his favorite things for my husband. I had been dying to purchase something from elukka on Etsy, and this was the perfect excuse. Szilvia, the sculptor/artist behind the endearing dogs at elukka, was absolutely wonderful. I sent her the above picture of Chunky, and she meticulously sculpted him out of clay.

There he is, cuddling his tennis ball and sleeping on his green pillow bed (he has a green one, too). My husband LOVED it!

If you like dogs, especially dogs with lots of personality, don't waste any time and go visit elukka. The shop is filled with doggie trinket dishes, vases, tiles, jewelry and sculptures. Szilvia also makes the most darling little houses.

A sampling of her other works of art:

Quality Time Doggie Dish in Stoneware

Ho(w)ly Marge ~ Doggie Vase in Stoneware

TURQUOISE Miniature House Pendant in Stoneware

Wordless Wednesday

Wonky Beads

When I first started making beads, I learned a new word. Wonky. I had never heard that word before, but a new online lampwork friend had used it to describe her imperfect beads. Wonky. It's a funny word. I had been calling my beads "lopsided," because at the time that's what most of them were. But I soon started to use the word "wonky" as well. Needless to say, I've made lots of wonky beads. Sometimes the eyes are melted in too much, or I've messed with the bead so much that it doesn't resemble what I was trying to make. What do you think happens to those beads? Well, I can tell you, throwing them out is not an option. First of all, the majority of my beads have faces. Could you look a turtle in the eyes as you're tossing him in the trash? I didn't think so. Second of all, there are four little hands waiting for those wonky beads to come out of the kiln. My daughters will happily give those deformed little critters a home. And if they've split in half? They just sticky-tac them back together.

My younger daughter's collection is hanging out on my son's fingerboard ramp.

These lucky beads are going for a whirlybird ride (thanks to a lot of sticky tac)

And here's my little collection of wonky beads that sit on this ledge in my kitchen. Most of them are cracked, and the poor owl lost his foot in a tragic sink accident.