Murrini Monday

My torch time has been limited lately, so receiving murrini in the mail has been like torture! But I've managed to sneak in a few murrini-filled beads with my new stash. Who needs sleep?

This blend of murrini is called Smudges, and it's from rosebud101. It is fabulous to work with, and as my daughter says, it looks like beach balls. I'm a huge fan of rainbow glass (who isn't?), so I've been having tons of fun with Smudges.

I named this pandora-style snake bead Smudge, after the murrini he's sporting.

I spy a beach ball in this sweet penguin's belly - nope! It's more Smudges murrini, and the shy penguin can be found at nlcbeads on Etsy.

This murrini from Lori and Kim is aptly called Jitterbug, and I did my own giddy version of the dance when I opened my pack of it last week.

See how happy Nellie the turtle is with the Jitterbug murrini atop her shell? She's up on her hind legs showing it off.

Periwinkle Makes Me Happy

I've been hooked on the glass color periwinkle. It's a blue-purple color that just plain makes me happy. It's also the color of my kitchen walls. But from the looks of my Etsy shop, you would think I'd just won the periwinkle glass lottery. Periwinkle is the perfect color for hippo beads and other fun critters, and when you dot it with transparent purple, well, it becomes even more fun! I'm not the only lampworker who enjoys the results of periwinkle. I've found a bunch of gorgeous beads made from this purple-blue glass.

If only owls really did come in periwinkle.

The periwinkle shell on this turtle is the perfect canvas for some pretty murrini. Plus, this turtle has a periwinkle pedicure.

Check out this gorgeous set from fellow Fire Diva AHouston that features periwinkle along with aqua and black - now that's a striking color combination!

SomethingNew4U, another Fire Diva, has turned this periwinkle tab bead into a lush garden.

I think I've found a lampworker who likes periwinkle as much as me! Aside from the center of this gorgeous star bead, periwinkle plays a big role in many of the stunning focals at studiorickrack.

I spy lots of periwinkle at beadygirlbeads. It pops out of her colorful creations, like this Zuma Big Holed Spinner Slider.

Therapy Thursday ~ Pay it Forward

Giveaway Time!

I've recently had the good fortune of being asked by one of my lampwork friends to try out her murrini and let her know how it turns out on my beads. Of course I said YES! So I've been playing with murrini from Mallory at rosebud101 and having a ton of fun. I report back to her and send pictures of my results. One of my favorite murrinis from Mallory is called Smudges. It's a rainbow blend and it is really fun to use. My daughter thinks it looks like beach balls. It's on one bright and cheery turtle in my shop, and last night I tried it on a pink turtle shell. I like.

And now I want to Pay it Forward in the form of a GIVEAWAY! I'm giving away Ping the Pink turtle, and all you have to do is head to rosebud101 and have a look around. Then come back here and leave a comment about your favorite bead, bead set or lampwork supply (I recommend the murrini and frit blends!) here. Easy as pie.

I've made a few turtle beads with Mallory's murrini, and I've already slated some of them for a special journey to Beads of Courage, which gives beads to children in the hospital after they complete treatments. I know this program means a lot to Mallory - she sends in tons of beads to Beads of Courage. I think some turtles adorned with murrini by Mallory will be a great way to pay it forward.

You've Come a Long Way, Baby

I realized a few days late that I'd passed my 2-year Etsyversary. So I mentioned it on Facebook, and someone commented that it would be neat to see the first beads I'd made. So I just went into my "wonky bead drawer" and found them. They were easy to pick out. They're big and lopsided, and full of so much potential. Well, not potential exactly - but I could tell they were paving the way for better beads. I made them in my beginner lampworking class, which I took two years ago with Julie Rose at TLD Design Center in Westmont, IL. It's about 40 minutes from my house. I was crazy excited about this day-long class. I'd read up on lampworking - checking out Cindy Jenkins' book Making Glass Beads from the library and renewing it over and over again. I watched lampworkers on Youtube spin their magic with glass. Over and over again. I was ready. Or so I thought. It wasn't nearly as easy as it looked on those videos, but it sure was fun.

These are the beads from my beginner class.

Here are some beads I made in the weeks following. I put the red polka-dotted blue bead in to show how much smaller I made my beads after the class. I was even trying encasing. I drove my beads 40 minutes to TLD Design Center to be annealed every couple of weeks.

And here are my first critter beads that made it through annealing without popping off a wing. I had to steal them out of my daughter's collection to take a picture. The green blob was my first attempt at a frog. Now it's probably obvious why frogs aren't my forte, but I'm working on it.

It's fun to look back to see how far you've come. My beads are always changing and evolving. My advice to lampworkers and anyone with a craft they want to improve upon ~ practice, and challenge yourself. Some days are good days and some, well, I think why did I even light the torch. But in the end they all seem to balance out. If you're having one of those rotten days, try looking back on where you started. You'll probably realize you've come a long way. Baby.

Murrini Monday

Happy Murrini Monday!

As you can see, I haven't gotten tire of murrini. :)

I LOVE this Smudges rainbow murrini from rosebud101.

More rainbow murrini, this time from Lori and Kim.

I've had to call in the sheriff to control the murrini importing around here. I may have gone over my limit . . . Nah. Murrini star badge by Lori and Kim.

Murrini makes the perfect turtle shells on pandora beads. This is from Lori and Kim.

Reactive glass murrini from rosebud101 - I like!

It's been a rather gloomy weekend here, so I'm brightening things up with some of my favorite Fire Divas' cheery beads today.

Whoever gets to wear this Bumpy Rainbow Focal by Janel is sure to have a happy day.

I Scream for this Ice Cream bead by Holly. Mmmmmm.

These Big Hole Beads in Lara's shop are super fun!

If you've ever been to Tera's shop, you know that it's always bright and cheery. This Rainbow Bullseye set is is no exception.

Bumps + Color = ♥

These Rainbow Brights by Amy rock!

Happy Sunday, Everyone!

Therapy Thursday ~ Need a good laugh?

Happy Thursday! Have a great day!