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!

Ernie's Winnings

As you know, our kitty Ernie won a contest. His prize package arrived last week, and I don't think he and his buddy, Bert, have calmed down since! After seeing how much fun our kitties are having, you may want to stop by Catnipetc, where Ernie won last month's contest. There's a new "pretty kitty" contest every month, and the kitty cats that are pictured this month are adorable. And if you're on Etsy, just head over to Kittybags for more cat treats.

Ernie is checking it all out.

Of course the box is always a big hit.

Sharing with Bert.

Buzz, our older cat, is getting into the catnip.

Bert.

Ernie.

Ahhhh.

Thank you Catnipetc!

Happy Birthday Chunky!

Happy Birthday, Chunk!

Eight-years-old today!