All Roads Lead to Murrini Monday, Nov 17 2008 

Uncategorized lydiamuell 2:26 pm

Blech!!! That’s what I think about murrini making. I love what other people can do with it, but I never had much patience for building complex cane. Matter of fact, I have avoided it like the plague. I need to be instantly gratified in order to stay inspired so I use the conventional dot layering process for encased beads. . .Dot. . .Dot. . .Dot. . .Dot. . .Plunge. . .Dot. . .Dot. . .and finally, dot! Sometimes, followed by a twist of the wrist and a “omg, now I have to encase this stupid thing.” (I say this because encasing is my least favorite part of bead making.) Anyhow, this method of building elements within a bead is pretty standard. I think there are three major downsides to it, though. . . All of these dots on top of one another eventually lead to a very large bead, which is why some of my focals are such “honkers”. While the beads afford a multi dimensional look, the individual elements within the bead sometimes tend to look a bit one dimensional and unrealistic. This is especially true for florals. I’m not all about absolute ”realism” in my art, I guess I want 80% realism/20% fantasy. That’s just NOT achievable via the ”Dot-Dot-Dot” method. Once I realized this, I sort of hung my head, and actually started to become a bit sad and depressed. If I can’t achieve what I want to achieve by my conventional method, what else is there? Where do I go from here? Then the answer hit me and when it did, it was as though gravity grabbed the corners of my mouth and twisted them into the ugliest frown EVER. MURRINI!!!!! Oh for the love of all things warm and fuzzy, how ever is it that I could even think this way? Why did I have to have this epiphany on Thursday afternoon when I wanted to make beads for my inventory and maybe clean my house over the weekend? I guess because I am a glutton for punishment.

As my mind was invaded with images of different types of murrini, I realized that it would have to be the Japanese method. From what I’ve heard it only works for Satake. I don’t care, like I said, “I am a glutton for punishment.” On Friday I made the crappiest rose cane ever. After a few test beads I realized that even a mass production glass company would have laughed at my so called “murrini”. Later that night, I had to really focus on where I went wrong and how I could do it better. The next day, I made another cane and it turned out better. Still a great deal of room for improvement but I can see that after more practice, a ton of wasted glass and heaps of precious time, I’ll get where I’m going and I’ll be thankful that I went for the drive.

Yesterday, I spent more time pulling petal, leaf and stamen cane. All of it will be put together today to build several different murrini canes that either will or will not totally suck. I’m hoping for the latter.

So, I’m a woman on a mission. Even though I don’t enjoy making complex cane (or better yet, I would rather scrub my kitchen floor), I’m still going to do it because I honestly believe that it holds the key that will ultimately unlock a new box o’ magic tricks. If not, then I’m leaving the glassworld altogether. I saw an add in the newspaper the other day. A national carnival company is hiring traveling acts and ride technicians for the Spring, Summer and Fall seasons of 2009. I’m torn between bearded lady and the chick who gets knives thrown at her while she rotates on a wheel. The knife thing kind of scares me so I doubt I’d do that. Since Spring is about five months out, if I start rubbing hair growth cream on my chin NOW I can have a ZZTOP face mop going by around March or so. ;-)

Oh and I haven’t forgotten about the angel ornaments. I have made two so far and leave it to me to make the project more difficult than it should be. I’ll explain more later. . .For not, the evil murrini pieces are screaming for my attention.  

Happy Monday!!

 

Sneeze, Sniffle, Sniffle & A Cute Little Christmas Angel Monday, Nov 10 2008 

Uncategorized lydiamuell 1:40 pm

My email response time has been a bit lagging and over the past week and my communication skills have been even worse. I’ve been nursing a brutal cold for a week now and I’m happy to say that I’m feeling a bit more human today. I’m planning to torch this afternoon for the first time in days, so I’m excited! Boy, how I’ve missed it.

So. . .Who likes to make Christmas ornaments? I have to admit that making them is one of my favorite things to do this time of year. My favorite ornament design is a little angel that I used to make for friends and family. I would make about 30 of them each holiday season and attach one to each Christmas gift. My own tree is always filled with them too. 

I haven’t made the little angels in several years.  I’m pretty sure that is because every bit of my creative has been reserved for beads and jewelry. Now, I’m itching to do something fun again for my loved ones. I’m going to make each of them an updated version of the angel, but this time I’m going to use lampwork beads in their construction. I should have the first one finished over the next day or two and I’ll post her pictures here, along with a free PDF tutorial for those of you that might enjoy making your own little angels.

Till then, enjoy these beautiful Autumn days!

 

Happy Halloween. . .I Ain’t Scared of No Ghosts!!! Friday, Oct 31 2008 

Uncategorized , , , lydiamuell 12:16 pm

Nope, no spooky beads to share. . .Instead, I’d like to share a ghost story and photo that I have. First, I want to stress that this photograph is mine. I took it and it is NOT enhanced in any way.

Three years ago, my husband and I got married in Pigeon Forge. We rented a beautiful luxury cabin in the woods. Nearby, was a very small and old cemetery. Each time we drove by it, I felt as though my energy was being pulled in it’s direction. It was strange for me as I’ve never been one who gives much notice to cemeteries. Still yet, I wanted to stop and walk through this one. Each time we drove past it, the pull of my energy seemed to get more intense. My eyes were always drawn to the same spot. . .A headstone that read “Samuel A. Franklin, Born Feb. 2nd 1897, Died Feb. 2nd 1899.” Perhaps this is because the date is significant to me. My husband, Mark, was born on Feb. 2nd. Coincidentally, I was also married to my first husband on Feb 2nd. I also found it odd that this little child had died on his birthday, a short two years after his birth.

I didn’t say a word to Mark about how the cemetery and headstone made me feel. I didn’t want him to think that I was weird. After all, we were on our honeymoon and if he found out that his wife was a freak, he might just drive right down to the courthouse and demand an annulment!! 

The day that we left the cabin to come home, I made sure that our video camera and digital camera had a full charge. I wanted to get some nice shots of the mountains as we headed home. Our first stop was the cemetery. I just couldn’t help it. I HAD to stop there and have a look around.  As I walked through the cemetery, the energy pull that I described earlier began to really intensify. I pulled my camera out of my bag and turned it on. As I tried to take pictures, strangely, the camera kept shutting off even though the battery charge was full. I had NEVER experienced this in the year that I owned the camera. Between shut offs, I took pictures of the headstones and surroundings.

On our way home, I took more pictures of the beautiful landscapes as we stopped at several over passes. The camera never did shut off by itself again once we left the cemetery. So funny, I remember telling Mark on our drive home how funny it would be if something appeared in the photos. 

Can you imagine the look on our faces as we sat there downloading this photograph into home pc? Oh yeah, “freaked out” would be an understatement. I literally lost my breath. There is NO doubt in my mind that I captured something from the spirit world in this photograph. Notice that you can see right through it. . .

Cemetary Ghost

Cemetery Ghost

  So, what do you think it is? Personally, I think it’s the energy of my gaurdian angel or spirit guide who came along to protect me as I walked through the cemetary. I don’t beleive that the image is that of a ghose. I do think that one was present though. One of the things that I noticed as I walked through the cemetary was that most of the graves belonged to children and each of those children were related. The energy that pulled me was agressive, but not negative. It felt almost maternal in nature, if that makes sense. 

"Ghost" up close

I didn’t see the grave of Samuel Franklin’s mother. Based on his headstone, her name was Belle. She had lost several children and they were burried there in the cemetary along with Samuel. Theoretically, I believe that cemetaries are vaccant of ghosted spirits for the most part because I feel that our energies are not tied to our physical bodies, once they are no longer in use. However, I have to wonder if the spirit of Samuel’s mother visits the final resting place of her children since she was not burried along side them. Perhaps this is the very reason that she could not cross to the other side. MAYBE, she wanted me to notice the headstone as I would find it such an odd coincidence.

Well, I could “what if” and “maybe” all day long about this subject. I’ll shut up now and hope to read some of your comments on this picture and what you think might be going on within this image.

Happy Halloween!! :-)

 

The Garden Memories Series Monday, Oct 27 2008 

Uncategorized , , , , lydiamuell 11:30 am

Charitys Garden

Charity's Garden

 

Blue Moon Roses

Blue Moon Roses

  

Obviously I’m still obsessed with rose beads. . .I just can’t help it! I continue to seek that perfect rose and I expect I will never stop trying to uncover the secrets of how it’s done in glass. I know some of you have seen those paperweights that have the most gorgeous floral scenes, suspended timelessly in heavy encasing glass. I know how it’s done but the techniques used for that method of work require a different setup and alternative method of gathering glass. I’m still mandrel bound, so I’m struggling a bit.

Since I know that I’ll be doing these beads for some time to come, I’ve decided to dedicate them to a series called “Garden Memories”.  The name of the series is special to me because I no longer have time to garden. When I moved into the home that I live in now, I left behind a huge rose garden that I planted and grew. I spent so much time in that garden. After planting many different varieties of roses and propagating new ones from my favorites, I had somewhere in the neighborhood of 125 rose bushes. (Give or take a few).  In this garden was a mix of tea roses, climbers, bushes and ramblers in many different colors and styles. The English tea rose hybrids were my favorite. Their cup-like shape of endless aromatic petals just appealed to me so. Well, I could talk about this forever, since rose growing was at one time my obsession. I don’t want to bore you so I’ll move on.

In making these rose themed beads, I had to think about what appeals to me when I look at a piece of art. What is it about that piece of art that captures my attention and speaks to my soul? The most important element is the spirit of the piece. How is that spirit captured? Personally, I think it’s an equal mix of realism and fantasy. When both are present and well executed, the spirit of the artist who created the piece seems to speak loudly to my soul. The realistic element should not over power the element of fantasy or else the piece appears flat to me, almost as though it’s creator lost their focus or passion somewhere along the way. I love being able to feel the nostalgic fingerprints that an artist leaves on a piece. I think that’s why artists like Antonov, Kinkade, and Rockwell appeal to me so much. Their spirit overwhelms me as I look at their work.

Getting back on track here, these beads are created from the spirit that I felt during my rose gardening days. I’ve tried many different methods to capture my passion for roses. Most of those methods yielded a need to push myself harder because something was still missing for me. At first, I wanted a hand painted look so I applied the designs to the surface. I really loved the way those beads turned out but the finishing process was very demanding and impractical. I wanted more depth too. Encasing the roses didn’t seem like a good option either. I had tried many times but never seemed to get the look that I wanted, which ultimately led to my dismissal of the idea.

Then, Vonna came along. . .Back when I had posted about Antonov’s beautiful roses, she left this comment, “Lydia, But you can create this rose inside the glass ~ think about it~ Vonna”. At first, I shook it off and walked away as I had already been down that road and found myself turning around in it’s culdesac. I moved on to other things, but still heard Vonna’s midwestern accent laden voice in the back of my head, challenging me to try again. I did so, and while the beads don’t look like Antonov’s roses, I do think they are very special in their own right. They definitely have that “thing” I was searching for.

First, I want to say that I am aware that these beads are not practical. They have a high purchase price, as do many of my other beads. This isn’t because I’m a selfish bead maker who doesn’t want to cater to the  designer. . . (I bring this up, because I’ve received a couple of emails about this very thing over the past week). My prices are “high” because I can’t make these pieces for less money. For example, the rose beads require me to hand mix and pull my own glass colors. The pink roses use four different hand mixed pinks. The leaves use four different colors of stringer and its takes eight different tiny layers of those stringers to make ONE leaf.  Each bead takes nearly four hours to make, not including glass mixtures and stringer pulling. At this point, I can’t make smaller versions of the beads either because each already tiny rose requires 22 layers of pinks. Encasing is a huge challenge, as the leaves, roses and rosebuds have to be left raised on the surface and must therefore be done in a painstakingly slow manner.  This unfortunately leaves trails of tiny bubbles beneath the clear glass. I’m sure I’ll tackle that part later, but right now, I like them as they seem to add to the the fantasy element that I spoke of earlier.

Before closing this post, I want to get back to the pricing issue and the direction that I’m heading in as an artist. Among the emails about pricing, it has also been suggested that I offer lower priced, less intricate sets of beads and focals for designers. As much as I love and respect my designers, I just can’t do this. I can’t see any reason to do so when Ebay and Etsy both have unlimited amounts of less intricate, beautifully executed artisan beads that are bordering on dirt cheap right now. These beautiful offerings are ending on Ebay with an already low price and zero bids. Please, PLEASE, check into these venues if you need beads for you designs. 

I know that my prices are tough for many of you, whether you are a fellow lampworker, collector or designer. Believe me, I feel the pain. My orders have slowed to crawl and custom work is very rare these days. Each time I sell a bead I am extremely grateful to that customer for that sale. I don’t take those sales lightly by any means. I am honored by them for a lot of different reasons. Even if they become non existent, I have to stay true to myself. The truth is that I am person who needs to constantly learn and achieve new heights. The middle ground doesn’t satisfy me. It leaves me feeling a bit cold, actually. I cannot and will not do tons of quickie beads and list them at low prices just so that I can put food on the table. I would go back to corporate inside sales work before I did that. This glass career of mine represents many things. This is the first time in my life that I’ve had a job that I love and I’ve sacrificed much to get here, as have those that love and care for me in my personal life. This glass life I live, has revitalized my soul, grown my spirit, my patience and my skill and out of it, I have emerged a better person. I hope this makes sense and I really hope that I didn’t come across as a snotty and selfish “arteest”.

 

Eni Oken’s Fabulous Site. . .Jewelrylessons.com! Wednesday, Oct 22 2008 

Uncategorized , , , lydiamuell 1:40 pm

I’m sure Eni needs no introduction, as she is one of the most talented and well known cold-working, art jewelry designers of our time. If you’re wire wrapping your jewelry, there’s a good chance that she at one time or another inspired your creativity. She is most definitely credited for inspiring mine! Not only is she incredibly gifted, but she shares those gifts with all that she inspires. From beginner to advanced, her new online community is certain to offer something that will keep you coming back for more. I particularly love that this is more than just a website. . .Designers can write articles, sell their tutorials and exchange ideas.  Jewelrylessons.com is a must bookmark resource for designers of all levels!

 

Big Long Winded Post. . .Enter at your own risk ;-) Monday, Oct 20 2008 

Uncategorized , lydiamuell 3:30 pm

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this, but before I started making beads, I wanted to learn to make larger glass pieces that could be used for home decor. Learning to make beads was sort of my prerequisite for moving on to bigger things. That’s not to say that I don’t want to make beads anymore, I just want to expand into other things. I’ve begun to slowly upgrade my studio with a more powerful torch and oxygen setup for the purpose of doing larger works, but also so that I can teach one on one classes. All I need is one more oxyconn and I’ll have two torches ready for use.

When I started doing the upgrade, I thought that I would be done once I had the other torch ready to roll, but NOPE. I want more. . .More. . .MORE!!! As a matter of fact, I’d love a full studio upgrade with a small glory hole, crucible kiln, hand torch, glass blowing tools, front loading annealer, punties, pipes and one of those rolling bar chair thingies for blowing glass.  I’d also like for the studio to NOT be in my basement. We have a carport. I think I’d like for it to be there. Ahhhhh. . . I know. Big ideas, little purse but a girl can dream, no?

Yes, one day I WILL have a hotshop. Not tomorrow, but eventually. Last week I started buying some glass blowing tools and I’ll keep purchasing them a little at a time until I have everything that I need. I bought a blowpipe hose with a swivel nozzle, and a pair of diamond sheers. My next purchase will be a footing tool for goblets and pair of cup jacks. Geez. . .The cup jacks are expensive, but they are a MUST have for the glass blower, me thinks. Gotta start somewhere, right?

With my equipment woes now well documented, I’ll move on to all of the other stuff that has my mind spinning. I’m terribly torn when it comes to the direction of my career. Prior to a few months ago, I never saw myself as being one who inspires the work of others. Thanks to all of the kind emails that I have received, I knew that there were some other lampworkers out there that appreciated my style and wanted to learn how I create my work.  I just never thought that I would be any good at sharing those thoughts and inspirations in a way that would be understood by those that desired the info. I also have to admit that sharing to much of the info scared me very badly. I make a living by selling my beads. If beads like mine were to begin to flood the market, what would this do to my business? I know this sounds a little self serving but you kind of have to be if you want to run a business successfully. Making beads is a passion for me, but a hobby? Not anymore. .. Returning to the corporate workforce scares the snot out of me. 

Deciding to share the tutorials was one of the smartest and scariest decisions that I’ve made as a lampworker. I’m sure there’s much room for improvement in terms of how I document and communicate, but hopefully I’ll get there as I become more confident and experienced. I’m sincerely grateful to all of you that have purchased these tutorials. You have given me a freedom that I never thought possible. Rather than being under the gun to make as many sellable beads as possible to put into my inventory, I am able to reach higher. . .Exploring new areas along the way. It thrills me just as much to know that so many of you are taking interest in watching me make a fool of myself as I show pictures of an brand new ideas that need to be explored further. I thank you even more for not laughing at me as I do so. LOL!!  As for you designers, collectors and glass workers that buy my beads, I can’t thank you enough for being so supportive of my work. A HUGE thanks to all of you as well.

Now, getting back to why my brain runneth over with ideas. . .I am working with furnace cane. OH GOOD LORD!! This stuff is GORGEOUS but nasty to work with. I’m back on my mission to figure out how to work with this beautiful glass color without having to fight the devit that destroys a would-be master piece. All day yesterday, I played with this stuff and I think I’m getting closer to some solutions. Since good deeds are often punished, I have no beads in the kiln to talk about. I’m dedicating the rest of my week to fighting the furnace cane devit demons.

In the meantime, I’m thinking about projects that will allow me to use less intricate very large beads for other things. I’ve made a list of projects that I want to work on.  I’m going to share a bit about them here, but not necessarily in this order. . . Drapery rod finials, large tassel assemblies for drapery tie-backs, small blown spice jars and something or other to hang them from, floating tealight holders, wire wrapped napkin rings, shower curtain rings, toilet paper holder, paper towel holder, hand towel rack. All of these will be lampwork projects.  Since I’m a real stickler for quality, I’m sure that there will be a big lull between each posted project, as I have to source the material, design the piece, construct it and work the bugs out. 

My hope is to inspire you to think outside of the jewelry box. I believe that lampwork has a great deal to offer the decorator who enjoys filling their home with unique pieces of functional art. I’m one of those gals myself, but you’d never know it as I haven’t lifted a finger to fix up this joint that I live in. This will be a huge step towards my doing so. I’m keeping each of these little projects for my own home. I’ll even do some free tutorials along the way!

Wow, you guys didn’t know I was such a big talker, did you? Heh, I think that’s one of the reasons why I don’t blog that often. Sometimes my blog session turns into a full on writing project. ;-)

Hope you all enjoy your week!!! I’ll be back to post some work very soon (fingers crossed for a good studio session today.)

 

Nora, David and Korner’s Folly Monday, Oct 20 2008 

Uncategorized lydiamuell 1:38 pm

Good Monday morning you all! This is not a glassy post. . .I’ll move on to that in my next entry. I just wanted to share some of the joy that I experienced over the weekend with some really fantastic people. . My friend Nora and her darling husband, David. We met a couple of years ago when I was vending at a local wine festival. Nora was brave enough to take a chance on my newbie lampwork beads and jewelry. Not only has she been a faithful customer, but she’s also been a wonderful friend. She and her husband are the type of folks that you can truly wrap your heart around.

We went out to visit with them on Saturday afternoon and together we toured the most interesting house I’ve ever seen in my life! It’s in Kernersville and is called “Korner’s Folly”.  The house was built by a famous interior designer back during the height of the Victorian period. So funny too. . .Looking at the house from the outside, you’d never guess that the inside of the house was so incredibly ornate and rich with classical architecture and coordinating cosmetic elements. If you are ever in the charming little town of Kernersville, you should think of checking it out. At a modest eight bucks per person to take the tour, you’d be hard pressed to find a higher quality of entertainment for your dollar!

Our evening only got better after our tour. . . We met David’s lovely daughter and her husband at the family’s favorite oyster bar. The steamed oysters were GREAT! LOL!! I had no idea that I even liked them but they were GOOD! I enjoyed the never ending frosty mugs of brew too. I can’t remember the name of the place, but I HAVE to visit again. Oh gosh, not only was dinner amazing but I was shocked that the ultra rich chocolate cake didn’t put us in an early grave. It really was THAT good.

With our bellies and hearts full, we returned to Nora and David’s charming log cabin for a night of engaging conversation, pool, good wine and great company. Luckily, my daughter was available to pet sit for us and Nora was kind enough to put us up for the night. It was certainly an October weekend to remember. It’s been a really long time since I allowed myself to truly let go and have a good time. Not that I’m a stick in the mud, I’ve just become much less social since I started running my glass biz.  Everything revolves around what inspires my work and I spend a ridiculous amount of time isolated in my studio. My glass work has become my life and then some. I don’t expect that will ever change, but it sure is nice to take a break, especially when I’m lucky enough to spend that break with folks that are as wonderful as my Nora and David! (I say “my” because I’m adopting them as an extended family whether they like it or not! ;-)

Thank you Nora and David!

 

Evolving or Just Spinning Out of Control? Thursday, Oct 9 2008 

Uncategorized , , , lydiamuell 6:05 pm

Hi you all! I know, quiet again am I. I can’t help it. When I become either overwhelmed with inspiration or depressed due to creative block, I almost always become withdrawn. When I’m on a roll and my progression is coming along swimmingly, I’m much more chatty and even almost organized. Right now, I’m obsessed with the new direction that I’d like to take with my glass work and that direction required a new torch. Last week I purchased a GTT Cheetah. I installed it over the weekend and have been getting to know it’s complex flame environment. Although the torch is hotter than my Mini CC, it still not hot enough thanks to my limited oxygen setup. I either need additional oxygen concentrator or a new oxygen source altogether. Woe is me. . . I suppose I’ll get there eventually.

First, I’ll talk about my new Dragonfly series. Funny, huh? Summer’s over. Shouldn’t I be doing Autumn leaves or Christmas trees? I suppose I should, but my muse has no sense of time or season. Hence this bead, “Early Snow”. I’m pretty sure that this dragonfly wouldn’t have wanted to come out from his hiding place to take a peak at the unexpected October snow storm. ;-)

Early Snow

Also, a couple of new urn shaped focals. . .
House of Vettii Urn

House of Vettii Urn

Garden Wishes

Garden Wishes Urn

I’ve also been working on blown glass pieces. They have been the biggest source of my frustration but the feeling is actually bitter-sweet. These made these two pieces into oil lamps. :-)

Hanging Dragonfly Oil Candle

Hanging Dragonfly Oil Candle

 

Classical Garden Oil Candle Lamp

Gazing Ball Oil Candle Lamp

The Gazing Ball lamp was a total pain in the A$$!!!! It was a good experience though. She stands a full 4.5″ tall and is the largest piece I’ve ever made. I’m keeping her, as my little trophy.

Here’s wishing you all a wonderful weekend!!!  

 

Bead sales? Friday, Oct 3 2008 

Uncategorized lydiamuell 1:27 pm

Good morning ya’ll! Today’s bead sale has been canceled. I don’t have any new beads to offer. I was a little behind in releasing the Classical Garden Tutorial. When I finally did get to my torch, I ended up testing glass for two days straight. Everything I made ended up dunked in jar but these two days were GOOD days because this is what it takes for me to learn new things. I’ve decided to take a few days off from the torch to reboot my head and do some desperately needed work around my badly neglected house and spend some time with my terribly neglected family.

I have decided to no longer use the preview gallery to announce what’s going to be for sale each week. I know some of you like this feature, but I have had a few complaints from those who do not. This is mainly an issue for those that live outside of the US. They can’t get the beads that they want since they are likely in dreamland when I list them. Going forward, I will be listing beads on my site as they become available. I will also be utilizing my mailing list when I have several new pieces of new work to offer. If you are on my mailing list, please don’t worry. . .You will only hear from me once per week at the most.

Happy weekend to you all and thank you for stopping in!

 

Classical Garden Tutorial Thursday, Sep 25 2008 

Uncategorized lydiamuell 8:08 pm

Classical Garden Bead Trio

Classical Garden Bead Trio

“Roman Bath House” was the most requested tutorial, with “Classical Garden Trio” coming in second and “House of Vettii” following closely behind in the third position. My struggle with each of these is that they use the discontinued glass, “Terra”.  I don’t want to use the same glass that I used in the “Encased Floral Panel” tutorial as a sub for ”Terra” for any of the bead designs mentioned above. The glass is just too messy because it spreads a lot and is simply too reactive to other glasses. I’ve also found that in some cases it can fume the clear glass lenses, causing a smoky sort of haze to develop on their surface. Normally this only happens when the glass is worked to hot, but rare super intense batches can cause this even in a neutral flame.  Having said that,  I’m thrilled that I finally found a glass that will work quite well for the “Classical Garden Trio” and “House of Vettii” Series (won’t work for Roman Bath House, though).

I’m working on the ”Classical Garden Trio” tutorial now, with plans to release it on Monday, Sept, 29th. It will include instruction for both the focal and the drops. Since I very recently saw a post by Double Helix on LE, stating that they are likely going to start making ORIGINAL Terra again in a few weeks, I’m going to make the focal with some of the Terra that I have on hand. For those that do not have a stash of Terra, the drop bead will be created with a sub glass that will work for both the focal and the drop. Hope this makes sense!  lol

I’ll post a new entry as soon as this baby is ready to roll. . .Please don’t be shocked if I have to push the date out. This one is a BIG project!!!

 

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