tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124845162011-12-13T23:00:55.672-05:00Adventures in lampworking, the ancient art of making glass beads with a torch and glass rods.Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.comBlogger1011100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-43422495073290236532010-10-20T14:58:00.005-04:002010-10-20T15:04:44.485-04:00

After collecting bits and pieces to do it for years, I finally embarked on a needle felting project - and I love it! The little guy I made turned out so cute. Check him out on my Etsy page.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-30829751590257192652010-04-30T21:24:00.001-04:002010-04-30T21:53:33.894-04:00

This blog is now located at http://aspiring-arts.blogspot.com/. You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here. For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to http://aspiring-arts.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-88668536241070799782008-08-07T17:33:00.002-04:002008-08-07T17:36:17.496-04:00

I just added code to my website so that pop-ups are no more. To view larger images of my jewelry, you will get a nice overlay image instead. View an example at the Bamboo Knitted Choker page - or any page in the Boutique.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-2650074940105415622008-08-07T01:38:00.003-04:002008-08-07T01:47:01.729-04:00

So what's been happening in the last nearly-one-year? A lot, but it doesn't include having unpacked all my glass beadmaking stuff, which stubbornly remains the last box still packed. On the plus side, I haven't had to make any more break-up beads, having handled the last few breakups without molten glass involved.Finances continue to be tight, which has encouraged me to strike out for new

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-66708319512780735402007-09-11T15:07:00.001-04:002008-06-03T12:22:59.459-04:00

Tomorrow (September 12) is my birthday - the big Four-Oh. Wow. Feel free to wish me happy birthday - or even better, support a great cause by donating to The Garden Road School by donating to my fundraising campaign! Just click below.The Garden Road School is a non-profit organization. The 501c(3) application is in progress; it should be finalized in the next few months, so you can keep the

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-88684836660954939752007-09-06T08:54:00.000-04:002007-11-06T12:29:20.934-05:00

This past August, I moved my entire life to Peekskill, NY after living in the Boston area for 18 years - the longest I'd ever lived in one area in my life. This was a huge and significant move for me, one I'd been working toward for 18 years. The reason?The reason is because I want to change the world. Literally. Through education, a little at a time, making the world a better place. And the best

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-61293974266195514272007-06-16T20:42:00.000-04:002007-06-16T21:10:03.890-04:00

Since I've entered the single life back in August, I haven't had much time or inclination to make beads, or for that matter, jewelry. There's just been too much going on - including romance of various kinds.Being a creative soul, I have found various outlets for the need for closure when a period of dating someone ends, and I need to sever the connection. So for a while, I wrote a poem about each

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-89469096478390128522006-11-24T00:45:00.000-05:002006-11-24T01:06:09.857-05:00

I just love this color combination, so I've made several of these beads. They are transparent purple, with a turquoise stripe and an overlay of dichroic gold, melted together so the colors flow and form an organic shape. So pretty! This bead is available in the boutique, with more to come as I have time to photograph the beads.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1160362525960757182006-10-08T22:03:00.000-04:002006-10-08T23:02:05.563-04:00

November is coming, and that is an important and crazy time for me, a time in which I participate with my students in National Novel Writing Month. Last year we were featured in the Boston Globe twice. I was thrilled to find out that Chris Baty, founder of NaNoWriMo, would be speaking in the Boston area this weekend. I went to see him at the Peabody Borders bookstore, and it was so much fun! He's

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1159413181239675342006-09-27T23:08:00.000-04:002006-09-28T19:56:12.146-04:00

Just after the Jewish new year, I unpacked my lampwork stuff and made beads in my new place. I had been worried that there wouldn't be enough room to put all the stuff, but it actually fits quite well. The kiln is also doing fine on the wiring here; it's great that it's such a low-power kiln. The ventilation isn't as great as I'd want, so that's one thing that will have to be addressed soon. My

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1159131869925030112006-09-24T16:04:00.000-04:002006-09-24T17:05:56.080-04:00

It's been some time since I've posted, for good reason. The reason is that I moved from my home of six years - the longest I've lived consecutively in any one place in my life - in mid-August, and I have only recently become settled enough to even think of picking up my creative pursuits again, with school starting at the same time.But now it's a new start time, coinciding with the Jewish New

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1155263558895010412006-08-10T22:12:00.000-04:002006-08-10T23:49:48.383-04:00

Massachusetts residents enjoy a sales tax holiday this weekend. So if you live in Massachusetts and you order something Saturday or Sunday, I'll take the sales tax off your order! There are also new lampwork photos to show, but it'll have to wait until I download the photos from the camera.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1154195013255189642006-07-29T13:30:00.001-04:002008-08-10T23:29:54.498-04:00

While I really try to stay on topic with this blog, sticking to glass or at least jewelry, sometimes I am compelled to add in the odd other bit. This time it is political, but very close to home at the same time. So apologies to readers who expect only lampwork entries, but it is my blog, and I guess this falls more in the category of "musings" than "lampwork."The topic today is the

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1153839942813601022006-07-25T11:05:00.000-04:002006-07-25T17:30:20.243-04:00

As you may notice, there hasn't been much to read here over the last month or so. This may be counterintuitive, because knowing that I am a teacher, one would think that I'd have all kinds of time to make glass. This would be true except for two things: 1) it gets way too hot to be standing over a torch and next to a kiln in the summer, and 2) there have been so many other things going on! As you

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1150165880434154842006-06-12T22:26:00.000-04:002006-09-28T21:04:58.270-04:00

Okay, so it's just a rerun... but that's okay, I'll take what I can get. The cool thing is that it will be almost exactly one year since the show was taped. It was taped on Saturday, June 18, 2005, and it's being aired again this Friday, June 16. To see the show on your very own TV, rather than tiny on this website, see details at the HGTV site. It's only showing once on that date, at noon,

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1148355184000959272006-05-22T23:30:00.000-04:002006-05-29T01:11:58.150-04:00

Now for the other surprise that came out of my studio recently... the little pepper vessel! The surprise on it is that it came with wings. I never thought of attempting to add wings; they just sprouted, as it were. I think it's a sweet little thing.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1148181166326444982006-05-20T22:59:00.000-04:002006-12-28T22:10:48.791-05:00

I've had some time at the torch this week, and now I have some time to write about it! The first piece I was able to make wit my own lampwork is a colorful necklace that's a bit of a break-out for me. I don't usually use these kinds of color combinations. These beads came about because I was struck by the beauty of a bead I made in a demo for two of my fifth grade students and one of their moms.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1148005619203718482006-05-18T21:30:00.000-04:002006-05-18T22:32:57.406-04:00

Now for a break from our regularly scheduled programming... The freedom of the internet, including the freedom to blog, is being threatened now. You can read more about it and sign a petition here. There is also a video with Moby speaking about this issue here.Here is a brief summary:"The nation's largest telephone and cable companies — including AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner — want to

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1145931554567307322006-04-24T22:12:00.000-04:002006-04-29T17:27:51.643-04:00

Here is the vessel post-PMC. You can see the silver around the neck and coming up from the bottom. Since the glass had a matte texture to it, not quite like sandblasting but still rough, I decided to try the tinting method we learned in class on it as well. The results are mixed. They'd be much better, no doubt, with real sandblasting. But it's very cool that the silver worked. It had a matte

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1145564835854270852006-04-20T16:17:00.000-04:002006-04-20T16:27:15.866-04:00

The vessel came out of the kiln mostly intact, except for a crack in the mouth. This gave me all the more incentive to try other techniques I learned in her class on it: 1) adding PMC to it, and 2) reintroducing it to the flame and trying to heal the crack.This vessel is about process, not product, so yes, it's not exactly pretty, but that's okay! (I keep telling myself that!) The dichro is an

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1145498890290501472006-04-19T22:05:00.000-04:002006-04-19T22:08:10.306-04:00

I had another go at making a vessel tonight, after my exploding failure the other night. This time I started with a fresh tank of gas and used white glass (very soft) with my Hothead. I used too much glass, and the vessel got to be too large and ended up lumpy due to the low heat of the torch, but it's a vast improvement over no vessel. As my chum Tony would say, "That vessel is a million times

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1145290949995666392006-04-17T12:20:00.000-04:002006-04-17T12:22:30.020-04:00

This is bead related only in the extreme stretch that New Orleans loves beads. I've been spending the last week down here, and I've compiled a collection of photos about the recovery efforts here. If you'd like to see and read it, visit my photo blog.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1145122626236540222006-04-15T13:35:00.000-04:002006-04-15T13:37:06.250-04:00

I've just added a few new things to the boutique. There are a couple of beads, as well as two original art pieces I made a little while ago. It's great to have them online at last!

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1145116530793124252006-04-15T11:53:00.000-04:002006-04-15T11:55:31.083-04:00

Here is the photo of this bead.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1144556086042273072006-04-09T00:10:00.000-04:002006-04-09T00:14:46.060-04:00

The hollow bead came out of the kiln tonight. The bubble isn't as large or well-formed as I'd thought - it's only about half the diameter of the bead, and its center is offset from the center of the bead. However, the bead itself is nice and round, with fine puckers, and the dichro, Tink dust and dot accents are sweet. Photos will be posted... sometime.In the meantime, here is a photo of the

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1144549819626755682006-04-08T22:22:00.000-04:002006-04-08T22:30:19.640-04:00

Be jealous. Be very, very jealous! Here it is, with electroformed patinated copper forming the turquoise-colored design.To get your own fabulous vessel, visit Black Swamp Glassworks.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1144538950734544982006-04-08T19:20:00.000-04:002006-04-08T19:29:10.746-04:00

Forgive me that momentary Austin Powers-esque lapse, but I never thought I'd see the day when I'd actually make a hollow bead, and on a Hothead torch, no less! It's even kinda pretty. It's finishing its annealing cycle (last stage) now. Okay, so it's the only bead I successfully made today, but it's still something. My other attempt - extremely ambitious - was to try a vessel on a hollow mandrel.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1143948443034062792006-04-01T22:27:00.000-05:002006-04-01T22:27:23.043-05:00

Today was fantastic. I attended a class at Tin Alley Art Glass studio in Connecticut. The class was run by Tink, and it was a download of lots of really cool techniques she had to offer.Some of the things we learned were:• Hollow beadmaking• Hollow bead with a bead inside• Shards• Wings on a blown vessel• How to make an implosion bead with soft glass• Tink dots and trails• Transfer a black and

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1143947620383771862006-04-01T22:13:00.000-05:002006-04-01T22:13:49.110-05:00

Yesterday, I was a very silly person, because I rebooted my laptop before uploading my most recent blog entry that I'd spent a while writing. So here's a recap:Although my blog has been quiet, all has not been dead on the lampwork front. In February, I invited a terrific student and his mother, who is also an artist, to my studio to see the process of lampwork. I made one bead (time was very

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1140838787281245762006-02-24T22:30:00.000-05:002006-02-24T22:39:47.330-05:00

A friend posted a link to a wonderful magazine called Belle Armoire that is now starting to produce jewelry issues. I'm thinking about submitting a project I am now making that I will post in the catalog at some point. The link for jewelry submissions is here.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1140285038786051792006-02-18T12:45:00.000-05:002006-11-21T21:47:50.823-05:00

This is my favorite vessel so far. It is made of lovely Satake light blue glass that shades down into white. I hadn't planned on this effect, but it happened, and it looks sweet. The bands of dichroic glass around it are a nice touch, too. I wore it to school on Thursday, and there were so many compliments on it!The vessel does open and has a stopper made from Sculpey. It's available for purchase

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1140063200351994832006-02-15T21:22:00.000-05:002006-02-15T23:13:20.386-05:00

What was the big project in my previous entries? I made handmade bookmarks as gifts for each of my students, and each one had a bead on it. So a big part of last weekend was making 24 beads, plus a couple extra for those that cracked! The children received their gifts today, which is why I can leak the secret.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1139807136676969582006-02-12T23:57:00.000-05:002006-02-13T00:05:36.703-05:00

It's so exciting. I just signed up for a class in Connecticut with Tink of blackswampglassworks. It's on Saturday at Tin City Art Glass. It'll be great to see her again, and to improve my lampworking skills. She'll be teaching all kinds of skills and techniques. What a blast!

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1139801806702976222006-02-12T22:08:00.000-05:002006-02-12T22:36:46.716-05:00

Today was fun. Lampworking was a priority, since I needed to finish that top-secret big project. I woke up to a raging blizzard, which made ventilation interesting. I keep the sliding glass door to the basement open with a big fan pointed toward it and blowing outward on "Hi". Today, because of the winds, we had lots of snow blown against the door, plus the wind kept wanting to blow into the

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1139701577871027352006-02-11T18:37:00.000-05:002006-02-11T18:46:17.886-05:00

Yesterday I bought a couple of cans of MAPP gas towards making something I can't reveal yet, because it's a gift for someone who may read this blog. So today, I made lots of beads, and I ran out of mandrels for the first time! I have been using only the larger mandrels because the smaller diameter ones I got from someone else are all bent, so they produce consistently non-round beads. I really

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1139450593899895302006-02-08T20:38:00.000-05:002006-02-08T21:03:13.920-05:00

Some time had passed since my previous lampworking adventure, and I was looking for something to inspire me. I wanted to make a nice bead for Noni, the mother of a wonderful fifth-grader, and a fellow artist. She picked up some coral beads for me in India when she went there over vacation, and rather than accept payment, she asked for a bead. Earlier she had bought my collector's set of beads

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1138070658754420352006-01-23T21:41:00.000-05:002006-01-23T21:44:18.766-05:00

In a new level of achievement for this artist, for the first time I was able to combine more than one lampwork bead, made by me, and that I liked, no less, into a bracelet. I think it turned out very pretty. View it here.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1138065955057112362006-01-23T20:16:00.000-05:002006-01-23T20:25:55.070-05:00

...you appear on a rerun! Much to my surprise, the That's Clever! show that aired in April was shown again today. I found out through some online friends - thank you!This means that the bracelet is now sold out, but I am taking special orders for them. I'll also be posting more items shortly, so do do check back!

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1137954835868977642006-01-22T12:31:00.000-05:002006-01-22T17:12:13.220-05:00

A few things have been keeping me from the torch lately. Way, way too much work (don't get me started!), cold after cold, and other commitments. But this weekend, a combination of feeling a bit better and having a bit of time allowed me to dive into the basement and create.Another incentive was that I just put together a piece of rolling furniture to store my beads in a more accessible fashion. I

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1137031017814262022006-01-11T20:43:00.000-05:002006-12-28T22:18:29.071-05:00

I wish there was more to report on the lampwork front. Unfortunately, a combination of loads of teaching work, one bad cold after another, and sales from the website have kept me from any more than an hour at the kiln over the past month. The two beads I made turned out okay, not great; I definitely need to practice more.But I had a pleasant surprise tonight. When checking my incoming website

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1135491921804065232005-12-25T00:31:00.000-05:002005-12-25T01:25:21.816-05:00

There still isn't anything to report on the lampwork front. This season was good for sales from the catalog, which is great - thank you to all my customers! - but it meant my Aspiring Arts time was spent on filling orders rather than doing lampwork. It also meant I could start to dream of installing the plumbing for the gas lines for a better lampwork torch, as well as an oxygen compressor, not

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1133921052074895822005-12-06T20:59:00.000-05:002005-12-06T21:04:12.086-05:00

It's still been wild and crazy in the aftermath of NaNoWriMo, so I haven't had a chance to melt any glass lately. The good news is:1) I finished the first draft of my novel, at last!2) Another Boston Globe article appeared, featuring my students and me. For scans of the article, here are page 1 and page 2. Enjoy!I have a show coming up this weekend, and I'll be making stuff for that, so more to

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1132423434760687272005-11-17T21:11:00.000-05:002005-11-19T13:03:54.800-05:00

There isn't much to report on the lampwork front, since all the remaining time after class planning and other basics are finished has been taken by my novel, or by helping my students write theirs. I'm really trying to finish the first draft of mine this month, and that's a lot of words; almost 18,000 words (60 pages) this month alone! It's exhausting but fascinating, including taking a tour of

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1130992058656537842005-11-02T23:01:00.000-05:002005-11-19T16:11:53.586-05:00

Lampwork is on hold while I tackle another huge creative project: National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo. I'm actually working on my ongoing novel while working with my students to help them reach writing goals they set. And what's also great is more media coverage: I appeared in the Boston Globe, Boston's major newspaper, in an article about this writing movement! You can

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1130703904228311162005-10-30T15:07:00.000-05:002005-10-30T17:30:04.643-05:00

Here is the show-and-tell part of yesterday's post. The snowstorm bead turned out nice, with the swirly effect of the real snowflakes. It has a black core with turquoise dichro sparkles over it, and the white flakes are in different levels.I really love the sunny day bead, though. It's my first attempt at a landscape-type bead, and the flowers turned out really cute. I used striped stringer that

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1130632106223738722005-10-29T20:18:00.000-04:002005-10-29T20:28:26.243-04:00

It snowed today, oddly enough. It's too early for the Boston area to get snow that sticks. But there it is.I decided to make some beads today, inspired by this freak snowstorm. To do this, I needed snow, and what better snow than frit (tiny crushed glass)? I made a frit crusher a while ago, but never used it until today. It's just a couple of pipe parts working like a mortar and pestle. It worked

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1130195104340704552005-10-24T18:59:00.000-04:002005-10-24T19:05:04.346-04:00

It's been wild and crazy since my show aired Thursday. Many people have written to say how much they liked it. Thanks, folks! Others said they were unable to catch it and were disappointed. For them, as well as those who might not have known about it but want to see it, I have placed a Quicktime video of my segment on the site. If you'd like to view my "That's Clever!" segment, click here.Thanks

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1129587810753422012005-10-17T18:22:00.000-04:002005-10-19T21:41:01.033-04:00

It's on tomorrow! At noon and 5PM Eastern and Pacific Time, you can see my episode of That's Clever on HGTV. Full project instructions (and a distorted photo of me) can be found here, and the finished products can be found in the Boutique, in the form of a bracelet and a set of lampwork beads.Fun stuff!

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1128796602843323752005-10-08T14:29:00.000-04:002005-10-08T14:37:29.040-04:00

After setting up my kiln and having a couple of solid lampworking sessions, I have been able to photograph my beads with my new camera. I'm kind of surprised at how many beads I have already given away or sold, but there are more where those came from!If you'd like to see the beads for sale, visit the Lampwork Beads area of my Boutique. I'm keeping the prices low for now as I learn... the beads

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1128389744745831262005-10-03T21:31:00.000-04:002005-10-03T21:35:44.753-04:00

So it's not about lampwork... but it's wonderful nevertheless. Go to oneword.com and try it for yourself. Here is my entry for today, from the word prompt "Fill":What does it mean to eat your fill? Is it just going to a restaurant and eating all you can? Or does it mean seeing the leaves in autumn in the splendorous colors, so your eyes fill with tears of joy? Or does it mean the fill of your

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1128387591521634062005-10-03T20:24:00.000-04:002005-10-03T20:59:51.536-04:00

Lessons learned from my first session working live with the kiln while lampworking:1) The mandrels get VERY hot when they are sticking out of the kiln. They will burn you! Stick them all the way in. I thought it would be like in a small kiln, where they can stick out of the bead door, but no, get them in all the way!2) The little handles on the bead door ALSO get very hot! Use leather or

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1127615151722061042005-09-24T22:16:00.000-04:002006-12-28T22:13:02.471-05:00

That could be the title of a chapter in the book I'm reading, The Undomestic Goddess, but it isn't. It means I have just put my first coats of kiln wash on my kiln shelf and floor, and now I have the kiln ramping up to dry out the wash. When it's finished, I'll be able to melt glass in my kiln! Little by little, step by step, it's all getting set up.There may be soon an opportunity for me to get

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1127519092075913732005-09-23T19:35:00.000-04:002005-09-23T19:44:52.083-04:00

Finally tonight I was able to get the information for my air date on That's Clever! on HGTV. It is supposed to be October 20. It may change, though; my show number is 119, which is a better way to track it. Check it out! I hope it's not terrible...

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1127167996307949092005-09-19T17:54:00.001-04:002005-09-19T18:20:37.746-04:00

This weekend I set up my kiln, with dear Ed's help. I bought an X-table to act as a stand for it, and it's very sturdy. I ran my first batch annealing cycle in it with all the beads I've made that I have left - many have been given or traded away already. It went well, though it took a long time; I think the time was lengthened by the opening left by the bead door not closing all the way. As a

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1126828489536844292005-09-15T19:49:00.000-04:002005-09-15T19:54:49.543-04:00

My new Jen-Ken kiln finally arrived Tuesday, but I haven't had a chance to set it up yet - the new school year has me swamped! Plus I have had a mild cold. Perhaps this weekend it can happen... we'll see! I'll post the results.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1126579386958657932005-09-12T22:35:00.000-04:002005-09-12T22:43:06.966-04:00

Today was my birthday, and I spent about 12 hours of it working. Such is life! My kiln has not yet arrived. I hope and expect it to arrive in the next day or two.But my great birthday present was a new camera, a Canon Powershot SD500, 7 megapixels. A great replacement for my Nikon Coolpix 775 that has mostly died. I look forward to lots of good bead pics with this camera.Here are a few first

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1126053447397834692005-09-06T20:33:00.000-04:002005-09-06T20:37:27.410-04:00

Contrary to expectations, my kiln did not arrive by Labor Day, which was supposed to be an outside estimate. The kiln is being built in Florida, so hopefully that's the "good excuse" for the delay. It's just tough because I had ordered the kiln so I could really explore glass during the summer, my time off, but that is over now. Today was the first day of school, and boy, am I wiped out! So the

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1125781994205219072005-09-03T17:00:00.000-04:002005-09-03T17:13:14.226-04:00

Oh my gosh... at 4:45 today, my bracelet was finally listed for sale at Crafters United. I checked again at 4:50, and it was gone! Sold! I couldn't believe it! Was trying to show it to my mother, but it was nowhere to be found, and when I used the History feature, the message, "You tried to view an item that is no longer for sale" came up. So that's another $30.00 donation to the hurricane with

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1125711796644754452005-09-02T21:30:00.000-04:002005-09-02T21:43:16.673-04:00

All day today I have been mulling how to help further with hurricane relief. Beyond helping my sister's family, my teaching job and online business don't provide the funds to make larger contributions.Therefore, I decided to run a clearance sale on some of my older merchandise, which I was planning to do anyway, and donate the proceeds to hurricane relief. The sale will run through September 30,

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1125679816595964442005-09-02T12:38:00.000-04:002005-09-02T17:12:24.190-04:00

This isn't directly lampwork related, but at times like this, other things take priority. I have been far too busy preparing for the school year to do any lampwork lately anyway.Today Aspiring Arts has donated a bracelet to help raise funds for Katrina, via Crafters United, a partnership between crafters to help in this time of need. The bracelet is the paua shell bracelet, one that looks

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1123451952720007622005-08-07T17:50:00.000-04:002005-08-07T17:59:12.730-04:00

Here are photos of beads I made at demos in Israel and here.This little one was made with copper green as a base, then green-and-black striped stringer over it. Turned out really cool.This one was made in kind of a hurry, so the ends aren't too great. It was my first bead experimenting with making flowers with striped stringer, and it turned into kind of a mess, not what was planned. But it was

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1123384109502119702005-08-06T23:00:00.000-04:002005-08-06T23:08:29.510-04:00

Since seeing Or's demonstration of implosion beads, I've really wanted to do them. Not so easy on a Hothead torch, I know, but he did say it should be possible to make them using soft glass.I tried once in Israel, shortly after seeing the demo, and while the result wasn't pretty, it was closer than tonight's attempt. True, I hadn't lampworked in a while other than in demos, and I ran out of gas

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1123303960295212612005-08-06T00:50:00.000-04:002005-08-06T13:41:58.146-04:00

I'm now an expert author featured on ezinearticles.com. I put a couple of my articles over there. Nothing about lampwork yet, but hopefully at some point! This link will take you directly to my articles.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1123265043918039622005-08-05T14:02:00.000-04:002005-08-05T14:04:03.926-04:00

This isn't strictly lampwork-related, but I think enough jewelry-makers read this blog to make it worth putting this here.A week or so ago, I received an inquiry from a man in Indonesia about buying multiple copies of certain items on my website. I immediately suspected fraud, so I explained that I only had one piece of each. The man, who wrote impeccable English, said that was fine. I asked why

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1123213622969983312005-08-04T23:38:00.000-04:002005-08-04T23:47:02.976-04:00

Last time, I promised to write more about the other demo done here. It was simple and sweet, for my co-homeroom teacher, Claudia, and her children. I made a cool bead that turned out lopsided, but as the eldest girl pointed out, it looked perfect as a drop bead. "Yeah, I meant it to look like that!" was the decided outcome of this fun encounter. I'll try to post pics later.The girl made a bead,

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1122657902962676772005-07-29T13:23:00.000-04:002005-07-29T13:25:02.970-04:00

This is cute... Search Google

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1122609623108017662005-07-28T23:16:00.000-04:002005-07-29T12:38:35.173-04:00

After the inspiring, educational, and warm (in more than one way) gathering in Jerusalem, I set out in earnest to demonstrate lampwork, albeit beginning lampwork to residents of the village in which I was staying. Perhaps this made it less intimidating than if an artist like, say, Or was demonstrating.The big hurdle was obtaining MAPP gas. The village is self-contained and without rental cars;

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1122296823608939802005-07-25T09:02:00.000-04:002005-07-25T09:07:03.616-04:00

Littly Projects has a nice article about how to begin to price your work. There is more to the story, of course, but this is a good starting point.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1121180327037124492005-07-12T10:47:00.000-04:002005-07-12T11:03:57.750-04:00

I don't have a lot of time to write about it now, but we had a super time in a suburb of Jerusalem learning lampwork on Saturday. I posted a page of photos about it here. Since pictures are worth at thousand words each, well, this blog entry is reeeeeallly long!As a sample, here is a photo of the one bead I got to make that day. It was the first time I ever worked with boro, fuming, and leaf

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1120246731751452942005-07-01T15:35:00.000-04:002005-07-01T15:38:51.756-04:00

There's not much to report on the lampwork front. I've been telling people here about it a lot, but that's all so far. If I can locate a canister of MAPP gas, assuming the top has the same fitting as my torch, I'll be able to demonstrate it here in this village to both adults and young people. There's certainly enough interest!Next Saturday is a gathering in Jerusalem of lampworkers, and it looks

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1119793345467792232005-06-26T09:39:00.000-04:002005-06-26T09:42:25.473-04:00

For the quiz to work better and not guess randomly if the answers are evenly split, I modified the quiz by adding another question. You can find the quiz here: Your Lampwork Element Quiz.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1119762116635527682005-06-25T14:31:00.000-04:002005-06-26T01:05:57.640-04:00

Today was my last day to torch before flying to Israel. It happened to be somewhere around 100 degrees outside, too, so it was sweaty business! But I did all right. The first order of business was to make a whole bunch of beads in rainbow colors (actually two sets). That went fine, except that on the first bead, I found it impossible to turn the mandrel. This was because I had unconsciously come

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1119132924078796432005-06-18T18:12:00.000-04:002005-06-18T18:15:24.083-04:00

Find out what element your lampworking is with this nifty new quiz I made! (Yes, I did this instead of finishing the clean-up or taking a nap. We don't always make the best choices when we're sleepy, do we?)Your Lampwork Element Quiz

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1119122520406829912005-06-18T14:59:00.000-04:002005-06-18T15:22:00.410-04:00

And the house is a mess, and I'm too sleepy to clean it up. Last night I took an allergy tablet to try to prevent asthmatic laryngitis for the taping. It backfired, because it kept me up with my thoughts spinning, so in total, I probably only had about three hours' sleep. NOT the best way to have your one-time TV appearance!But it's all right. I managed, though my voice went bad a couple of times

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1119047923934494602005-06-17T18:18:00.000-04:002005-06-17T18:38:43.943-04:00

As my nails with the pearly peach polish dry from their tacky state, I type this blog entry. Why, you ask? For the show, as I have no time to get a real manicure. How do you type with tacky fingernails, you ask? Very carefully, I say!This has been an utterly hectic time. Pressure after pressure has mounted upon me. Last week, it was writing some thirty pages of progress reports for my middle

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1118455438490839162005-06-10T22:01:00.000-04:002005-06-10T22:03:58.493-04:00

I guess my last lampwork night was a total loss. None of the beads will come off the mandrels. I think the bead release I was using was too thin. Too bad, because I really liked a couple of the beads. Maybe I'll photograph them before destroying them... I really need the mandrels. Very sad.No more torching for a few days, as I'll be out of town at a conference. But I'll be back Monday and Tuesday

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1118283361730177562005-06-08T21:54:00.000-04:002005-06-10T22:06:26.826-04:00

After too many tortuous days of too many hours spent on job-related work, during which I was unable to touch the torch, I finally descended into the basement. It has been a cool Spring in Boston so far, so I wasn't prepared for a hot, muggy night in my basement. To my surprise, despite the fact that the basement has always been chilly, even too chilly, I wound up sweating over the torch. This is

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1117592541591537732005-05-31T21:46:00.000-04:002005-06-04T18:58:55.366-04:00

What a difference the new glasses make! Just made the yellow disappear. I could actually see what I was making, for once. It took some getting used to, since I've learned to find the "sweet spot" in the flame by the color of the flame as well as the glass, Since my new cubic zirconias arrived today, of course I had to experiment with them. I put two into a pretty little bead that I made. One of

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1117485595756048412005-05-30T16:18:00.000-04:002005-05-30T18:53:26.956-04:00

I just returned from another visit to Debbie S.'s house. She had an old pair of didymium glasses she was willing to pass on to me, which will be a big help for the show (cross that one off my list!). While I was there, we also cut a bunch of mandrels that I purchased from her, and I also got some gorgeous frit from her. She showed me a bunch of beads she had received at the WetCanvas Gathering.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1117471179280030232005-05-30T12:38:00.000-04:002005-05-30T12:39:39.280-04:00

Here is the first piece of jewelry I made with my new lampwork beads. The photo isn't as nice as the real thing. It's very eye-catching.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1117416645214474712005-05-29T20:45:00.000-04:002005-06-04T18:57:17.936-04:00

It's so nice to have a three-day weekend. I have a lot of work to do for the end of the year at school, but I was still able to fit in a lot of lampworking today. In fact, that's the only time I feel okay; the rest of the time, my body just wants to go to sleep. It must be fighting a cold. But beadmaking makes me feel alive!My goofs for the day: almost putting my hand IN the flame; attaching the

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1117159185440018512005-05-26T21:51:00.000-04:002005-05-30T12:36:16.320-04:00

In the last few days, I've been madly getting ready for the show, as well as for the end of the school year at my teaching job. So much work! I have the steps (like on a cooking show) to prepare, so the only torching I've done was to make beads showing the different steps of making the focal. Lots of work with rings and maille, though, and writing up the long notes for the show itself.I treated

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1116632787224518402005-05-20T19:25:00.000-04:002006-12-28T22:22:19.493-05:00

I can finally say something about my news here! I have been approved to be on a segment of Crafters Coast-to-Coast, now called "That's Clever!" Filming will take place on Saturday, June 18. It's very exciting - my six minutes of fame!This is why I've been quiet this week; in addition to working on wholesale orders, I've been working up a project and discussing the possibilities with the show.

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1116381335333481802005-05-17T21:11:00.000-04:002005-05-18T18:49:52.883-04:00

Torched last night despite being ready to fall asleep on my feet, and successfully encased silver foil! The resulting bead is very pretty.Here is why this way succeeded:1) Debbie suggested putting the foil over a clear color for best results. I added it over Moretti clear.2) I cut the foil much narrower than it had been previously. This made it easier to encase the whole thing.After adding the

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1116210552423251192005-05-15T22:24:00.000-04:002005-05-15T22:32:05.710-04:00

Oops, I forgot to add another bead made before. It's a sweet little one made of copper green, with yellow and red flowers and clear dots. I saw the clear dots on another bead, and thought they looked like dewdrops. Very nice. The silvery color around the center apparently isn't supposed to be there, and Debbie said I can remove it with cola or toilet bowl cleaner. Yum, what a comparison! Good

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1116197029270274462005-05-15T18:30:00.000-04:002005-05-15T18:45:04.340-04:00

Debbie kindly agreed to allow me to come over to her house to anneal beads. I couldn't resist the opportunity to make a few last beads. I'd stayed up very late Friday night trying to research the problems with silver foil. The only things I found out were ways to prevent the silver yellowing the clear, a problem I haven't seen too much, but useful information nevertheless. I found lots of other

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1116043173174551652005-05-13T22:11:00.000-04:002006-12-28T22:31:31.000-05:00

Last night's last bead cracked neatly in half... too late to repair it now! Wish I had received Krystal Kelly's message about how to heal cracked beads yesterday... but I probably couldn't have done it on my setup anyway, since I don't have a kiln to warm the bead up.Tonight I tried two more. On the first one, the gas ran out on me (for the first time!) right when I was near the end. I think it

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1115938328101000202005-05-12T18:46:00.000-04:002005-05-15T18:25:22.336-04:00

Today, after making the final two beads in my rainbow, I went for a really ambitious bead. I decided to try the same kind of flowered bead as last time, but this time adding silver foil as an additional layer underneath. Instead I ended up adding to my future frit collection.Final two rainbow beads:The first bead, which was almost complete, died when I was denting the flower centers with my bead

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1115851610579936402005-05-11T18:18:00.000-04:002005-05-11T18:46:50.600-04:00

I'm pretty proud of the progress I've made over the last few days. Here is a photo of a couple more beads that show I'm starting to be able to make consistently well-shaped beads:In case it's not obvious, these solid-color beads are for a project I have in mind. I've been making one per bead-making session. They take less gas than the fancier beads, so it occurred to me to save them till later,

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1115681210305950142005-05-09T18:57:00.000-04:002005-05-09T19:26:50.326-04:00

Tonight I added photos to my previous post, so scroll down to see the progressions of the photos.I've been very busy with work for school and making wedding jewelry, so there hasn't been much time for torching. But I have been consuming Cindy Jenkins's book, and I was finally ready to try some new techniques the other day.Technique 1: In the very end of the book, she gives some troubleshooting

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1115255017391382192005-05-04T20:11:00.000-04:002005-05-11T22:54:34.226-04:00

Tonight I tried a burch of techniques. In a way, I'm reviewing what Tink did with me before I move ahead. Although I did try two new things... Made two beads on a mandrel. This was pretty hard with the cooler torch, especially since the tank was already at the "need-to-rest" stage. But they pretty much match in size. Neither is perfect, but they're both workable. Note that the dark shapes on the

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1115244136032861382005-05-04T17:56:00.000-04:002005-05-04T18:02:16.040-04:00

I haven't torched in the last couple of days, as I've been busy with some orders. But I was able to take photos of my latest beads to post here.I've received nice offers from lampworkers to batch anneal my beads for me. Yippee! I'm also on the lookout for a decent kiln, but in no hurry at the moment.Photos:This bead came out with some beautiful patternings in it, which I guess is an inherent

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1114997958863175842005-05-01T21:39:00.000-04:002005-05-01T21:43:37.850-04:00

Since I started lampworking, people have been so sweet... Rebecca S. offered to send me a care package. I found another lampworker, Debbie S., in my area, through the ISGB forum. She was offering free cans of MAPP gas she doesn't need anymore. When we got in touch, she offered to let me buy a few supplies from her. Yippee, especially since I had that problem at that store!We met today, and she

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1114830175211391382005-04-29T23:02:00.000-04:002005-04-29T23:08:38.633-04:00

Instead, I've focused on other jewelry. I completed one custom order, and I made a bunch of new ear threads yesterday that I've been photographing and putting on the site little by little. They're so pretty!

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1114736474664614412005-04-28T20:38:00.000-04:002005-04-28T21:03:36.930-04:00

Here are photos of the beads I've made so far. My intention is to finish the series and make these into a bracelet, except probably for the squished one. I still need to clean & anneal these.Squished bead (put in fiber too early)This little green and white bead is really sweet.This blue and off-white bead looks very tilted in the photo, but it's not really that bad. It almost has decent puckers,

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1114734387511548362005-04-28T20:26:00.000-04:002005-04-28T21:09:02.396-04:00

The lampwork shop, which was a 45-minute drive away through mucho traffic, was a disappointment. It's really a large studio in a renovated mill, actually a cool place, but the guy told me that he had to leave in 5 minutes. (I arrived at 4:00.) I asked if I could look at what he had before he had to leave, and he agreed. So I hastily collected a bunch of rods, the primary purpose for my trip. I

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1114675504234715862005-04-28T04:05:00.000-04:002005-04-28T04:05:04.233-04:00

Oooh, good news! I just discovered there is a lampwork shop only about half an hour from my house! I think I'll go visit them tomorrow. Very happy! They offer workshops and torch time, too. :-)

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1114660224182765402005-04-27T23:36:00.000-04:002006-12-28T22:36:35.949-05:00

I torched tonight again. After making a bead in the set I'm working on, I tried to make a black stringer. My first attempt was terrible, resulting in a big blob of black glass that would be useless. The second attempt was better, though extremely (too) thin. I also had another disaster trying to apply glass to several layers of bead. Still getting the hang of applying glass in this cooler torch

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1114649722742296262005-04-27T20:54:00.000-04:002005-04-27T21:09:07.013-04:00

Here's my little lampwork studio. My torch setup had been pretty unstable, and I felt unsafe with it. When you're working with big, big flames, safety is a pretty high priority!While I've worked with small tools for making jewelry, I haven't done much construction or power tool work. But I saw that the best solution would be to mount the bracket to my stainless steel table. Given that my

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12484516.post-1114635214624038842005-04-27T16:53:00.000-04:002006-11-21T21:53:04.183-05:00

I'm starting this blog as a way to log my lampworking adventures, at least to start.It all started with my trip to Toledo to study lampwork with Tink of Black Swamp Glassworks. That was an awesome trip, where I learned a ton in just over 24 hours. But I hadn't had a chance to apply it in the year and four months since that trip.Then in the last couple of weeks, I cleared out our little basement

Susan at Aspiring Artshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15778017466109614191noreply@blogger.com0