Welcome back!!

Has it really been THAT long?  REALLY??  Hard to believe almost a year as passed since I last updated and the saddest part of that is what have I really done in that period of time?  It's been all school all the time. I feel like I kinda just stepped out of a time warp where that last time I posted I still had some semblance of a life and then it went poof and here I am in 2012 and maybe I might just have some semblance of a life again??

So, to celebrate the fact that I actually had more than an hour to do something fun I got on the torch today and this is what I came up with.  I tried to stick to simple stuff.  This is about all I could do but I have high hopes for the next torching session!

So...that's what I've got for now :) I hope to see you back here soon (and I really mean that!)

Why you should look for an SRA badge.......

I thought I would revive this information that I have always had posted on my website just as an FYI :)



Please click on the image above to find out more about the SRA program!

So, you may have seen the SRA logo shown above and wondered what the heck it's all about. If you click on the logo you'll get just about the best explanation you can find and even better than what I can give you so I recommend you check it out there first and if you still have questions I'd be more than happy to answer them for you!

The movement to form a group for SRAs stemmed from a huge controversy in the land of lampworkers over the misrepresentation by one vendor of the type and quality of beads being sold. I'm writing about this because I feel that it is important for you, as a potential buyer of lampworked beads, to understand what there is out there and what you should be on the lookout for.

First, let me say that I do believe there is a market for lampwork beads of all qualities and prices. Let's face it....not everyone out there is creating works of art with one-of-a-kind beads that cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. What is of crucial importance for me, as a seller, is to ensure that you, as a buyer, are aware of what it is you're buying.

Having said that, let's consider what you're getting when you buy beads from a self-representing artist:

• handmade beads made by one individual
• beads that are properly annealed for strength and durability
• bead holes that are smooth without any rough edges
• bead holes that are clean and free of bead release
• an unconditional guarantee from the artist regarding breakage

When you buy from a seller who is selling mass produced/imported beads you're probably getting:

beads that are made overseas by workers working in less than ideal conditions
beads that are most likely NOT annealed and very likely to break
beads that do NOT have the bead release cleaned out of them
no guarantee from the seller as to the quality of the beads
no guarantee that you will get your money back if the beads DO break

These are just a few of the major points I think are important for you to know as a consumer. I'm not saying that you should only buy beads made by self-representing artists (well...that would be nice!) but simply be educated about what you're getting and who you're getting it from.
Without naming names there are many sellers who have listings for lampworked beads claiming that they are not mass produced but rather quality artisan made beads. I urge you to use your own good judgement to determine whether or not these are indeed artisan beads that meet some of the basic criteria I listed above.

There are also sellers using images stolen from many reputable, self-representing artists to falsely advertise and represent their own beads. Consider that you may be doing business with a vendor who knowingly misrepresents the origin and quality of the products he/she sells using images stolen from other hardworking, honest, self-representing artists.

There is a place for all types of beads and sellers of beads and as always, caveat emptor! Know what you're buying and who you're buying it from. It's like if you go to the boutique and buy a genuine Louis Vuitton you KNOW you're getting the real deal....if you're really on the ball and know your Louis you might still get the real thing somewhere else BUT, if you take your chances and don't do your homework beforehand you may think you're getting a real Louis but most likely you're getting a dud. Do your homework and get the real deal!

My $0.02 worth :)

-Yee

All sorts of good things.....

1. My last post contained sad news about my friends S and J but in a miraculous turn of events they did get the baby and everyone's just thrilled that Baby K will be coming to Raleigh soon so we can all meet her :)

2. The semester is almost over (3 weeks to go!) and I will able to say I survived my first semester of grad school!!

3.  DH switched to a new group at work and is all happy, smiley again.  Woohoooo!!

4. DH got a certification that he had been working on and I'm so totally proud of him for putting his nose to the books and getting it done.  Some nights he was studying more than I was!

5.  The weather is warming up and everything is in full bloom.  I love this time of year.

6. Made some super sweet beads which, when the time comes, I don't know if I'll be able to part with.

Hope life is treating you well!

Yes....I'm still here.....

Isn't it terrible of me to drop off the face of the earth for months at a time? I can't believe the last time I updated it was the beginning of July.

Once again I bring you numerous updates - one which is kinds HUGE.....at least...to me :)

Let's see.....

1.  I FREAKING GOT INTO GRAD SCHOOL!  And not just any ol' grad school.  I'm going to DUKE!! And not for just any wishy-washy thing.....I'm going to be A NURSE ANESTHETIST!

So that's my big news :D :D :D

2. The Dude has finally made headway on the stairs (which have been in limbo for the last, oh, 6 years) and this weekend I hope to have the first 6 stairs - treads and risers - fully installed.  YAY!!

3. I got an iPhone 4.  Is that news anymore?  Maybe not but I have to say I love the thing. What can I say? I'm a gadget freak.  Yes. I have an iMac, iPhone, iPad, iPod....you name it.  If the device is named i-something or other I've probably got one.  Yeah. I know.  I'm spoiled.  You can blame The Dude.

4. I've been working on lots of simple beads lately. Mainly because I've developed a totally unhealthy fascination with the variety of silver glass available for lampworkers and since I'm just slightly OCD I've determined that I must catalogue all the color combinations that I use so that I may duplicate them in the future.  Here are a few pics from the first test batches:

Fun stuff, eh?

I've been working like a fiend trying to build up the coffers before the insanity (school!) starts in January so I haven't had much time to be the social butterfly but I did get to see my favourite gals this past week.  Here they are:

Life is so sweet.  I almost don't even mind that I'm working 5 in a row next week.  Almost......

Hen party tonight with another bunch of lovely gals.

Hope you're having a great day wherever you are!!

Scattered....

That's kind of how I feel.  That might be how I've been feeling for a while but consciously I'm really feeling that way today.  I had the best of intentions for this day off:

1.  Finish online tests for school
2.  Torch

Well, I managed to accomplish #1 (yay!) and am officially done with all the testing for my summer course.  Phew!  One final assignment - which hopefully I'll pass the first time around - and then I'm done until classes start back up at the end of August.  Now...you'd think that means I'll have plenty of time to "play" but not really.  Feeling guilty about not having worked much this year I've scheduled myself for lots and lots of work while I don't have any classes.  Maybe not such a good idea?

I sat down to torch.  When the 3rd bead exploded I figured it just wasn't meant to be and shut it down.  I wish I could be a more "on the fly" kind of beadmaker.  Just as much as I could never be a jazz musician because I totally lack the ability to improvise I also cannot come up with bead ideas on the fly.  It's a curse :)  I'm just not flexible enough to go with the flow.  I need some sort of plan....some idea of what I want to accomplish.  Give me Bach any day.

So, today I feel artistically stonewalled.  And maybe that's way I feel all antsy.  Like I'm not quite sure what to do next.....because I didn't get all the things on my list checked off.  Gawd....talk about OCD!!

OK...enough of that....here are some pics of recent stuff just for fun.

Hope you're having a good day wherever you are!  It's 90 degrees out today (more with the humidex I'm sure!) and I'm staying indoors.  Maybe I'll even try to get back on the torch :)

Trey Cornette teaches a mean class!

So I travelled all the way to PA last weekend with hubby in tow to take a beadmaking class from Trey Cornette.  The class was held at Noodlesaurus Glass Studio and I'm telling you.....if you can take a class from Trey or you can take a class at Noodlesaurus....DO IT!!!

Kris and John Schaible were awesome hosts and the 6-torch studio - just perfect for an instructor and 5 students - was an awesome place to take a class.  I loved the small group. We got so much individual attention and there was always room to look over Trey's shoulder while he demo'd.  I don't think it could have been any better.

I wanted to learn about twisted cane and scrollwork.  I learned so much more.  I don't know how many glass epiphanies I had but I came away with a greater understanding of how glass moves, learned a few of Trey's tricks and really got to pick his brain about all sorts of things, both glass and non-glass related.

Here's a hastily snapped pic of the beads we learned how to make.  Mind you, I wish I could take credit for the rockin' Sun Garden bead in the middle (long green bicone) but that was my prize in the demo bead drawing at the end of the class! 

Things I really enjoyed:
1. Meeting everyone!
2. Trey's generosity in sharing
3. How each student went home with a demo bead
4. The smaller studio setting really enhanced my learning experience

I really could go on and on....and on.  But I think you get the idea.  Anyhow, just wanted to share some beady goodness and say a huge thanks to Kris for hosting the class and to Trey for teaching the class.  I feel like I really came away with some excellent glass knowledge which I hope to incorporate into my art going forward :)

Fire on the Mountain

was such a blast!!  Pictures of final product to come at a later date.  I just have no time this week to even attempt to take and edit photos but I came away with a kick-ass Libby L. flower pendant and a Brad P. inspired vessel.  Those of you who know me know I don't do that kind of glass work.

Brad and Libby are FABULOUS teachers so if you ever get a chance to take one of their classes you definitely should! 

I had such fun rooming with the coolest group of gals and met a whole bunch of new beady friends.  These meetings are the best!

Unfortunately....it's back to reality.  I would like to simply make it through this week (keep chanting "one day at a time"). 

Big thanks to Marjorie, Gary, Brad, and Libby as well as all the other Fire on the Mountain peeps for putting on such a great show!!

See you again in the Fall! (I hope!)

I've moved...

into my studio that is :) So I'm supposed to be making beads right now but I got caught up organizing and then I liked it so much I decided to take pictures. Long story short....I haven't turned anything on yet but I'm READY!!!

Here are some pics to get you started. I'm kinda 95% moved in and Kev thinks I'm nuts because it's not really final but who cares?

With the lights on.
With the lights off.
This is the top of the dental tools cabinet I got for a song. I totally rigged together something that resembles pegboard to hang my imprint tools.
The lovely powders that I'm going to work with (today hopefully!).
Pic of the studio from the doorway. Funny how all the posters I have are color sample posters. I need more arty stuff :) There was one more photo but for some reason I can't seem to upload it but you get the idea. Have I said again how much I love this space? It's small to be sure but it's fabulous!!!

Perhaps I was a magpie in a previous life....

I definitely have a prediliction for bright, shiny and colorful things. I think that's how I wound up with this.

Yeah...maybe to the average, untrained eye it might not look like much but to the lover of odd-lot glass it's a veritable box to drool over.

Let's not forget...this box of glass turned into a new roof for our house. Yup. Who needs stocks, bonds, or shares? All you need is some odd-lot glass and voila! Instant appreciation. Turn $30 into $400 if you just hold on long enough.

Funny thing is these days I'm trying to divest myself of all the extraneous stuff. I still love colorful things and have my fair share of glass but I'm definitely better about not hoarding everything under the sun. My philosophy these days is to try to obtain the best results working with the glass I currently have and not buying more hoping that the new stuff is going to make what I create any better. Lemonade from lemons?

I'm home...

Wow....I'm home. My head is buzzing with all the information I gathered this weekend. I'm dying to sit down at the torch tomorrow to see if I can replicate some of the things I learned over the last few days.

I wish I could describe how great of an experience it was for me. I've never taken a formal beadmaking/lampworking class before and while this wasn't exactly a class it's the closest I've come to one. I loved watching other people make stuff and was overwhelmed at how generous people were to share tips, techniques, just about anything you could want. Everyone was kind and wonderful and I'm all ready to sign up for the next event!

My tiny studio - in the works!

So a long time ago I promised that I would bring you updates as my studio progressed. Well, so far we've gutted what used to be the pantry and the setup in there is bare-bones with most things mocked up to see if it would all fit and work as a bead-making space.

I'm happy to say that it appears that the space will do nicely for a tiny, in-house bead studio. Of course, it would be splendid if I could build myself a bead castle like some other folks but my homeowner's association would never let that fly and we're saving a major studio for the day when we have a couple of acres to ourselves and DH can have the woodworking space he's hankering for.

In the meantime here are some pics of my very unfinished space.



Above see a pic of just about the whole workspace. It needs tweaking. We're designing a custom tabletop that will be L-shaped so that I have room to spread things out. The kiln that you see at table top level will move up onto a shelf about a foot or so above the tabletop so it doesn't feel quite so crowded at elbow height.

The hood needs some further work. It's been difficult to find the best setup for a corner but everything works nicely and it just needs some beautification. I'm also working on a nicer method of baffling the setup to keep all the fumes travelling in the right direction and not escaping.

You'll see the flexi-pipe underneath the table. That's bringing in my make-up air that flows through a register at the back of my table. The register can be opened and closed so that it keeps out the majority of air when it's not in use.



That cream colored cabinet was a $5 find and is an old dental tool cabinet. It's perfect for that small space and offers a ton of storage solutions. I love the narrow top drawers for laying out tools and storing stuff like silver wire etc. The larger bottom drawers I use for my presses and misc. frit and frit-making tools. The smaller silver cabinet next to it I use for all of my frit jars. They're separated by color family :) This cabinet is almost full!

The opening you see on the left is to the crawl space under the stairs. We're working on emptying out all junk that's accumulated there and then what we plan to do is where the wall is next to the opening we'll open up the spaces between the framing and build custom storage for glass. I'm really only wanting space to stack all the fence rail and perhaps that would also allow for some recessed space where I could put my stereo? Right now my glass is all underneath the kiln (on a rolling cart) and I'd like to get stuff off the floor in that area so that the working space stays relatively uncluttered.

The plan in the next little while is to re-sheetrock the 2 walls that form the corner where I'll be working. I'll be tiling the tabletop and carrying it up the walls to create a 1-1.5ft high "back splash" to protect the walls from all the hot stuff. We found some really cheap, blow-out flooring at the Lowes so I'll have manufactured flooring in an oak? pine? color that I won't worry about glass falling on etc.

That's about all the planning I've gotten done. I'll post more pics as we work on the room and hopefully get to the finished product sooner rather than later!

SRA?? What's that all about?

I was going write a while piece about the SRA but realized that I've pretty much covered is in this statement that I wrote a while back for my website. So here it is again...


Please click on the image above to find out more about the SRA program!

So, you may have seen the SRA logo shown above cropping up all over the place recently and wondered what the heck it's all about. If you click on the logo you'll get just about the best explanation you can find and even better than what I can give you so I recommend you check it out there first and if you still have questions I'd be more than happy to answer them for you!

Over the last several months (maybe even longer!) there has been a huge controversy brewing in the land of lampworkers over the misrepresentation by one vendor of the type and quality of beads being sold. I'm writing about this because I feel that it is important for you, as a potential buyer of lampworked beads, to understand what there is out there and what you should be on the lookout for.

First, let me say that I do believe there is a market for lampwork beads of all qualities and prices. Let's face it....not everyone out there is creating works of art with one-of-a-kind beads that cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. What is of crucial importance for me, as a seller, is to ensure that you, as a buyer, are aware of what it is you're buying.

Having said that, let's consider what you're getting when you buy beads from a self-representing artist:

• handmade beads made by one individual
• beads that are properly annealed for strength and durability
• bead holes that are smooth without any rough edges
• bead holes that are clean and free of bead release
• an unconditional guarantee from the artist regarding breakage

When you buy from a seller who is selling mass produced/imported beads you're probably getting:

beads that are made overseas by workers working in less than ideal conditions
beads that are most likely NOT annealed and very likely to break
beads that do NOT have the bead release cleaned out of them
no guarantee from the seller as to the quality of the beads
no guarantee that you will get your money back if the beads DO break

These are just a few of the major points I think are important for you to know as a consumer. I'm not saying that you should only buy beads made by self-representing artists (well...that would be nice!) but simply be educated about what you're getting and who you're getting it from.

Without naming names there is a seller on Ebay who has hundreds and hundreds of listings for lampworked beads claiming that they are not mass produced but rather quality artisan made beads. I urge you to look at the feedback for this seller and use your own good judgement to determine whether or not these are indeed artisan beads that meet some of the basic criteria I listed above.

This seller, I know for a fact, has/is used/using images stolen from many reputable, self-representing artists to falsely advertise and represent their own beads. Consider that you may be doing business with a vendor who knowingly misrepresents the origin and quality of the products he/she sells using images stolen from other hardworking, honest, self-representing artists.

There is a place for all types of beads and sellers of beads and as always, caveat emptor! Know what you're buying and who you're buying it from. It's like if you go to the boutique and buy a genuine Louis Vuitton you KNOW you're getting the real deal....if you're really on the ball and know your Louis you might still get the real thing somewhere else BUT, if you take your chances and don't do your homework beforehand you may think you're getting a real Louis but most likely you're getting a dud. Do your homework and get the real deal!

My $0.02 worth :)

Artsy-related new stuff

It's been a while since I blogged about anything artsy. I've been so busy with work that really I've not had much creative juice flowing. With my studio partially finished I've found it difficult to overcome the dry spell and so this week I decided it was time to jumpstart my creative endeavors and leap head-first into a couple of new things.

First: I made an effort to re-introduce myself to an Etsy group I joined a while back - NC Triangle Street Team (see links/image on side for more). I hope that this effort will motivate me to create more and to advertise and put myself out there so that more people can see what I'm working on :)

Second: I joined another Etsy group - Lampwork Etc. (LE) Street Team (see sidebar for more links). This one caters more to the lampwork group and I'm also hoping that this membership will prod me into becoming more productive at the torch.

So, I've committed myself to participating in these two dynamic groups. There's no turning back! Visit tomorrow when I plan to blog on the SRA and some other thoughts about recent goings on in the art world.

Thanks for visiting!

Hi. My name's Yee

and I'm a glassaholic. Yup. I have an illness that compels me to buy glass (rods that is!) even when I already have tons of stuff sitting around that hasn't yet been melted.

Actually, I think I'm actually getting better. I've sold of most of my stash and have been really good about holding off buying (much of) anything new. I just sold of my entire stock of Bullseye glass (minus odd lots) and am now down to 3 types of glass only. Oh....don't get me wrong. It's not like I haven't been tempted. All the talk of new odd-lots coming from Vetrofond. Even the borosilicate glass manufacturers are getting into the odd-lot phenomenon. True to our natures as addicts all of us crazy lampworkers buy, buy and BUY!!!!

But it isn't limited to glass. I think I'm just addicted to colorful things. Back when I was sewing it was fabric. You wouldn't believe how much fabric I had accumulated when I finally decided to go through and liquidate it.

In a funny way I do think it is somewhat of a compulsion and the compulsion, whatever it is, lurks inside each and every one of us. We all have our vices. The question is whether we have those under control. I think for now I've curbed the glass monster but there's no telling how long that will last. Besides, how can you say no to pretty, colorful stuff when it allows you to make this: