New Earrings

I bet you are wondering what in the world does she do with those castings she makes. My friends would tell you I have a ton of unfinished castings around here - I do - I admit it. I keep making wax models and know I haven't nearly enough time to finish things right now.

There are about a half dozen different designs that I "cast in place" using various CZ's. I'm sure I already mentioned why I'm not using the more precious stones in an earlier post. They require a much different burn out cycle and I'm using a shared burnout kiln at the moment. The CZ'z can take the heat - precious, well - they're touchy.

Usually I don't make long earrings. But this was just begging for it. Sorry about the quality of the photo. They are kind of a knock out in person and the final dangle doesn't even shine in the photo. It's a highly polished silver bar I soldered up just for the earrings. Bugger!

Anyhoo, this is what I am doing with the cast earring parts. In this earring there are three pivot points. At the top the whole piece can swing freely - then at the ring and again at the bottom. The rings on the silver bars were soldered at an angle so two of the sides face forward.

If you're going to have bling on - it ought to be blingy. Handmade all the way to the earring wires, including the balled wires to hang the stone chips. Yup, this is what I do with those castings. Before I finish this pair just a tad more I wore them to make sure the weight hung correctly and nothing would tangle up. Like I said, I am pleased. Not heavy on the ear at all - I was worried. Now, it's off for one nice cleaning tumble and a tad more shine

I'm not sure if I should antique them for a romantic look. What do you think?

Okinawa Rail

True Wild Life | Okinawa Rail | The Okinawa Rail is a flightless bird that only lives on the main island of Okinawa. It is endemic to Okinawa Island in Japan where it is known as the Yanbaru Kuina. Its existence was only confirmed in 1978 and it was formally described in 1981 although unidentified rails had been recorded on the island since at least 1973 and local stories of a bird known as the agachi kumira may refer to this species.

It is a medium-sized and almost flightless rail with short wings and tail, olive-brown upperparts, black underparts with white bars and a red bill and legs. It occurs in subtropical moist forests and in neighbouring habitats. It nests and feeds on the ground but usually roosts in trees. It is classified as an endangered species and is threatened by habitat loss and introduced predators.

The Okinawa Rail  is a poor flyer but it can run rapidly. It spends most of its time on the ground but usually roosts in trees, climbing up to sleep on a branch or sloping trunk. In the morning, it preens and stretches before dropping straight to the ground. It is usually found in dense cover but comes into the open to bathe. It bathes for short bouts of 2-4 minutes before preening for 4-20 minutes. It feeds on lizards, amphibians, snails and large insects such as locusts. Food is mainly taken from the forest floor but may also be taken from shallow water.

The Okinawa Rail is in great danger of disappearing for other reasons: forests clearing and traffic accidents. But the conservation activities have not progressed much. One reason is that nobody really understands how the Okinawa Rail lives. Without knowing well about the creature, like where the Okinawa Rail lives, what it eats, or how it raises its children, and how far it travels, people cannot move forward with the conservation activities. Besides the Okinawa Rail, there are many other kinds of flightless birds that are suffering from the outside animals in which human have brought in.

Bald Eagle

The bald eagle is a species of eagle species, the most popular. Bald eagle found in many regions of North America. His name is bald eagle, but the eagle is not really bald, it was just the name alone. Characteristic of bald eagle is the color of the head until his neck is white, you also must have been very popular with the kind of eagle this one, because the bald eagle became the national symbol of the United States.

Bald Eagle Wallpaper

Bald Eagle Flying Picture

Read more Bald Eagle

Face Fierce Lion

Lion one of the big cats known as king of the jungle. Her body is muscular, his face is fierce and he as a lion carnivores deserve the nickname as the king of the jungle. Just imagine you are walking in our woods, you see a snake, monkey or a wolf maybe you still have a fatherly kebernaian fight, but if you meet the lion or tiger I am sure the actions you take only two kinds of direct scamper or climb a tree as soon as possible, but you should know lion is also known as a good climber.

Lion Wallpaper

Read more article here....

Fire Divas Beads of Courage Auction!

The Fire Divas believe strongly in giving back whenever they can, and here is a collection of gorgeous handmade lampwork beads that the talented artists of The Fire Divas team have contributed to in honor of the Beads Of Courage program. All of the proceeds from this eBay auction HERE will go directly to Beads Of Courage and make it possible for the brave boys and girls battling cancer throughout the United States to enjoy the amazing outreach and cancer support that this wonderful program provides. Not only will you be helping to put a smile on their faces, but you will receive 19 handmade Collector beads that you will cherish for a lifetime!!!

The beads shown were donated by 13 different Fire Diva artisans, who also created a similar set that will be sent directly to Beads of Courage for the children to choose from and enjoy. This is your unique opportunity to pitch in and lend a helping hand to this amazing organization too!


Clockwise from top—Tribal heads: Barb (riversedgeglass); Yellow round: Sonja (SilverRiverGlassWorks); Magic Mice: Lori (ashlyndesign); Multicolor round: Judith (icarusbeads); Blue organic: Rosemarie (spawnofflame); Shuttle: Lara (Lutrick); Blue nugget: Patrice (Shepherdcreations); Yellow car: Karen (giapet); Blue/brown organic: Susan (susanlambert); Critters: Sharon (rightturnartwerks); Blue cubes: Kathleen (uglyducklingbeads); Cupcake: Holly (HollysFollyGlass); Green inchworms: Abigail (abbielyn)

The beads you will be getting include:

* Lovely free-form organics
* A pair of Disney inspired "Magical Mouse" ears
* A sporty roadster car
* A Space Shuttle with a monkey (a similar bead from the same artist went up on the last Shuttle!)
* Fun and festive graphic designs
* A sweet chocolate cupcake (calorie free, of course)
* Happy "critter" face beads
* And the cutest pair of tiny green inchworms!

In addition to this special auction event, we would like to offer another opportunity to our customers and fans: for everyone who places a bid (whether you win or not), or donates directly during the auction week to Beads of Courage via their website, please leave a comment here after this post and let us know. You will be entered to win some great prizes like gorgeous beads or gift certificates from more of the Fire Diva members, chosen by a random drawing. How cool is that?! (more photos coming soon!)

Please help us spread the word about our first Annual Beads of Courage Auction and don't forget that the bidding will end on Wednesday, June 1st at 6 pm PST. Thank you so much for your support!

Rain Rain Go Away

This is how I feel - I have a house to paint. On the upside it's more bead making time :-) and I have a lot to do there too. There aren't any tornados and I feel terrible for so many people who are in those areas. I guess "just rain" isn't so bad after all.

Working with Clio

Finally, some time at the torch. I've playing with the Clio glass rods (from Double Helix) again. My stash was purchased at the Gathering last year. From the posts on Lampwork, etc. I learned a few tricks for working with it. Thank Goodness for Haley Tsang, and others, who work with silvered glasses and are so willing to post their tips and result beads on the LE forum. Both of these beads contain the precious Clio. One was Clio layered over a cobalt glass base and I think reduced a little too much (the blue bead) and the other was made over a white base with layers of transparent orange and ink blue before the Clio, encasement and shard decorations. I’m pretty pleased with the results. I need more “silver” working time at the torch but onward and upward..

Great Spotted Kiwi

True Wild Life | Great Spotted Kiwi | The Great Spotted Kiwi, is a species of kiwi endemic to the South Island of New Zealand.  It is the largest of the kiwi.  There are about 22,000 Great Spotted Kiwis in total, almost all in the more mountainous parts of northwest Nelson, the northwest coast, and the Southern Alps. A minority live on islands.

Great Spotted Kiwi are nocturnal, and will sleep during the day in burrows. At night, they feed on invertebrates and will also eat plants. Great Spotted Kiwi breed between June and March. The egg is the largest of all birds in proportion to the size of the bird. Chicks take 75 to 85 days to hatch, and after hatching, they are abandoned by their parents.

Because adult Great Spotted Kiwis are large and powerful, they are able to fend off most predators that attack them, such as stoats, ferrets, weasels, pigs, brushtails and cats, all of which are invasive species in New Zealand. However, dogs are able to kill even adults. Stoats, ferrets, possums, cats and dogs will feed on the eggs and chicks, meaning most chicks die within their first five months of life. Once the Great Spotted Kiwi was also preyed upon by the Haast's Eagle, which is now extinct.

Black Cat Wallpaper

Digital Art Cat Wallpaper

Black Cat Face Wallpaper

Eyes Cat Wallpaper

Pets

Inside your home environment, would be more lively and fun if you keep pets. Pets are the most in love is cats and dogs. There are many types of cats and dogs that have the shape and character. You can see pets on the site that might be an inspiration to you in choosing a pet in your home. Like a cat is a pet that is generally as toys and dogs usually are a pet as a friend to play and also as a guard house and children.

On this page there are pictures of cats and dogs are familiar. Currently we know that cats and dogs will never be familiar, they will always fight. But if you take care of those little things that will not happen because they were used.

Cat And Dog Sleeping together

Dog And Cat Picture

Rabbit And Cat

Beauty Kitten

Recycled Solar Jars

I like canning - mostly when I do can it's tomatoes, jams, or jellies. My daughter sent me a jpg from Etsy of some lights she'd like to have on our deck for the wedding, scattered about the yard so people don't trip on things. I thought they were a great idea - but our budget is tight. Good thing Mom likes to figure things out. It's not like I have tons of time to do this - but, when it's your only daughter - our baby of the family - well - you do what you do.

First off - I recognize the solar pieces. If you've been in Home Depot or any place they carry the solar lights you light a path with then so do you. They are not pricey (under $4.00). Cool beans - but could I do it? Oh hell yeah! Once I figured out - thanks to the neat display at HD - I found I could easily take the stake out. For good measure I cut off the plastic that was formed to hold it on - and - TAH DAH - they sit EXACTLY on a standard jar top - well.......there it is.

This is what they look like (day light and at night)- I sprayed the jar rings to match and just have to silicone them down or something. They cast a unique light on the deck steps. I like it - she will love it.

Onward and Upward.

Panda Animal (パンダ)

Animals are great fun to see. Pandas (パンダ) eat food to eat while sitting even though they eat grass, unlike other mammals. The main food panda is bamboo, so pandas have strong legs and claws that can be used to climb the bamboo tree. The population of pandas in the world especially in china right now is low, so the panda became a protected animal. For animal populations in their home country china panda, in the wild according to the scientists and guards endangered animals in china there are around 2000 individuals.

Panda eating bamboo leaves

Panda sleep on a large rock

Appearance Panda Beer

Read more a bout Panda Beer here

Giant Panda In China

Panda is an animal that includes the family of bears, pandas hallmark of the beast is the color of his black and white. Pandas come from China or Chinese. Although the panda in the order of carnivorous animals, but pandas almost 99% of its main food is bamboo, although pandas in the wild eat small animals and carrion. And in captive pandas into animal herbivores, because unumnya pandas fed leaves, grass, cassava, bananas, honey and other kesehatanya.

Panda is one of the extinct animals, in the current state of China panda is protected by very stringent because due to new diseases, one of which is the H1N1 flu, so the panda for now banned in contact with humans. for the preservation of their lives.

Until now, according to the scientists, China's panda population in the wild giant pandas live 2000 tail. In the wild, the giant panda is a terrestrial animal and primarily spends its life roaming and feeding in the bamboo forests of the Qinling Mountains and in the Hilly Sichuan Province. Generally though alone, EACH adult has a defined territory and females are not tolerant of other females in Their range. Pandas Communicate through vocalization and scent marking Such as clawing trees or spraying urine. The giant panda is Able to climb and take shelter in hollow trees or rock crevices but does not establish permanent Dens. For this reason, Pandas do not hibernate, the which is similar to other Subtropical Mammals, and earnest instead move to elevations with Warmer temperatures. Pandas Rely primarily on spatial memory rather Than visual memory.

Social Encounters occur primarily During the brief breeding season in the which Pandas in proximity to one another will from gather. After mating, the male leaves the female to raise the child alone.

Cute Panda Face

Wild Animal Panda Wallpaper

A Diva by Any Other Name

I am tickled pink about joining the Fire Divas. They are a motivated group of artists who work very hard at marketing and supporting one another with a open door policy. I like that. They communicate better than I do too so I'm going to have to step it up...

Lampworking when it first came on the scene, thanks to modern updates by Cindy Jenkin's and her Hot Head Torches, was always full of artists who spoke openly about their craft and the "how-to" of bead making. It was heaven - no enormous secrets. Everyone was helping everyone. As more artists took up torch working over the decade+ years things moved to a different phase as people became competitive in a narrowing marketplace. I liked the Divas long before I joined because so many members had spoken openly via forums in an effort to instruct peers who were struggling with various problems. They even aided me several times with their candid advice on beadmaking and photography (as I struggled with that new Nikon digital I so covet!).

Recently I have updated my blog list and have been trying to get all of my fellow Divas listed. (If I've missed any of you please email me.) What I noticed from a marketing standpoint was something that I had considered before but didn't realize how important it might be. Literally, I butchered some peoples names (or couldn't find them) as I tried to update the blog roll. I think "branding" is important. What I found was some people did not list their "real" names anywhere. Since I have always listed blogs via artists given names - followed by their business names I ended up in a royal pickle and with egg on my face as I tried.

Maybe others don't think it is important to have their personal names listed. But, unless you are "The Artist", formerly known as Prince it doesn't seem logical in - Sharon World. Actually, it ended up not so logical to "the artist" either and he eventually returned to his stage name. So maybe it's JUST ME - it could be, you know. Everything I have read indicates you should find a moniker - and stick to it. A business name - and as the CEO of your company you too!
Like I said - it could be me - but I value others opinions and am interested. What do you think and why do you choose to do that way?

Tarantula Mexican Red-Kneed

Mexican Red-Kneed

Tarantula is a sepcies of spiders. Tarantula's body is much larger than the spiders and they have fine hairs seseluruh parts of his body, which makes these animals look beautiful. Tarantula become one of the popular pet for the fans of arachnids. Tarantula also has a poison so you have to be careful with this one animal.

Many species of tarantula found in tropical regions, subtropical, and arid. Tarantulamemiliki vary in color and behavior in accordance with their specific environment. But in general there is a tarantula's life on the ground, they beburu prey, like mice, birds and others, from the spin webs to trap prey. Nets tarantulas are generally only used to protect the eggs and closing liangnya.

Like many other wild animals, tarantulas also have a deadly enemy, the Tarantula Hawk is pepsis parasitic wasp, wasps can paralyze a tarantula with a sting and lay eggs on the spider's body. When the eggs hatch, the wasp larvae gorge themselves on the still living tarantula.

This is the most popular type of tarantula.

Tarantula Hawk

This is the main enemy of tarantula. insect compatriots who hunt tarantulas as its main prey. Dangerous of these insects is the sting, one of the researchers who've been stung Tarantula Hawk describes it feels "... all parts of the body becomes paralyzed because of the pain rara avis.

Printing Postcards

I always like to send out a postcard with an order. It looks nice in the box and leaves the customer with something they can post on a fridge or work area for next time. It also can let you highlight beads that normally aren't seen or considered for a piece of jewelry.

My husband (pre-retirement for 27 years) was an organic toymaker and we used postcards to reach his customers and let them know what his upcoming shows were. I can't tell you how many repeat customers we got off of those mailings.

This year I need postcards for the ISGB - IF I can get them photographed and done in time. It's always a time and energy problem, isn't it? UGH. Making the .jpg for the postcards is a relatively easy process and it's fun. Since most beadmakers and artists take their own photos most of us are familiar with editing programs. Translating that into a postcard is made easy by the many companies that make them.

I just finished my daughter's Wedding Invitations/ RSVP cards for this fall's festivities. She's a modern kind of girl but wanted something her friends and family could post of the fridge. We did a double card so we could adhere clear mailing stickers to the set and once opened they'd have all of the info they needed and a conveniently pre-stamped return postcard. Both cards carry a theme that is running through all of the wedding planning....she is a romantic, techno nerd, outdoor girl ;-).

Personally, I use Overnight Prints. But, I have used many others and they are good too. I'd play programs from several of the companies before you hit that "Buy Now" button. You can see what works best for you.

Other companies you might want to consider: 123 Print, Modern Postcard, Got Print, and Sharp Dots. There are others. I've only used 123 Print and Overnight. I hear the others are great but why mess with success.

Arctic Fox

Cute Little Arctic Fox

Beauty Arctic Fox

Style Dog Hair Cuts

Miniature Schnauzer

Miniature Schnauzer is a breed of dog that has a unique haircut, the long hair around his mouth. Miniature Schnauzer is the only dog that has very long hair around the mouth. The uniqueness of the shape haircut make the Miniature Schnauzer breed has many fans.

Read more Miniature Schnauzer Dogs.

Cool Miniature Schnauzer Pet Dogs

Poodle Dog

Generally Poodle breed, hair cut with a model like this. But indeed to breed poodle, hair cut styles vary widely because of his long hair Eden dense so it can be cut with a taste of the owner.

Read more Poodle Pet Dogs

Poodle Dog Wallpaper

Studio Spaces

I received the recent update from Crafthaus and one of the articles is about studio spaces. The artists send in photographs of their sanctuaries and we get to peruse their areas.

When Jeri Warhaftig was writing her new book "Creating Glass Beads" we (the focus group) were asked to send in photos of our work areas. Not everyone, it seemed, was terribly cooperative with that endeavor. I get it! My bench is normally a mess. The glass on top of it at the moment is about a half an inch thick. It's not terribly conducive to working - let alone finding things. It definitely needs to be cleaned up. DO I HEAR A VOLUNTEER?

After looking at the Crafthaus benches I decided to look up those photos of mine. Hey, so that is what the work area looks like cleaned - LOL.

Of note - which is why I have posted this - I work on a computer desk. It was a cheapy from one of the big box stores. I put the torch on the keyboard drawer. It lowers it so you are not killing your arms and is below eye level a bit. It makes it easier to see where in the flame you are. You also do not have to use a "high heeled" chair to get yourself up there....better for the legs.

Attached to the table top (with wing nuts and washers) are two long boards to which padding at attached. These can swing in and out to any position I need and hold my elbows are a great position so I can utilize the creation station hand rests to their best advantage. I love them both and will never work without them again.

My favorite tool - what a crack up. What I use more than anything is those plastic handle cheap paring knives you purchase in the cheapo section of the big box stores. They come like 2/$1.00 or something like that. Thin steel blade and great for just about anything. The second most adored tool is one that was altered. It is a heavy pair of tweezers that a fellow Glass Act artist altered during a retreat. He used a grinder and took off the serrated edges and ground the tips to a heavy point. They are heavenly. See what I mean - Fix your tools to suit the job you want to do!

If you have any questions about anything you are seeing on that bench - just ask - I'm a sharer and will be glad to pass it on.