Random News and a Tutorial Sale

HI all!  It's been awhile, I know.  Sometimes the blog suffers when things are busy!

So here are a few updates....

First, I am having a tutorial sale this week.  Until May 10th, all of my tutorials on Coloraddiction are 30% off!  This includes the pumpkin tutorial.  Just use the coupon code MAYSALE when checking out.

**this does not include tutorials by Kim, or tutorials listed on Etsy.  Only the items under "Kandice's Tutorials" on the page linked here are included.


Next, just to let all interested parties know, the reveal date for the Bead Soup Blog Party has been moved to next weekend, instead of this weekend.  The coordinator moved it for medical reasons, and I wish her a speedy recovery and lots of love!

I have finished my jewelry pieces for the blog party/hop, and I am really happy with them.  It was a serious challenge for me, since I am first and foremost a glass beadmaker, and have only limited experience designing jewelry.  But I had a lot of fun stretching my creative muscles!  You'll see the results next weekend, and I will talk more about my process then.

Another piece of news - I have finished May's Bead of the Month Club beads.  They're purple and green, some of my faves for summer.  I'm now taking orders for June and beyond. Click the pic to see previous months and info on signing up.

As far as glass testing goes, I haven't done a lot lately.  I did run tests on the new CiM color Flax, but it's so pale and transparent that pictures of it just didn't turn out.  Plus, the color itself is way better as a layering color for cream, pale green or yellow, so pics of beads don't really show just the Flax color.  Sooo, I decided that it wouldn't be a fabulous color to write up.

I can tell you that it's lovely for what it is - a very, very pale transparent yellow-green.  I used it to enhance the cream color of Hazelnut Mousse in these pink and cream beads. As you can tell, any green that Flax may have when looked at by itself goes away when you use it for layering.  It's really, really light.  I may buy some to use in place of Effetre Light Brown when I need a paler cream color, but that's about the extent of its use for me.

Last but not least, people have been wondering where the beads are lately!  Mostly because I haven't been listing as many of them on my website as I used to. I have been making other beads to sell, but instead of posting them on the website, I have mostly been listing them as auctions on a couple of new Facebook groups.

If you're interested in getting some of my beads for a really great price, join one of the Facebook groups to bid. You will also see lots of other great lampwork artists posting their auctions. Lots of eye candy! My auctions are usually 24 hours long, so if you don't see anything from me, it just means I haven't got any to post that day.

 Lampwork Bead Market Group

Yes, I will still be listing beads on the website - just maybe not as many as before. I will continue to try and do both for awhile and see how that turns out.

Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful weekend!  :)

Bead Soup Blog Party - Soup Reveal!

I got my bead soup from my partner Kat last week - and she got hers too - so I get to post pictures of them both!

The blog party is in full swing - people have been posting their soup pics over on the facebook page all week long. We have until May to make something from our soups, but in the meantime we are all ooohing and ahhhing over the plethora of color and beauty that is beads.

Kat sent me some wonderful stuff! A gorgeous Russian lace agate pendant bead, along with some agate accents make up the bulk of the soup.  They are nice and chunky - fun to hold. She also included a whole bunch of Vintaj brass stuff - dragonflies and flowers and connectors - even earring hooks and some wire.  Chain and links and filigree and more!

Most of this soup contains elements I have never worked with before, so this will be a challenge for me.  My muse desperately needs a challenge - something to wake her up and get her out of the rut she's been in!

I am not sure what I am going to make, but I imagine I will break out the wire-wrapping tools.  I also want to add some color to this so that the elements stand out.  We'll have to see what I come up with!

Kat sent me these wonderful things to design with!

Kat has also received and blogged about the soup I sent her. For Kat, I made some lampwork beads, of course, in mint green and pink.  I made a large (for me anyway) rectangular focal, and added some floral accents and spacers.

I thought that copper would look really pretty with these springy colors, so I included some copper findings as well as a really pretty copper leaf toggle clasp and some flower connectors.

Of course, you know I had to add in some crystals - I chose cubes and rounds as well as some bicones.

I can't wait to see what Kat makes with all that - her style is so different from mine, I am hoping this is a challenge she will have fun with.

This is what I sent to Kat - I hope she likes it!