New Bead Design

Yesterday was a good example of what I was talking about in terms of trying something new. I had success and failure. I pulled the beads out of the kiln this morning and found that I'm going to have to repeat myself today. My goal was to make a set of beads with black glass, silver foil and CZs, all encased and shaped with a crystal shaped mold. This is tricky....can't overheat the foil or it disappears, can't let the bead get cool while I'm picking up CZs with my tweezers and must use the right clear glass or the foil turns a sickly pale yellow. Somehow, I picked up the wrong clear glass when I made three of the beads. I will remake those today so I can finish the set and list them in my Etsy Shop. Still, it was an interesting challenge and I'm happy with the beads that worked, they are very striking and I've not seen any other beads like them. I'll post photos tomorrow.

I'm enjoying the Conversations I'm having with customers in my Etsy Shop too. I find that when I get feedback on my beads and also requests for certain color combinations it helps me focus. I do try to fulfill requests but will only go so far. Once it's not fun anymore, I know it's time to move on. So, thank you to those of you who have been contacting me there. It's nice to know that people are visiting.

It was 100 degrees outside yesterday. This is very hot for Oregon. Today it is supposed to reach 105F. I'm probably not going to be in the studio much past 1:00 PM today. It's extra hot in there with the 960F kiln next to me. Yesterday my arms were so wet that it looked like I was in the midst of a very hard aerobic workout. And I had to keep the drips out of my eyes. I get so involved in what I'm doing that I don't notice it too much while I work, but it is exhausting and I won't push it today.

I hope you all are staying cool.

Thanks for visiting.

Jennifer
www.Highlandbeads.etsy.com