Revision : Reclaimed Materials Exhibit

My little recycled beads are going to be featured in an exhibit in Arizona, thanks too Jenni at Pangano Design Works.
Jenni is a jewelry designer who creates colorful, asymmetrical pieces of jewelry. Her style is innovative, fresh and very green.
She uses recycled sweater to create felt beads in many of her jewelry creations. So sometime ago I contacted her after two of my treasured wine glasses were broken accidentally. They were such a pretty color of seeded glass and being a bead maker I just couldn't throw the glass away. So I decided to turn all those shards into beads . I originally approached two different jewelry designers and ask them if they would be interested in do a green project with me.
Jenni, loved the idea so we decided to create something together. So I packed up my little beads and sent them to her. I received an email from Jenni, she finished the necklace and was going to enter it in a reclaimed Material exhibit called Re-Vision . Here is the email she sent me.

Lou,
I wanted to let you know that "our" necklace is in! I just received word that "Lou's Necklace" was accepted into the show!

Here is the info I got:
" I am happy to tell you that I would like to include your work in Tohono Chul Park’s upcoming Re-Visions: Art from Reclaimed Materials exhibit, our fourth foray into the exciting world of art made from reused materials. This group exhibit will feature the imaginative expressions of artists who produce artworks from our culture’s disposable objects.
I am interested in Lou’s Necklace and Felt Rocks!
Re-Visions will open on May 21 with an evening reception (5:30-7:30pm) and continue through August 23."
Jenni created a wonderful necklace, and I am so proud that I sent my beads to her. I just wish I could have been at the reception tonight. I am hoping I get to go see the exhibit before it closes. Thanks again Jenni
God Bless Lou

Earth Day Project for 2009

Recycled stainless steel and wine bottle bracelet.
Earth Day 2009 recycled bent mandrals and wine bottle beads.

Little Bones for Bead of Courage

I recently joined Beads of Courage it is a non-profit group helping children to cope with a serous illness. Through this program children tell their story with beads as symbols of their courage that commemorates each milestone in their treatment. As a nurse and a bead maker it is so hard to see anyone sick but it will really pull at your heart to see the courage in these children and their parents dealing with a serous illness. I am so honored that our Penn Dragon's ISGB is a part of this group. These are small few of my first beads. I thought I would make little bones to symbolizes a bead for bone marrow transplants. God Bless Lou

Little Spinning Top

A little spinning top made from Boro a practice project I have been working on . I love working in both soft and hard glass they both teach you so much. Each type having some different advantages and personalities but both fun to work in. The second picture is a bead I made with the cushion press. Jim's cushion press is a great tool. No worrying about not enough glass or to much glass like other presses, and it is very versatile to different shapes. Finally no fusing with the end of the beads, I just love it.
I made with it from Andrea Guarino tutorial moth wings. It will take many years of practice to make a bead as beautiful as hers but I am very proud of how my bead turned out. I really enjoyed this tutorial it was very well written with good instructions and the pictures were wonderful . Thanks Andrea for sharing a wonderful technique. Well it's time for work have a nice week end . Lou

Tagliol Long Paddle Beads

Here is a couple of my long beads using my new paddle . I really love how the bead glides across the surface, it is so smooth . I think they are getting so much nicer now too. I love this paddle and It is a work of art and the fine craftsmanship of Jim Moore. I will post more pictures soon I am enjoying the progress in my long beads. all the best Lou

New Tools from Tools For Glass

Jim Moore makes some of the finest lampworking tools on the market I have been saving for a while to get these . The top one is called a Tagliol, a wonderful very smooth paddle, and the second picture is a cushion press. I am hoping by the end of the year I can replace all my tools with his. The quality is so worth it and as soon as I took them out of the box I fell in love with them I know this is silly but I did. Hopefully I can post some beads I make using my new tools soon. All the best Lou

An Afternoon Book Signing With The Glass Poet

At our February Penn Dragon meeting at Whale we were so lucky to meet Val Cox aka The Glass Poet. Val is a designer, glass artists and photographer and creator of colorful reactive frit combinations the most famous is Raku ( Reichnbacher's Iris Orange r - 108 ). Val visited with our little group to do a frit demonstration and talk about her new book : Frit Secrets a flame worker's guide to using reactive glass. Val's book is packed full of knowledge on how she started her quest in finding a brilliant ruby pink glass that doesn't turn gray under extreme heat. To testing hundreds of furnace glass to come up with color combinations to create beautiful lamp work beads from tiny pieces of crush glass. I can say I have read this book twice since her demo and each time I have learned something new. It reviews colors , glass forms , frit sizes, applications and trouble shooting certain colors and reactions. Yes I would recommend it too anyone who works with glass. Val is a gentle soft spoken artists who's love of color shows in everything she does from her bead making to her photography she is just so inspirational. I am taking a 2 day class with Val in March I am just so excited. I am hoping some of her skill and inspiration will rub off on me too. all the best Lou