Whats New....

Here's a peek at a few new things that are now listed in my Etsy shops. The jewelry pieces are in my shop Juniper Gems and the beads are all listed at Principessa Glass. Some of these items have already sold and some are still available.

I've been making a lot of hearts these days! I found a brass press that makes a truly awesome plump, consistent heart and I just love the results. It still takes a bit of skill to use, its not a simple load and press kind of deal, but it does allow you to make beautiful, nicely sized hearts, that are of a consistent size, with a nice crisp finish to them.

I have also embraced the trend of making beads directly onto vintage/antique skeleton keys. First I do love hunting in antique stores for these little treasures, and then of course, you know I do love making beads, so its fun then to put my own signature of sorts, on this little piece of history. I have been selling some in my bead shop and converting some into necklaces that are sold in my jewelry shop.

I have been gearing up for fall working on more organic looking beads and warm toned color palates, but I am also pleases to see the color forecast for fall has some very nice colors in it this year, not so neutral based. Lots of reds, greens, plums and purples and plenty of blues as well.

I do have an eye towards the winter holidays and have been testing out colors, shapes and designs. I will likely start offering my winter/ holiday beads in early fall. As always, I list all of my bead and jewelry listings on my Facebook within minutes of posting to Etsy. I have also started putting them on my Twitter. Thanks for stopping by!

Making Some Progess....

I've been out torching glass like a fiend having a mix of success and failure. Such is life! I have made some strides in my quest to beat the cold, but it still plagues me. I am able to be out there on cooler nights, but COLD is out of the question. I stayed out last nigh a little too long and had a large rod 8-9 mm of new violet Effetre explode about 2-3 inches into flying glass projectiles! I am used to glass getting shocky, especially since it tends to get cool in my garage at night, but this was a big rod of glass that literally exploded! I decied then it was time to call it quits for the night. I have been making an effort to get out there earlier in the day, while it's still light out and the sun is warming up the garage door. However I tend to get lost in the art and spend hours out there! I thought I was doing good yesterday, got out around 4pm, wanted it to be earlier, but was distracted by other things. I came in and made dinner at 7pm, then back out a 8:30pm. I figured with the door closed I could reheat the space while I was in the house, which did work, but with the temps dropping into the 30's overnight that didn't do me much good for long!

I'd take some pictures of my recent work and post them here, but it is too darn cold out this morning to do so... another day! Plus I am still cozy in my PJ's.. The beauty of working from home! No one knows that you look like something that cat drug in from behind a computer! I will hopefully have a kiln just after the beginning of the year and start listing some beads in my Principessa Glass shop. I have a few new listings up in my jewelry shop Juniper Gems. The Holiday pieces are clearing out quickly. I still have a large selection of my Swarovski crystal Christmas tree earrings, but some versions are down to just one pair.

I think I am starting to feel my holiday "Fa La La"... that's what I call it anyway. That feeling  that it IS Christmas time and you are enjoying the whole idea of it. It took awhile being in a new place that doesn't exactly have a real winter. I just got my shipment of goodies I need to make my holiday candies, so I am set to start that any day now. I still have some shopping to do, but I was waiting for Friday to roll around with another paycheck to fund my efforts! Thankfully I really like shopping and enjoy finding the right thing for people. Have a great day! I'm off to torch some more!

Allow Me To Introduce Myself...

I am the Glass Princess, at least at my house I am. I have fallen in love with the art of lampworking, also know as glass bead making. I work in my "studio" out in my garage. It is a temporary set up, but it will do just fine for now. I work on a GTT Cricket torch with an oxygen concentrator. I absolutely love my Cricket!

I have an Etsy shop ready to sell my beads once I feel I have something worth selling, but for now it sits empty. I also have a domain name, but no actual web site set up yet. If you put in my web address, you'll just be redirected to my Etsy shop.

I have been making jewelry for a few years now and selling it on Etsy in a shop under the name Juniper Gems for the past year. I have really enjoyed the creative process and where it has taken me. It's been an evolving sort of thing which has taken me in many directions, but ultimately lead me to fall in love with lampwork beads. I just find them fascinating to look at even more fascinating to make!

I have another blog associated with my jewelry shop, which I will continue to maintain.... at least for now. I don't currently use my own hand made beads in my jewelry, but will in the near future. I will always continue to purchase and use artisan made lampwork beads from other artist, since I really like to offer variety in my pieces of jewelry. There is such a wide range of styles and techniques to explore, far more than one person will likely cover.

I hope you'll enjoy this journey along with me.