It's Time to Move!

To a new blog, that is! I've consolidated all of my blogs into one: www.hotglasschick.com.

Yogasm

I like yogurt. Preferably whole fat or 2%. A few days ago, there was a discussion about Greek yogurt over at my favorite hangout, Lampworketc.com and I've been craving yogurt every since. Weird because I eat yogurt almost every day, anyway. Well, I'm of the opinion that Greek yogurt is by far the best yogurt around. Or so I thought, until today.

After dropping Tyler off at school, I decided to stop and get some Fage. I found it sitting next to Liberté Méditerranée. I've never heard of this brand before but it was wayy cheaper ($1.19 6oz vs $1.67 5.3oz) and it's whole fat, not 2%. The name sounded kinda Greek, so I figure what the hey. Picked up 3 flavors: Strawberry, Blackberry & Coconut. The stocker guy said the Plum Walnut is really good, but I'm not into nuts. (At least not that kind, *wink*wink*...)

I am not a big fan of plain yogurt or Fruit at bottom but wow! Holy CRAP!!! This stuff is the SHIZZZZZZ! Have you seen the Yoplait commercial where Heidi Klum is moaning and licking her fingers? Well, that's totally what I felt like. I had my very first Yogasm!

By the way, it isn't Greek. It's Greek & Turkish style, made in Canada with milk from Vermont. Deliciously creamy and just the right amount of sweet and tang... OMG. I need more!!!!

(Funny how my 1st post in 3 years is about food, not glass. I'm such a slacker...)

What's new in Goodie Land

Well, it's been ages since I've blogged anything and I've had a lot going on. My mom passed, God rest her soul. I still get a little choked up every now and then, but she's in a much better place now. I know that sounds so cliche, but it's really the truth. She was miserable the last 3 years of her life, not being able to do anything for herself. Her independence was always very important to her.

Ok, enough of the sad stuff and on to the excitement! At the end of August I went full time at my job and they promoted me to Glassblower status!!! Yayyyyyyy!! I am very excited, happy and yet intimidated at the same time. Why intimidated? Well, first off, I've only been working glass for 2.5 years and it's all been soft glass beads. The other glassblowers have all been doing it for at least 10 years. Most of them for 20 or more, so I'm really a baby in comparison. Other than a Milon Townsend class that I just took and 2 beads I made last year, I have never worked with boro, much less large (to me) boro sculptures. Thank God my boss is very patient and understanding of my situation. He assigned me to make roses (and any other flower I'd like to try) and marbles. I've been at it for 2 months now and I must say, I absolutely LOVE making marbles!!

I'm no Sabina Boehm or John Kobuki, but I'm making decent progress. My roses don't totally suck, but they're not the best in the world, either. I really need to work on my speed. Here are a few pics and don't laugh! The wonky red rose was my first:





A few marbles:


I made a couple this week that I'm extra proud of, but I didn't get to take any pics, :(. Oh well; On to the next topic: Goodies!! I have new Goodies for the shop!!! Yayyyy! And I have more on the way, but those are a secret.

First off, I have Silver Core Rivets:


I have them in 2 sizes, 5/32" and 3/16". The 5/32" fit beads that are made on a 5/32 mandrel. The hole is 3.5mm and will fit Trollbeads bracelets and necklaces and any other chain that is smaller than 3.5mm. The 3/16" fit beads made on a 3/16" mandrel. The hole is 4.5mm and will fit Pandora, Biagi and any other chain that is smaller than 4.5mm. The photos above are the 3/16 size on a Pandora necklace. The rivets have to be epoxied to the bead. I used a UV epoxy, but any 2 part should work just fine. Do not use Super Glue!! It will not hold and it also turns the glass yukkala.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

<---- Lookie lookie! Don't I look absolutely ecstatic? Wheeeeeeeeeee!! I'm free!! I am no longer a slave to da man!! I have left my former employer of 10 years to join the ranks of the full time glass artists. This photo was taken the day I received the call that my separation was approved. Talk about doin' a happy dance. I was jitterbuggin' my patootie off, even if only in my mind.

So what am I doing with all of this new found freedom? Sleeping!!! Lol! Just kidding! Sleep is for wussies. Actually, about a month before my separation was approved, I was hired as a glass artist by Arribas Brothers. I'm only part-time for now and if you're ever in the neighborhood, you can catch me at Epcot in the German Pavilion (Crystal shop) Friday through Sunday. I've decided to accept their full-time offer but I got a pretty nice separation deal, so I'm trying to take it easy for a few months before I put my nose to the grindstone. It's been a little hard with everything that's been going on lately so it'a really a blessing that I am just part time. I'll go full time after July. I'm so excited!! I LOVE my job!!! The people are great and it's just sooo much fun! I'm even learning a little German (insert giggle here). I can honestly say that I've never been this happy in my life. I mean really. I get paid to play with glass all day long! What more could a girl want? Well, a 90-year-old billionaire husband would be nice too, but hey... let's be realistic. We can't all be Anna Nicole.

So anyway, I've been getting tons more torch time. At work, obviously, but not much time at home to play with my Uroboros collection. At work we use 104 (Mostly Effetre), but my heart still belongs to 96 (Uroboros, Reichenbach & Kugler). I finally had a lttle time to play Saturday night and this is what I made:



Isn't he cute?! I used Uroboros Amazon Green for the body, Alpine Blue for the chest and Sky Blue for the spines. I think I used Ming Green for the eyes. Or was it Citrine? Ack!! Where's the gingko when you need it?? Let's just say I used a pale transparent green for the eyes... I'll definitely be making at least 1 more. My attention span is shorter than a 2 year-old boy's, so who knows. Two will probably be my limit.

Well, that's all, folks! Oh, and for those of you in the know, I'm well past the 1 year mark. Laurel, Jane and Becky? I'm still waiting for my winnings to show up in my mailbox. You all LOST!! And miserably, I might add. Not that I wasn't trying...

Night all!!

How do you let go?

I have received the call that all children dread. My mom is in the hospital (ICU) and she isn't expected to live for much longer. The last few days have been really tough. I mean, how do you let go of the person who has inspired you to be everything and more? I know it's time and she's always made it quite clear that she doesn't want live this way and I can't say that I blame her. It's just a lot tougher to actually "say" it than I ever thought it would be.

I met with the hospice nurse today and she did help alleviate a lot of my concerns, but I can't help hoping that she will pull through this and get better. I love you mom!

My leg, my leg, my leg is on fire!!

We don't need no water, let the mutha fu...

Well, that's not really how the song goes, but it definitely describes my morning. What happened, ask ye? Being the Artiste Ingénieux that I can sometimes be, I had the bright idea of trying to make an off mandrel wine stopper topper, James Tinker style. His way of doing it is way cool, but the creative genius in me decided to make it a fish. Sounds simple enough, eh? Well, I got it a little too hot and it melted off the punty right into my lap! It burned through my shirt, and into my pants and got stuck in the leg, which promptly caught fire. OMFG!!!! You should have seen me jumping around, doing a discombobulated rendition of the Running Man. (Don't act like you don't know what that is). Anyway, I torch in front of a rather large window, so I'm pretty sure my neighbors are now convinced that I am the only no rhythm having sistah in the hood...

Now on to the gore. (Not really gory, but definitely not pretty)
Immediately after:

Inside lower left leg.
<--Mmmm, fried Nette leg. Note the crispyness.



East of Eden.
(stop tryin' to peek at my nani!!)

6 hours later:
<---Ick. If my modeling career wasn't over before, it definitely is now.



<--Whew! That was close!
Sheesh! A couple of inches to the right and I could have canceled my appointment for the Brazilian!

So, what have we learned from this? Torch naked! It's safer. And use a tripod for those awkward shots. (Just kidding, folks! Except for the part about the tripod)

Well, I need to go put more aloe on my wounds. See Ya!

Pi? Not Pi, Messy 96!!

Remember Pi Glass (96COE)? Probably not. It seems like that were out of business before they got started, but they had some really nice colors and the glass wasn't very expensive. Well, it was recently announced that CIM will be supplying some of the colors from the old Pi line, since their 104COE glass is made at the same factory. Great news for all the Pi fans out there. The Messy 96 will be carried by Frantz and Phoenix Art Supplies. Phoenix also carries some divine vintage 96 glass. LOVE it! The black is great, the cobalt is beautiful, the lavender doesn't get all devitty or reducey... Yeah, I made those words up, but you know what I'm talkin' about! Plus, she always has some sort of awesome special going on. I believe she's giving away free glass with purchases right now. You should all go buy stuff. Now. ;)

So, anyway, yesterday was the annual Christmas party for the Florida Glass Dragons. This year it was held at R4 Glass Studio and was a total blast, as usual. I didn't get any pictures of the party, but I did catch Mr. Tyler, Bead Snatcher Extraordinaire having a good time in the fountain:

Sayonara!!

Whooty whooooo!!

<----See that? That's me doing a happy dance. Why, you ask? Because I'm finally done with that damned bulk buy!! Well mostly. There are still some items missing, but at least the main part is done. The rest is just clean up. Never again, I say. Never again! Now maybe I'll have a little more time to actually get some torching in. Yayyyyy!!! I get to make pretties (or not so pretties, depending on taste). So anyway, that's about all I have to jab about today. I have a lot of orders to get shipped and I'm a couple of days behind. Here's some eye candy, though:

That's all, folks!!!

Torch time, baby!!

Woo hoo!! I finally decided to have some torch time, no matter what. So, despite being sick as a dog, courtesy of Mr. Tyler, I made beads this weekend. It was AWESOME!! I finally got to play with my new stash of Uroboros and I think I'm in love. The black is heavenly!! No reduction and no pitting at all!! And I have a tendency to cook the snot of black when I make godesses. Take a gander:

Isn't she lovely? I even added backfat and cellulite! I call her Big Mama II. Mr. Tyler smashed the original Big Mama and I was crushed! :( I still tear up a little thinking about her... Anyway, I digress. So I've decided that I really like Uroboros. It's a lot stiffer than Effetre, so that took a little getting used to, but I have a nice size torch (GTT Cheetah). I just needed to crank it up a little. I love the colors and even though the color palette is limited (only 39 colors), it's compatible with the furnace canes so I have hundreds of colors to choose from. Not a good thing for a glass ho like me who has to have every color out there. I guess it's a good thing I'm poor...

So anyway, I'm just about finished with my nightmare of a bulk buy and I must say I will NEVER EVER have anything made in India again. I apologize if any of you reading this are Indian and are offended, but you have your fellow countryman, Imran Khan of New Designs, Inc. to thank. What a freakin' crook!!! I still don't have my entire order, so I had to find a local company pick up his slack, so now I'm paying double. I know a lot of people are bitter about things made in China, but hey, at least the businesses are honest and reliable there. This is just my opinion gathered after working with Chinese companies for years.

Once I finish getting everyone's items out to them, I will be adding the rest to my store. Here is a letter opener that I made this weekend, also:

The beads are Uroboros Cherry Red Semi-Opal with R58 Old Gold Aventurine frit and some fine silver wire. I haven't played with silver wire in ages. I'd forgotten how cool it is.

Well, it's time for me to skedaddle. Maybe I'll go make that ice pick, now...

Didja miss me?

It's been ages since I posted any news, so I figure it's time to get back in the swing. I've had a helluva time these last few months, but I won't go into detail. Let's just say it's been rough and leave it at that.

I just revamped the site and I finally finished my store! Aren't you proud of me? Well, even if you're not, my arm is in a sling because I strained my shoulder from patting myself on the back. I'm pretty happy with the new look and the way it integrates with the rest of the site. Stroll on over to The Goodie Shop and take a look-see for yourself. I've added a bunch of new items and I've got some great stuff that will be coming soon. Beadable serving sets, canape knives and other goodies. Here are a couple of photos of the beadable swizzle sticks (aka drink stirrers):

These are pretty cool and I can't wait to get them added to the store and yes, I know the beads are crappy. I didn't make them, so there! Now, If I could just find some time to play with my new torch and glass I wouldn't have to use crappy import beads in my pics. I bought a GTT Cheetah a couple of months ago and I've only made 3 beads on it. Ack!! I also switched to Uroboros and BE. I haven't used any of the BE I bought. I really need more hours in my day... Oh well. So life goes.

Well, that's about all the updates I have time for right now. I'm swamped and I really should be working, but I'm slacking. I guess I'd better crack my own whip.


See y'all later!!

Bead hoein' and color sharin'

Hey y'all! I hope everyone had a safe 4th of July holiday. I most certainly did. Tyler, my little one, is afraid of loud noises so we stayed in. Poor kid doesn't know what he's missing. Oh well. At least I got some much needed torch time. I signed up to do a twistie exchange on LE, so I decided to make a bunch of those. Well, I used some really cool combinations and I liked them so much that I ended up using them all, lol. I'm such a knucklehead, sometimes. The focal over there <----, which is called Dreamscape, by the way, is made with a couple of them. Actually 3, I think. And some Light Iris Gold stringer on a Vetrofond Dark Ivory base with Vetrofond 927 Sea Green ends and accent beads. Yeah, I know. You didn't ask, but so what. I feel like sharing today. I also made another great set using Effetre Light Brown and Vetrofond Fish Pink. Everyone hates the Fish Pink, but I love it. I think it's one of the most underappreciated color in the Vetrofond palette. Take a gander:




Now, the set on the left (Caramel Delight because it reminds me of dark carmel, which I absolutely LOVE. I'd sacrifice a tooth to caramel any day!) is made with Effetre Light Brown and drizzled with Vetrofond Fish Pink. I think it looks really nice and I like the slight reaction between the 2 glasses. The bead on the left is a base of Fish Pink rolled in silver powder. Silver turns it brown, but I like the effect. The bead was supposed to be a peacock feather, but it reminds me more of a blue comet.

The Vetrofond ODD pinks are also underappreciated. The Dark Pink is awesome, but people don't really take the time to figure it out because the rods are a pale lavender color. Well guess what? It works up to a nice pink. Pink Pink. Not Purple Pink. I made this set a while ago:





At one point it was a quite lovely set. And then one day I, being the genius that I am, decided to etch it. What's wrong with etching, you ask? Nothing. Just don't be a dumbass like I was and forget about your beads. I left them in the solution for 2 days! Now they're all rough and yuckala to the touch. They still look nice but they feel like ick. Ick, I say!

So anyway, that's about all I have to say today. Did I mention that I don't even like pink? I am starting to enjoy working with it, though. So everybody run out and buy some Vetrofond Dark Pink 956. Bill (islandglass!!!) has some in his eBay store (Moretti & More) for $16lb.

Oh, and don't forget to check out my auctions on Justbeads.com. You could be the first to ever purchase one of my beads! (heheheheh. More pimpin'! )

See ya!!

Pimpin' my wares!

So, after much hemming and hawing, I've finally bitten the bullet and listed a "set" of beads for sale. Yeah, I know it's only 3 beads, but hey, the focal is gorgeous. It's prettier in person. Can you tell I'm proud? I'm like a mom on her baby's first day of kindergarten. Happy, yet sad at the same time. I've been hearing how I really need to sell my beads for quite a while, but I've never really felt like I was ready. Or maybe it was just laziness. Probably the latter... So anyway, here's my my auction (<---click and bid) listed at www.justbeads.com. My seller id is glassgoodies.

I finally got around to taking pictures of more of my beads and since it's obvious that I've been too busy (read "lazy") to add a gallery to my site (http://www.glassgoodies.com, I put up a gallery at a cool little site called beadartists.org. It's a great site to look at lots and lots of bead porn! there are a lot of talented artists there. I'm so jealous. I really wish I could torch for hours at a time, but I guess I should be happy with the time that I have and make the best of it. And I do. I really do. I just like to bitch and moan sometimes. Doesn't it feel good to whine sometimes? (Pass the cheese, please.)

Oh. And major vent time:

A few weeks ago I did a little write up on a really nice pink that came out, Light Pink 260-BP aka Bubblegum Pink. I really liked this color because it's actually PINK and it isn't 40 damned $$ a pound, which is a totally ridiculous price for pink anyway because it is almost always washed out and barely discernible from white.

So anyway, I mentioned how a couple of sellers were selling the new Light Pink Bubblegum version as Dark Pink (scroll down to see the original post in May). The BP is actually a lot darker than the DP, but it's $25 cheaper so they were majorly ripping people off. Well, I recently found tha a big supplier, and when I say big I mean a major playor in the glass industry, is doing the exact same thing. He has flip-flopped the 2 pinks and is selling what was previously BP as the new DP and selling the new DP as BP. Now how effin shady is that? Ugh!! I am totally disgusted! At the time I noticed this, I was about to place a $400 order with said distributor. I know that's chickenfeed to some of you, but to me, that's a lot of money. Well, that's $400 that I will be spending elsewhere. I'll never do business with someone so unscrupulous as to blatantly rip off their customers and act like it's no big deal. Kind of makes me wonder how many other times it's been done...

I know that what I think doesn't matter to a lot of people and this post will probably piss several of you off, but hey, you've been warned of the goings on (twice now) so if you get taken it's your own damned fault. We make our own choices as to who we deal with and what kind of bullshit (yes bullshit) we'll put up with. If we keep taking it, they'll keep dealing it. He is a major player, but not the only one, so I for one will no longer be on his list of customers. If enough people say "I'm not going to stand for this," maybe things will change. At least a little, but until then, it's going to be the same ol' same ol'.

Ok, I'm coming down off my soapbox now. Here's some new eyecandy (Bead Porn alert):



This was my first attempt at a mask, but my "vision" turned into a Tiki about halfway through. I swear I have the attention span of a goldfish. And you wonder why I don't do sets...

I'm out folks! Don't forget to bid on my auctions! (Just a little last minute bead pimping )