Glass Action - Sun Daisy Glass Newsletter
March 2010
It sure has been a long time since I've sat down and written a newsletter. Real life just gets in the way. I've been keeping busy with my real life job as a therapist. We had many budget cuts resulting in less people doing more work (as is the story all over the world it seems). But never fear, I still find time to melt glass.
I have been having fun creating owls. My son's school mascot is the owl. I made an owl for a silent auction for his fun-fair to raise money for the PTA. Since then my owls are popping up all over the place. You can even find them in my etsy shop now. 
I'm also keeping busy making these "crinkle" beads. They are fun to make and a real test of balance between keeping the bead warm enough and cool enough not to melt back down.
My next adventure lies in creating some more glass toggle clasps, several baby beads and what ever custom orders or bead ideas come my way. Unitl next time.. may your fires burn brightly and your creativity flow freely.
Glass Action - Sun Daisy Glass Newsletter
July 2009
Summer is sure getting away from me!! I've been busy with some really fun events.
In May I traveled to the east coast to visit with my best friend and her family and then traveled south to NYC to meet up with some fellow glass working friends. We had a blast!!
At the start of June I went up to the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee, WI. What a fun time! It was wonderful to meet up with some of my dear friends and to meet some super tallented fellow glass bead artists. At the end of June it was the DeKalb Greek Fest where I set up a booth and sold beads and jewelry. I also did some glass working demos there which drew in different crowds of people. It was fun to answer questions.
Next I have been working with the DeKalb High School Art Club in designing a mural at my real life job at YSB. These kids are so tallented and inspiring. I really enjoy working with them. They are using 50 lbs of recycled art glass that I won after writing in describing this project to create a mosaic sun and maybe some other mosaic work in the mural.
In August I have a Saturday demonstration at Bliss Beads (161 E. Lincolon Hwy, DeKalb, IL) I'll be making beads from 1-3 pm there. Stop in for the show if you are around DeKalb =)
Me Doing Demos at Greek Fest
A work in progress - The Mural
Me and my glass buddies!!
April 2009
It sure has been busy around here with the new happenings in my life and pulling myself out of a creative slump.
We'll start with the new news. I'm now selling beads at a new bead shop in DeKalb Illinois called Bliss Beads. This bead shop is owned by Allison Johnson. It features several types of beads and jewelry making supplies. She also has a small lampworking studio set up in the back for open torch times and lessons in lampworking. Check out her website here: Bliss Beads
I am scheduled to teach two classes at Bliss Beads. April 16th and 18th I'm scheduled to teach a goddess bead class and May 7th and 9th I'm scheduled to teach a class on lampwork flower beads. I am very excited about this great opportunity to teach. You can learn more about these classes here.
I'm also planning a glass working demonstration with the DeKalb High School's Art Club. The Art Club has agreed to design a mural for my "real life" job and in that process I agreed to come do a glass demo for them. I'm excited to work wtih this group of artistically motivated art students.
Let's talk about motivation and creativity for a bit. There are times that I feel like my glass mojo has left the building. I'll sit down to torch and I have no clue what to make. This makes me very frustrated and the mojo stays away even longer. So what can we do during these times? These are just a few suggestions for those times when we are in a creative slump:
Keep a notebook by you to jot down any ideas that may pop in your head through the day.
Pay extra attention to colors and patterns in every day items.
Ask friends/relatives for suggestions, (my kids are full of them)
Try some fun websites for colors/patterns such as this fun one here. Go back to the basics, work on simple beads you loved to make back in the day.
Pay more attention to the world around you; nature, weather, sounds, smells, etc.
Sometimes you just need some time away from the torch.
Like all things, a creative slump will come to an end. I'm thankful that mine sure did!! I'm loving the beads I have been creating this past week and so I'm going to go head back to the studio and make some more..
February 2009
New News:
This year has brought forth many changes in the past month. I have decided to change the name of my business to Sun Daisy Glass from Sun Daisy Gems. I had come up with Sun Daisy Gems back in my jewelry making days. I feel that Sun Daisy Glass best describes my business now. With this change of names comes a brand new website that you are hopefully visiting now, http://www.sundaisyglass.com I will be ordering new business cards with the updated name change.
I’ve also opened a new shop, http://www.sundaisyglass.artfire.com. Artfire is a new up and coming website that allows artist and sellers a place to sell and shop for handmade items.
The following is taken straight from the Artfire website:
“Welcome to Artfire, the premier online marketplace for handmade products designed by artisans around the globe. Our free community is designed for artisans to buy and sell their works, while celebrating unique handmade items and designs.
It is always free for buyers of handmade products to search through our listed artisans, buy, or request for items to be specially made. No matter if you are looking for local handmade crafts or handmade products from artisans around the world, Artfire.com is the marketplace for you.”
So far I’ve really enjoyed the layout, the ease of listing items, the cost, and the community there. I encourage buyers and sellers to take a look and give Artfire a chance. I see great potential there.
Glass Tutorial Tid-Bit: Making a Large Hole Bead or Ring
Materials:
· Large Hole Mandrel
· Glass of your choice
· Mini mashers
*Be sure to heat your mandrel very well before applying glass. (photo 1)
*To get a more even sides on your large hole bead take your time and slowly turn the mandrel as you add glass as if you were starting to build a disk. When you get 2-3 wraps of glass then begin to heat the glass down into a nice even bead shape. (photo 2-3)
*Sometimes I use my mini mashers to straighten out the glass to get a more even ring of glass. (photo 4)
*Now you get to decorate as you please. Add dots, frit, or any design you would like.
*If I am working with borosilicate glass I will make 2-4 rings on one mandrel. I find boro is a little more forgiving with heat control. If you attempt to do more than one bead on the large hole mandrel be sure to continue to keep the others warm while you work. With soft glass I like to only do one per mandrel. As you can see in photo 4 I am making 2 large hole or ring beads on this mandrel.
*When you are finished with your large hole beads place the mandrel in your kiln. At this point you may choose to make more if you have more large hole mandrels or make other beads of your choice, or begin the annealing process and call it a day.
Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3
Photo 4 Photo 5 Photo 6
Thank you for checking out the Febuary 2009 edition of Glass Action - Sun Daisy Glass Newsletter.
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