7.20.2016 - Components in Glass

If it can be done, can it be done any better?  If it can melt into the design of the piece - and the artist can make components to synch - isn't that Ideal?  I've been playing with the idea of toggle closures -  such fun!

JillSymons.com Lampwork

Sweetly transparent glass for a decidedly feminine feel - as, I think, many of my beads conjure up...  These play with light intensity and shadow - with the carvings to give peaks and valleys to gather and release light/color.  Hmmm - I think I've heard that theme before! ; )

Also, I've always tried to hold true to the idea that if it looks like silver - it is.  I tried to make silver headpins with glass, but was always disappointed... I think I've figured it out!



 

7.6.2016 - Back to the Basics

Hand shaped beauties... So - what I'm feeling is - let's take it back to the basics... hand shaped, gravity shaped - imagination infused creations!

I have decided to put presses on hold.  "Back in the day"...  (I can say that, as next year marks two decades that I've been doing this) we relied simply on surface tension, gravity, and a tad of manipulation with tools to achieve wonders in glass.  While I DO have an amazing collection and will still be selling the ones I have on hand, I will strive to move away from them.

Then boom, the advent of presses, it seems almost as if anyone can now make a bead (and for that matter, anyone can make a press) the listings on eBay (where I sold for 8 years) blossomed overnight and it became the sea of lampwork it now is.

 

6.29.2016 - Post Carpal Tunnel

I imagine a fair amount of my audience here consists of bead makers - (lots of repetitive motion and probable carpal tunnel issues) and with that I wanted to report on my utterly amazing experience with my carpal tunnel surgery on the 15th of this month.  That's just two weeks ago!  

I took some torch time off - and really spent my first day, full time at the torch, this week. I am thrilled!  This has been an issue for years and I finally got tired of snoozing hands... there was no pain - but there also was no feeling in both hands thumb index,middle and part of ring finger.  

I had microsurgery - where the incision is about 1/2" across my wrist and a tube inserted with a camera and a (I think) crochet-hook shaped scalpel.  Surgery was at 7am and I was home by 10ish.  The bandage wraps came off two days later and the stitches (one per wrist!) came out the following Thursday.  Honestly - I had very little pain... seemed what took the most getting used to was the reduction of grip strength.  My incisions are now healed and working on fading away... (the doctor was kind enough to make them in a natural crease on my wrist - so I imagine they'll eventually be almost invisible!)

Yay Dr. Harris Rose (IMHO surgeon extarordinaire!!) & his wonderful staff at St David's  North Medical Center!

So, UPDATE tonight - posted it a few minutes late, but got 'er done!  Some cool new pendants on the page...
 

5.18.2016 - Just Beautiful...

It's not directly bead related - but it is OH so pretty.  I was wandering through my iphone... all 7k pictures I store there for immediate access... and pulled a few out to share with you.

This is Al's Flower Pouch... such a cool thing!  a heavy duty plastic long bag with ten (+) plus shaped cuts in two rows of five.  In early April I planted those 1" square starter impatients and fertilized and watered... what I got is just beautiful.
They're available on Amazon 10 pouches for $7.99 well worth it!!

5.11.2016 - EPHIPHANY.

I'm always up for making earring pairs... sometimes I think my attention span only allows for two of something - but the reality is that it's like creating a sampler of many different ideas - and I love being all over the place with ideas. SO.

Unless you're using a mold or press - getting two of something that are supposed to match in size is an acquired skill.  EVEN those of us who have been making beads for almost two decades it can prove to be a challenge.  I thought that the answer was to split the process into a two day process and have one available to compare while I created the second.  Yes, this works, but seems it should be something that can be done in one day, no?

Just this week I decided to bring my calipers out and place them on my marvering pad (right at the torch) for hands-free size checking!  (Now... I don't want to hear anything about my chaos... it's my ZEN...) smiles, Jill
 

5.4.2016 - How My Garden Grows...

Well, we are finally NOT in a draught.  This bounty is the glorious result of abundant rains for the past few months.  I've been spending time enjoying the results - and especially LOVE the delicate pink Luis flowers shown below - it's photographed above a bed of silver ponyfoot.  

Big news this year is that my red yucca finally flowered... I've been waiting about three years for this bloom.  Happy Dance.  smiles, Jill

4.13.2016 - Delights....

My disclaimer for this post is simply that I live in Austin... where things can be weird.  if I remember correctly, I first saw this lawn in the middle of winter - and assumed it was her way of dressing up and otherwise drab yard.  Needless to say - this is in an area of Austin where there is great pride in the unusual... and no overwound HOA had any issues with this.  (this would never fly in my neighborhood!)  I just thought I'd delight you today with the simple show of what is possible and how delightful color can be!! smiles, Jill

4.6.2016 - The Tax-woman Cameth! (Happy Birthday, Charlie!!)

OK, so it was the tax-woman, AKA - "Glassmommy" *(lol - for those of you who don't know - Glassdaddy.com is my father, which then makes this Glassmommy!)... 
While we are glass obsessed - she has a gift for detail and has generously helped me year after year with my taxes.  That's part of what's so nice... the other part is that she loves my beads - and they suit her SO well!  I especially love how this necklace looks, don't you?  I have a few others of this style for sale, should you be interested, just send me a note and I'll show you!

So there is an update tonight - come by jillsymons.com at 9pm EST and see what I made this week!!

Today is an around the house type blog,,, some of what I've been up to lately... writing "LOVE LETTERS", 1/2" inspirational beads - see below!

"So Proud of You", "Awesome", "All My Heart", "All My Love", "Hugs And Kisses" "I Love You", "Yes, You CAN", etc.  All written with thin glass stringers - shown above.  

I can write about 11 characters on these 1/2"D beads... so if you want a custom bead ($25) let me know!  Good for backpacks, zipper pulls, keychains or to serve as a reminder of a special message!

Workspace - a few years ago I changed my workbench to industrial shelving... Let me explain.  I don't need a lot of depth, but I do enjoy the adjustability of this shelving.  This is the Gorilla shelving unit from Costco which is 20"D.  I set it up without two of the shelves...  set the first at desk height and the second as a top shelf.  So cool.  So portable, so adjustable.  I also have a $5 magnetic knife strip I bought at Ikea that holds all my "go-to" tools over my right shoulder.  I have the ventilation coming through from above, as well as my lights - both of which are on the top shelf... (where I can also store glass...: )

Below is a review of the shelving I found on YouTube...  it goes on for a bit - but you get the idea... smiles, Jill

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For those of you who know him... Charlie turned 5 today... time surely flies!!