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New Lampwork Beads

Here are some new lampwork beads I have recently made.  They will make some fun new jewelry pieces.  Sign up for my email list to get advance notice of upcoming new jewelry releases and advanced sales.

#artstudio #newartstudio #florida #floridaartist #floridalife #art #artist #awesome #christinamlee #christinamleedesigns #leeshorestudio #followme #picoftheday #instalike #instagood #lampworkbeadartist #fiberartist #jewerlydesignartist #lampwork #lampworkbeads #artstudio #beads #blog

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Jewelry Care Tips

Here is my Jewelry Care Tip of the day.  This is how I keep my Sterling Silver, 14k Gold, my fused glass and precious metal clay (PMC) pendants, my glass lampwork beads and semi-precious stones looking shiny and pretty.  I use Connoisseurs Jewelry Wipes.  I am not affiliated with the company or the product.  I just use it, and like it.  One wipe can be used over and over and over again for months.  One box will last you for years.  The wipe also puts a protective non-tarnish coat on your sterling silver and protects your jewelry from tarnishing longer.

 Jewelry WipesI just thought I would share with you how easy it is to keep your jewelry looking shiny all the time.  You can buy them at any jewelry counter or on the web.

#jewelry, #jewelrycaretip, #sterlingsilver, #fusedglass, #PMC

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Happy Thanksgiving.

Wishing all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I am back to blogging and creating new jewelry.  Look for new posts and pics coming in the next few weeks.  Will get back in full swing after the holidays. So sorry I have not posted in such a long time.  What can I say, life happens.

I leave you with this collage of some of my work.  The background is a hand painted silk scarf I designed with butterflies, a pair of black and blue handmade (lampwork) beaded earrings, and a black, red and white memory wire bracelet with a handmade (lampwork) black, red and white focal bead.

A Collage of my Work

Wishing each and every one of you a blessed holiday season.  Christina

To follow my blog, click on the purple diamond on the right hand side of the page under the links section.  —————->

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Art on The Water Last Saturday

Here are some pics of last Saturday’s Show, Art on the Water,

Jackson’s Bistro, Tampa, September 15, 2012.

It was an awesome art show. The next Art on the Water is Scheduled for November.

Date to be announced soon.  I am already signed up for the same spot.

My tent setup and my Jewelry and Silks

Other vendors displays at Art on the Water

To follow my blog, click on the purple diamond on the right hand side of the screen below the links section.——>

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Light Defusing Photo Booth

How to make a Light Defusing Photo Booth.

Taking photos of your art work is a whole other art. Good photos will help sell your work, bad photos will turn people away from purchasing your work. Good photos will give you a better chance of being juried into art shows.

Several companies sell photo booths for very expensive prices.  As a beginning artist  purchasing an expensive booth is not an option.  So you can make a simple light defusing booth, rather inexpensively.

A plastic Rubbermaid file box with three desk lamps shining through the plastic (defused light) makes an very good light box for a very reasonable price.  Place one light on each side of the box and one above the box.   You can also place a 4th lamp behind the box if desired.  The file box cost me $10 or $12 at Wal-mart or you can probably find one at an office supply store.  The desk lamps are about $10.00 each.  I have those on my work bench already, because I like lots of light when I work.  Use a hanging file box as it is square.  Other Rubbermaid containers have rounded corners and may not work as well.

I stand the box on it’s end and set it on my work bench and put a piece of gray felt in it and place the piece of jewelry on the felt.  I turn the flash off on the camera.  Glass jewelry will have a reflective glare if not.  If the pic is a bit dark because of no flash, I can always lighten it a bit in the photo program.  (As a note, I use Picasa by Google as photo organizing and editing program.  It is free, just go to google.com and download it.)

Close up of jewelry inside the box.

Finished pic of necklace.

I usually take 8 or 10 pics, then choose the ones I like best.  I take pics of the completed necklace and a close ups of my handmade beads or fused glass focal pieces.

As an added note, a gray background is the best colored background to use.  I have tried other colors.  Black is good, only if you have a piece of artwork that is very brightly colored.  Otherwise black will just absorb your artwork and it will not show up in your photos.  White is to bright of a back ground and will detract from your artwork.  Tan is a second best color, next to gray, but can show up with a orange tent using no flash.  Through trial and error, I have discovered gray is the best background to use and a piece of felt is very inexpensive, and brings out the best of your artwork.

Close up of my handmade beads in the Necklace

Close up of 2 fused glass pendants I made, strung on Sterling Silver wire with my handmade beads and Sterling Silver beads.

Note in all of the above pics the piece of jewelry stands out very clearly on the gray background, no matter what the color, blue, green, red, black purple, gold, or teal.

Hope this article helps you take the best pics of your art work.  If you have questions about photographing your artwork feel free to ask.  Christina

 

 

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I am back

Well hello everyone.  I know, it has been months and months since I wrote the blog.  Sorry, life happens.  I have migrated all my websites over to my Son’s servers and that took a few months getting them all arranged again.  Then he moved my blog to my new website.  So it has taken me a while to get back to the swing of things.   If you were a follower of my blog you will have to re-follow me.

In the next few months I will be continuously adding new jewelry and hand painted silk creations to my website and I also plan to add some fiber arts creations to my line of “ELEGANT ART YOU CAN WEAR.”

You will find my jewelry and silk creations for sale here on my website on my products page.  I am constantly adding new products so check back frequently.

Thanks for being patient with me while I got re-adjusted.  I hope to start writing more blog entries about creating jewelry.    Christina

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Holiday Greetings

Hello everyone.  I trust you had a wonderful holiday season.  My family and I had a fantastic Christmas!!!  Haven’t done much jewelry making the last few weeks, and have not posted to the blog.  With the closing of my art gallery, getting ready to leave for vacation and being gone, there was not much time to make jewelry.  I just posted a couple of pendants to my Etsy Shop. So for today’s blog I will show you those.

This Necklace has a carved bone pendant, 2 of my handmade (lampwork) beads, and copper beads, strung on a Sterling Silver Chain.  To see more pics and find out more info click here:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/65488100/carved-bone-pendant-copper-beads-on

Blue and Red Pendant is fused glass with 4 of my handmade (lampwork) beads strung on red rubber cord.  To see more pics and find out more info click here:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/65487462/blue-red-fused-glass-pendant?ref=v1_other_2

Coming soon, I will post a blog on making fusing glass pendants.  I will also be entering some pieces in the Manatee County Fair and will keep everyone apprised on that project.


Wishing a very prosperous New Year to everyone.
Christina

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Making Glass Beads, Part 2

After I make the beads, I put them in my kiln and fire them.  The process is called annealing.  It strengthens the glass so the bead will not crack and break.  The glass has gone through severe thermal shock in the making of the bead, starting with the glass at room temperature to the very hot flame of the torch, about 2000 degrees, then slowly cooling again back to room temperature.  Annealing them takes the glass up through all the temperature ranges slowly, allowing the glass to slowly acclimate and strengthen.  I hold the kiln at 940 degrees for 30 minutes, which is called soaking, further strengthening beads before slowing cooling the kiln down.  This process takes about 3 1/2 hours.

 

My kiln is an older model, I have been using it since the 1980’s when I bought it new, but I love it.  I usually spend several days making about 75 to 100 beads.  When I have enough beads to cover the kiln floor, then I anneal them all at once.

In creating a piece of jewelry I will be selling to the public, I want a finished bead that I know will endure.  I don’t want to have a bead crack in half while someone is wearing the jewelry.

Christina