Tag: glass

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Black & Dichroic Fused Glass Shawl Pin

Here is a beautiful fused glass shawl pin I created in 2011.  It has black background glass and beautiful pieces of dichroic glass fused to the black glass.  I would love to make you a special shawl pin just for you in any color you desire.  #fusedglass

SANY0086

 

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Amber Small Bead Necklace With Swarovski Crystals

I thought would share with you a pretty little necklace I made in 2009.  It has 4 very small amber handmade (lampwork) beads which I made under my torch.  I strung my handmade beads with Swarovski crystals, sterling silver beads, and seed beads.

Closeup of my handmade beads and the Swarovski and silver beads.

I would love to design a one-of-a-kind special necklace for you.  Please contact me.

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Lampwork Glass Bead Making Class

Hi everyone, hope your having a wonderful holiday season so far.   I am so excited to be teaching a Lampwork Bead Making Class on Saturday January 2, 2016 from Noon to 5 pm.

I have room for 1 more student in the Class.   Here is some info on the class:

LAMPWORK BEAD MAKING: This class teaches you how to make your own handcrafted lampwork or flamework glass beads.  Glass rods are melted under an open torch and formed into glass beads.  You will learn about expansion of glass, compatible glasses, how to anneal your beads, and much more.  $100.00 includes all supplies and the use of all tools (you take home your finished beads).  This is a one secession class, 5 hours long.  The class is limited to two students.

Here are some pics of bead making:

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Me melting the glass under the torch.

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Above and below, Shaping the bead.

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Adding decoration to the bead.

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More shaping the bead

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Adding clear glass over the top of the bead

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The bead taking the final shape

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Beads right out of the torch.  The bead on the left is the one I was making in the pics above

RIMG0865Final beads after they come off the rods. Bead in the center is the one I am making in the pics above.

My classes very individualized providing you the one-on-one instruction that you will not receive in a larger class setting.   Let me know if you want to take this class.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, very Merry Christmas, a fantastic Holiday Season however you celebrate, and a Happy New Year.    Christina

#lampwork, #flamework, #glassbeadmaking, #classes

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Classes I teach: Lampwork Bead Making

LAMPWORK BEAD MAKING:

This class I teach you how to make your own handmade lampwork or flamework glass beads.  Glass rods are melted under an open torch and formed into glass beads.  You will learn about expansion of glass, about compatible glasses, how to anneal your beads, and much more.  $100.00 includes all supplies and use of all tools (you take home your finished beads).  This is a one secession class, 5 hours long.  The class is limited to two students.

Classes are available by appointment only:

Due to limited space available for teaching, my Classes are limited to 1, 2 or 3 students per class depending on the class.  This makes my classes very individualized providing you the one-on-one instruction that you will not receive in a larger class setting.  This also allows me to be flexible in my teaching schedule.

Classes are generally weekday evenings, or Saturday during the day or evenings.  I can also work with you to fit your class around your schedule.  I can arrange a weekday afternoon class if that is the only time you have available.  I thoroughly love teaching, so click here to see a list of other classes I teach: http://creationsbychristina.net/?page_id=913

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Fused Glass Wind Chimes

Here are the Fused Glass Wind Chimes I made for my Son, Robert, for his birthday, yesterday.  I just realized I have not posted any blog posts since after Thanksgiving.  Was totally swamped over the holidays.  Seems like the days just get by so very fast anymore.

SANY0002 I made them small because in the next 7 or 8 months the kids are going full time into an RV.  They have been downsizing so I wanted something that could travel with them.

SANY0009Here is a close up of the top, black glass with colored dichroic chips and stringers fused onto it.

The top piece is about 3 x 3 inches.

SANY0008A close up of the upper 3 chimes.  Blue streaky glass and Purple glass with bits of dichroic glass fused onto them.

Each chime is approximately 1/2 inch wide by 3 inches long.

SANY0007And a close up of the lower 3 chimes.

The two outside chimes are actually Dark Purple glass, when held up to the light you can see they are purple.

All together is was quite a fun little project to create.  The first set of Wind Chimes I have ever made.  I strung the chimes with 8 lb fishing line my Hubby, Rick, had and used a fishing swivel for the top to hang them from.

Drilling all the holes in the glass before I fired them in the kiln, and tying the knots in the fishing line to string each of the chimes, all took quite a bit of time.  I also had to learn to tie a couple of new knots, fishing knots, so the knots would not come untied and the glass fall off and break later on.  Thanks Rick for sharing some You Tube videos.

 

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Totally Stuffed like the Turkey

Hope everyone had a very wonderful Thanksgiving.  I am totally stuffed just like the Turkey was.  Actually my sis in law fixed a Turducken.  It was fantastic!!!!

Totally excited I sold my first piece in my Etsy Shop, my Fused Glass Shawl Pin below:

SANY0086

This pin is made with dichrioc glass in copper, purple, blue fused onto a black base.  I can create these in any color you prefer. $35.00 each.

Hope you got to share your Thanksgiving with family.  Many blessings to all!!!

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Black & Gold Fused Glass Sushi Plate and 2 Sauce Dishes

Just added to the website on the fused glass page:

I love glass fusing, is such a fun process.  I cutting the glass, I layer the pieces and place them into the slumping mold.  I then place them in the kiln and turn it on.  I ramp up the temp in increments of 100 degrees every 10 minutes, working my way up to 1450 degrees.  Holding it at that temp and checking every 10 minutes to see how the fusing process is coming along.  When it gets to the place I want it to be, then I start the cool down process.  The anticipation of waiting to see how the glass turns out is so much fun.  I can hardly wait until the kiln cools enough to open it.  Of course, I have to wait for it to cool completely so I do not crack the glass, so that takes 2 or 3 more hours after the kiln is turned off.  The glass starts out hard, gets soft as it slumps and fuses, then hardens again as cools.  Fascinating to say the least.

Black & Gold Fused Glass Sushi Plate and 2 Sauce Dishes

 

I layered the glass, in put it in the my kiln and fused it together while slumping it into the wavy plate mold.  The glass is taken to a temp of about 1450 degrees.  One plate takes about 3 1/2 hours in the kiln.  Plate is approximately 7 inches square.  The gold dichroic glass is original Wasser glass.  $72.00 for the set.

Black and Gold wavy sushi plate

 

Two sauce dishes

 

o follow this blog post look for the purple diamond on the right hand side of the page under the ‘links’ section and click on it.——–>

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Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your family from Christina
Rick and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas from our house and art studios to you and yours.  No matter how you celebrate the Holidays, we pray Christ’s blessings on you, and pray that the Holidays are filled with love, peace and joy for you and yours.  We also praying you have a prosperous New Year too.   Christina
Here are a few pics of the Fused Glass gifts I have been cranking out of my studio for Christmas gifts the last few weeks:
Fused Glass Clock for my Daughter, Beckie
Fused Glass Clock for my Son, Robert
Fused Glass clock for my Daughter-in-law, Stephanie
Fused Glass Sushi Plates for my Son-in-law Richard
Close up of the Frit piled edging, Richard is an Oklahoma State U fan, thus the Orange and Black.
Completed Set of 4 plates
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Learn how to make glass beads

Glass bead making, under an open torch, Lampwork.

In my next few blog posts, I thought I would remind you of the classes I teach.

 

LAMPWORK BEAD MAKING: This class teaches you how to make your own handmade lampwork or flamework glass beads.  Glass rods are melted under an open torch and formed into glass beads.  You will learn about expansion of glass, compatible glasses, how to anneal your beads, and much more.  $100.00 includes all supplies and use of all tools (you take home your finished beads).  This is a one secession class, 5 hours long.  The class is limited to three students.

Classes are available by appointment only:

Due to limited space available for teaching, my Classes are limited to 1, 2 or 3 students per class depending on the class.  This makes my classes very individualized providing you the one-on-one instruction that you will not receive in a larger class setting.  This also allows me to be flexible in my teaching schedule.

Classes are generally weekday evenings, or Saturday during the day or evenings.  I can also work with you to fit your class around your schedule.  I can arrange a weekday afternoon class if that is the only time you have available.  I thoroughly love teaching, so click here to see a list of other classes I teach: http://creationsbychristina.net/?page_id=913

 

To follow my blog, click on the purple diamond at the bottom of the links section on the right hand side of the page ———>

 

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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

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Making Glass Beads (Lampwork)

 

I have so much fun making Glass Beads.  Working with glass is fascinating.  I light a torch, take a solid glass rod, melt it under the torch to a molten, liquid state, then start shaping a bead.  Along the process of creating that bead, I am turning, shaping and decorating the bead.  Then I slowly cool the beads so they don’t crack. The anticipation of getting my hands on that finished bead sometimes is hard, it is hard to wait to see the finished product.  It never ceases to fascinate me as to what I can create with glass.

The photos above are taken by Lin Oakerson.  The first picture is me making glass beads at the Village of the Arts, Manatee Chamber After Hours Event Dec 2008.  The second picture is me showing beads I have just completed to guests in my gallery, Lee Shore Gallery, Village of the Arts, Jan 2010 at the Village Studio Tours Event.