Monday, December 11, 2006


The sweetie-lambs came over last weekend and decorated the tree for Aunt Phlegmmy. They did a fantastic job and it's always a great time when they are around. I'll post a pic of the tree soon - it's a little kooky, which is perhaps what you'd expect from me. My tree is rather unconventional, as you will see.

I'm in my last big push of making jewelry for selling before Christmas, and I'll have some new stuff up before the end of the week over at Ranchorita. I'm kinda sicky now, but I made a bunch of beads today anyway, resting in between torch sessions in front of a roaring fire. I bought some fine silver mesh (.999 instead of the .925 of sterling) which I'm melting in little strips on the glass in the flame. What's cool is when the silver draws up into little balls where the grid lines intersect so it's just a field of tiny dots instead of the cross-hatching of mesh. Also, if I'm using ivory Moretti glass, then the silver reacts with the oxides in the ivory glass and makes the glass blacken around the edges, almost making the glass appear veined with dark lines. Fun stuff.

This is going to be a hectic week, so don't be surprised if I seem like a galloping looney. Cheers!

9 comments:

Zelda said...

I just did a double take and you would too if you could see how much your niece looks like my youngest sister.

karen said...

CUTE!!! Those are some CUTE sweetie-lambs you've got there. Bless.

I want to make beautiful jewelry it sounds like such a satisfying thing to do. Please keep posting pics of your stuff lady, I love seeing it. The little metal strips sound gorgeous.

phlegmfatale said...

hammer - good for you for letting them express themselves with the tree. The lights ARE a pain, but it seems new strands are cheaper every year. I generally buy extras that are marked down right after Christmas so I have new boxes to start the season with every time.

zelda - Well, your baby sissy must be a raving beauty! But it makes sense your sister would look like my niece since you and I MUST be related somehow!

kees - ah, thank you - they are little rays of sunshine.
Oh, and I will keep making jewelry, and you really SHOULD try it out. Go to the Bead Shop at Covent Garden - my favorite bead shop in the world - for ideas. There's also a shop in Blue Water Mall (suburban London, I think?) that sells superb art jewelry that I find really inspiring.
http://www.beadshop.co.uk/

Anonymous said...

What cuties! That's a powerful load of concentration they have goin' on there! Can't wait to see the tree.
Hope you're feelin better soon. Did you get your flu shot?

Meg said...

Went to our little bead shop, http://www.beads.co.nz/, the other day influenced clearly by you - had a chat with Laurie, who looks like the last person on earth to even look at beads, but is now expanding his empire into three shops and one design store. Told him about your web site, too. The Ivory and Silver sounds great - can't wait to see them.

I was just picturing you sitting in front of the fire, melting silver onto an ivory bead on a stick, like a marshmallow... The image looked Christmassy.

Just Another Old Geezer said...

Keep enjoying them as long as you can. It'll seem like only a day or two and they'll be grown and gone, so to speak. But the memories, ahhh, the memories. And having raised 4 sons, we have a butt load of memories. And most of them are great. And yeah, even though Baby Boy is now 43, we still miss all of 'em.

Barbara Bruederlin said...

Hope you are feeling decidely less sicky. Your relative babes are so adorable, I'm sure they did a fabulous job on the tree. They look like they are trying hard anyway.

Heather B said...

Such cuties, they look so intent :)

karen said...

What have you started? I spent a large chuck of yesterday looking at bead making kits - didn't even know such things existed - and I'm going to enrol on a glass fusing day-course!!! You're one inspirational lady!