February | 2014 | Dizzy Bead

I try to be happy and grateful for all I have everyday. I wake up and go over all the things I am grateful for in the morning. I have an amazing view from the windows in my bedroom. The other morning I saw two river otters frolicking along the banks of the pond out back. How awesome is that! Today I woke up to find out that two orders I placed are arriving tomorrow! My brand new business cards I ordered from Moo! And a large order from Fire Mountain Gems. Can’t wait to see my new business cards.

On the Bead front… I have been trying to get Custom orders done along with pendants for my upcoming shows. Again I was asked to make things I was not sure I could pull off but boy was I wrong! I am super pleased with the results! I was asked to make a girl with a sewing machine and another with a baseball theme. Which again goes back to believing you can and you will.

I was so pleased with how the sewing machine girl turned out!

Here is my Baseball themed girl for the Yankee fan.

I also did one for my Niece who recently celebrated a birthday. She had a purple stuffed hippo that she adored as a child. I took some liberty with the coloring on the hippo as I think it was purple/ivory… I used pink instead. I hope it evokes beautiful memories of her childhood.

I have been a torching fool getting ready for my first ever big “Festival” Here are some of the beads I have been producing…

Oh and I almost forgot I received my brand new table banner.

Okay enough rambling for the day… thanks for taking the time to visit my blog! Oh and I have added a Subscription link to my home page. So if you don’t want to miss anything please take a minute to subscribe and Thank you!

Here we are in 2014 and it’s Tax season already! It seems like just yesterday I was doing my business taxes… First year I am showing a profit. Exciting! If I continue I will need to start paying myself a salary. Weird… Who would have thought, but I guess being persistent is paying off.

On to more fun topics I recently made a trip to San Francisco to spend a lovely Valentines Day with my wonderful Husband. I had a great time even with all the fog!

It was sunny where I was sitting and pea soup on the water!

That is “The Rock” lurking in all that fog. I can’t even imagine being locked up there!

I worked on two art journal pieces in between long walks around the city and a visit to Dick Blicks for lots of new yummy art supplies!

Right now I am frantically finishing up a Flamingo that will be on display through out Florida this year for an Estuary Project to promote clean waterways. I am calling her Fanny and she will be delivered on Friday. Here is a progress picture.

I am also gearing up for two upcoming shows! I will be at the Winthrop Arts Festival March 22 & 23rd. It’s in Riverview FL. Come on by and say hello if you get a chance! I am also going to be at the Art-is-You Dixie Trunk show Wednesday April 30th 5pm to 9pm. I am super excited about both shows!

I will post pictures of glass work in another post another day. There will be lots of it.

So I get asked all the time to do Special Orders… I also get requests or ideas from other people. Requests or ideas usually get put on the back burner until I have time at the torch. Sometimes it takes awhile for me to think through how to do certain things. So if you have given me an idea that I have not made it doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good idea just that I am working through the logistics of HOW to do it in glass. Glass does have its limits though I like to push them as much as I can. I try never to say no to something because I grow as an artist taking on complicated designs. Yes some fall flat but I learn more about the glass with every try win or fail.

I was asked to do a “Sleepy Time” girl with a hippo stuffed animal and hippo footies. My initial knee jerk reaction was stuffed animal yes footies no… until I really sat down and thought about it and guess what I came up with a solution! (see previous post for picture) So on Thursday while taking a class with Dina Wakely at Whim So Doodle I was told by another student that if I ever made one with a Horse stuffed animal to let her know. So instead of thinking I can’t do that… I told myself it was possible.

I will probably spend some time thinking how to refine it some more… I have another idea on how to do the horse. The point is I gave it a shot and it worked. Though I was unsure at the time I put it in the kiln….

So the Moral of this long winded blog post…. If you believe you can do it you will do it! Maybe not on the first try… but it will happen. So BELIEVE in yourself! You hold more power than you think!

Seems I am addicted to stencils lately! My stash is growing and growing. I have been airbrushing everything in sight. My Art Journals are awash in bright Dye Na Flow colors. I recently joined the Stencil Girl, Stencil Club. Why Not Right?! Here is the start of a Journal Page for a Round Robin I am doing. Love the explosion of color!

On the Bead Making front….. I have been busy with Special order “Sleepy Time” girls with some Mermaids just because. Have I told you yet that I am addicted to mermaids? LOL well I am… Here are a few pictures of recent beads that I have made.

If you would like to see video of me creating… I have a YouTube Channel. Check it out. I get told by people all the time that they had no idea how these beads were made.

So I have decided to get away from a website that takes up much of my time and switch to a blog. I don’t have to worry about FTP and if my computer goes belly up trying to reinstall everything and figure it all out again! LOL they don’t call me Dizzy for nothing. So a little about me I am a glass bead artist. I entered the world of Lampworking in 2006 and have been going strong ever since. This blog will feature my work in Glass as well as my Art Journals and Mixed Media.

Mermaid feature quite a bit in my work. Here is a series I am currently working on called “Learn To Swim”. It features Mermaids with floaties! How cute is that!!!!

I am also working on a line called “Sleepy Time”. Which are Little girls in Footie Pajama’s holding their favorite stuffed animal.