How does your garden grow?

Hi all,

I just had to do a little blog about my latest project.

These ones have been so much fun!

It's been all around a garden theme! Those that know me know that I love the outdoors and plants, mud and rain, and green is my favourite colour! What's not to like?

I love working with green glass too!

There is so much richness and freshness in the colour; and so much variation too in terms of tone and texture.

 A lovely customer of mine has a beautiful 'garden' themed bracelet pictured here; and she asked me if I could make her some special beads to complete and finish it off...

She wrote me a great note, full of fab ideas.

In each case I have put her thoughts in the handwriting font so you can see where the ideas for the beads came from, and for each bead there are some pictures. (These were either provided by my customer herself, or found by me as I was researching the ideas.)

So my aim was to get a set of beads that fitted the brief; worked together as a set; and also fitted in with the existing beads that she owns.

It looked like quite a challenge. But because the ideas were so personal and unusual it was a really rewarding and great fun.

OK then, so here's how it went...


1.

So this one seemed straightforward enough, until I started it.... 

It turned out to be the most difficult of the lot!

I wanted to get the opacity of the leaves right and have the right depth of encasing to get the light and dark elements of the ivy right. In the end I must have done about 6 versions of this one... they just weren't behaving at all, and even after I'd got two good ones I still couldn't decide on the 'best' one so I am offering my customer 2 possibles....

 ...so this one is number two...

The second version has more creamy white in it and more defined 'leaves'.

 I like this one too.. I certainly couldn't decide. 

(I hope my customer can... or maybe she will just have to have both??...)

;-)

2.

....and  I had no idea how it would turn out either but I really like this one. 

It's got that pretty iridescence on the petals that only posh silvered glass can give... 

Ooh lushola! and it works so prettily with the greens...

 3.

(I did think that this one was going to be nigh-on impossible when she asked me,) but then I had a little think on howit might work and it only took me three tries!! the first two looked more like encased algae than encased shoots but hey...

 This 'shoots' one turned out to be one of the most visually effective ones!

 It looks really good when the bead 'turns' on the chain as the clear glass magnifies the shoots in different ways.

 4.

My lady had already given me a tip on this one because she envisaged it looking similar to the brown swirly 'leaf trails' bead that she had bought from me earlier on in the year (which is one her bracelet above) so I had a bit of an idea as to how I would attack this one! 

I started by making a turquoise blue and bright pea green twisted rod of glass with clear,  and then wrapped it several times to make the idea of the feathery 'flurry'. It's got a great 'lightness' about it I think; because of the colours, the ribbony texture of the strands, and the play of light through the bead.

5.

When I read this request I thought this would be the one that was a 'bridge too far' in terms of dooability (if that's a word ;-), but having had a go at it, it looked brilliant first time round and I will definitely use this technique for other beads in the future.

I used a very light amber core for this one and then used ultra thin strings of black and brown to give the impression of branches. I then surrounded this layer with flecks of lime green, yellow and pea green for the leaves. The overall result is just right. (I really want this one myself!!!)

Here all the set are together. I hope that she likes them and enjoys wearing them on her Garden Bracelet... 

:-))

I LOVE glass!!

Thats all from me for a bit.. Christmas orders beckon!! Eeek!

As always I welcome any comments and enquiries...

Feel free xxx

Welcome to my little world...

Hi there,

I've been asked by lots of people what sort of 'kit' you need to do this sort of thing. The answer is you don't NEED much but once you start, you can kind of get carried away with it (well it did in my case) and before you know where you are, you've filled up a room!

I thought it would be nice to give you a little tour of the workshop so you could see where it all happens....

The main place where glass gets melted and beads get made happens here where the torch is. I've put it in front of a window here, but I'm note sure it helps much. I think I can see the flame better when there isn't so much natural light actually.

So each bead is begun by winding molten glass onto the mandrel in a similar way. From then on the colours, techniques, treatment possibilities are endless for the glass which means that no two beads ever come out the same!

Then once the little beadlets come out of the kiln they go over to the other desk where I do pretty much everything else.

There are quite a few stages to the process. 

I tend to make finished jewellery from my beads whereas some people choose not to do the silver-work bit and just stick to the making part.

Firstly the mandrels still loaded up with a bead on each get soaked in a tepid water bath, with maybe a bit of fairy liquid for good measure. This loosens the bead release and makes the beads easier to get off the stainless steel sticks. I now have an amazing set of 'vice-grip' pliers (I think that's what they are called). I got them for Mother's Day and they make taking the beads off the mandrel a real joy compared to what it used to be like!

I sometimes get one that is a bit naughty and I need to get the hammer out.  Uh Oh....(If the hammer has to come out to get the bead off the mandrel it nearly always spells a quick demise for that particular bead, but sometimes it just needs a quick tap and the bead comes off the mandrel unscathed).

Then it is power tool time! Yay! I do love a bit of power toolage!! I clean the beads out manually with a diamond dust tipped file called a 'reamer', then (especially in the case of transparent cored beads) it is great to use a Dremel with a diamond dust tipped bit and scoop out all the residual bead release skulking in the nooks and crannies of my beads' holes. `once this is done the hole is as clean as a whistle and the light reflects into the bead so much more beautifully.

Next, lots of things can happen. I then use sterling silver findings and elements to put the jewellery together. Chain, other beads, cores, cords and ribbons are all utilised go into trying to do the best for the little beadlings, and show off their assets so that some lovely person might decide they want to take the little 'sparkly-pants' home with them!

I do the gift-packaging and notecards at this desk too.

So there you have it. A little guided tour of the workshop.

While I'm here I will share a few picks of bits I've been working on:

Scarlet/Black Poppy Ring Topper

Focal pendant to be worn on Troll or Pandora necklace

Smoke/Slate neckace and earring set

Mega colourful bracelet

this one is a beauty...

I particularly like the metallic bumpy bits!!! ;-)

Do drop me a comment or email me at:
chelleholly@btinternet.com if you have any particular questions or enquiries. Take care x

Saying it with flowers....

Well the first orders are trickling in for Christmas.

This custom order was great as it allowed me to experiment with encased flowers (which I love!

First I made a number of small thin sticks of  glass called 'stringers' as shown below: The green one in my hand was used to make the 'stem' colour behind the flowers on some of the beads.

Next I had to set up a couple of critical bits of equipment for the task.....Do you see the silver cylindrical things by the sides of the torch... These are my special arm rests for delicate work; (which are two toilet rolls wrapped in silver foil!!) Very important and very technical as you can see!!!

God! Looking at it there, it looks like a right mess! All I can say is when I'm mid-project, the glass rods go everywhere (much worse than this) as you just tend to grab for the thing you need and then drop that and move on to the next; there's not much room for order when molten glass is in your hand!)

The close ups you are about to see all use the same method to make but the petal colours were different sizes and colours. The beads all started off life as a minuscule white mini-bead on the mandrel. Then I added a clear layer (quite thin), then the stem layer. Next, white was laid on to the bead to provide a backdrop for the coloured petals, then the petals. A bit of shaping of the petals was next. Finally a deepish coat of pure clear glass encased the whole lot... Ta Da!!!

This is either a forget-me-not or an iris depending on how you see it..

Little violet

pansy

primrose? (I know it should have 5 petals..)

briar rose

I think the red and pink is my favourite. (Something about the colour combo I think)

Here is the set all finished and ready to be a nice Crimbo pressie:

I know that in the end the Christmas build up will be chaos (it was last year), but if any of you lovely people have any particular requirements that you know of now in the way of glassy, beady presses, please let me know in good time as most pieces will take at least a week to turn around. (by the time I've made it at the torch, then kilned it, cleaned it, done the glass work, and then the silver work and mounting after).

I am planning to be at the Oldfield School Christmas fair again (if they'll have me). It's on the 5th of December which is a Friday from 6pm to 8pm in Maidenhead.

Maybe see you there... x