Wow! A New Kiln

Sometimes you just never know what will happen. 

I love to attend the ISGB Gathering.  It is such a wonderful full three days just crammed with beadmaking.  Demos, displays, vendors, open torch, contests, auctions.  And, the people - lampworkers everywhere.  Who could ask for anything more.

I have been participating in many of the fund raising activities.  I love the ISGB and all that it stands for.  This year I was honoured to be asked to contribute a piece to the live auction, I had a piece in the silent auction and I created this little birdie for the Trifecta Beaded Object Contest.

Every year there is a beaded object contest at Gathering.  I have contributed pieces in the past.  It is always fun to make something out of the ordinary.  This year it was entitled "Trifecta" in honour of us being in Louisville, Kentucky.  The three themes that we were supposed to consider were: Baseball, Horses, and Fancy Hats.  I think they wear these fancy hats to the horse races, though I have not had the pleasure of attending a horse race in Louisville. 

Once I did attend the horse races in Mexico City.  That was many, many years ago - I spoke very little spanish - well none really and was staying with a family.  The rebel older brother took me to the races - I think he was wagering some money - I was all of 17 years old.  What I remember best is that the race track was so beautiful.  I certainly do not recall any fancy hats, though there was this very fancy dude that rebel older brother was very intent on talking to.  I have alwasy wondered just what was going on.  But, I will never know.  Anyhow, I digress. 

The deal with the Trifecta is that you purchase tickets and put them in the box (this year it was little bags) for the one you like.  A random drawing is made of the tickets and one person is the winner of that beaded object.  There is another side too - the top three pieces that receive the most tickets win prizes for their creators.

My little birdie had the most tickets!  She came in first and would you believe, I won this:

You just never know when you make something what will happen.  I never would have believed it if you would have told me in the spring that that little birdie would be everyone's favorite bead.  Thanks so much to everyone who voted for her.  She has a good home with the lucky winner.  All beads need good homes, don't you know - especially ones with faces!

Red Deer Here I Come!

I  am teaching at Red Deer College this coming week (July 18-22, 2011).  It is a five day class - five days of straight lampworking, six hours a day!  I think I will be in heaven!

I am hoping to find some personal torch time too!  The studio is open in the evenings, so we shall see if there is some time for me to play too!

I have been having such fun with the newest beads.  The Bakbuks are still lots of fun and I am branching out with colours.

This is the latest bunch - from the last couple weeks of June 2011.  These beads still remain challenging, the third one from the left is unsellable as there are two small cracks near the bottom where it got too cold.  I was experimenting with twirling the lines - I was really liking the fact that the look like wee little flowers but are not quite so predictable.  Anyhow, my attention was focused there and you know what that means - I forgot the rest of the bead for just a little too long.  Ah, well - I will wear it myself.

Birdies are still fun to make.  I have consistently been putting hats on their little heads.  They now look somehow naked without the hat!

This is Grannie Bea.  I think she is staying with me too.  I don't know - something about her is too cute for me to say goodbye just yet.  I had been focusing on brighter colours for the birds - those of you who know me know that I would just use ivory glass in everything - so I was trying to stay away from ivory birdies!  But I think I like this colour for a birdie!  The dots are a fancy tag glass - I am lousy at getting the fantastic colours out of all those silver glass, but some of these dots are a really cool purple.  Of course, they are the dots on the bottom of the bird!

It is nice to be travelling in Canada for a change.  Cell phones being what they are, it is much easier for me to post and keep in touch while I remain in Canada.  I am packing the camera for Red Deer and have every intention of posting pictures in a timely manner.