New flower necklace.

 This is another new necklace for the spring.

It has just one of my double lampwork flower beads sits in the center of this piece.

A new necklace.

If you are in Tucson this next week you can come and see this new necklace that has taken almost a year to make.  Last year when I was the featured bead maker for the Art Glass and Bead show in Madison I had in mind to make this piece to show off what I would do with the bead. 

I will be in suite #110 at the Radisson for The Tucson Bead Show.

Medium size lentils.....

..... were made in addition to the great big ones that I showed off last week.  These guys are about and inch to an inch and a quarter across, and half an inch thick. 

Black Metallic Glass is.....

 .............one of my favorites. I just love the raku type of colors that come out in it as you work with it.

I made a bunch of different shapes for the spring shows.  I used every last little bit of this glass I had so of course I am ordering more.

Customer request.

 Recently a very good customer requested I make a bracelet and earrings to go with

this necklace.  So that is what I was doing with my afternoon yesterday.  I sent her pictures and she was really happy with the result.

Bracelet Helpers

I have a new batch of bracelet helpers ready for the spring shows.  Maybe if I put one of these in my jewelry box I would wear bracelets more often. 

Lots of leaves.

 Lots of leaves in spring and fall colors are ready for the spring.  I made sets up of the small ones and they make a nice tinkling sound when they are on the display.

The big leaves are one of my favorites all the texture and color just seems to make them alive.

Of course..........

........I had to make a few giant lentils to take to Tucson with us.  These baby's are pretty big a good inch and a half across and about 3/4 of an inch thick.

Thimbles

I haven't gotten near as many of these made as I had wanted but they still make a nice little group.  I sort of think they look like they are standing like the stones of Stonehenge.

Large Cone Beads

I so wanted to get more of these big cone pairs finished up before Tucson but alas I don't think it is going to happen.  I love these they are almost 2 inches long and they are great to use on crocheted beaded ropes or kumihimo.

More from the Prehistoric series.

 Of course the Prehistoric series had to have some barnacle encrusted flower spikes.

 These are the same shapes I use in my Alice's Garden series but colors and etching to make you think of age.

Of course there had to be some big etched bell flower shapes to go with the spiky pieces.

Discs to go with my Prehistoric Series of Beads

Last year in January I started on a series of beads I called Prehistoric and I even got a couple of necklaces made with the pieces You can find Wilma Steps Out and Saber Tooth here.  I got that far with the series and things happened and as you know I was gone a lot so nothing further got done with the series.  It is January again and I am back to working on these beads and had to have some discs.  This first batch I am going to call River Stones and they are thick and and have that yummy shape that happens when you have water wash over a stone for years. 

Next up are some lovely Barnacle covered discs. I really like their bumpy edges.

And lastly for today we have a batch of simple one color discs.  All three styles are of course etched because Prehistoric just makes me think of the soft earth feel of etched glass.

More Alice's Garden Flower Pieces

 Big bright bell shaped flower pieces that look to me like fairy skirts and...........

.......lots of spikes. If you would like to see one piece I made using these you can go here to see the necklace called Ten Feet Tall   http://tanyamcguire.blogspot.com/2012/01/challenge-piece.html

I have been working on my Alice's Garden Flowers...

 ...as well, so I had to make a batch of the large and small cones to fill the tray.

I love the tiny cones because they can be used as bead caps and tassel tops as well.

Up next are new Flower Power Beads

 Of course I have been working on a big batch of my bright colored Flower Power beads to have ready for the show and hopefully get some listed on Etsy.

 While making the Flower Power beads I also had to make a few more of the cone shaped ones that were new last fall.

And I couldn't forget the little single color ones.  I almost think these are my favorite.  Now to get time to make some jewelry with some of them.

A New Necklace...

...for your viewing pleasure.  This one has been in the works for quite a while, but while I have been making beads like a crazy woman I decided to spend some time finishing up a couple of projects, this being one of them.

I have decided to call it "Seaside Dreams" because every time I look at it I see the ocean.  The flower beads have been etched to resemble sea glass and the little tendrils so make me think of strands of seaweed.

Shawl Pins

I have been working on these shawl pins for a bit as they take several steps, from getting the beads made to getting them finished and over the weekend I managed to get them finished up.

You can see a couple more of them on my Facebook page if you would like.

Loads of Disc beads have been made.

 There are dotty discs, and ......

..............and two color discs,.............

.............and of course little single color discs.  There are lots of bright colors in all of these to go along with my Alice's garden flower beads.

Lots of beads have............

 ..........been getting finished up and ready to take to Tucson. I made a great big pile of yellow and orange poppies.

And of course I made a big batch of red poppies.  I just wish I could make my red beads look red instead of pink.  All the other colors seem to come out looking just right on my monitor but reds all seem to look pink.

Work, Work, Work.....

 ......and very little cleaning.  Being gone so much last year I have spent the last couple of months just trying to play catch up.  Cleaning is of course not on my list of priorities.  Of course if someone were to come and visit us there is no way they could get into bed.  Normally there is just one layer of trays sitting there during the winter months so that I can see where I need to fill spaces but this year there seems to be two layers.

 The kitchen table is no better although today I can see a little of the wood where I cleaned up enough to do my sales taxes for the end of the year.  I am just getting hubby used to eating off his lap so that he is ready to eat around lots of campfires after he retires.

 Of course winter means we have to bring fuel for the truck inside and since it has been way to cold to try and get this into it's tank it is just taking up room in my kitchen.  (If you didn't know we run my pickup on vegetable oil.)

 My jewelry table barely has room enough to do anything. Honest it is worse than normal.

And heaven sakes I have a pile of reading I have not gotten too.  I have hardly had time all year to actually read my magazines. I just page through them when they come and put them on the pile for later.  Hmm wonder when is later?

I just thought you all might like to see why I have been neglecting my blog and Facebook Page.  But I do promise to get some pictures of beads posted in the next couple of weeks.