Tag: lampwork beads

Jewellery8 Comments

It’s been a while

mimbles

Today I stood here at my very own, doesn’t have to be cleared up for anything or anyone else, new workbench in the garage. I got out some of these: Turned on this: And made some glass beads for the first time in almost a year. It took me 90 minutes to make just 4 beads and my technique is rusty at best. But now that I have a permanent work space I’m hoping to start turning out more pretties on a regular basis and also to get on with making some reproductions of period beads for our reenacting. Continue reading It’s been a while

Family & Parenting, Food Glorious Food, Historical reenactment, Jewellery8 Comments

What we did at Winterfest

mimbles

After a frantic week of shoe making, cloak hemming and costume tweaking we were more or less ready for our first whole family participation in a Huscarls camp. This was a paid gig for the group and our job was to come along, look authentic, talk to the public and have fun. I think we managed to meet all those criteria fairly well. We arrived at about 8:00am after stopping off to pick up firewood at the servo. Helped with the last bits of setting up camp, fortified ourselves with bacon and egg rolls, mini Dutch pancakes, hot chocolates and … Continue reading What we did at Winterfest

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Replica bead making

mimbles

One of my justifications for the acquisition of my own glass bead making gear is that I will be able to make replica Anglo-Saxon/Viking beads to go with our, and other group members’, Huscarls costumes. This weekend I finally got around to making a couple of sets of replica-ish beads. The purple ones are for Caitlin and I do wonder if the encased flowers are historically accurate but the green and brown ones are, I think, pretty close to being HA. I’m still short a few tools that I want for shaping beads so I had to improvise a bit … Continue reading Replica bead making

Jewellery5 Comments

There’s something fishy going on around here

mimbles

“Swim, swim, swim, swim…this would work better if there was some water involved.” “Oooo! Who’s that I see?” “Hello my little green friend…you look distressed…” “Half my dorsal fin broke off, it’s tragic I tell you!” Black cat being inscrutable. Black cat looking freaky. I wish I’d given him red eyes instead…. Beads with layered dots from last week. Continue reading There’s something fishy going on around here

Jewellery2 Comments

Too hot

mimbles

I had to down tools 30 minutes early at my bead making class today. The warmer weather has been hard to take working over a blowtorch flame in an old building with no air-conditioning. We can’t even use fans as it’s just too frustrating to have the flame blowing all over the place as you work. So the last two Thursdays I’ve been battling fogged up safety glasses and sweat dripping off my nose as I made beads. Yuk. By the end of the class today I was feeling shaky and nauseous. Clearly this will have to be a winter … Continue reading Too hot

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Going dotty

mimbles

Thursday’s beadmaking class focused on dots. I brought home the two beads on the pendant below, leaving three others still cooling, making these things is slow work! I’m sure these beads are reminiscent of clothing my mum had when I was little. There’s probably a photo somewhere. Dots! Red coral and glass beads on memory wire. Turquoise necklace with silver plated discs and some brown coloured stone that I got in a random pack on special and consequently have no idea what it is. Ok, so the only dots here are on those two little beads I made, and I’m … Continue reading Going dotty

Food Glorious Food, Jewellery6 Comments

First of my 2008 goals done!

mimbles

I went to my first lampwork glass bead making lesson today and made 5 beads. Only 3 had cooled down enough to bring home at the end of the session though. Here they are. I’ve signed up for an 8 week course (the one ZB pointed out to me – thankyou!) so this is just the beginning, next thing you know I’ll be buying a gas torch and setting up at home 🙂 If I hadn’t posted this as a goal for this year I doubt I’d have got round to it for many months yet, if ever, and it … Continue reading First of my 2008 goals done!