Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Luscious Lavender Lampwork Beads!

Yesterday I cleaned and etched these beautiful lavender beads. They have a stream of silvered ivory running around them. So softly frosted and so elegant.

"BUTTERMILK!" Etsy Treasury

I don't list all the Etsy treasuries my pieces appear in, just my favorite ones. This treasury has many pieces I like, and my handbuilt mug with buttermilk glaze is included.

'Buttermilk!' by dragonglassusa

A treasury inspired by creams and yellows...


natural SHOWER or FACIAL soa...
$4

Jasper Pendant- Sterling Sil...
$120

Wildflowers Hoop Art Wall H...
$45

Carrot Soap - Sensitive Skin...
$6

Passionfruit Gourmet Marshma...
$6.5

Bird with Crown - Burlap Fe...
$35

Three Little Snow Birds, Sto...
$20

Travel Recipe Cards, Vintage...
$9.5

Dandelion Art Watercolor Pai...
$40

Baltic Amber Linen Necklace ...
$80

Light Yellow White Cream Sil...
$25

Glass Seashell Bead Lampwork...
$30

Leather Patchwork Purse Vint...
$19

Handbuilt Stoneware Mug Butt...
$20

butterscotch and cream strip...
$1

Ice cream Jasper Ring, Jaspe...
$145

Sponsored by send bulk email from excel.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

More Sets of Lampwork Beads ...

Just posted a few sets of beautiful lampwork beads to RoseMarysGlassArt. Hope to make a few more today.

This is Iris Orange, which is known as "raku glass".

MultiColor Glass, beautiful colors.

Ivory Glass decorated with two blues.

Black glass with dots of Aurae silver glass.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Rag Rug Coaster ... Finished!

While watching recorded TV shows this afternoon, I finished the rag rug coaster. It was so scary removing the piece from the top and bottom nails, and then pulling out the side bars. But it held together, so I guess I did it correctly on my first try. I want to visit the local thrift shops for old jeans and denim shirts. Here are photos of the finished piece. I like it and want to start another!



Friday, February 14, 2014

More Lampwork Beads ....

I am getting back in the groove, making lampwork beads. I've just added the following to my Etsy shop.

These are beads made with ivory glass and then decorated with fine silver wire.

Transparent blue glass dipped in etching solution.

Really beautiful silver glass.

Simple, but beautiful, teal transparent beads.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Rag Rugs .... Beginning the Process!

Too much television lately with the Olympics and the new shows? YES, most definitely. And if you don't have a project in front of you to work on, what do you do? .... EAT. Snacking while watching TV is my biggest problem. This week has been a productive one with little snacking.

My mother had a large carpet loom. It took the space of a bed, so it needed its own room. Fortunately for her, it was set up in my grandparents' barn. My mother made rag rugs. People from all around brought her old clothing which she cut into strips and rolled into balls. Sadly to say, I don't have one of her rugs, but have purchased a couple from other people over the years.

I am starting out SMALL, like a coaster to put your coffee on ... 6-1/2" by 9". I purchased my looms from The Country Farm Home, a set of three ... this small one, one for placemats, and a larger one for a small rug. They are put together with screws, so you could change the sizes and shapes easily.



The first step is to go through the closet and find those old clothes that are calling to be cut into 1" to 1-1/2" strips. Select a light color for the WARP (the strips going vertically). Maybe an old sheet. I started by cutting up a shirt I no longer wanted, attached the strips together, and made the warp. My suggestion is for you to read the following blog and watch the videos. It is an excellent source for making rag rugs! The link is Simply Resourceful.blogspot.com


The WEFT: If you are making a coaster like mine and the strips you cut are already long, don't attach them together for this small project. I made balls of strips that were linked together and ended up cutting them shorter to keep from going crazy. Pulling through a yard-long strip is not much fun. Of course, when the strips get short, you need to add another piece at that time. I have finished several rows of my coaster, and tonight will turn it around and start at the other end. You finish it in the middle. I like it so far and will have the finished piece to show you after a few more nights.