Blanche and Guy Designs

2011-12-21T12:38:00.001+02:00

Was just organizing my YouTube favorites that I've picked up over the years and discovered this great song I had forgotten about ... I just love this song!

2011-11-17T21:32:00.001+02:00

I just listed this dynamic set of beads in our Etsy shop and I feel compelled to blog about them simply because they are just so beautiful and I am hoping that more people will see them over here!

Tell us what YOU think about them. What do they remind you of? What would you do with them? How would you use them: all in one piece of jewelry or as a bunch of separate pieces? I know our readers and admirers have lots of their own creative ideas so tell us what you think.

I think that Guy did an awesome job on these! I don't think he made them all in one sitting and in fact, now that I'm thinking of it, when I showed him the set I had put together, he smiled because he didn't realize he made so many beads that were somehow similar and actually go together.

He's not one of those glass bead artists that can sit down and pump out a perfectly matching set. It's just not how he works. Everyday he sits at the torch is different. Sometimes he makes a few beads, thinking he's just warming up, then suddenly those beads spur him into creating something he hadn't planned on so he pauses to make some stringer (the skinny mini rods of glass that he uses for most dots and lines) to use in a creation he has in his head or to grab some more rods.

Of course, like any other artist, there are times when he sits down with a great idea and nothing seems to be working so he turns off the torch, turns off the kiln, turns off the lights, leaves the room, closes the door and goes outside to play with the horse! Or something to that effect. It just goes to show you that sometimes the best laid plans are only that - plans. What happens when you sit down to carry out those plans can often be a totally different story!

You can find these lovely beads up for grabs in our Etsy shop. We're having a 25% off sale this week, too, so go shop and take advantage of the lower prices! Use coupon code 'Ribbitt' at checkout to receive the discount. Did you know we offer free shipping to anywhere around the globe, too?!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day. It's 9:45pm here in Israel so I think I'm going to go scoop two bowls of ice cream for me and Guy and vegetate in front of the television for a bit before bed!

Good night! Lila tov!

Blanche

Chalupa

2011-11-17T09:44:00.001+02:00

Chalupa, a photo by Blanche and Guy on Flickr.

Just looking through old pictures on our Flickr account and found this cute one of Chillum from six years ago. She looks so young! She's now 12 years old! I love my dog!!!

Just sitting around, gestating!

2011-11-03T14:32:00.003+02:00

Ok. Enough with the skin cancer photos and drama! My scar seems to be healing just fine. I was at the doctors office on Tuesday and he took a quick look at it, saying it's still a bit red, still a bit swollen but it's coming along and in 12 to 18 months it should be a very light line, barely noticeable. A year to a year and a half, eh?! Wow! Ok. I guess I can deal with that. I have to deal with that! Let's hope I don't have to have more of these darn basal or squamous cell carcinoma's removed anytime soon. Well, aside from the one on my lower cheek that the doctor already noticed and plans to remove a few months after we have our baby. Sigh. Oh well. Definitely won't be leaving my house anytime soon without a huge, wide-brimmed hat!

So lately I've been just sitting around, gestating. I don't have any kids to take care of full time anymore like I used to. I miss having them around but it's kind of nice not having to be responsible for other people's children everyday! But really, I do miss having them here. The other day, after some rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel, our local town decided to shut down a few day cares for the day, just to be safe. So my friend asked me to watch her little boy for a few hours in the morning. It was nice to have a baby in the house again! Here are some pictures I took of the cutie pie. It was a chilly morning, so he had one of his lovely hand crocheted vests on!

Obviously you can see that Guy likes having kids around, too! I'm glad he is here to help me when I need him. Of course there was only one little boy here that day, so no big deal - and he left after 2 hours! So it was easy .. but after we have our baby we hope/plan to look for 4 or 5 little kids under the age of two to take care of 5 days a week. I don't know how difficult it will be with our own little boy here, too, but that's the plan I have in my head. It's a nice small number of kids and we are able to give them good, quality time here at our place. We have a really big yard and lots of room to roam around. I know people don't always like to put their kids in daycare too young, I totally agree, but I also know there is a need out there for people to have small, happy, friendly, safe places to leave their small children at. So we'll see how it goes. I don't think I would attempt to do such a thing if Guy wasn't around to help me, though!

Now for some glass beads!!! Guy has been making lots of cool new beads lately. I've been listing them in our Etsy shop almost on a daily basis, trying to drum up some business. Here are some of the latest pieces:

A set of pastel toned hollow beads

I love the colors in this bead set!

A very colorful and busy glass focal bead

Another angle of the same bead. That's silvered ivory stringer in the middle.

Guy has been making these glass beads since about 2005 and keeps getting better and better, from what I can tell anyways! But it is still an exciting moment when he comes out of the studio with a new batch to give me, to make jewelry with or to simply photograph and sell as is. I never get tired of it! And I don't think he's getting tired of making the beads, either. Of course he'd love it if he had a huge collection of every colored rod in existence but as it is, he has a lot to play and experiment from. Here are some more. What do you think?

Set of flat beads in opaque purple and red

Buster the purple glass frog bead pendant on pink suede

A big, clear green hollow focal bead

Pretty blue dotted glass bead earrings

Robin the green frog bead

Marty the brown glass frog focal bead

Fisher the green glass frog bead pendant on salmon suede (named after my friends new baby boy!)

A dotted off-mandrel pendant

Khaki, orange and black bead set

I love this set of wild and colorful hollow beads!

A close up of one of the floral hollow beads from the set above

Another close up from the hollow set above

Another close up. I love these hollows!

Shelby the frog .. on black organza ribbon!

Skin Cancer Surgery

2011-10-24T13:19:00.001+02:00

Skin Cancer Surgery, a set on Flickr.

If you care to look at my lovely scars!

sukkot holidays

2011-10-23T16:06:00.001+02:00

sukkot holidays, a photo by Blanche and Guy on Flickr.

Princess Diana!

2011-10-03T15:39:00.001+02:00

Princess Diana!, a photo by Blanche and Guy on Flickr.

В пространстве моря

2011-09-18T12:19:00.000+03:00

Fast Food Pregnancy Temptations!

2011-09-11T14:05:00.000+03:00

As much as I miss my good ol American fast food and the wonderful drive-thru's, I am kind of glad that I'm not experiencing this pregnancy in America. I don't think I'd have gained as little as I have so far. I don't know if I'd have the power to resist those excellent, greasy choices from Sonic, or those favorite Taco Bell value meals with the huge diet cokes on the side, or the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru I started to frequent a bit too much the last 6 months we lived in the states. Maybe it's a gift from the universe that I am living this pregnancy, growing this baby in my belly, without the addition of Wendy's milk shakes, Burger King Whoppers, McDonald's Quarter Pounders with fries, or Subway's foot long's (though I have re-created those here at home!). I am actually grateful now that there is not so much fast food available here in Israel, though in the beginning of this pregnancy, that's about all I was craving. Now I don't seem to have any cravings at all, just to have a full stomach when I need it and of course, lots of water or juice. Of course there IS fast food here. There are falafel and shawarma joints on every corner practically, but we live in a suburban 'moshav' (village) so all we have to satisfy our urges for junk food is the small village shop, which, funnily enough doesn't have so much junk for sale in it. Just the main necessities: milk, bread, vegetables, etc. There is chocolate, ice cream, cookies and chips there, too, but none of them are the brands I really like so it's easier than not to resist them.

So that's my thinking for today! I did just share a bag of peanut M&M's with Guy, though, lol! And we do have chocolate ice cream calling my name in the fridge, but after living here for two years now, I think I have toned down my junk food habit a lot. Also, the fact that junk food seems to cost a lot more here than the cheap stuff in the States helps, too. I stopped at McDonald's in the mall the other day and couldn't believe it that a simple burger cost 50 shekels. That's a little over $10! So, you can see why it's a bit easier on me.

Also the food that Israeli's see as 'junk' food is usually not my taste anyways. So I stick with home cooked for now. By the amount of kicking the baby has been doing in the past few days, I'd say he/she likes what I'm feeding him/her!

The kicking has ramped up a bit over the last week or so. In the beginning I wasn't sure if what I was feeling was kicks or not. This being my first pregnancy, it was hard to decipher if that was just regular digestion or actual kicks. But now I feel more sure that it is kicking. It's actually pretty funny and reassuring to know all that movement is going on down there. On days that I don't feel so much activity, of course my mind starts telling me there might be something wrong. But I trust that it's all okay. Right, baby?

Today is the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. I tend to watch CNN and Fox when something big is happening in America (like a few weeks ago when Hurricane Irene was sweeping her way up the east coast). I'm sure like other American's living abroad, this is just what we do. And of course, read online stories about the events. So yesterday we watched a few programs and news features about the terrible day. It's still so incredible to think that those two enormous buildings actually toppled to the ground. And to think of how full each one was, with people who had mom's, dad's, children, families - still so sad about it all. I think the biggest sadness to me is that people in our world can hate each other so damn much that they would create such a horrible scenario and actually carry it out. And then be so proud of the people who did it. What went wrong in these people's lives that they had to resort to such violent thinking and actions? And to think they actually accomplished something? They did nothing but create more and more hate.

The Holistic Stages of Labor | Houston Birth Doula

2011-08-05T10:58:00.000+03:00

The Holistic Stages of Labor | Houston Birth Doula

Blanche (Me!) Riding

2011-07-30T13:29:00.001+03:00

Blanche (Me!) Riding, a photo by Blanche and Guy on Flickr.

A Kodak creates a sensation (LOC)

2011-07-05T11:21:00.001+03:00

A Kodak creates a sensation (LOC), a photo by The Library of Congress on Flickr.

working on our new studio spaces!

2011-07-04T18:19:00.001+03:00

IMG_9428, a photo by Blanche and Guy on Flickr.

Summertime Bead Making and Horse Talk!

2011-07-02T16:38:00.001+03:00

Making glass beads in the summertime is a bit more challenging than making them in the lovely, cool Israeli winter. Guy is doing his best, though, and recently came up with these beauties:

They can all be found in our Etsy shop. Please have a look over there if you are interested in any of them. They will make for some really unique and colorful jewelry!

He sat down at the torch today, turned on the kiln, warmed up his hands by making a few simple beads, then promptly got up, declaring that today was just not a good bead making day. And so goes the life of a lampworker. Some days you've got it and some days you don't. Making glass beads can't be forced, at least for Guy it can't. Maybe there are some people out there who can force themselves to make beads. Honestly, though, I think it shows in the end result. When we had a shop in NY for a short time, people used to consistently comment that you could tell how much fun Guy had while making the beads, when you looked at the beads themselves. I was always amazed that people could actually see that! But it IS true. And force just doesn't work. Not in bead making and not in most any other things in life, in my opinion!

In other news around here, Guy's been slowly but surely falling in love with his friends horse, Diana. She is a four year old Frisian mare, and is pregnant with her first baby! She is due in January. Horses have an 11 month gestation period, in case you were wondering. Guy's job, aside from making beads, is to feed at a local farm, twice a day. He has a relationship with all of the horses, but over the past 2 years, he's really become connected to Diana. It helps that he is good friends with her owner, too, and admires the way the guy takes care of his animal. Some people simply don't have a clue when it comes to horses, yet they go on acting as if they do! He usually goes to feed around 6am each morning and after he's done, does a few rituals with Diana: brushes her, cleans up any manure she's dropped during the night, checks on her belly, etc.

Overtime he has become more and more gentle with horses. There was a time when he used to 'man-handle' them, and 'show them who's boss' but lucky for him and the horses, he got some great influence from other gentle horse people over the years and now is much, much more in tune with the animals. He is trying to focus on not feeding Diana (or any other horse) by hand, as hard as it is to do, because as humans, that's the first thing we WANT to do with a horse: give him some food from our hands! But this can lead to issues with the horses, just like with dogs. They learn to use their mouths in different ways, sometimes dangerous (ummm... biting?!). Wild horses are never fed food by a human hand and go through life using their mouths only to eat or to fend off other horses in the herd. So, Guy is trying to go back to nature with his manners around horses lately. A great book that he has, which has influenced him a lot, is called (no pun intended!): "From My Hands to Yours" by Monty Roberts. The author also started out his career with a roughness to his techniques with horses, until he saw the light and started to work with them in kinder, gentler, and what proved to be more effective ways. So I guess my whole point here is that Guy is having a great time being kinder, gentler and more conscious when he is around the horses. I see it benefiting both him and them! And we both think that is a wonderful thing!

our latest...

2011-06-28T15:56:00.001+03:00

our latest..., a photo by Blanche and Guy on Flickr.

you can find all of these new beads in our Etsy shop: www.guymelamed.etsy.com

Guy and Itai

2011-06-27T14:18:00.001+03:00

IMG_9166, a photo by Blanche and Guy on Flickr.

Just two happy dudes enjoying an early morning horse ride. Guy loves giving kids the 'riding bug'!

new froggy bracelet!

2011-05-23T20:44:00.001+03:00

new froggy bracelet!, a photo by Blanche and Guy on Flickr.

isn't it sweet? you can find it in our Etsy shop! www.guymelamed.etsy.com

Shula talking with Sara

2011-05-16T14:55:00.001+03:00

Shula talking with Sara, a photo by Blanche and Guy on Flickr.

Guy's Mom, Shula, discussing something with her Mother, Sara. Lucky for me my Hebrew has improved a lot since we've been here and I can actually know what they are talking about, most/some of the time.

פלאש מוב הגדול בישראל - לוטו - Flash Mob Israel

2010-11-03T13:16:00.000+02:00

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms

2010-11-01T10:52:00.000+02:00

Happy October!

2010-10-30T15:23:00.000+02:00

Today it finally rained here! I woke up to the sounds of raindrops on the roof. What a great way to wake up! Hope you are enjoying your October, wherever YOU are. :)

Here are some of the newest jewelry pieces up for grabs in our Etsy shop. We hope you like them! Today Guy is working on glass cabochons. Should be cool to see what he comes up with. Cabs are tricky little guys!

Pastel Double Lampwork Bead Necklace

Matilda the Blue Glass Frog Bead Pendant on Deep Salmon Suede Necklace

Green Polka Dotted Lampwork Necklace on Golden Suede

Hollow Blue Lampwork Pendant on chocolate suede

Jade Green Hollow Lampwork Glass Bead on Red Leather Necklace

Blue Polka Dotted Lampwork Necklace on Navy Blue Suede

Turquoise and Red Delicious Lampwork Bead Necklace on Brown Suede

Feathered Earth Tones Handmade Lampwork Pendant Necklace on Chocolate Suede

Turquoise Ivory and Purple Lampwork Focal Bead on Turquoise Leather

Zelda and Zack the Purple Glass Frog Bead Earrings Handmade Lampwork

Ruby Red Lampwork Charm Necklace on Red Leather

Thanks for stopping by today! Happy Halloween!!!!

Baby Eating and Playing in Watermelon!

2010-10-16T20:49:00.000+02:00

it's HOT here!!!!

2010-08-20T23:54:00.000+03:00

hello from roasting hot Kfar Hanagid! It's been super hot here the past few days.. The weather girl says it's going to cool down tomorrow - which means it'll be in the low 90's instead of the high 90's but hey, we'll take it! the poor air conditioner is working his little bum off. and his not the newest model, either!

so since it's so darn hot outdoors - as in from sunrise to long past sunset - we are staying close to home. trying to keep off facebook but you all know how that is - a great place to spend time if you can't pull yourself away from it! i've met tons of great new people over the past few months over there. some old friends and lots of new ones with similar interests to mine. you can't go wrong there!

oh yeah, so since it's blazing hot outside, we've been indoors and today i got a lot of work done in the bead department! A part of the house i don't spend too much time on anymore. We sell lots of frog necklaces on Etsy and when we have a sale, I try to list more new ones but I don't know - with my day job and these hot days I just don't have the power to do much etsy or bead stuff when I finish the day. I don't know how some people keep up with it and still stay sane! maybe i'm just extra lazy in the summertime? i don't know - it's been awhile since I lived in such a hot climate... let's see how the fall goes!

so today i collected a bunch of bead sets that have been sitting around the studio, waiting to be strung together and sent off to one of the shops we consign to back in Hunter Mountain, New York. I'm excited to get these bead sets out the door and hopefully into some happy, creative hands! They include lots of great beads and some of them I took down from our Etsy shop just because they've been there for awhile... It's nice to move stock around a bit I guess.

My mom (who is a painter) was actually in the gallery there in Hunter last week browsing around when she saw some women checking out beads. As she got closer to them, she realized they were ours! How cool is that? I don't know if they bought anything but it was nice to hear that people were checking them out. Etsy is great for selling our beads to people all over the world but it's also nice to sell to people in person. So that little story from my mom is what put the lighter under my tooshy to get a package together for that gallery. Because she spoke to the manager there and heard that they need more beads so ... here they come! I hope they all sell at once!

Let's hope tomorrow is a bit cooler than today! Goodnight from sweat-ville!

SALE in our Etsy shop!

2010-07-02T16:45:00.000+03:00

Hello there! We are offering a 20% discount on any items in our Etsy shop for the duration of the July 4th holiday! We will promptly refund the appropriate discount to your Paypal account after purchase. Enjoy shopping! Share the link with any of your friends that you think would be interested. :)

Some of our NEWEST Jewelry!

2010-07-02T16:26:00.000+03:00

Hello there kind people! It's been awhile since we shared a new post with you! We've been finding a new balance in our daily routine here and have come out with some new pieces of jewelry incorporating Guy's beads. Well, really, my goal in making jewelry is definitely to hi-light Guy's lampwork creations. So here is some of our newest work! Hope you like them. Have a wonderful day!