FHF Team Blog - handmade lampwork glass beads, pendants, findings and jewellery

noreply@blogger.com (FHFteam) — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 09:45:00 +0000

Well the weather may be getting colder but the torches of our member are still burning hot and working away to produce lots of goodies just for you. Its that time of year when we have to start planning for Christmas, now is the prefect time to buy your beads if you are planning to make some stunning and unique items for gift. Don't forget our members make beautiful jewellery too.

How about this fun cat pendant from amareargentum the perfect piece for a cat lover.

These stunning beads from Bearhousebeads would make a wonderful bracelet or necklace the colours are wonderful.

I have to confess I have fallen in love with this gorgeous trinket bowl from Bluefairydesigns

Just a taste of the work currently of offer from the talented Frit Happens member on Etsy, just search FHFteam for more!!

noreply@blogger.com (FHFteam) — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 13:39:00 +0000

Rainbows and Flowers
Well summer has been good to us here in the UK, its been a bit hot for most of us in out workshops (sheds) with a hot torch and a hot Kiln but that has not stopped us melting glass and keeping creative. Keeping with the summer theme I have decided to highlight a few offerings featuring flowers and all the colours of the rainbow. We should enjoy the summer colours while they are here.

This beautiful summers flower heart from Enchanted Cobwebs would make a perfect summer pendant.

A wonderful focal from Madcatglass such a pretty Crofters cottage with pink summer blooms.

The perfect summer rainbow from Jane Hamill.

Remember you can find other member work by searching FHFteam on Etsy.

noreply@blogger.com (FHFteam) — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 18:38:00 +0000

Well as the weather continues to sizzle how about something to cool your down, this selection of blues makes me feel cool

Puffafish have these wonderful cool blue

Or this stunning focal bead from Twirleybeads looks like cooling water drops.

And finally Pandanimal have this Rock Pool selection.

Don't forget you can search Etsy for other work by our members just type "FHFTeam" and enjoy!!

Sizzling in the sunshine!!

noreply@blogger.com (FHFteam) — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 18:50:00 +0000

Well what a sizzling hot day it's been today. I hope this is a sign of things to come and we can look forward to a bit more sunshine over the next few weeks. If you missed the sunshine maybe some of the wonderfully colourful work by our Frit happens members can bring you a bit of colour.

These beads from Raspberryrings make me think of summer dresser, bright colourful and very summery. Or how about this beautiful blossom from Midgetgems very warm !!

For a final bit of summer sunshine I love this beautiful bracelet from Pandanimal, totally tropical!!

Summertime

noreply@blogger.com (FHFteam) — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 10:25:00 +0000

Well it looks like we are finally getting a bit of summer so why not celebrate with some new sparkle from the talented FHF Team on Etsy. Our talented members have been working away creating works of art in glass just for you.

I love these summery pinks from Sarah Downton, take a look I'm sure you will find them very tempting!!

Our team members can be found on Etsy by searching our team tag "FHF Team" you will find lots of work by our members and remember we have team treasuries for you to view collections put together by our members.

noreply@blogger.com (FHFteam) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 11:09:00 +0000

A wonderful team treasury with and autumnal feel.
There is something in the air

noreply@blogger.com (FHFteam) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:17:00 +0000

Halloween is coming and now is the time to get ready for a night of trick or treating!!!

FritNchips has some wonderful Murrini I love the pumpkins and bats!!

Or how about some wonderful beads from Beadsbycat

These wonderful and colourful skull beads are perfect to make into your own jewellery.

or if you are in a hurry the finished article from MadelineBunnyan

Perfect little raven earrings.

But for me its all about bats and this one is perfect!!

Bat

noreply@blogger.com (FHFteam) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 17:04:00 +0000

Well the summer has left us, or missed us, I'm not sure which, but now the colours are changing in the trees and there is a distinct chill in the air. A time to start to pre-pair for winter and of course Christmas (Sorry I know its only October but we do have to think ahead)
Autumn Time

Flowerjasper

Puffafish

A tempting selection of Autumn tones for your winter wardrobe!!

Our members are all working away to create our selections of beads and jewellery ready for Christmas so remember if you want to give quality and buy handmade don't leave it to the last minute or you may be disappointed!!

ARJewellery

July Giveaway Winner

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 21:30:00 +0000

A big thank you to Heather of Heather Kelly Glass

It's time to announce the lucky winners name for these stunning earrings and matching focal bead

Our random number generator picked out lucky number 8 and our July winner is Stephanie Gough with the 8th comment on our July giveaway post. Congratulations Stephanie.

On a side note, after being unsuccessful in numerous attempts over the course of July to contact our June winner I have redrawn and so congratulations also to Lisa Lodge of Pine Ridge Treasures.

Ladies and Gents, if you are entering one of our giveaways by leaving a comment but are not logged in to a blogger or active google+ account please can you leave us information on how to get in touch. Either your email in the form myname at mydomain dot com or your twitter name in the form @mytwittername or alternatively if you are a member of Frit Happens Forum please leave us your forum name too.

Thanks, Jolene.

Meet the team part 10

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 19:59:00 +0000

Hearts galore from FHFteam, this post focuses (yup you have guessed it) on heart beads. My chosen trio of hearts on showcase today are all ready to wear too.....

Shahlaa of allthatsparklesbeads

My Wretched Heart Lampwork focal pendant on hand dyed silk ribbon

Yum! the colour and texture in this sculpted heart bead necklace are just delicious. This bead has been created by Shahlaa of All that Sparkles. Shahlaa also makes special fun bosom buddies sculptural beads which help to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.

Sue of BlueBoxStudio

Purple Haze - handmade lampwork glass heart necklace mounted

The colours in this super heart shaped pendant necklace speak to me, so pretty. This wonderful heart necklace has been created by Sue in her home studio in North Somerset. Alongside lampwork and jewellery design Sue is also a talented textile artist with a range of silk and velvet scarves in her Etsy shop.

Jeannie of Jeanniegems

My Blue Heart Handmade Glass Lampwork Pendant

Jeannie lives and works in the beautiful town of St.Ives in Cornwall. She stocks a large range of pretty jewellery all made with her own lampwork beads and very beautiful vessel/perfume bottle pendants. Jeannie also make a range of beads and jewellery made from recycled glass and offers a bespoke bead making service from your own special occasion celebratory champagne bottle.

I hope you enjoyed this quick introduction, click the pics to go to Etsy and see more from each of our teamies and also don't forget to stop by and check out our July Giveaway blog post.

Meet the team part 9

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 18:48:00 +0000

Glass is so versatile and beautiful and there are so many different skills to learn and challenges in using it as a medium. I am going to devote the my next few meet the team posts to FHfteamers who do beautimus things with silverglass.....capturing the shimmer and delicate beauty of silver rich glass is a skill that I admire greatly and don't think I shall ever be able to master

Diane of dilunah

Silver Trail - Silver Cored Big Hole Lampwork Bead

This little bead is one of my favourite team listings ever, so sweet and pretty and delicate with an enchanting shimmer. Diane's introduction to glass began with fusing which led to a qualification in 3D design though Lampwork is now her main passion. Diane also makes lovely findings for jewellery making, you can find these and fused pieces for sale on her personal website at www.dilunah.com

Pris of DancingwithGlass

Illuminations Heart : Handmade Lampwork focal

I have had the privilege of seeing Pris's skills grow and her style develop from quite on in her love affair with glass - Pris says it beautifully herself so here is a quote from her personal page on Etsy - Working with soft glass as I do gives me endless possibilities of colour, texture, depth and detail to use in my designs. I particularly love the iridescent qualities of silver glass, and the changeable nature of it.

Jennie of RaspberryRings

Ornate Pink Barrell

Jennie make spectacular large focal beads and mini paperweights and bracelet pops and was the featured Artist of the Month over on the forum in June. Jennie has also written a super tutorial for her distinctive swirl beads which you can find on Etsy here

I hope you enjoyed this quick introduction, click the pics to go to Etsy and see more from each of our teamies and also don't forget to stop by and check out our July Giveaway blog post.

Monthly Giveaway July

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 08:47:00 +0000

It's time for another monthly giveaway, we're got another stunning prize up for grabs sponsored by one of our talented team members...

Heather of Heather Kelly Glass

Heather is offering this gorgeous focal bead and matching stud earrings for one of our lucky blog commenters in July.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is leave a comment on this post anytime before the end of July (and don't forget to make sure you're following the FHFTeam blog so that I can contact you too!) The winner will be randomly drawn, and announced on the 1st of August

Good luck!

June Giveaway Winner

noreply@blogger.com (FHFteam) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 07:31:00 +0000

Time to annonce the winner of our June Giveaway sponsored by Sue of BlueBoxStudio

The lucky winner drawn at ramdom from last months blog comp comments is Kathleen Hooper, congratulations Kathleen, this elegant sea glass necklace is yours courtesy of Sue.

Watch this space for news of July's giveaway........ and in the mean time why not check out some of the teams work for sale on Etsy

Lynn's Lampies - Bricks and Ladders

noreply@blogger.com (FHFteam) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 07:09:00 +0000

Lynn’s Lampies

A regular spot from team member Lynn Davy, a self-confessed bead addict whose unusual designs often feature lampwork beads. In this series she shares some of her secrets and shows you how to use FHFteam’s handmade beads and components in your own creations!

July 2012

Bricks and Ladders

Buildings are somewhat on my mind at the moment as we’ll be moving house over the summer… this month’s tutorial will show you a neat way to combine ladder and brick stitches into a sturdy foundation on which to build a cuff bracelet.

I struggled for a long time to find a use for ‘double delica’ beads because they have such huge holes that ‘normal’ sized cylinder beads just disappear up inside them when you try to combine the different sizes. But they are brilliant for making ladder-stitched strips because they work up so quickly!

Ladder stitch is also a good way to use bugle beads, although they are narrower than double delicas so you need more of them to make a bracelet length. They do give a lovely texture though…

A ladder more than two beads wide is a bit prone to gaping between its ‘rungs’. You can widen it by simply adding fringe (and with holes that size, you can add a LOT of fringe if you want to!) or by stitching along the edges with brickstitch.

Brickstitch feels a bit weird to begin with because you don’t actually stitch through any beads of the previous row, you go under the threads instead; but it’s very simple really. It’s a versatile way to make lots of different shapes (the little hearts on this tassel are made with brickstitch)…

… or to bead around a larger bead, as in the pendant for this set. (The cuff is made with a ladder-stitch base and brickstitch edging, too.)

And once you’ve beaded around a bead, you can add loops and fringes to make flowers…

Brickstitch does have a weakness, though: the thread ‘bridges’ between the beads are exposed along the edge of the beadwork. Exposed thread is prone to catching and fraying, especially in a bracelet, which gets a lot of wear and tear, so it needs protecting. A great excuse to add more beads!

You can add a simple one-bead ‘picot’ edging (as we did when we made those beaded spacer beads) between each pair of ‘rungs’. Or you can make a more elaborate, formal edging.

Or else you can go mad with lots of beaded fringe. No prizes for guessing which one I’d choose!

This month’s project makes use of those little orphan lampies that so many of us have languishing unloved in our stash boxes, just waiting for someone to pick them out and give them a good home. And if you don’t have any orphans, search through the FHFteam’s shops and you’ll find plenty to adopt!

Tutorial: Orphanage Bracelet

You will need: ‘double delica’ (size 8 cylinder) beads and size 8 seed beads for the base, plus half a dozen small ‘orphan’ lampwork beads, a few 4mm crystal bicones, 30-ish ‘accent’ beads anywhere between 6 and 10 mm in diameter, a teaspoon of ‘bead soup’ with seed beads in sizes 11 and 8, a couple of jump rings and a clasp.

You will also need a beading needle, pliers, scissors, and thread – a tough ‘braided’ thread such as Fireline or PowerPro is recommended for this one because you’re using crystals and relatively heavy beads for the embellishment. (If any fringe beads look wobbly, go through them again once or twice more to stiffen their resolve.)

Thread your needle with no more than two arms’ length of thread and pick up four double delicas. Go through the first two of them again.

Pull the thread snug so you have two pairs sitting side by side. These are the first two ‘rungs’ of your ladder.

Pick up another two double delicas and go through the previous ‘rung’ again.

Then go through the pair you just added.

Pick up another two and do the same again. (Ladder stitch is really, really simple!) Keep going until the strip will fit your wrist. Then add another four or five pairs because it shrinks a bit when you add the edging. But don’t worry, it’s very easy to add more to the ends if you find it’s got a bit short…

Now for the brickstitch edging. Go through the last-but-one rung of your ladder so you’re exiting the second bead from the end of the strip (sorry, this photo is upside down for some reason).

Pick up two size 8 seed beads and pass your needle under the thread that connects the second and third rungs.

Then go up through the second of the seed beads you just added.

Pick up one more seed bead and go under the thread that connects the third and fourth rungs.

And back up through the bead you just added.

Carry on adding one seed bead to each thread bridge all along the strip. At the far end, double back on yourself so you’re coming out of the second cylinder bead from the end on the other side.

Flip the strip over and work back along the other edge.

Now you’re ready to add the embellishment – the fun part! It’s just simple fringing and I’m sure you already know how to do that, but here’s a quick run-through again…

Exit the first size 8 along the edge. Pick up a size 11 seed, an accent bead, another size 11.

Go back through the accent bead and first size 11 and carry on down through the size 8 bead you came out of.

Go up through the next size 8 and add another fringe with a size 8 bead in place of the accent. Continue to alternate size 8’s and accents. When you add a lampwork orphan, start the fringe with a size 11 and then a size 8 seed bead, then string the orphan, a crystal bicone and a size 11. Go back down through everything except the last size 11.

Keep going all the way along both edges of the base strip, mixing and matching however you like. If you have an accent bead with a transverse hole, add seed beads before and after it, and if it’s wide (like this leaf) spread it over two edge beads.

When the fringe is complete, add a loop of seed beads to the end of the cylinder bead rows; go through it plenty of times to make it strong, then weave the thread into the beadwork, knot and trim it.

Add a loop to the other end in the same way, then use pliers and jump rings to connect the clasp to the loop.

Wear and Enjoy!

Happy beading,

Lynn

Meet the team part 8

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 07:30:00 +0000

Today I want to show you some stunning lampwork beads created by FHFteam members that caught my eye today..........

Rita of Avalon Designs

Handmade Lampwork Goddess Yemaya

Rita lives in market town in Somerset and has been working with glass and creating her beautiful ocean style focals for about 4 years now and has has been creating and selling her ceramic work for more than 20. I have chosen this beautiful lady to show you today but you will also find toppers and jewellery in Rita's wonderful Etsy store.

Jane of Jane Hamill

Lampwork bead, "Sooleawa", art glass bead

This beautiful hand shaped organic focal bead is totally luscious. Jane describes her working style wonderfully in her Etsy profile - Being spontaneous creatively is important to me. I rely heavily on my natural instinct and a piece is complete only when it feels "right".

Sandy of flowerjasper

Jacobs Ladder, A silver core lampwork bead

I think this pretty BHB is absolutely gorgeous. Sandy writes - I love working with glass and I hope a little bit of me shines through ;-)

I hope you enjoyed this quick introduction, click the pics to go to Etsy and see more from each of our teamies and also don't forget to stop by and check out our June Giveaway blog post.

Meet the team part 7

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:13:00 +0000

Today I am going to focus on fabulous florals and introduce you to some of our FHFteam members who make them with wonderful detail captured in glass.

Madeline of Madeline Bunyan

Rainbow flowers, sparkle rounds Lampwork bead set (5 plus 6 spacers)

Oooh yum! These adorable florals are a new range recently added to Madeline's Etsy store, they are available in sets, trios and made to order colour combinations. This set is especially mouthwatering. Madeline also makes the cutest sculptural bunny beads and eye catching focals.

Kathy of My Precious

Tropical handmade lampwork glass beads

Pure colour! I wanted to show you these delicate and bright florals made to order from My Precious. Kathy has recently produced and independently published her own book called Bloomtastic colour combinations which looks wonderful.

Heather of Heather Kelly Glass

Floating Flower ring topper - interchangeabl

Heather makes stunning implosion ring topper/pendants like the beauty I have featured here. She also creates beautiful earthy bead sets and focals that are jam packed with texture and detail. Heather is also a UK distributor for Lauscha glass rods (www.lauscha.co.uk) and has recently taken on the webmaster IT role for GBUK.

I hope you enjoyed this quick introduction, click the pics to go to Etsy and see more from each of our teamies and also don't forget to stop by and check out our June Giveaway blog post.

Meet the team part 6

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 06:46:00 +0000

Sweet like chocolate! Part 6 of my meet the team series of blog posts has a decadent feel.
First up is

Ingrid of Brunties Beads

Set of 10 Handmade Lampwork Chocolate Beads

These cute beads literally make my mouth water. I am a big fan of Ingrid's quirky style and adorable penguin and kitty critter beads.

Gay of GaysieMay

Sweet like Chocolate - one of a kind handmade lampwork brooch

I've chosen to show you one of Gay's awesome Brooches. these are so beautiful and the colour and form of this one in particular floats my boat. Gay winner of Beads and beyond magazine Jewellery maker of the year lampwork category 2012, congrats once again Gay x

Marg of Maigret Lampwork

Lampwork cupcake keychain

Marg is based in leafy Leicester in the heart of England. In her Etsy shop you will find some lovely vessel shaped pendant beads, pretty cabs, big hole beads and buttons and ring tops too.

I hope you enjoyed this quick introduction, click the pics to go to Etsy and see more from each of our teamies and also don't forget to stop by and check out our June Giveaway blog post.

Meet the team part 5

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 07:30:00 +0000

As well as talented glass artists and bead makers FHFteam is also fortunate to count amongst our numbers some superb silversmiths who create and sell exquisite jewellery and quality handmade findings.

Di of disandland

Solid Copper Findings: Toggle Clasp - You are my Sunshine

Diane's work moves me and I admire her hugely. Diane has a gift for words and language that she translates elegantly into powerful pieces of art jewellery that elicit an emotional response in the viewer. She also offers a range of fun findings including beautiful toggle clasps like this one.

Jo of Studio Jewellery by Jo

Ornamental Miniature Copper House

Jo Walker trained to be a Jeweller at the School of Jewellery in the heart of Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter. I have chosen to show you this fabulous picture of some of Jo's recent range of whimsy house pendants, so elegant, cute and stylish! You will also find a range of ready to wear whimsy pendants and lampwork jewellery in Jo's store.

Andy and Ruth of ARJewellery

Handmade Etched Brass Bead Caps With 7 Petal Raised Flower

Ruth and Andy Harrison are a husband and wife team who make lampwork beads and Silver jewellery after ditching life in the IT rat race.The pretty bead caps above are just a taster type intro to the kind of handmade findings will will find in their Etsy store alongside some truly elegant artisan beads.

I hope you enjoyed this quick introduction, click the pics to go to Etsy and see more from each of our teamies and also don't forget to stop by and check out our June Giveaway blog post.

Meet the team part 4

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 07:26:00 +0000

FHFteam has the most wonderfully talented team members and glass artists. Today I would like to introduce you to some FHFteam members that make exquisite sculptural pieces of wearable art.

Emma of aflame with desire

Lampwork goddess pendant, borosilicate glass, Blue Storm

Emma makes beautiful sculptural pendants from borosilicate glass, including dragons and these beautiful stylised sculptural goddess pendants, in the heart of the English Lake District. Each of these goddess beads raises money for Cancer Research UK. I recently had the privilege of watching a live demonstration by Emma at the 2012 UK Flame Off.

Next I'd like to introduce you to Sabine of little castle designs

Blue Rose lampwork glass ring top, interchangeable

Sabine Little is a Sheffield based glass artist and sculptor who is perhaps best known for her sculptural roses and innovative interchangeable jewellery range. I have been reading with interest about her three year long art instillation project called follies for follies, you can read more about that in Sabine's own words on follies for follies blog.

Next up is Julia of Pandanimal

Tribal Head Focal Bead - Handmade Lampwork Glass feature bead

This sophisticated focal is one of Julia's new range of tribal head beads. Based on an Easter Island head the glass has been heavily distressed to give it a weathered and naturalistic effect. Julia's shop in jam packed full of beads inspired by her desire to represent geology and stone in all its varied forms with glass.

I hope you enjoyed this quick introduction, click the pics to go to Etsy and see more from each of our teamies and also don't forget to stop by and check out our June Giveaway blog post.

Member Interrogations - Julia Hay

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Today is my first time publishing the member interrogations blog post for FHFteam so first I'd like to say a big thank you to our Hazel Ward for doing such an amazing job working on the team blog over this past year and another big thank you for compiling this wonderful pop quiz for our members :-D

Today we are saying a warm hello to Julia of Pandanimal Lampwork Glass who gives us a peek into her glassy world

1 - Your name:

Julia Hay

2 - Your shop name and address:

Pandanimal Lampwork Glass www.pandanimal.co.uk The name Pandanimal came from a writing exercise I was once given: "create a fictional character". I invented a wise old creature who was a mixture of all kinds of animals: mammal, reptile, bird and amphibian. He was "pan-animal", but that sounded odd so I stuck a "d" in the middle and Pandanimal has been my online persona ever since.

3 - Describe your artistic style in three words:

organic, eclectic, eccentric

4 - When did you first start working with glass and how did you get started?

I have always dabbled in beading for as long as I can remember. A good friend taught me some basic seed-beading techniques and I developed them into simple bracelets. Then I started looking for beads to embellish what I was doing and came across lampwork. I took my first lampwork course with Barbara Mason in January 2008. The moment I melted the first rod in the flame I knew I was hooked. Could it be the pyromaniac in me?

5 - What do you love most about your craft?

I love watching the glass melt and flow; I love having the freedom to create, or try to, anything I want.

6 - If you could take a class with any artist (in your field or otherwise) who would you choose and why?

I greatly admire the fine detailed and stringer work of many artists, like Dora Schubert, Mindy Macgregor, Lorna Prime, ...........I honestly don't think I have the patience to learn how to do it as well as they do though. But if I could truly choose any one at all I would step back in time and visit the Saxon glass bead makers. I would love to learn how they managed to make beads using such primitive equipment and presumably making glass themselves from scratch. To follow the process through from raw materials to bead would complete a journey.

7 - Do you have a favourite piece of your work that you can share with us?

Most of the time my latest piece of work is my favourite. I am currently working on a project I call "80 heads around the world" drawing on cultural art from across the globe to inspire tribal heads that represent that culture to me. So far it has been a wonderfully inspiring and interesting project and it is all thanks to the Frit Happens monthly challenge that I started it!

8 - Where do you find your inspiration?

I love stone in all its varied forms: pebbles on the beach, ancient carved stones, semi-precious stones, standing stones, fossils. I try to recreate in glass the textures, shapes, histories of stone. I am also inspired by the colours and moods of nature and the landscape around me in Wiltshire and, more recently the glass bead and jewellery finds from ancient times and also the unnatural weird and wonderful imagery in the computer games my children and I play.

9 - What’s your favourite technique within your medium?

At the moment, bung bicarb on it! I am ~~having wonderful fun~~ working very hard experimenting with sodium bicarbonate on different types of glass to see how they react to it. Sometimes the result is fantastic and sometimes it is a disaster.

10 - Where do you create your work?

I have my torch set up on a table in our entrance hall, that way I can work and still be around everyone else in my family.

11 - Do you have a favourite colour scheme or range when you’re creating pieces?

I am drawn to blues and greens most of the time - when I am not using grey for my pebbles that is.

12 - Can you give us a quotation/lyric/piece of advice that sums up your approach to life and your craft?

Real artists ship! - Steve Jobs. I do have to try to remember this. I have a tendency to put beads in boxes saying to myself "I will do another, even better one, tomorrow." I am, as a lot of us are, my own worst critic.

13 - The most serious question of all: if you could meet any fictional character, from TV film or literature, who would it be and why?

Hmmm.....This is a tough question. I think it would have to be Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings. I think he would be interesting to talk to and might just have some words of wisdom to impart. And of course there are his fireworks! Could it be the pyromaniac in me?

14 - Finally, what are your plans or hopes for your work in the future?

I want to explore the ancient side of glass making a lot further to see what inspiration there is there for modern beads. I will continue with my 80 heads around the world project and finish it. I am also planning to work a lot more with mixed media, drawing in other interests: felting, paper making, ceramics and textiles, to name a few.

Thank you so much Julia for such an interesting read.

Meet the team part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Here is the third instalment in my series of FHFteam member intros. First up for today is the very talented

Steph of beads by stephanie

FOREST FLOWER Handmade Lampwork Focal Heart Bead

Steph is our only furthest-flung FHFteam member, based all the way over in Adelaide, Australia. Steph makes wonderful bead sets and inspirational focal beads that are all every bit as gorgeous as this Forest Flower heart that I have featured above.

Next up is one of our loveliest and hardest working team members, Hazel of Continuum Designs

Silver Bells - polymer clay art bead set

Hazel is a polymer clay artists and lampwork bead maker. Her designs are beautifully detailed and textured. As well as being in charge of this lovely team blog for the past year Hazel also keeps a lovely and interesting blog of her own at all those things and the others too

For my last intro today I would like to introduce you to one of our newest members

Kat of beads by kat

Springtime Goddess Bead

Kat is Buckinghamshire based silversmith and lampworker. Kat makes pretty bead sets, buttons, bangles and elegant goddess bead like the one pictured above.

I hope you enjoyed this quick introduction, click the pics to go to Etsy and see more from each of our teamies and also don't forget to stop by and check out our June Giveaway blog post.

Monthly Giveaway June

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 08:30:00 +0000

It's time for another monthly giveaway, and we're got another lovely prize sponsored by one of our members...

This prize for one of our lucky blog readers in June is this elegant sea glass necklace.

The FHFteam giveaway this month has been sponsored by Sue of blue box studio!

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is leave a comment on this post anytime before the end of June (and don't forget to make sure you're following the FHFTeam blog too!)

The winner will be randomly drawn and announced on the 1st of July

Meet the team part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 10:08:00 +0000

Welcome to the second instalment in my series of FHFteam member intros. Today I would like to introduce you to

Diane of SowZerE

Blue/purple Raggy Ribbons

Diane makes wonderful lampwork beads and she also makes these gorgeous hand dyed silk ribbons and strings that are perfect for jewellery making with lampwork beads. This collection of Diane's bias cut Dupion silk ribbons are exquisite!

Next up is Helen of Helbels

Pasha glass lampwork bead set

There are so many clever techniques, beautiful beads and diverse styles in Helen's well stocked Etsy store that it was hard to choose just one set to feature here on the blog. This etched pastel set is so pretty!

Last but not least today I'm pleased to introduce you to Terri of From the Shed

Lucky Dip bead relese

Terri is a talented bead maker, she works in both glass and ceramics and her knowledge of both disciplines has lead her to create her own bead release. Terri has recently brought out her Lucky Dip bead release for sale on Etsy.

I hope you enjoyed this quick introduction, click the pics to go to Etsy and see more from each of our teamies.

Lynn's Lampies - June 2012

noreply@blogger.com (FHFteam) — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Lynn’s Lampies

A regular spot from team member Lynn Davy, a self-confessed bead addict whose unusual designs often feature lampwork beads. In this series she shares some of her secrets and shows you how to use FHFteam’s handmade beads and components in your own creations!

June 2012

Shaping Up

Lampwork beads come in all shapes (as well as sizes) and the terminology can be confusing, so here’s a quick introduction to some of the shapes that are a regular feature in my bead stash. This isn’t exhaustive by any means, but it is a start…

There are two basic ways of shaping a bead: either freehand with the aid of gravity, or in a ‘bead press’, a two-part metal mould that presses the molten glass into shape. Beads made in a press tend to be more evenly sized and shaped.

Round beads do what they say on the tin; they can be large or small, patterned or plain or encased (with a layer of clear glass on the outside), sculptured or bumpy. (A round bead without a hole is a marble.)

a selection of round beads; these are about 15-20mm in diameter

Squash a round bead, and you get that wonderfully useful shape, the lentil. These come in two flavours, both usually made in a press: either two curved faces that meet like two bowls placed rim-to-rim, or the ‘spree’ lentil with two flat round faces and a flat edge. Also sometimes called a round tab, just to be confusing… I love lentils, there’s something so satisfying about the shape and they are very comfortable to wear!

lentils seen from the front are circular

but seen end-on, not all lentils are the same

Then there are the square or oblong shapes, also usually made with a press. There are lots of these and they go by many names. Generally, a ‘tab’ bead has two flat sides and a ‘pillow’ bead has curved ones.

Tabs are nice for bracelets because they sit flat against the skin. My favourite of all is the ‘crunch tab’ which is squished into a lovely organic shape with softly rounded corners; it hangs beautifully for a pendant, and is the one I’ve picked for the focal in my bracelet tutorial below.

left to right and top to bottom: square tab, oblong tab, oblong pillow, square pillow and crunch tab

Stretched-out beads are good for elegant pendants or the ends of a long, long lariat… they can be simple straight-sided cylinders, or rounded ovals, or a ‘barrel’ shape that’s in between the two.

left to right: oval, barrel and tube

At the opposite end of the spectrum there are hand-shaped beads of every shape imaginable: discs, nuggets, flowers, animals, space aliens, hearts…

a few interesting shapes, some of which are a fascinating challenge to incorporate into beadwork!

And then of course there are the stars of the show, the individual ‘focal’ beads, perfect miniature works of glass art. Usually sold singly, these are larger beads that can be the starting point for an entire necklace. The term ‘focal’ is more a matter of size than of shape; anything from 20mm upwards is probably big enough to be a focal in its own right. To save weight, they may be hollow, or flattened; a lentil bead takes a lot less glass than a sphere of the same diameter.

focals of various different shapes and constructions: hollow, pressed, hand-shaped

sculptural focal by Sue Reynolds

Last but not least, there are the ‘spacers’. These are the bread-and-butter beads, the ones that go in between the fancy beads in your bead set, the ones you turn to for bracelets and necklaces and earrings and tassels… Spacers vary a lot in terms of size, but they are generally quite small and can be very small indeed!

spacers from large (about 12mm) to small (about 3mm); the ones on string are an ‘earring pair’

Tutorial: Rosebud Bracelet

a simple bracelet with lampwork, glass and a little bit of bead stitching

You will need: one lampwork focal bead (mine is a crunch tab by Sandy Kelly); two lampwork spacer beads; 6 crystal bicones (4mm or 6mm); 6-8 pressed glass accent beads about 8-10mm in diameter (I’ve used two bellflowers and four ‘picasso’ firepolished rounds); seed beads in three sizes (8, 11 and 15); flexible beading wire (AKA ‘cable’ or ‘tigertail’); two sterling silver crimp beads; two sterling silver jump rings; a clasp of your choice; nylon beading thread and a beading needle; sharp scissors, crimping pliers, flat-nosed pliers and wire cutters.

You’ll make two sorts of beaded ‘spacer’ bead: a not-quite-flat disc (think Pringles) and a quick-and-easy round ‘bud’ bead. Two pringles and a bud makes a sort-of rose, if you squint…

Disc spacer

1. Thread your needle with a comfortable length of beading thread and pick up five size 11 seed beads. Tie them into a little circle with a double knot, leaving an end of thread about 10cm long.

2. Go through the first bead of the circle again. Pick up a size 15 seed bead and go through the next bead in the circle.

3. Repeat four more times; after adding the last little bead, go through two beads, so your thread is coming out of the bead you added in step 2.

4. Pick up two size 11 beads and go through the next size 15 bead.

5. Repeat four more times; after adding the last pair of beads, go through two beads, so you are coming out between the two beads of the pair you added in step 4.

6. Pick up one size 15 bead and stitch through the second bead of the pair you added in step 4.

7. Pick up two size 15 beads and stitch through the first bead of the next pair of size 11 beads.

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until all gaps are filled.

9. Note that there isn’t really quite enough room for all those extra beads, so your circle won’t lie flat any more. This is OK. Really. The crinkliness is what makes it interesting.

10. To finish off the end, go under the thread between the bead you’re coming out of and the next bead.

11. Pull gently until you have a little loop of thread.

12. Stitch through this loop and pull the knot tight – gently.

13. Repeat steps 10-12 to tie a second knot in the same place. Weave through a few more beads and trim the spare thread. Do the same with the ‘tail’ thread you left at the beginning (you don’t need to tie more knots in this one). It’s fiddly, but be patient.

14. Make a total of eight disc spacers, in whatever colours you like. They can be all the same, or you can vary the colours and pattern to keep yourself interested.

Round spacer

1. Thread your needle again and pick up a size 8 seed bead followed by a sequence of five: two size 15, one size 11, two more size 15. These five beads will form your first loop.

2. Go through the size 8 bead again. See? A loop.

3. Pick up the same sequence of five beads again, and go through the size 8 bead again (always go through in the same direction).

4. Repeat until you have 6 or 7 loops, however many you need to cover up most of the size 8 bead.

5. Carefully knot the thread, as explained for the disc spacer above, and weave through a couple more beads before trimming. This is even more fiddly (you can always use a bigger bead in the middle, though, and make the loops longer and have more of them; this technique is very adaptable) but be patient, it’ll be worth it. And you only have to make four of these.

Stringing the bracelet

1. Cut a piece of flexible beading wire a good 5cm longer than the circumference of your wrist. String the tab bead, with a crystal either side of it, then string the rest of the beads, keeping the tab bead in the middle. Your sequence can be symmetrical or random, but put size 8 seed beads between the larger beads to give flexibility.

2. String the seed beaded spacers to look vaguely like flowers: two discs and then one round.

3. Continue adding beads until your bracelet is the right length, minus the length of the clasp.

4. String a crimp bead and one more size 8, then a jump ring. Mine are ‘open’ jump rings and that might seem a bit silly, but you should always have some sort of breakpoint in a piece of jewellery that’s strung on wire like this. If it gets caught in something, you want the jump ring to pull apart before the wire cuts your wrist! And you don’t want to lose beads, either. Anyway… put the end of the wire back through the last bead, the crimp, and a couple more beads.

5. Pull everything snug together then squish the crimp with pliers or a crimping tool until it’s secure.

6. Trim the spare end of wire.

7. Repeat at the other end, making sure you pull the beads together so there’s no bare wire, but not so tight the bracelet’s rigid.

8. Attach the clasp to the jump rings.

9. Wear with pride, and enjoy the sunshine!

Happy beading,
Lynn

Members’ beads featured in this article:
Rachel Bishop http://www.etsy.com/shop/Puffafish
Helen Chalmers http://www.etsy.com/shop/helenjewellery
Helen Gorick http://www.etsy.com/shop/helengbeads
Kathryn Greer http://www.etsy.com/shop/MyPrecious
Julia Hay http://www.etsy.com/shop/Pandanimal
Sandy Kelly http://www.etsy.com/shop/flowerjasper1964
Sabine Little http://www.etsy.com/shop/littlecastledesigns
Sue Reynolds http://www.etsy.com/shop/FlamingEck
Heather Webb http://www.etsy.com/shop/BumpyBeads
Jo Wolfe http://www.etsy.com/shop/KitzbitzArtBeads

Meet the team.....

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:00:00 +0000

As FHFteam speeds towards the start of it's fourt year I thought it would be lovely to write a series of blog posts to introduce the talented members of our Etsy street team and their shops.

First up is Sarah of The Tartan Trout

Blue Raku Lentil - Handmade Lampwork Bead

This is a one of Sarah's pretty fritty focal beads. From her glass studio in beautiful North Devon Sarah makes beads that are both visually and texturally interesting and just perfect for your jewellery making projects.

Next I'd like to introduce you to Lyn of Twirly Beads

Set of encased lampwork beads

This gorgeous set of green silverglass encased beads from Lyn's shop really caught my eye. Lyn
has been making beads for about 5 years and spends as much time as possible melting glass in her garden studio in Sussex, England.

Next up is Sam of VenusArtGlass

Union Jack themed, large fused glass bowl

I have been a fan of Sam's work from the very first bead of hers I ever saw, a stunning purple goddess pendant, sleek and svelte and beautifully crafted. Sam is skilled in many different glass disciplines including casting, fusing, glass painting and lampwork bead making. The image shown here is a hand painted and fired dish with a multitude of hand painted lady birds, truly exquisite.

I hope you enjoyed this quick introduction, click the pics to go to Etsy and see more from each of our teamies.