Chrysalis Lampwork Bead Pendants

Oh my, sometimes I just get into something, whether it makes sense or not! Right now it's what I call 'chrysalis' beads. I'm going to say that these are representational beads. They are not meant to be perfect reproductions of any type of chrysalis, but rather the idea of a chrysalis. I don't like to attribute any special meanings or powers to my work. I'll leave that up to you!.

So here goes- what are these beads all about? Well, the first one was really an accident. I made this wild bead and decided it looked pretty cocoon-y. Months later I decided to try something like it again. And then there was a competition I wanted to enter that I decided would be perfect for a chrysalis of some kind.

I worked on a lot of different styles- some of them actually pretty accurate, and finally settled on the style of the red one on the left as being what I wanted. Of course I was not chosen, but I had a lot of fun working on these.

There is something about these pendants that really appeals to me. I have kind of a mental list of attributes that I like to include- twirly bits, raised bumps here and there, a bit of wing on one side to give an idea of what's inside, lines around one end, raked colors. All of these things are to give that bumpy, odd chrysalis idea and a feeling that there is something just about ready to burst forth.

I know not everyone will 'get' these, but I have been really happy with feedback I've gotten from folks. When people purchase them for family members who are going through a period of renewal, I am truly honored. So here is a pile of my most recent chrysalis beads...

Color / Colour- Les Couleurs Focus on Life Week 17

Today, we will quote from the immortal words of Kermit the Frog-

"Why are there so many songs about rainbows
and what's on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,
and rainbows have nothing to hide.
So we've been told and some choose to believe it.
I know they're wrong, wait and see.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that every wish would be heard
and answered when wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of that and someone believed it.
Look what it's done so far.
What's so amazing that keeps us star gazing
and what do we think we might see?
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

All of us under its spell. We know that it's probably magic. "

OK- kind of a goofy song, and who knows what it really means, but color is such an important part of what we do every day- it can make us feel happy or sad, the difference in light can make a day dreary or lively, it influences us whether we are paying attention or not! I was getting ready to make a kind of blue/ aqua deep sea creature pendant, and then I looked at the colors that were already on the table and saw how lovely they looked together, thought of the prompt for this week and went off on a bit of a tangent. So here you go! 

And end with the words of Henri Matisse:

Seek the strongest color effect possible.. the content is of no importance.


Want to hear more colorful thoughts? Start at Sally's Blog!

Hearts!

I've just been ignoring my blog-no fun lampwork posts for a while. So I'm just going to show off a few hearts. I love arranging beads into fun shapes. The heart that sits at about 2 minutes to twelve is my fave of this bunch- lots of odd color reactions!

I'm always so excited when one of my beads is featured anywhere. One of my masks was chosen for the 'Show Me Sunday' Art Bead Scene.

You can sign up to receive their daily blog posts- lots of fun ideas, mini tuts and a monthly challenge. So go check it out to keep abreast of things in the world of art beads!

Lucky Elephants

When I first started making elephant beads, I was told by a number of folks that the trunks needed to be upraised to make them lucky. As a matter of fact, many people did not want them unless their trunks were in this position. Now I have never tried to attach meaning to any of my beads. Though I know some folks use them as amulets or talismans, I feel that attributing value to them is a personal thing. But- my elephants do all have their wee trunks pointing up into the air now- just in case!
But where did all of this begin? Why upturned trunks? What's the big dealie bobber (as we used to say)? Well, as it turns out, it looks like it's another American-ism. Though the lucky elephant charm idea most likely originated in India, it was a combination of the Indian elephant charm and interest in the white elephants of Thailand that somehow led to the US decree that only elephants with upraised trunks were lucky. It's all a part of popular culture folk-magic. And who knew there was such a thing?
Want to read a bit more about all of this? Here's an interesting little article with links to more info about elephants and other lucky charms.

Trial ( & Error) !

When a customer asks for something special- like a pendant to match a pair of earrings- I always try to give‘em what they want. But sometimes it ends up being a LOT harder than I thought it would.

Recently I had a customer who wanted just that- pendant and earring set. I looked at the earrings and thought ‘can do!’ I knew exactly which colors I would need, and even had the earrings in my hand to refer to. But none of that seemed to make a lot of difference.
The first two were nice enough, but the rubino oro just took over. I didn’t even want to show those to the customer, so I tried again. Still a nice bead, but where did all the periwinkle I added go? And the pink was nearly non-existent. 

One more chance was all I had- the gas was running out, and I was getting ready to move (yes, again….). Finally I got a couple of choices made that actually matched the earrings nicely- my customer made her choice, the gas ran out, and I hit the road! Now what to do with all those other pendants…..?

Portal bead goes to Austria

One of my portal beads is the focal for this lovely piece, made by Marianne Cornelius (see link below)
It is made of woven silver wire with garnets.
Marianne paints some wonderful watercolors, as well as making some very nice jewelry pieces. I have no idea how she found my beads on etsy, but I'm glad she did!
The neckpiece is currently on display at this gallery in Vienna, Austria- http://www.spiegelgasse8.com/ 
I am always so excited to have something of mine travel to another country, and having Marianne use one of my beads as a focal to be displayed in a gallery in Vienna of all places was doubly exciting!

Please go here to see more of Marianne's wonderful work:
http://www.mariannecornelius.com/