Making Shipping Boxes

I am hoping these photos are rather self-explanatory. In an effort to reuse and recycle, and to keep shipping costs at a minimum, I have resorted to making boxes for shipping out of clean cardboard such as cereal and cracker boxes. I'm posting this here now because my daughter just made her first etsy sale in her shop, and I thought she might could use the instructions. No words, just follow the folding (and cutting) hands! Tape it up and away you go!
By the way, this box goes inside a bubble mailer- I don't feel it is sturdy enough to ship on its own. After all, I'm shipping glass (whether my postal person seems to believe me or not...). As someone pointed out, now you can make the boxes whatever size you need. Whoops- an important piece of information I forgot- if you are using delivery confirmation and mailing by first class mail, your package must be at least 3/4 inch tall, so make sure your box and the bubble mailer add up to that. Otherwise you will have to pay for priority mail. I don't make the rules.......

Let's Twistie Again!

Well another blind idea came to me the other day. What if I made twisties and offered them for sale? I fired up the torch and made a small pile, put a picture on facebook and waited to see who said what. Lots of 'likes', which I always like, and one lovely pal who asked if they were for sale. And I'm off! Twisties for sale- a few at a time in random color assortments for the moment. A lot of the combinations contain colors that may react with each other depending on the background used and the amount of heat applied- edp, copper green, intense black- things like that. I used some scraps in this turtle and let them cook a bit for a cool organic reaction.
I love making beads, have been doing it for about 12 years, and am fairly confident that I'm doing some things right in that category. But making supplies to sell? All those scary monsters I thought were locked away in some closet started sitting over my shoulder and saying- no, no, no, you shouldn't be doing this! They're still talking to me, but I'm giving it a bit of a try anyway.

Everything I sell is always guaranteed, but these are doubly so. They have to arrive intact, and the buyer has to like them! If not, keep 'em and I eat the cost. Oh and I want feedback too- real feedback, not the kind you get on etsy. Any and all ideas will be happily considered.

Ignition: My First Beads

Well, I've not participated in a blog hop before, but this sounded like too much fun to pass up! So here, I am participating in the Art Jewelry Elements Blog Hop - follow the link at the bottom of this post to see all the other great blogs!

Everyone, no matter what they make, had to start somewhere. And often it seems we don't get much beyond the start- frustration, lack of time, no matter the reason, I can't even remember all of the things I have started to learn and just never gotten anywhere with.

But lampwork beads- that's another story. Like so many others who have tried out this wonderful craft, it seemed from the start that I couldn't get enough. First I think it was the pure determination of trying to make a bead that was- well, sort of round. And then there were so many other shapes to try. I actually gave the kit to my daughter for Christmas when she was 16- about 13 years ago- but when she went off to college a little over a year later, it was mine, all mine! For some strange reason, they didn't allow torches in dorm rooms- who knew! I had a book, a torch, some tools, some glass and some time; add an empty nest to all those supplies and what else was I to do?!

Anyway, these are some of my early beads- I don't remember how long I had been making beads, but I know these were from my first year. The only reason I still have them is because I gave them to my mother when she was first falling into dementia. She used to worry them and restring them all the time. Now they have sentimental value. These beads have been well loved- covered with food, licked, worn- I like to think my mother understood that they were made by her wacky daughter even after she could no longer speak.

The mask is from a year or two later. They have progressed a lot since then, but this one has a little something that still makes it dear to me.


And today's beads? Well, I would be mortified if I made beads that were so wonky with jagged ends these days. Those babies generally get tossed into the nearest body of water for some later archaeological midden fun!
Here's a 'modern' mask and a pendant.

Wing-y Earrings

 After the winglet I posted in my etsy shop the other day got such nice comments, I decided to try making a pair of mini winglets for earrings. But my mind is spinning with questions.
First- Should the hole be this size or should it be a lot bigger? In other words, should the hole be more a part of the design of the bead? The holes on these are much larger than on a regular bead, but I get the feeling that they could be even larger.
Second- How should these be bailed? Just a jump ring through the hole, or more like these leaf earrings? Doing them like the leaves leads me to the next question.
Third- Which way are earrings like this supposed to face? I've always bailed them so that they face the front- parallel to the front of the face. But I have seen earrings that face the side- perpendicular to the face. Which is correct?
Fourth- these are a little bit different in size. One is a bit wider. I'm passing them, but wonder what others think.

I'm open to ideas and suggestions about how to make these babies work!