Made

Just a few new things...
Daisy earrings in various colours

Special orange

 Purple (poi)

Leaky pen (LOVE this blue green)

And I had a little play with the enamel powder I bought for the Painting with Fire technique
Cloud

And now there are only five more sleeps until WILCO !!

Glen Hansard Rocks!

Wow the show last night was sooo kickass, it might've even kicked a Wilco shows ass!!!
Damn Glen Hansard was ferocious and intense and played FOREVER!
It may seem like my favourite show is always whichever one I saw last night haha, but this was completely above and beyond expectations.
Shit, I only found out about the show last Thursday when I saw a tiny pic of Lisa Hannigan in an inflight magazine on my way to Christchurch to empty out Grandma's house now she is settled in the resthome, (two dumpsters full, plus scored some great vintage fabric and doilies). Then I had to endure the weekend with no internet access  or ability to get a ticket until I got home on Sunday.
So I was rapt that since no one else could get off work to come with me and I only needed a single seat, I go a ticket in row CC29, which I thought was 3rd row (for two together the best seats were TT) and I happily watched Lisa's opening half hour from there until some other people showed up and told me I was in their seat and I figured out there were no rows AA or BB so I had to move up to the front row:) lol.
Lisa was sweet and beautiful and I loved the song, "Safe travels, don't die".
But Glen was AMAZING, his stories and the songs and the way he explodes then reins it back in, Holy Shit! The Frames rocked, I couldn't see the drummer due to a speaker in the way but every now and then I caught a glimpse of him going absolutely nuts, and the violin and string sections were heartbreakingly beautiful and the horn section was brilliant. and he played with and without all of the above and with Lisa, and the final song, Passing Through (Leonard Cohen) had everyone clapping and stomping with encouragement from Glen ("at least just uncross your arms" haha). And he led them all in a procession to the back of the Town hall in an atmosphere which felt like a mix between Ireland and New Orleans! He said the aim was to have that simple tune in our heads as we went home, it's still in mine today and I'm still buzzing:) And when the procession wended back past me and Glen was right beside me I couldn't help but yell, "YOU ROCK!" and he turned around and looked directly at me with a huge smile and said "Tank You" UH!
They didn't finish til right on midnight, over 3 hours, not counting Lisa, and I ended up hugging the guys I was siting next to because it felt like we'd bonded from being such a part of a wonderful experience!
I have to go check Youtube:) Well nothing there, yet, but I do have a few pics

Wallpaper eggs

I've been making a few big hole beads each session lately and putting them aside for Fiona at Tutukaka gallery.  They've been sitting in water waiting for me to clean the bead poo out of the holes, I looked at  them the other day and thought how they're much brighter threy are than I often use, (that Special Orange is still a favourite). Funnily enough I just got an email from Fi requesting a top up, and specifically in bright colours:)

I've been a bit lost as to what else I feel like making recently and have had a couple of sessions with nothing coming out particularly inspired or interesting to me.
I think I've overcome the lull though, I love these raked dot eggs beads in reactive colour, they remind me of 60's or 70's wallpaper patterns

I just got a package from Thompson Enamels too so now I can start playing with torch firing enamel on copper! Exciting!!

Wilco will love you baby!

Framed up my new Wilco poster which my darling Sam just happened to find falling off a wall for me!

Looks great in my kitchen along with one from their last tour here and my Kotche drumstick

Still on the hunt for the '08 NZ tour, love my T-shirt from that show though, can't wear it much anymore for fear of it falling apart

although it is much better quality than the one I got in 2010

Can't hardly wait for the Auckland AND Wellington shows in April :)

I heart orange

More hearts, with... Orange:) The middle one in a colour called Celadon, developed an air bubble which popped and made  a hole I decided I liked and so I left it there.

With Pea green, didn't notice the extra little blob of orange on the upper left until I looked at the photo.

This one in Dark sky blue (love the Wilco song Sky blue sky haha) has a yuck grey haze over it, turquoise does the same. I'd read on Lampwork Etc it can be removed with a soak in Coca Cola or Toilet Cleaner!! Also advice to soak in jewellery pickle, not pickle juice which I was just about to do before I read the whole sentence lol. 

Exuberant colour

A long time ago my favourite colour was purple, then for some unknown reason it changed to green. Whenever I have a container full of my beads there is an obvious predominance of blues and greens, especially transparent or translucent blue,s greens, purples.
I've rarely felt like using opaques, (other then ivory or sediment bases) and pretty much steered clear of primary colours altogether.
Lately though I've been lured by the beauty of Special Orange, which has led to further dabbling with opaque red, yellow, green.  I think it's a gateway colour:)

 

These disc flowers I've made a few times recently, great for earrings threaded on to hoops. I made Purple, Twilight Jungle and a few others, but the orange are definitely the happiest!

I love how it offsets Sky Blue on this heart, I have more colourful  hearts in the kiln tonight.

And then I started mixing it up in these 'fiesta' big hole beads which remind me of Mexico and also ended up triangular because they have three spots each.

Creative Trade

So my trade with Megan of Megan Mae Daily is complete, She wore the fish necklace I sent her with a super cute outfit here...
 http://www.meganmaedaily.com/2013/01/with-fishes.html

and I put some of her gorgeous button flowers and obi belt together to brighten my favourite denim

I love them so much, I also put a green one on my brown corduroy hat and still need to accessorise whippet collars with some next:)