Upcoming Event

Next weekend, Saturday November 13, I will be a vendor at a cool local event sponsored by Vancouver Green Drinks. The first Annual Check' em off, Green Holiday Gift Event will be a holiday version of the Recycled Arts Festival. The bazaar of locally made, recycled, reused gifts will be at Marshall Community Center, 1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd. in Vancouver, 12-5pm. 


Check out this blog for more information about  this event. 
http://reusing.blogspot.com/p/green-your-holiday.html

September 12th Belmont Street Fair

On September 12th I was a vendor at the Belmont Street Fair in Portland. It was a gorgeous, sunny Sunday after a week of rain. I had a great spot right on Belmont near the Tao of Tea. It was such a great time. I sold a lot of things and talked with lots of friendly people. I was even witness to several wedddings perfromed at the Mobile Chapel of Love, that temporarily set up in front of my booth.  I look forward to taking part in more street fairs next summer!

September North Bank Artists Gallery Show

This bracelet featured in the North Bank show has one red dot strategically placed in the black and white design of the bead. 

This is a neclace featuring some of my largest lampwork beads, it was also in the "White and Black" show. 

The texture of these beads is an interesting feature of this bracelet.

My work was selected into the annual juried show at the North Bank Artists Gallery in Vancouver. The theme was White and Black. I created three pieces, the first two were selected to be featured in the gallery during September. It was fun to play with the design aspect of the beads. With all of the work I have been doing with beer and wine glass, I miss the fun I can have with design details.


It was exciting to visit the show opening on Friday, September 3rd and see my work among the other pieces selected to be part of the show. 

New: Wine Leaf Beads

Leaves from a shiraz bottle on small, sterling hoops.

After the Recycled Arts Festival last month, I have been enjoying some time away from the torch. I am excited however about a new tool, a "leaf masher"!  I have been making leaves from wine and beer glass and am having fun experimenting with how the masher shapes the leaves. Like in nature, each leaf is looking quite different, so pairing leaves up for earrings is a challenge. I also got a new shipment of beads and findings, so I will be trying out some new designs this weekend at the Overlook Village Festival on Killingsworth, on Saturday in Portland. 

What a weekend!

    The Clark County Recycled Arts Festival was such a great time. The weather was incredible and the people were so friendly. Organizers estimate 15,000 people attended. I had a great time explaining how I have been making beads from old bottles.  

    In addition to seeing amazing creations by the vendors, there was excellent entertainment on stage, craft activities for kids and education about recycling throughout the event. It was great to hear people commenting on the signs that were posted around the sidewalks which gave interesting facts about recycling. I think many people walked away with great items purchased from vendors, and also an appreciation of little things we can do each day to conserve resources and protect the environment. As a person who was born and raised in Clark County, I was proud that such a great event takes place here.

    I sold many pairs of earrings, some that will travel as far as both Boston and Toronto.  This was my first outdoor event in over 2 years. It was so much fun...I am looking forward to my next event. 

A look at my display and bottles (including the cats)  that will become future beads.

This is my display of large hole bead sets. 

Check out this blog!

At the Recycled Arts Festival a lady asked me how I made my beads and took some pictures of my work. She then told me about her blog and plans to include me and my work in her blog post about the event. 




Check out the post about the Recycled Arts Festival...my work is featured as "Lesson Number 8" that blogger Kaitlin Smith learned at the event: Wine bottles recycled into jewelry can be way more interesting than gemstones.




Thanks Kaitlin! Here is a link to Southwest Washington Zest: Celebrating People, Places and the Good Life in SW Washington State. www.southwestwashingtonzest.com

New Pieces for this Weekend

This bracelet features 33 beads made from beer and wine bottle glass with some clear beads made from a salsa jar. In between the handmade beads are brown irridescent brown beads that really accent the colors of the upcycled glass. 

The necklace was made with vintage, black, cut glass beads, brown irridescent beads and five large hand-torched beads from beer and wine bottle glass. 

Big Hole Beads

I finally have enough large holed beads to create some nice sets for bracelets. These beads will fit Pandora, Biagi, Brighton and other build-a-bracelet styles. Currently I only offer unlined, but in the future plan to line them with sterling silver. 

Pinot Grigio Bottle Beads

All of the beads I have made from this bottle are filled with tiny little bubbles, which seem to add an extra sparkle to the beads. There is a faint tint of blue green in the glass. 

Salsa Jar Beads

These beads were made from glass from an old salsa jar. I like the combination of the copper and sterling silver accented with black. 

Tequila Bottle Earrings

My sister gave me an empty bottle from Cabo Wabo Tequila after her annual Cinco De Mayo party. It was the most vibrant color of teal. I thought these brightly colored beads accented the color and spirit of the glass. 

Chardonnay Bottle Earrings

Finally a sunny day when I can take some pictures! These beads were created from an old chardonnay bottle. These are among the earrings that I will feature this weekend at the Recycled Arts Festival in Esther Short Park.

Blue Upcycled beads

I finally got to work with the blue bottle glass! The beads on the left were from an Italian sparkling Pinot Grigio. On the right are from a bright teal Cabo Wabo tequila bottle. 

This picture shows the beads still on the stainless steel mandrel coated in bead release. Bead release is like a muddy clay that the mandrels are dipped in so that the molten glass doesn't stick to the mandrel. When you take the bead off of the mandrel, that is where the hole is. Sometimes people think the hole has been drilled in the bead...the hole is simply where the mandrel was. 

In addition to be being excited about the blue glass, I was also just happy to be able to take pictures today. Most of my latest photos are taken outdoors in bright sunlight. Well, we have had 20 days of straight rain and cloudy weather...not unusual for Clark County.....in the FALL! Today is the first day of dry, blue sky, so I took advantage and got some photos taken. 

This afternoon, I am soaking the label off a Pinot Grigio bottle that is faint, teal green color. I think it will look nice combined with some of the blue beads shown in this picture. 

Textured Beads

For the last week or so, I have been experimenting with adding texture to beads. After I take the bead out of the flame of my torch, I then roll the bead over different textured surfaces before popping them into the kiln to cool.  I was so excited to see what the combinations look like, I just strung them together on a stretchy cord. I think they look pretty cool. I really like the look of the organic color mix of the various wine and beer bottles. 

Bottle Buttons

Here are some buttons fresh out of the kiln. I will be trying out some new styles of buttons with bottle glass for the Recyled Arts Festival. 

OCAC JEWELRY SALE

The sale was a success. It was an amazing array of handcrafted jewelry, and I couldn't resist doing a little shopping myself.

Riveted Rings

I am very pleased with the look of these unique rings. I used beer and wine bottles and even a salsa jar to make these beads. The beads are riveted onto the sterling silver bands. Some of the bands have been aged to highlight the texture of the band.

New Work With Upcycled Bottle Glass

Here are some more examples of my latest work. I like the look of hammered copper or the aged look of sterling silver silver with the earthy tones of the upcycled glass beads.

These hammered copper hoops are accented beer bottle beads.

The hammered copper bead caps hug the green wine bottle beads on these hoops.

Recycled Arts Festival June 26/27

I am so excited to be a vendor at the 5th Annual Recycled Arts Festival in Vancouver's Esther Short Park. This awesome event is Saturday and Sunday June 26 & 27. Check out the website for more information about entertainment and other vendors. I am looking forward to showcasing my new work featuring beads made from glass pulled from the recycling bin.

http://www.recycledartsfestival.org/

OCAC JEWELRY SALE

This weekend some of my pieces will be featured at the Oregon College of Art and Craft annual jewelry sale. The sale helps fund visiting artists who present metal working workshops.

Beer Bottle Ring

The large disc bead was made from a recycled beer bottle. The hammered, sterling silver band was given a patina finish. 

Recycled Glass Beads

Since December I have been busy creating a new look for my designs. I have been working exclusively with recycled or upcylced wine and beer bottles....giving them a new life as lampwork beads in jewelry.

I have also been taking a metal working class at the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts. I am now incorporating handmade earwires and rings into my designs. I am proud of the new look that I am experimenting with and hope that my designs will find their way to many happy wearers.