Let's try something NEW....

Wow over two weeks since I blogged, I could tell you we were on holiday, but that’s not so, I could tell you I was busy with family, well that could be true, I could tell you a whole bunch of reasons for not blogging, but mostly I have to say I was just plain lazy…I was making beads & teaching classes, seeing movies (Must see Inception & Salt, both good)…buying a bunch of new glass related goodies which I will list below…we also attended Grace & Frank’s (my friends & studio partners) daughter’s wedding which was awesome…the whole day was lovely & it felt like there was a lot of love & romance in the air, check out some of the photos on our studio’s blog at www.Gracefulstucoms.blogspot.com Grace used a cool program called Smile Box to do a slide show of the wedding photos which is rather cool...

I have been adding new beads every other day, so there are a lot of new beads to check out in my etsy shop, more to come every day or so…

what I am most excited about this week is using Copper Cut Outs from Katie of Katie Lee Designs in my beads, they are so very cool, I have used copper wire and copper mesh in my beads before, but not cut outs, these are just perfect, I just love the fact that Katie is making these for us to use, the cost is very reasonable too, you get a bag of 25 cut outs perfectly sized for use in beads for use under $3.00, she has a tons of designs…below is a photo of one of my new beads with two of her cut outs…I love them…you will too…

Speaking of new glass goodies, check out the new frit book from our friend Val Cox, called Frit Secrets-Condensed, this is a abbreviated version of the original Frit Secrets by Val Cox, which is the best companion for all frit users & lovers…while you are at it check out her great frit too...

Last new item, not new, but just a reminder that Graceful Studios is now selling the ever popular Squeeze me Right Mashers in the new larger size named Big Brother Mashers, check them out I have one of every masher they make and love them all….also don’t repeat this it’s a secret but a new masher is being developed as we speak…

Now for the winner of last time I had a bead for giveaway goes to Stefanies Sammelsurim from Germany…please send your address…for this week I have the delectable set of 3 beads olive green encased silvered ivory organic beads with a copper cut out leaf on each side…ready for fall or any other time of the year…enter to win this set by making a comment on this post or sending me an email at

A quick reminder that Heather Trimlet & Pati Walton’s classes are coming up fast and I think Pati’s class is full but we are taking names for the our waiting list…need more info check out our blog or send us email Jelveh or Grace…

Thanks for stopping by…life is GOOD…

Jelveh

Peace

Can you Believe what she said...?????

Hi all, dont you love email marketing? now that I have your attention...I just wanted to say sorry for the silence, been busy getting ready for Turkey & fighting a sinus cold thing...its the weather I tell, its cold one day, sunny one day & wet the next...I am confused, its the end of May already....where is my sunshine...ok enough weather talk, life is good here, lets get to the beads...

I made tons of beads, all kinds of beads, big ones, little ones, fishy ones, flower ones, you name it, I made it, I even made a shirt & a skirt bead...more on them later...I have listed many of them in my etsy shop...some are sample beads I am taking to my class in Turkey...so they will not be listed, not yet anyway...so below is a photo of most of them together...

Beauty Contest...some of you may remember that I used run a beauty contest every few months, where you sent in photos of jewelry or art pieces made with my beads & then I had Fire Mountain Gem vote on the best one, so we are doing it again, this contest will start sometime in mid to late June, I will post photos on to the blog as they start arriving, & it will go until the 15th of Aug...Rules are simple, the piece has to included my glass beads or bead...1st place will get a $100.00 gift cert. to my etsy shop, 2nd place will get a $50.00 gift cert. & 3rd place will get a $25.00 one...please make sure your photos are nice and clear...after all your name will be on them...you can start sending photos in now, but officially the contest will not start until mid June...

New Tools, ok as you know I dont talk about a tool unless I love it...last week I ordered and got in the mail very fast a disk shape bead roller from Donna Fleckner of CGBeadRollers I got the disk one and she kindly sent me a sample one to take to my class in Turkey, which I am giving away to one of my students as a gift in one of the bead challenges that I do in class...now mind you this tool is not new, Donna has been selling these for a few years now, but its new to me...I love love love using these rollers, there is a set that I have listed today that was made entirely with the sample bead roller which Donna gives away monthly to one of her lucky buyers...check it out when you get a chance...

Last week's two small focal beads goes to our own Brenda H. Thanks for palying all...for this week, I have this yummy new focal bead made with some silver glass & my new frit Tempest Rain (which will be available for sale in my shop soon) enter to win this bead by making a comment on this post...

Thanks for stopping by, life is good, my brother is doing well...oh yeah I forgot to mention I turned 46 wow 46, getting awfully close to that 50 mark...hubby got me an Ipad for my birthday, took me to Monterrey to the beach, there is also a message scheduled, he is so very cool...thanks hubby...on the way back, I had to stop by the studio to pick my beads from yesterday & share with Grace yet another new tool I got in the mail yesterday (which I will share next time), I walk in to the studio and all these people say Surprise, Grace had gone stealth & put together a great party with all kinds of Glassy friends & A strawberry short cake "cake". Ice cream, a banana cream pie, candles & champagne, she is so so sweet...I could not ask for better friends & family like these in my life, I am such a lucky girl & all I have to say is I am thankful for all the love in my life...you are all the best... oh yes forgot to mention, very soon, you will see more yummy tools from Graceful Customs...in the next update I will explain more...

Jelveh

Peace

Mother's Day Blues & New Beads...

Hope you had a great Mother's day...we missed seeing all of our mom's today...for one thing I have been sick since our last adventure this past Mon to Wed to Los Vegas...Hubby had some work to do, I went along for some fun...my sister reminds me that if I listened to her I would not get sick every time I fly...something about airborn....I did call all the mom's however & made plans to make it up to them...
oh yeah trip to sin city was fun, we stayed at the brand new very modern Aria Resort & Hotel with views of the strip...

I did had some fun making some beads before we left, below is the group shot of what I am listing by 7pm Monday night 5/10/10 in my etsy shop...check them out...already listed few of the Tempest Rain beads, the Bird Nest, the Lady Bug, Flower implosion & I forget but there is more...

A few of the beads I made this week have my brand new, possibly someday for sale, yummy frit which I call Tempest Rain...oh what a fun she is...the lucky students in my class in Turkey will all get a bag of this yummy frit among other goodies, don't forget the dates are May 30 to June 12, Glass Furnace...I will be teaching two 5 day classes...each will be filled with a ton of new information & detailed design ideas for making yummy glass beads...I wish I had been able to take this class a few years ago when I was just new at bead making...well enough about how great this class is going to be, see you there...

Speaking of seeing you there, this coming Friday we will have our monthly get together MGT at Graceful Customs, make sure to go past the calander on the blog to see the post about this coming Friday...and yes its true Grace has been practising her bead making, she is doing, I dont know about my being patient however, I can be a real task master when it comes to teaching, but I am fun, or at least I have been told I am fun in class...anyway come join us for some fun at the torch, wire wrapping demo by Jen, fused glass groove maker demo by Grace & I will make a few vessels & blow some shards, you can play on a torch too, bring your art to show, share & sell...drawing for a gift at 6pm or so...oh yeah Frank is working on some yummy new tools too, come see the new Squeeze-Me-Right-Masher in action...it may not be sexy, but it works like a charm, plus sexy cost more money & this tool is functional, clean, small, nice to hold, great to mash with & did I mention at $28.00 its a steal...& yes its not sexy...IMHO.

Last week's yummy pink focal goes to Penny...please send your address, also Nikki, I did not get your addy yet for the week before...for this week the giveaway is made of two beads, I was testing some new colors & frits with older ones...the results are very yummy, the cone is about 25mm long, the tab is about 23mm which I made with my brand new Frit, Tempest Rain...love them both, enter to win them by making a comment on this post...

Well as always I am sure there is more to tell, like how I am going crazy packing & getting ready for my big trip to Turkey...but will catch up later...

Thanks for stopping by...life is good, save for this nasty oil in the gulf business, my heart goes out to the planet & the animals & all the folks who live in the affected areas...I hope you all have a great week...
Jelveh
Peace

Life is good...New Beads...

Hi all, hope you are doing well...life is good around here too, my brother is recovering well...I am busy & getting ready for my teaching trip to Turkey late May early June...there is a few spaces left in both classes if you are interested..send me an email for more information, also the link to the class is on the right hand side of this blog...

Also do you remember the awesome Bracelet Kelli Burns made with my beads that was entered in Bead Style Magazine well it won the contest, I know I am bad, but I forgot to mention that it had won...so now it is going to be featured in the July issue which will be out in early June...cool beans for Kelli & I...thanks again Kelli for making such a yummy bracelet...

I have some new yummy beads for you in my etsy shop...I have 35 beady items in my shop now...will be adding a few more in the next few days as well...check them out in the photo above...

Last weekend Graceful Studios we held another great class, this time in Rock Carving...I stopped by for a visit & took some photos, sadly I was not able to take the class due to family obligations...but will try next time Ron & Carmen are in town...see Ron & Carmen's work on their site

The feedback is coming in on the best masher I have ever used, everyone loves it...check out this new awesome tool Squeeze-Me-Right-Masher & get yours now, worth every penny & more...

The yummy focal & friend set from last week goes to Nikki, send your address girl...for this week I have the retro pink focal bead above, I love the way it came out...enter to win it by making a comment on this post...

There is more to tell, but time is short, need sleep, thanks for stopping by...life is good, save for that big mess of oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico...so sad watching it all happen...we need to care more about our home & what we do to it...
OH stand by for a new contest on the blog...your designs with my beads....

Jelveh
Peace

More Implosions & A New Tool...

Hi all, hope you had a great week...mine was mostly lazy, I know you don't hear me say that too often, I always have so much going on, well this past week was pretty calm around here...the big events of our weekend was taking in some much needed sunshine & seeing the movie Kick Ass, which by the way is a great movie but not recommended for all, its violent & serious, unlike its name, even though the main characters are kids, it is not, I repeat, it is NOT a kids movie...

Yes I finally listed all my beads, I do have a couple of more implosions to list yet, that will come later tonight...but most everything is up, a couple of birds nests beads I made sold already today...I listed more of my new Implosion beads too...I just love making them...check it all out in my etsy shop... dont forget until the end of April you get the TRP promotion discount of $10.00 when you purchase 2 or more bead goodies at the same time from my shop, just put TRP in the note to seller & I will send you a refund via paypal...

Here is a group shop of them...all Squeezed with my favortie new masher... save for the large lentil one...

An awesome new Tool from Grace & Frank, this one is called the Squeeze-Me-Right Masher... ok like many of you I have a large pair of BBQ mashers on my bench, I have been using mine for years...however when I first tried Frank's new mashers I was blown away by how easy it was to work with...I now find my old mashers too big & not very comfortable to use...The Squeeze-Me-Right Masher is smaller & easier to use, I find that the actual paddles are the best part about it, the thickness of them gives the tool a property I have yet to see other mashers have, the other ones are all too thin in that area, so you have to mash a few times to get the results you want, with this one there seems more power with less of a push from your hands if that makes sense, its really fast & easy, I figured out its the paddle size & the way the handle works...really its the mind of the Engineer Frank, he kind of gets in to a tool & figures out how it needs to work, then he makes it to do just that...anyway don't take my word for it, try one out for your self...the coolest thing is I have paid anywhere from $125.00 to $40.00 for my mashers (yest I have a few) well this one is only $28.00 and its better made than any other I have had...

The studio is busy this weekend with Carmen & Ron's awesome Rock Carving class...sorry the class is already full, but they will be back again, we just love them...by the way we are taking suggestions for new classes at the studio for next year...

Last week's much talked about Flower implosion bead goes to Gail, please send your address girl...for this week I have a large focal & a friend bead with some Bali Silver spacers...its an aqua tab bead, the first one I mashed with The Squeeze-Me-Right Masher with a ton of stringers & raku dots, some bubble eyes & a matching friend...enter to win it by making a comment on this post...

Thanks for stopping by...life is very good, my brother is doing really well after his 3rd surgery in less than a month's time, my advise to you is never ever damage your Achilles Tendon, the road to putting back right can be very scary & dangerous...he is brave & is doing great...

Jelveh
Peace