Tutorial News.....Making Lime Murrini

I've just put the finishing touches on my very first lampwork tutorial for sale. It's a step by step tute on how to make my complex composite half circle lime murrini. It is aimed at intermediate skill level. Here are a few of taster pictures.

Available Via Payhip as an automatic download

Buy eBook

 

Tutorial details: 37 pages, 135 images, 6.2 MB and written in English

This eBookteaches you how to make my signature semi-circular lime murrini slices. There are 66 step by step images for this project accompanied by written instructions. This tutorial is aimed at for intermediate to advanced lampworkers and is not Hot Head friendly, a kiln is also required.

There are also 3 bonus tutorials

Amoeba beads for Beads of Courage
My favourite vine cane recipe
Chocolate Limes with the Kati was here! La Patisserie press
(which shows how to use pictorial murrini as raised decoration).


Jolene x


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Mini Mo December 2012 - Hermie and Sammy Seahorse

My fist Mini Mo' collection for December includes two kinds of yummy aquarium murrini. First up are some wonderfully detailed Hermit Crabs paired with lovely Scallop Shell murrini. I have  used Effetre Carrot Red 424, Dark Ivory, Coral 420, Green Olive transparent 025 and Lime Green 419.

This ready to wear sea themed necklace shows what the Hermit Crab Murrini look like under encasement. I have made a trio of necklaces in this style using a mix of all four of my new aquarium murrini.

This set of handmade coin shaped beads shows the Crabs and Scallop Shell murrini as raised decoration. I have used CiM Peachy Keen and CiM Count von Count as my base colours.

There is also a new short free tutorial on applying figurative murrini as raised decoration, you can see it here.

My third bead image for this collection shows a few of my bracelet beads with twistie cores form my Harry Mini Mo'. The twistie has been thickly encased and the beads further decorated with layers and layers or tiny dots.

My second collection for December is also sea themed. This time I have made tiny green Seahorse murrini and teamed them up with Conch Shell murrini. This glass work has been created using Effetre Lime Green 212, Green Olive Transparent and Dark Ivory along with Effetre Chocolate Brown.

Here is another of my ocean themed necklaces, this one shows a Sammy Seahorse murrini under a layer of Effetre 006 encasement.

The second set I want to show you today are these scrummy Seahorse and Conch coin beads where the murrini has been left as raised detail as shown in my recent blog tutorial.

This last picture shows a set of 6 twistie cored bracelet beads using the canes from Sammy Seahorse Mini Mo'. They each contain wraps of twistie over and Effetre clear core which has been thickly encased. I have decorated each further with layered dots and hearts


Jolene x

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Zoozii tab trio press and applying figurative murrini as raised decoration

In this tutorial I will be showing you a nice way to use the Zoozii slim straight sided lentil  trio (tab) press and a Zoozii wave texture plate (pictured above) on the reverse side if these beads to add a little interest and sparkle to the finished bead. Most of the instructions on how to apply the figurative (picture) murrini will be in text rather than images as I found it quite impossible to take pictures whilst holding both mandrel and tweezers - maybe when I get round to making a tutorial on encased figurative murrini I will try and rope in my lovely and patient OH to take some snaps.

Step 1

Lay out some murrini ready to use.  It will save you time and make things easier later if you put them all face side up and turn them the same way round as you would like to lay them on a bead. I am not pre-warming these murrini as they are quite small, all less than 6mm which I find work fine without for me. Anything larger than 6mm will likely require pre-warming on a hot plate (or mug warmer) or failing that on top of your kiln or a torch top marver prior to use. Make sure you have your murrini sitting in a place where you do not have to reach in front of the flame to reach them.

Step 2

Prepare your press base, put in a place on your work surface where you will feel comfortable working with it, close to your torch but not where you will not have to reach in front of the flame to use it. This will save you moving it about later with the hot bead that you are wanting to press in your hand.

Step 3

Warm your mandrel and add 2 or 3 small wraps of glass side by side.

Step 4

Roll out the wraps of glass on a graphite tile, with a graphite paddle or on a torch top marver to form an even cylinder shape.

Step 5

Measure up your  cylinder against the cavity in the handle of your press. If your cylinder was a little short like mine is here, warm it up until glowing and roll it out some more. You need your base to be about 1mm short of the full width of your press.

Step 7

Wrap second layer of glass around the middle 2/3 of your base cylinder. Warm the whole bead until glowing.

Step 8

Press your hot bead in to the cavity on the handle part of your press, turn it over and then press the other side too.

Step 9

Add a very small dot of glass to the top and bottom of your bead and then heat the whole bead until glowing.

Step 10

Place your bead in the base of your press and align the top with the base and make your final press with both parts of the tab trio

Step 11

Flame polish out any chill marks cause during the pressing process and then heat one face of your bead until glowing.

Step 12

Press the glowing side of your bead down firmly onto your texture plate.

Step 13

Next turn your torch down a bit and spot heat the non textured side of your bead until glowing brightly. Pick up your picture murrini with long nose tweezers or murrini hemostats and place it firmly on the  glowing area of your bead. This should be done outside of the flame. I tend not to flash picture murrini smaller than 6mm through the flame as they are cut so thinly that they seem to cope well enough without.

Lastly heat the surface of the murrini gently in the top of a low flame to flame polish, pat gently once, quickly flame polish again. Turn your torch back up and the flame bathe your entire bead in the top of the flame then pop it in the kiln.


These lovely little CiM Dirty Martini Seahorses anlong with my new range of aquarium murrini are now all available in my Etsy supplies shop.

Jolene x

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Decembers winner is............

I'm doing the random draw a day later than planned but I am pleased to be announce that the winner of my December giveaway is.....

Kelsey Chen

Thank you to everyone who left me a comment last month, watch this space another giveaway soon, Jolene x

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Christmas Murrini Gallery...........

Good morning, a little post to show your some of the darling Christmas themed murrini that I have up for sale on www.fritnchips.etsy.com right now. I'm finding it hard to wrap my head around the idea that it will be December already in just a few days. This year has flown by like no other!

First up, I made this festive necklace using holly and berry murrini over pure silver foil with a heavy encasement of clear to magnify the detail.

Here is what the a single chip look like before it has been used in a bead -  you get 15 (plus a couple of spares) in every festive baggie of these lovely chips. I also have cute holly without berries too made with lush deep green glass.

This detailed Appletini Christmas bead set features a few of my gift wrapped present murrini - each design can be bought individually in sets of 18 (plus a couple of spares) or as part of a mixed pack.

 I also have a limited number of holiday murrini collections too, just  30+ detailed chips with a minimum of 4 pcs in each of my festive designs. 

The  last murrini I would like to show today are these cute button designs. Great for little seasonal snow folk  but fab to have in all year round to add a touch of whimsy and kitsch to your bead designs and critter folk.

You can get a fab selection pack of 25 pcs or a single colour pack of 25 pcs for just a fiver.



Thanks, Jolene x

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Free Form Sweetheart Murrini Tutorial

I know that many of us do not even have our trees up yet but for those of you looking forwards to your Valentines day making I thought I'd put together a quick and dirty photo montage tutorial on how I make my Free Form Sweetheart Murrini.

Enjoy, Jolene x

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jewellery and charm beads.

Latest batch of Amoebas

This is my latest haul of cheeky Amoeba beads, they are now all bubble wrapped up and packed for posting in the morning. I have made them to cheer up some very brave children on the Beads of Courage program in the UK.

The Beads of Courage program is a the most fantastic Arts in Medicine program, it is fully funded in the UK by a small family run charity called Be Child Cancer Aware. I do so love making these super simple funky fun and beads to donate and wrote a little tutorial for them on my blog a short while back. You can see it here.

If you make lampwork beads and have some that you would like to gift to Beads of Courage please download the donation form here. The details of where to send your beads is all there on the form.

Jolene x

Mini Mo' November 2012 - Button Brights and Button Blues

Both of my Mini Mo's for November are inspired by buttons, I remember spending hours as a kid sorting and sifting through my Nan's button tins - I thought button murrini would be fun all year round but especially cute for Christmas critters!

The first colourway, Button Brights is made with Effetre Crimson 432, Effetre Dark Yellow 412 and Effetre Light Lemon Yellow 404 with Sherbet Dib-Dab shards. The murrini are very cute, a yellow four hole button and orange ones with 2 holes!

This first set is made with Sherbet Dib-Dab shards, a limited edition hand mixed colour blend of bright oranges and yellows. I have doodled all over this set with fine black stringer work pictures of butterflies and flowers.

My next set uses Button Brights twistie to decorate the core, encased with a thick layer of Effetre 006 clear glass. I have finished his set with many layers of tiny dot decoration and complimenting spacers.

My third make using Button Brights glasswork is this cute mini snowman set. It uses Button Murrini for his eyes and nose. I have added a little matched pair of sparkly textured snowballs to finish the set.

Button Blues is made with Effetre CiM Glacier, CiM Celadon and Effetre Medium Lapis 424 with silvered Celadon Shards. The murrini in this set are a mix of Glacier two hole buttons and dark blue 4 hole ones too.

This set features Silvered Celadon shards which is a new staple colour that I have just added to my lampwork supplies shop. These shards are over CiM Appletini and CiM Sherwood and have been spot heated and twisted at the edges with lime stringer.

This set uses Button Blues twistie over a core of 006 which I have encased with a thick layer of Effetre 006 clear to magnify the detail. I have embellished this set with layers of tiny dot decoration and cobalt blue encased spacers.

This next mini set is a cutie pie snowman focal with two tiny button eyes and a big blue button nose. I have added a pair of sparkly textured snowballs to finish the set.

Jolene x

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Giveaway in December

Today I'm launching my Christmas giveaway competition, this one is for the holly encrusted lentil bead and mixed spacers pictured here.

For your chance to win them all you need to do is pop by and click like on my Facebook Page and leave me a lovely comment to let me know you have here on my blog under this post or on the pic pinned to the top of my Facebook page.

Of course it would be great of you subscribed to follow my blog by email too or shared this post on twitter or facebook but none of that is compulsory to be in the chance to win.

I will draw a name at random to win this bead and spacers set on the morning of the 1st of December form all the comments on here and on my blog and I will announce the winners name here on my blog that day. If the winner is also a lampwork bead maker then I will throw in a mixed pack of Christmas themed picture murrini too or if the winner is not a jewellery designer, let me know and I will make this bead up into a festive necklace for you.

Please make sure you leave me your CP, LE, FH or HAF forum or @twitter id. If I have no means of contacting you should you win I cannot accept your comment as a valid entry,

Good luck, Jolene x

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My November winner is....

Thank you to everyone who left me a comment on my Giveaway in November throughout October, the competition to win a set of my lush Caramel Creme beads is now closed and I am pleased to announce that http://www.random.org says the winner is lucky commenter no 4.....

DeborahD

Congrats, I will send you a message very shortly :-D

I shall head off now and put my thinking cap on as to what I would like to offer up as a giveaway for December - probably something jolly festive! So please do watch this space for more news on that......

Lastly a little note to say that these style beads are available to as a made to order option in my Etsy bead shop, I rarely offer made to order beads but these make me smile a lot and are a pure delight to create.

Jolene x

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A fab feature!

Good evening, I've had a lovely feature today, some of my work has been showcased in the latest Creation is Messy (CiM) newsletter. There are some pretty pictures of my beads and murrini and links to my blog posts about them and also some links to where my glassy things can be found online.

If you would like to be on the mailing list for news of new CiM glass colour releases, glass testers information and more then check out the Creation is Messy Artists registration page.



Also just a little note to let you know that today is the last day to enter my Caramel Creme lampwork bead Giveaway. I'll do the draw and give the winner a shout out on my blog tomorrow.

I hope you have all been having a lovely all Halloween,
Jolene x

Lampworking for Charity

I have a few special listings in my bracelet bead shop for Custom Name Beads. Writing with glass is a skill I have recently taught myself as I wanted to make and donate name beads to Beads of Courage - Be Child Cancer Aware and so it feels right to me that whenever I make a name bead for sale that the BoC project gets a little benefit from that too. I really appreciate the chance to help out a little bit just by doing the thing that I love to do anyway.

I am not the only bead maker I know that likes to lampwork for charity so the rest of today's post is going to be about some of those special beads and the brilliant people that make them and the charities that are dear to their hearts.



First up are these delightful minty lentils by Heather Kelly who has a special corner in her Etsy shop for OCD-UK (Reg. charity #1103210). Heather writes OCD-UK is the charity dedicated to improving the mental health and well-being of almost one million children and adults in the UK whose lives are affected by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. OCD can be so debilitating that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has ranked OCD in the top ten most disabling illnesses of any kind, in terms of lost earnings and diminished quality of life.





The next fab lampwork bead I would like to show you is this adorable pink dino made by Lauren May Mazursky. Lauren has a Dinosaurs for Diabetes section in her Etsy store and says - he's small but mighty, like a Type 1 kiddo I know. Proceeds from the sales of the mini dino beads will go to the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) for a cure.











My last shout out for today is for Kat Newman who has designed kindness bracelets to fund raise for Team Jaxon.
You can also find out more about team Jaxon - FROG here on Facebook.

These are just a very few fabulous examples of people turning their creativity and talent into a source of support for causes close to our hearts and trying to make a small difference in our own way.





If you craft to fund raise for a charitable cause close to your heart please feel free to tell me all about it and post a link in the comments section below.

Have a great day, Jolene x