Some new beads and buttons..........

New leaf beads and buttons 

Fresh from the kiln this week are a selection of glass leaf beads, buttons and burgers.

These fun textured beads and buttons are all currently available in my Facebook group 

 www.facebook.com/groups/jolenebeads

 

These pretty blue and yellow spring flower shank buttons and super cute mini cheeseburger bracelets are new in my Etsy shop

 Jolene Beads Jewellery.

Thanks for looking, Jolene xx

More crazy alien beads.........

I have been playing around with this new crazy alien design again and have picked out some super bright happy colours to make them in. Some of these have made their way to my Etsy shop and a dozen or so are heading off in a donation parcel to Beads of Courage UK.

 
Here is a little fly on the wall style lampwork brad  making video on how I create these cute beads and below that is a picture of  my new concentric circle texture tool that I have used to add the circle detail to the flying saucer base beads that the aliens sit upon. 

This fun texture plate is available in my online shop.

@jolenebeads making a cute alien bead #glassart #leaen #learnontiktok #glassartistsoftiktok #glassbeads #glassart #glasstok #art ♬ Alien - Britney Spears

Jolene xx

Happy cheeseburger beads.....

Today I made some cheeseburger beads that look yummy! I have been trying and failing at bringing this idea to life as a glass bead for a while now and these guys have made me happy!

If these make you smile too then you can find them in my Etsy shop.

thanks for looking, Jolene xx

@jolenebeads making some glass burger beads 🍔 #glassart #jolenebeads #lampwork #flameworking #burger #beadtok #glasstok #fastfood #miniature #miniaturefood ♬ Burger - Ronnie Boy Kids

Crazy Alien Beads.............

Crazy Alien Beads... and making video 

It has been an age since I designed a new bead to donate to Beads of Courage UK so yesterday I had a play and came up with these Crazy Aliens.

I hope the kiddos enjoy them :D 

Find out more about beads of Courage UK & Ireland here.

@jolenebeads it's been a while since I designed a bead just for Beads of Courage. There are half a dozen of these in the kiln for @Beads of Courage UK #glassart #glassartistsoftiktok #glassbead #fkamework #glassartwork #womanpower #learnontiktok #lampwork ♬ The X Files Theme - John Beal

 Jolene x

Stepped square brass texture plate tool

Stepped square texture plate by Jolene Beads

Today I am sharing the twisted square texture plate and some of the beads that I have made with this too so far.

it is possible to get a lot of detail even on a very small surface are - the same goes with every texture plate option as the centre shapes are just 5mm and 7mm wide.

This link will give a £5 discount on a pre-order purchase of 2 or more texture plate tools https://jolenebeads.com/collections/lampwork-texture-tools

This offer is for October 2023 dispatch pre-orders only. 

The twisted square texture tool has 9 layers, stepped at 0.5mm intervals, each offset to give a twisted design that can either give a kind of Rennie Macintosh arts and crafts feel or look industrial depending on which glass you use it with.

@jolenebeads sparkling black glass buttons #glassart #learnontiktok #glassbeads #glassbuttons #glassartistsoftiktok #flamework #womanownedbusiness #womanpower ♬ Love You So - The King Khan & BBQ Show

These shiny hearts are made with double helix Hyperion over Effetre Teal, 

Below is a tumble etched CiM Frost and Effetre blue heart and a chunky glossy lentil made with the same glass combination.

The last image is a pair of big hole heart shaped charm beads made with Effeter Neptune, giving that industrial vibe.

You can find my beads on Etsy and my texture plates on my website.

Jolene xx

Reichenbach multi-color and dense black fishes....

 

These pretty lentils with black fish silhouettes are some of my favourite ever makes. They are made with some striking glass called Reichenbach Multicolor. Available on Etsy....

Jolene xx

Making shiny heart beads with twisted square texture........

@jolenebeads making textures silver glass hearts #glassart #glassbeads #learnontiktok #womanpower #lampwrk #fkamework #glassartwork #glassartistsoftiktok ♬ Come Check This - FETISH

This video shows how I make super shiny lampwork heart beads with the twisted heart texture plate. As these hearts start out as a slender pressed shape I pop on a dot of extra glass on each face before adding texture to make sure the centre shape is perfect.

This colour combination is Double Helix Hyperion over Effetre transparent teal.

This texture plate is available to pre-order at www.jolenebeads.com

Save £5 on two or more texture plates with code pre-order5

Jolene x

 

Making buttons beads with the stepped heart texture plate

@jolenebeads making glass buttons with the stepped heart texture plate #glassart #glassartwork #glassartistsoftiktok ♬ Pure Imagination - Kathleen

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A short video showing how to use the stepped heart texture tool to make glass shank buttons.

You can find cure button beads like these in my etsy shop here 

The new texture tools are available in my web shop here

Jolene xx

Stepped heart brass texture tool...

 

In this bog post I want to share with you the new stepped heart texture plate and some of the beads I have made with it so far.

To the left is a 30mm encased heart. The  depth of this bead was just 10mm before adding texture and the mandrel 2mm. As the stepped heart texture plate is 4.5mm deep in the centre I added a little dab of clear glass to the surface of the bead on both sides before adding texture to make sure the smallest 5mm heart came out looking perfect.

Below are other examples of the kind of results that can be achieved, including a tumble etched chunky lentil, bright 15mm shank buttons, chunky 14mm heart big hole beads and a love letter pillow bead where just pressing a tiny dot of red glass gives the look of a wax seal.

This texture press is available to pre-order on my website for October dispatch - www.jolenebeads.com 

Thanks for stopping by, Jolene x

Stepped circle brass texture tool

Today I would like to share some beads made with the stepped circle texture plate which is currently available to pre-order in my web shop.

These texture plates are a precision engineered brass tools for shaping and adding texture to hot glass. 

The stepped circle plate has a series of 9 stepped circles rising from the centre in 0.5mm increments forming a cavity meaning it is possible to add texture to your beads without squashing them flat! It measures 50mm x 50mm x 8.5mm high. Maximum depth is 4.5mm at the centre.

Below you can see the sort of impression it creates on small 14mm charm beads, 30mm focal sized beads and also the kind of tab beads that can be made by pressing round beads directly onto the surface of the texture plate.

Stepped flower brass texture tool

This stepped flower brass texture too; is one of  5 that I have recently designed. I have been making glass beads with the prototypes for the past couple of weeks. 

The idea behind them is that they can be used with any size mandrel to put texture on the faces of all of your favourite pressed bead shapes without squashing them completely flat. They can also to be used to make textured tabs from round and freeform bead shape

The texture tools are available to pre-order over on my website for October delivery.

I am running an exclusive pre-order promotion in my shop for a £5 saving when you buy 2 ot more of these brand new style tools with code

Pre-order5

This pretty heart bead shows the kind of texture that can be added to the surface of a large pressed heart bead - it measures around 30mm across. 

Jolene xx

Metallic heart shaped glass bhb's

I have been experimenting with glass that gives a pewter, gunmetal or metallic patina. 

My twisted square texture plate gives a very industrial look with this amazing glass from Effetre. It's called Neptune and though the rods are green you get this amazing finish when twirling the finished bead in a small oxidising flame

I am loving working with the new imprint tools, you can create infinite variations on a theme. 

This next pair of heart shaped big hole heart beads are made with CiM Tahitian Pearl. Again I brought out the shine in an oxidising flame. The finish is much more glossy and bright compared to Neptune.

These beads are currently available in my Etsy shop.

Have a great day, Jolene x

Concentric heart brass texture tool by Jolene Beads

I must confess that I am a tiny bit obsessed with my new texture tools since I got my hands on the prototypes last week. My absolute favourite is the concentric heart plate pictured below. 

Over the next 4 days I will share one of the texture plates alongside some pictures of the beads that I have made with it each day....

All 5 texture plate tools are now available to pre-order on my website www.jolenebeads.com

I have a special money saving discount code to save £5 on orders of 2 or more of the new tools - the code is Pre-order5

This one is the most complex of the 5 texture plate designs, combining stepped levels and additional grooves to create elegant raised heart shaped rings on the surface of glass beads. 

The texture plate has 9 concentric rings, the smallest of which is just 5mm across. Maximum depth is 4.5mm at the centre stepping up by 0.5mm for each new level.

These tools are professionally manufactured which shines through in the level of precision and fine detail in this tool. 

Also if you fund yourself wondering where you can find my lampwork beads, they are here on Etsy :D

Jolene xx