Please excuse the TERRIBLE photo... I just wanted to show one of the beads I have made on my brand now torch!!! Promise I will replace the photo tomorrow if the sun comes out!!!
I have had such a mindboggleing day... the torch is so so so so amazing, and I just want to do everything, so I have been making odd beads all day just having a play really... but tomorrow I will try to stick to one idea and make a few bead sets and some more hearts!!! I LOVE MY NEW SET UP!!!! I love it love it LOVE IT!!!!!!! The bead above is made with a green and yellow twistie base, and baby pink and rubino pink flowers... it is the first bead I have made using the rubino properly... I didn't burn it... not even once!!! LOVE MY NEW TORCH.... :-D

I'm a very very very happy beady maker :-) Will post photos tomorrow !

Bring it on...

I HAVE MY NEW TORCH!!! I haven't yet tried it out, because I didn't want anything to go wrong in the small time I had to try it out around going to work... but I am off today and tomorrow !!! So I am going to be able to have a proper play!!!!!!!! I'm so so so excited!!! will show pictures of how I get on... Also, Today I am going to start to make a new jewellery site for me called Jewellery By Vicki, to link in my Beads By Vicki, and Designs by Vicki, which I am hoping to get up and running in the next couple of weeks!!! :-)

Where have I been?

Arabian Nights Bead Set - £28.00

Encased Mystic Swirls Bead Set - £28.00

Little Gems Bead Set - £32.00

Well, I have been working very hard, to be honest since my lesson with Sally last monday, I am absolutely longing for my new torch which I purchased yesterday... Eeeek!!!! Kinda sat there using my hot head, when I know that I am going to get such better and quicker results on the new torch, just seems kinda pointless... but I don't want to stop. haha. I made a set for my friend this week, and made it into a bracelet for her, which we were both very pleased with (not the best photo, and also tweeked it after the photo was taken to make it a little smaller for a prefect fit!)

Anyway, my torch should be gettin here in the next couple of days, which I will be able to get set up soon!!!!! not sure of next weeks rota at the restaurant but hopefully it shouldn't be too different from this week! fingers crossed I will have Monday and Tuesday off!
Also, just wanted to say I am absolutely LOVIN paramore at the moment!!! BIG TIME!!! if you don't know who they are check out their myspace and listen to some of their tunes, their new album "Brand New Eyes" is hitting the UK on the 28th September 2009, and OH MY GOD I'm excited!!! Other news I am going to see Tim Minchen next week which on the whole I am excited about (not feeling so good about the fact I'm gunna be sat down... with loads of other people... but I'm sure I'll get over it and have a good night!) Also, Loving Regina Spektor since glastonbury, and am hoping to get a recording to me doing a few cover versions ("Laughing With"... and "Samson") of her songs! and also loving Newton Faulkner (since glasto again!) watch a live feed from his blog where he was just answering questions and playing a few bit, felt so personal!!!! But I really want to make some beads for his dreads and send them to him!!! that would be just tooo cool! :-) hehe

Pictures as promised...

Apologies...

I'm really sorry, I haven't managed to take any photos today... well, I did on my digital camera but non of them were good at all... and for some reason it didn't get the colours right ... so I PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE I will take photos in the morning using my mum's camera and post them STRAIGHT away on here... hope you can forgive me :-)

Yesterday... what a day!

Well I have no pictures to show right now as they were in the kiln when I left , should get them tomorrow! It was such a fantastic day!!! I learned soooo much, the majority of the day I watch Sal do demonstrations, which is exactly what I wanted, as I learn mainly by watching people work... It doesn't matter how much I read up on techniques, I don't seem to be able to do them until I see it being done or see steps in pictures. So even though I was knackered last night, i HAD to go on my torch when I got home!
I made a set of 8 beads, which are simply encased ekho... I did it, I got greens, blues AND purples. :-) I also made an encased floral focal bead using Lauscha Clear glass which Sal very kindly gave me a few rods to play with. It didn't burn or scum one little bit... not even on my hothead! crazy really, and because it wasn't burning I didn't actually mind waiting for it to melt in (I usually get very bored with waiting for the glass to melt in on my hothead! if I burn the glass, and I throw it straight in my bucket of vermiculite in rage that I have totally wasted my time!) I think that it is the best bead I have made by FAR!!!

I think just watching Sal work has helped my lampworking remarkably!!! I just felt like I could do it!!! no problem!!! crazy really! I also made a few heart focals too...

Will post photos later on today!!!! :-) and then will post photos of my lesson beads when I get them in the post! :-)

Under New Managment

So this week has been a strange one to be honest... not much bead making gone on (SOB SOB!!!) but have worked a fair few hours. The restaurant I work at is under new management and already in just under a week it is starting to feel like a lovely place to work! I have really enjoyed it!

I do have some very exciting news... me and Fran went to see a mortgage adviser at the beginning of the week, just to see if and what we could borrow... and how much we have to save etc. and We were pleasantly surprised!!! we are hoping to move in about 6-9months tops. Hoping to move not to far away from where we are now, what with our jobs etc... but who knows... we could go anywhere :-)

I'm off the Hinckley tomorrow bright and early... gotta catch the first train of the day at 6:40!!!
I'm off to see Sally Carver for a lesson, and I am hoping to get a few tips on silver glass, and other more advanced techniques!!! as much as she can possibly teach me in the day!!! so I imagine I will be well and truley K-nackered!!! but will hopefully have some exciting beadies to show!!!!

Been Busy...

I'm pretty excited as I have a lesson with Sal next monday... its gunna be a very early start though!!! 6:40am my train is at! Its worth it though! I have been at work quite a bit this last week, trying to save up for my lesson, so haven't done too much bead making, but here are a few things ive done, they are on the website right now!!! :-) and a picture of my first big hole bead!!! need to get the stuff to make silver core beads!

Result of playing pretend...

Well can't stop, it have taken me allllllll morning to clean, photograph and list all the beads I made yesterday, I have two half sets which I haven't photographed because I am going to make more to go with them today... all beads are already listed on my website... and will be listed on my etsy page when I get a second!!!

Pretending to be a professional :-)

Pah!!!! well I literally haven't stopped... and I guess as I am writing on my blog... maybe I am just about to wind down, midnight! wow. I've got a lot of stuff done! So I got up at about half 10 (which was lovely to sleep in til then!) and then got my beads that I had made last night out of the kiln and cleaned them... Took photos of everything that needed its photo taken... then I filled my kiln!!! Think I did about 5-6 hours today behind the torch... but honestly my kiln is actually bursting!!! its only tiny poor thing! One things for sure If I wanted to do this professionally I would defiantly have to get myself a new kiln... I've been dreaming of having this very nice and big PINK kiln!!!! very exciting!!!
So anyway, here are the photos that have been taken from today and also I have updated my jewellery page on Bead By Vicki so you might wanna have a pop over there :-)

Bed Time soon cuz we are all up early, Fran is off to work at 6:15 and I'm up too to get my days worth of lampworking in... then we are heading off to the cinema :-) exciting!

Mum's Birthday Pressie

Just thought I'd show you (quickly before I get on with my day of lampworking) the necklace I made for my mum's birthday! I have listed a couple of new things (including this necklace as a made to order item) in my website and my etsy.

Life as a Lampwork artist

Well today is my first day trying the out the artists life style...
My hours were cut at work and a few people had been left with non, so I decided to give a few hour away this week to have a taste of being a professional lampwork artist!!!
I am off til Friday night and I have decided when Fran goes to work... I will be sat behind my torch til he gets home... obviously with an lunch break... but before I start I have a few beads to go clean up, then take photos of and then get them up on my site... so I reckon I will hopefully get about 7-8 hours of bead making in today which I'm veeeeerrrryyyy excited about... that is as long as there is another space in my cute little kiln. Think I'm going to have to get thinner mandrels so I can fit more of them in!!! :-)

Will post pictures of the bead later on today.

Wish me luck! :-)