Say It With Words Fire Divas Challenge!!!

It is Challenge Time again with the Fire Divas! This challenge really made us all put our glass noses to the grindstone and test our skills! You know what you need to do! Head on over to the Fire Divas Blog and vote for your favorite bead then make sure to leave a comment on the blog below the blog post, and you could win a $50 Gift Certificate to Holly’s Shop! Voting ends at noon on Sunday, September 25th.  You can find the poll on the right hand side of the blog.

Entry 1

Entry 2

Entry 3

Entry 4

Entry 5

Entry 6

Entry 7

Lack Of Torching!

I am now officially on withdrawl! I was unable to torch this holiday weekend due a shoulder injury I sustained while attempting to be Super Woman! Now for my readers who don't know me personally I am all of 5 foot nothing and was operating a professional landscaping weed whacker above my head for a good half hour. Now I have been pretty fit my whole life and very flexible so muscle pain is "new" to me! As my Aunt said the 30's are the NEVER stage of life:

NEVER thought I would have back pain

NEVER thought I could tear a muscle

NEVER thought I needed aspirin and Ben-Gay

NEVER thought I would have heart burn

This list could go on and on!! But this was all news to me! I act like I am still 16 years old! I feel great I am getting back into shape (just joined the Y) but this injury threw me for a loop!!! I had pain in my neck, shoulder and back, I felt like a 90 year old (no offense intended to my Gran!!) well this is where my wise 30 something years of life experiences told me STOP! You are obviously not doing something right! 

I wasn't, for starters I never thought to warm up for doing yard work, then my wise younger sister said "Did you ice it?" NO, "Did you heat it or put an analgesic on it?" NO "Did you rest or do anything to help it?" NO NO NO okay! Well there was my answer, At 30 something you cannot do the same stupid  things you did at 16 and not expect your body to answer in protest to your imbecilic mentality that you are invincible!

Why am I sharing this? Well for starters maybe to prevent anyone who has not yet "felt their age" from feeling it the way I did! Second I need to rant- the result of this injury made it so it was virtually impossible to do the things that I both love and need to do- I could not torch, knit, fold laundry (no love lost there!), cook- I have a new respect for people who are truly disabled! 

I will be back at my torch tomorrow though and feel like it is well deserved I have learned a hard lesson! I also know that I need to trust more in my faith in God, I worried unnecessarily for days and finally spent an evening in prayer and laid my worries at God's feet! Me + Worry = STRESS, LAY IT AT GODS FEET= PEACE!! VERY simple equation and one which I am guilty of not always using to solve my life problems! I have to say that this has been miraculous to say the least, one day I was in tremendous pain the next I had almost full movement and only a dull ache in my neck! God really does work when we put our faith in him!

I wish I had some great photo of a bead to share but I don't so I will leave you with this devotional for this Sunday: 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God- Philippians 4:6

Etsy Team Treasury Giveaway!!!

Fire Divas Team Treasury Giveaway!

This month, the Divas are breaking out all the stops and creating a fabulous treasure trove of beads to be featured in the Fire Divas first ever Etsy Team Treasury Giveaway!

Most of you are probably familiar with Etsy's Treasuries, which are collections of items illustrating a special theme chosen by individual curators. Well, the Fire Divas are doing something a little extra special! Not only are we creating a Treasury featuring many of the Fire Divas showing off their renditions of a "Bead Jeweled" theme, but we are giving them all away to four—yes we said, FOUR!—very lucky winners! All you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment on our Treasury HERE and "heart" or add all the featured shops in it as a favorite.

Only one comment/person, please! Winners will be chosen at random on August 21, 2011.

The best way you can show your love and support for the Divas is to make sure that you and everyone you know stops by to view this amazing Treasury! Please also take a few moments to spread the news by posting a link to Facebook or your blog, tweet it, StumbleUpon, or any other social media you prefer to use.

And in the style of those infamous infomercials…"WAIT! There's more!!"

Since some of our team members don't have their own Etsy shops, we're also offering a separate Blog Giveaway here to one lucky reader, who will win a wonderful prize from Patrice of Shepherd Creations!

To enter our Blog Giveaway (separate from our Etsy Treasury Giveaway!):
Please leave a comment HERE on the Diva team blog and one winner will be chosen at random at the same time we pick the other four Treasury winners.

They say that a person's greatest treasure is their friends—and you, our fans—are some of our greatest treasures too! Thank you very much for your support from all of us here on the Fire Divas team!!

Customer Gallery Friday Finds!

I could not wait to share with all my wonderful followers the amazing beads and creations that have been made by some of my clients! I am always so excited to see what has been made with my beads. It warms my heart to see the final creation using my little labours of love!!!

The first two creations were beads made by my wonderful and dear friend Trudi Doherty of Shineon2 on Etsy. She has been a long time customer of my murrini and her use of it just brings out the best that the murrini offers. Her work is fresh and colorful and is truly a style that brings a little sunshine and happiness to our wardrobe!! Some of my favorite pieces that she has done are ones that bring out the inner girl in me! Here are two of her stunning beads that show off the murrini in all it splendor!! Visit her website Glittering Prize for even more fun beads and jewelry artwork! For all the upscale, jewelry lovers out there her work will make great gifts or special surprises for your spouse!!!

The next artist is a jewelry designer who makes stunning creations from every type of bead imaginable. When I saw this picture of the ensemble she created I was awestruck! Cherie Smith of Glitterbug Originals on Etsy had the perfect view on how the beads should be placed in a setting truly brought out the best in the beads and highlighted their intricate beauty! Her work is not only full of bling and dangles but really brings out the focal beads that she chooses for her pieces!! These sets and earrings are perfect stocking stuffers!!! I know my family will be getting some of these great creations!!

I know you will love these gifted artist's work and will be more than impressed by their style and design! Stay tuned for more great work from these and other artists who have turned my beads (a blank canvas of sorts) and finishes and frames them into wearable works of art!!!

                                                                             

Colourlovers.com

I am in love with colour! Without this surreal concept ( I mean there are some who cannot see it or cannot decipher it) we who can see in this spectrum would be lost. How would we describe something? If a persimmon was not a an orangey coral color how would we tell you what is looked like?

                                                                           
 I often take pictures of things that I later look back on and wish there was a crayon that color or a rod of glass. I am in awe of the way that colours can change our mood, our perception and our lives. It's significance in the natural world is per-found it can signal danger, poision, love, and even fertility.

                                                                               
I know you are thinking "WOW what a deep post where is this going?" Well I stumbled upon a website that gives us colour lovers a chance to display our passion in the form of colour palettes, patterns and descriptions. It even lets you name the colour if no one has used it or named it yet. For instance I chose this delicate purple that reminded me of a purple Phlox so the name became Phlox! I have had a blast already creating and I am sure that all you artists already know about it but for those of you that don't check it out! You will be lost in a world all your own! Colourlovers is simply too much fun!

                                                                                   

Nifty Tool

Okay after getting a chance to use my tool and develop a strategy for using it I figure I would share with you the very simple yet effective tool that my Daddy created for me. Now I have plans to mount these on handles to make them more user friendly. I will post my developments here so you all can see how easy it will be. I call these RC Petal Cuppers: named after the creator (dear Dad's initials)

Now I have always been intrigued with the depth of some of the florals out there and after a lot of trial and error I discovered that most of the tools I had did not properly cup the individual petal itself. I love the look of the floral murrini where the petals are delicately cupped and look like, well a real flower!

I had tried several readily available tools and I either got an air bubble (caused by too much and too sharp of an indentation) or I got smearing caused by too great of a surface area on a tool. The next issue was finding a tool that would solve these problems but be sturdy enough to use and comfortable to hold.

                                                                                 
I explained all this to my Dad and after studying a picture of a bead with the effect I was looking for he went to my studio and plucked something from my stash and went off towards the garage- when he came back he had a new device in his hand and I went to the torch! After some trial and error (I knew what I wanted but was not sure how to start) I finally got the look I wanted!

So what is the big secret??? Okay Okay here it is my Dad created a rounded end to one of 1/8th inch mandrels (a little more difficult than just grinding the end down) this is a whole 1/8th in smaller than the smallest "petal pusher" available which was designed to be used in a slightly different way. I am planning on having my husband mount this onto a wooden handle for easier use!

                                                                           
The beauty of this tool is that it is something anyone can make (providing you have the right tools in the garage) and it is very effective.

                                         
Here you can see how each petal is cupped this was one of the first trials but a great example! I will have a full tutorial on how I use my RC Petal Cupper in an upcoming post for now I am so happy to have this great new tool albeit simple!! Thanks Daddy!!!

My Lady...... Brand New Renaissance Garden Beads

I am getting into the spirit of the upcoming Autumn Season and I cannot wait for all the fall colors and smells and sights ( I even have my own pumpkin patch!!) I have always associated Autumn with the rich colors of the Renaissance Period and I have started creating new focal and accent pieces in my Renaissance Garden line.

                                                        

I have been studying some pieces of tapestry and art jewelry from that time period and also what jewels would have been used in pieces and art work. I love the rich feel that the silver glass palette offers me for this kind of work. I can duplicate the look of a precious stone or get a guilded golden look.

I am also inspired by Harry Potter so stay tuned for some great pieces with the rich old world feel.

I cannot wait to smell fresh mulled cider and pumpkin pie and drink crisp delicious pumpkin juice (yes it is real and is delicious! If you like ice tea you must try it!)

Enjoy the new beads just click on the pictures to take you to my Etsy Shop!!