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Tuesday 16 September 2008

'Orange & Blackcurrant'

Orange & Blackcurrant Lampwork BeadsI know things have been quiet on the bead front and rest assured I have been melting glass - I just haven't been producing decent beads! I was giving Chris earache on the phone the other night whinging to him that 'I've made beads but they're rubbish!' and he said 'Yeah, but I know what your idea of rubbish is. Are they really that rubbish?'. He has a point. Sometimes I make a bead and put it to one side because I think it's got something wrong with it only to pick it up a few days later, study it and not be able to see why I discarded it in the first place. I admit it - I do suffer from occasional bouts of Bead Dysmorphic Disorder but honestly, these past few days I've made some seriously heinous beads.

So I was mighty pleased when this batch came out of the kiln today. A strand of orange and deep pinky-purple loveliness! And no, your eyes don't deceive you. Some of them - the ones with the bumps - are actually, shock horror, asymmetric! That mucks with my mind, I can tell you. My eyes say 'Hey - they look nice like that, Laura!' but the bead department of my brain screams 'Aargh! The designs are all lopsided and not matchy! What the hell were you thinking, woman?!'. Well, I'm going to ignore the bead voices in my head because I like their lopsidedness. (Yes - I hear bead voices in my head. I know, I'm odd.)

What became of the heinous beads? Well, after Chris's are-they-really-that-rubbish question I sorted through them and no, not all were as fugly as I first thought. As a result the not-so-bad ones are now hanging around in the Lonelies jar waiting for more to join them and the oh-so-bad ones ended up in Robyn's bead bag. She loves to sort through my reject beads, thread them together to make necklaces and bracelets, unthread them and then sort them out all over again. My sisters and I used to do exactly the same thing with the contents of Mum's button jar. A love for shiny, sparkly beads and buttons must run in the family!

10 comments:

  1. Oh my Laura, those are stratospheric in their amazingness!! Superb - ignore the voices lol!
    xxb

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  2. These so remind me of Moorish art - scrummy! I bet your 'rejects' are lovely too - lucky Robyn!

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  3. Oooh! I really really like them! Now I *just* need to get to the computer halfway through our anniversary meal without OH complaining to be in with a chance of buying them!

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  4. Your beads are lovely and the colors are wonderful. You made a comment on my blog and I was wondering how you found me. I looked at your favorites and found 'Bead Nerd' so I guess you read my friend Jill's interview. My blog has not been noticed much because I'm not much of a writer. I just thought how wonderful a lampworker found my blog when I really haven't mentioned beads (my first love) on it. Thanks for noticing.

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  5. Um...I seriously would like to see your "reject" (quotes are purposeful) beads...I agree with Chris...

    I had a bag of my reject beads in my purse to send to my niece (what is it about nieces and beads?). Someone asked to see some of my beads. I pulled out my rejects, pointed out the flaws (foolish me) and fun I was having.......She bought 20 of them leaving me 3 to send......***blink, blink*** Whaaaat? So, I've been thinking I need to re-name my "reject" beads to beta beads or something like that....

    Beads that are the second brightest in the Laura Bead constellation, and still twinkly and spectacular to the rest of us, just need a new name…So, since your site has space references, how about something like, Canopus beads..."Canopus is the second brightest star in the nighttime sky after Sirius" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canopus_(star)). So, your first-rate beads are your Sirius line. (I love the wordplay, Sirius/serious) beads. (Me thinks I’ve had too much coffee...posted the comment in the wrong post.)

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  6. good for you, break out and challenge your perfectionist beady must-be-symmetrical beady brain! they look divine! x

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  7. Thanks everyone! :o)

    Nan16 - I read Lori Greenberg's 'Bead Nerd' blog regularly but I found your blog back in July when Lori wrote about Jill's work on her personal bead blog. Can't remember exactly how I stumbled upon yours from there but I must say that I did enjoy reading your blog - very interesting and lots of lovely photos. I added it to my favourites back then and I've been a silent-non-commenting reader but when I saw that lizard's gorgeous tail I couldn't not comment!

    I'll tell you what Jenn, when I get a minute I'll take a photo of Robyn's bead bag and post it here. I really like your name suggestions for my rejects but I'll never sell them - the perfectionist in me just won't allow it! I know, I know - I'm annoying. :o)

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  8. Laura, I do know what you mean. I have areas of my life that I'm perfectionist about and I cannot do less than my best. I don't know how. :-D

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  9. beads are really very beautiful.

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