Wednesday 20 January 2010

'Sakura' Focals

Lampwork Glass BeadsThese are the first 'proper' beads I've made this year and I am SO pleased with them.

For almost four years (on and off) I've been trying to create a cherry blossom design on beads but I couldn't quite work out the best way to do it. This week I realised that I had been making things way more complicated than they needed to be. I've tried frit, encasing, enamelled stringers and more before but the effect always ended up muddy and blurred. I was aiming for a crisp, stylised but recognisable-as-cherry-blossom design and I've finally cracked it!

Lampwork Glass BeadsI wanted to give the beads a Japanese feel so I've used the traditional 'tombodama' olive-shaped bead that Japanese lampworkers favour and I've also given the beads the name 'Sakura' which is Japanese for, you guessed it, cherry blossom.

I'm chuffed to bits with them and I hope you like them too.

These focals will be for sale on my website at 8.30 pm (UK time) tomorrow night.

17 comments:

  1. Oh Laura these are gorgeous, i'm sure they won't stay around for long, i'm sure you will have to make lots more.x

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  2. Those are lovely! Sakura blossom is so pretty and these capture it really well :D

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  3. These are gorgeous! I made my first beads on Monday and despair of making anything but spacers. But some weren't so bad and I can actually make earrings out of them!

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  4. OH MY...I'M SPEECHLESS!THEY ARE JUST TOO PRETTY!!! ;)

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  5. Love them Laura - what colour green in the base bead - looks wonderful

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  6. These are amazing Laura - cherry blossom is one of my favourite designs and I can't believe you have achieved it perfectly so small. These certainly won't hang about!

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  7. Thank you for the compliments, everyone!

    Tania - the base is CiM Kryptonite.

    Laura x

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  8. Echo all the above comments (keep practicing, Lori!) I love the speckled background - just the right amount of enamel.

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  9. Laura these are stunning, really really beautiful xx

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  10. ohhh wow - your making mojo is defiantely back x

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  11. They are absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!!!

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  12. I have awarded you with the Sunshine Blog Award because everything on this blog inspires me!!!!

    Check out your award here http://sunrisejewellery.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-blog-wins-sunshine-award.html

    Vicki White x

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  13. Oh shucks - wouldn't you just know it! I forgot and missed them. They were beautiful!! :(

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  14. These are so pretty, I love the sakura flower!


    I'm passing on the 'Sunshine Award' to you - please see my blog for more details!

    Sunshine Award

    Maz x

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