Friday, May 11, 2012

Back to the Alaskan Garaj Mahal Studio



I had some nails waiting for me in my studio when I returned north.
My friend Mountain Heather that makes simply wonderful hats had asked me last year when she was in the Adirondacks whether I thought that I could use some old barn nails that she had found.
This was before I had thought of lampworking onto rusty  nails. I knew that I would be able to use them for something so  how nice it was to return to this stash of antique nails  to use. I had brought a few of my feeler gap gauges back home too.

Then there was a hardware store in our little town that had been closed since the pipeline days in the 70's. The were having a sellout sale at half price 70's prices. They were Alaskan prices mind you  which were quite high in comparison to stateside prices but still quite a good deal. So when I found a case of the cut nails that I was about to buy in a regular hardware store I knew I had clear the shelves of whatever they had. So these are truly vintage nails although they were brand new out of the box.

I got my new ridgy press to play with and definitely experimenting with going outside the press.
This one came out lopsided so I decided to pierce the more bulbous edge and quite liked the effect.

More edgy ridgies....the tootsie roll pop effect

It's a great big crusty whorl

Criffle crazy~ blue ink color

"Cirrus" color from two different lots of the same kind of glass.
You can see that two of the strike opaque and the other three are semi opaque .
Funny glass....and funny scan too

I think this color is called "kryptonite"

"Fremen" with frit and soda technique

New colors! I got a shipment in today. so exciting to try out some new ones.
Back when I first started making beads in the late 90's the palette available was much more limited.
They're coming out with so many new odd colors with a much more organic look that I prefer. 
Clockwise from the top
Blueberry Shake
Mojito
Mint Lozenge
Lichen
I'll have to get back to you on the next one ...I forget
and in the middle the pale ones are Strawberry Shake and 
Orange  Flint.
They change colors in the flame with the addition of the *frit and the baking soda.
The pure colors can come out quite different.

                                                 * Frit is crushed glass and the kind I use is called reduction frit which has metallic oxides in it that can change the way a glass looks.
a couple more ridgy guys

It still may be a bit before I list these, the weather hasn't been cooperating lately with some fierce winds. I need to get my photography setup figured out now at this place. I had finally found the most ideal set-up for good photos down in Arizona so bear with me please.
Feel free to contact me if you care to put anything on reserve before it hits my Etsy shop.
I'm more than happy to oblige.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

A Short Break in Service

I may disappear for a few days

I'm packing up my supplies

and my inventory

Locking up

Closing up

Getting ready to travel

Over water

by road

Going to fly away

looking forward to getting back to my northern studio

where I can make bangles

and plant a garden

Oh, and I got a haircut today

With a new stylist.

See you all soon!
XOXO Kim



Wednesday, April 18, 2012

You've Got Nail!

A present from my wayfaring scavengelist husband.
He's always on the lookout.
I have him pretty dialed in as to what I need in the rust department.
some of these pieces are 100 plus years old.

Now I have a good supply to lampwork onto.
Question is do I bring back to Alaska now.

The top piece looks like it's ready to become a necklace already

This guy really knows how to please a gal!
He found it all at an old copper mining town


Tuesday, April 17, 2012

What I've Been Missing~ Collage and Mail Art

I've been on a very rewarding roll since I returned from our winter India trip.
Lot's of energy and inspiration and a new group of creative designers that I've met through the blogs.
I've kind of missed messing with paper though and since I'm winding up my glass studio in the next week in preparation for the move back north I promised myself some glue time.

I've been saving envelopes for this purpose

I've been hoarding all manner of papers~ saving the best vintage stuff for some real pieces of art  later on down the line.




I would like to extend a sale to all of you wonderful followers and friends that visit my blog.
I'll have an Esty Sale for my new *Criffles* for 20% off till Friday, April 20  
and the first one to order will get them delivered in the envelope above.
Coupon code is   CRIFFMONKEY

Then I'll probably have to take a bit of hiatus in beadmaking until I get settled in up north.
I've got a show within the first week 6 hours from our place down in Anchorage
The Alaska Bead & Gem Show


"Dosnails"
But lately this is what I also have been up to.
They flashed through the shop so fast you may have missed them.
don't worry I'll be making more today

"Studnik"

"Zen Scissor"
hasn't been posted yet.
still attached to it myself.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Introducing *Criffles*

*Criffles*

Crusty riffles, a new crusty take on my whorls but now in muted colors (although this scan is making them look less than muted) and reduction frit with the soda finish. 
Maybe I haven't explained to you how I crustificate my beads. As I'm torching I roll the beads in plain old baking soda several times in between torching. then the bubbling happens and leaves a hard spongy powdery and aged looking surface. My work table ends up looking like a scene out of Scarface

They got big holes

Thinking of doing a transparent run today on this theme today.
I've got less than two weeks to wrap this operation up before we fly back to Alaska.
Then the shows start...and the Farmer's Market and back to the Garaj Mahal studio
with lots of space and less distractions.

another feeler gap gauge piece. 
I think it looks like a rams horn


and a shiny one.

Oh, and good news I just discovered another drawer full of twisty rusty wire, Yay!