I recently got two Jim Kervin books, the Sharon Peters one and the Jim Smircich one, both have given me new insights. Jim Smircich has made me think and understand a little more about the different working temps of the glass and how to achieve different shapes, and Sharon has got me wanting to do more animal beads.

Here are a couple of pictures of some of the latest - my little rat has since lost his tail - darn! I thought I'd been really careful about heating it up well, but something went wrong somewhere -- oh for a kiln!

I'll be getting more beads annealed very soon, which means there will be a huge new assortment that will go up for sale!

Finally, finally!!! Spring (or Summer) has arrived - what a relief after a cold, damp, snowy April so far. It's going up above 20c today.

I got my hose for a bulk tank yesterday and have everything moved into the sunporch, now I just need to get the gas and I'll be away. My goal is to really try and spend as much time as possible torching to improve on my techniques and hopefully start to get an inventory of saleable beads.

In March I won second place in a contest that Artistry In Glass was running, I entered my very first bead in a bead, and won a $50 gift certificate. I'm not sure whether to put it toward 'Passing The Flame', tools or glass... Too many things to choose from.

Beadwise I've been working on hollows mostly, trying to get them bigger. Every now and then I feel like I'm in some sweet spot where the glass flows like honey just where I want it, so I know it can be done.

Pictures? Ummm, let me see what I have I can post..

A new cat design which makes them look like they are hanging over whatever they're threaded on


This is a hollow, squashed with suneye on it, for my daughter Jess' birthday


A charm for her to hang in her house.

We are well into March and I've been busy getting my website online. It's done for now, more pictures to add and I'm sure I'll be reworking it as I go - www.fireseed.ca

Earlier in the month I attended a symposium for artists/craftspersons wanting to sell their wares. It was fun, I made a couple of contacts and learned some new things too.

When I went to pick up my last batch of annealed beads, the store owner told me I had some pretty neat stuff and that if I could make them a bit bigger he'd be willing to have some in his store on consignment. That was quite exciting as he's a glassblower and has been in business for quite a long time I believe. So.... my goal is BIGGER beads!

What I really need is for the weather to warm up, I find often the wind is in the wrong direction and blowing right in the window I'm trying to exhaust fumes out of, let me tell you it just doesn't work! The heat is lost too quickly and I have a job to get the glass melting consistantly. I am in envy of folks with decent places to torch, mixed fuel torches and kilns - yep that's it, I just want it all!!

What's new for beads? I've been trying some hollows and had a really good day when by some fluke of the stars I managed to make a bead inside a bead. That has become my proudest accomplishment, especially as I haven't achieved another since.

I've also been doing more faces, dots and cats. I get a lot of comments about the faces, I think because they are colourful and a bit different. They are fun to do too, and I want to make these bigger also.

My bead inside a bead!!





Funny Faces


The grey and white one is our cat Raffi.