Glitz Art Glass

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T13:13:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas Eve already - with all that's been going on here in Golden Bay, we missed quite a bit of that lead up to Christmas. However, the road workers, contractors, volunteers and generally everybody in our wonderful community has worked togerher to get everything cleaned up and ready for the summer visitors.

I noticed last night that there were campers back in the Pohara Motor Camp which means that they have solved their water issues and are up and running.

There have been people working every single daylight hour cleaning up - we've had every kind of contractor up and down the street from road repairers to carpet cleaning companies.

When I woke this morning I couldn't hear machinery running, and that's the first morning since the floods and slips that that has happened.

Our workroom was untouched during the floods and we will here seven days a week over January. Please drop by and say "Gidday" if you're around.

We were all devastated to hear that Christchurch has had another nasty swarm of earthquakes and it seems that they are now predicting that it may continue for some time again.

As I walked through the Takaka Market this morning on my way to the workroom I asked what we would wish for Christchurch for Christmas? Still ground, peace and freedom from the stress were some of the replies.

Can we gather our collective energies and wish these things for those poor folk suffering there?

Wishing you all peace, love and light for the holiday season.

Weather Bomb

2011-12-16T10:44:00.000-08:00

It seems to me that this is a newish expression, but one that describes perfectly what has been happening here.

We live in a lush green valley - we get a lot of rain compared to many places in New Zealand and we have a flourishing dairy industry because of that. But this week we had exceptional downpours up in our hills that lasted for days which have caused us some serious problems.

Our little settlement is nestled against the hills overlooking the beach on the eastern side of the Bay and we normally have a more moderate amount of rain than some areas here. However on Wednesday we had rain of epic proportions which caused drastic damage.

I closed the shop early and was surprised by the amount of surface water on the road as I drove home, but this happens occasionally here, so while it was an inconvenience it wasn't a huge surprise.

The first we knew of the real trouble to come was when the Toy Boy went to the gate to collect the mail and came back saying that there was a river of mud going down our road and that he would collect the mail later, once it had subsided a bit. I went back with him to take a look and in that short time the river had become a torrent of filthy mud laden water carrying tree branches, fence posts and rocks. The smell of it was incredible - the smell of mud!

We watched in amazement as the water gouged out the seal on the road and coursed a path down through our neighbours properties, sweeping through over and around everything in its path. It was truly frightening, especially as it didn't let up for hours.

Soon after this the slips started all around the neighbouring hillside properties with huge slices laden with bush falling onto the properties beneath them. Our property is up on a rise with a sheer cliff face, just like a lot of our neighbours properties, and we watched in terrified fascination and waited for ours to go!

Night fell and we reluctantly went to bed, but we had learnt some lessons from friends who had gone through the Christchurch earthquakes and left clothes and shoes laid out and a bag with torches etc, ready to flee if we should need to. We lay there and listened to the roar of the torrent on the road and wondered if those thundering noises we could hear were slips and where were they?

Daylight brought the opportunity to go out and take another look and we were shocked to see that our road looked like a river bed with water and mud everywhere. Our poor neighbours whose homes were in the path of the torrent had mud right through their houses and properties. The whole area looks like a war zone.

We've had a couple of days to process all of this - the council and kind locals have all pitched in to help with the clean up - or what cleaning up can be done - it is still raining, though rather more gently, and we had a period of sunshine yesterday morning.

The hillsides are still slipping occasionally.

From what we hear from neighbouring bays we may have gotten off lightly. Nearby Pohara Valley is very badly affected and one of my good walking friends is still stranded on her property with no vehicle access and no obvious solution in sight. They have craters in their road the size of large buildings. The next bay around, Ligar Bay is also very badly affected and only now incredible stories and pictures are emerging. A whole dairy farm in Wainui Bay is apparently covered in mud. Houses and vehicles are gone and displaced.

I was speaking to a shocked friend yesterday who told of her elderly neighbour who was sitting in his lounge talking to her on the phone when the line went dead. She called and went outside to see a lahar of mud enveloping his home and her studio and workshop. The poor old fellow was found out in the paddock in the wreckage and taken to hospital where he is recovering.

The entire western end of Golden Bay is isolated due to an enormous slip in the only road link to that area and we are waiting for a temporary bridge to be built, maybe today, so they can get through. Food and supplies have been shipped into there by sea! Ironically we believe there is little storm damage there.

There is talk of debris being left by logging work being the cause - who knows? I guess the causes and blame game will begin once we are past the stage of being shocked and the state of emergency has come to an end.

I just found this video on YouTube taken by Heather, one of our neighbours. There has been incredible footage taken by lots of people around the Bay, but these are all taken just around our home.

For now, our house is undamaged and we are safe, though we are carefully watching a small slip on our bank.

We feel so fortunate to have come through this relatively unscathed when so many of our friends and neighbours have lost so much.

Take a Walk With Me

2011-12-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

We leave home, walk down the hill and onto the beach.

We'll walk west with the dawn sun on our backs picking out the detail on the Wakamarama Range.

The tide has tossed lots of debris onto the beach this week.

About ten minutes along there's evidence of the previous day's fun with a couple of stick huts

At the big lucerne tree we turn off the beach and go across the golf course.

Over the creek and through the arcade heading back east now - we're almost half way.

We're walking back east into the morning sun.

There's a new walkway through the bush and part way through we can look South into the mountains - there's still a little snow on the tops this morning.

Back out beside the golf course and past the house that Orlando Bloom is said to have stayed in with his family during the filming of The Hobbit last month.

And back out onto the manicured walkway in front of the homes along the beach. The Tarakohe headland and Tata Islands are in the distance.

The sea is in a gentle mood this morning.

Back down towards the motor camp where the bottlebrush is in full bloom - it must almost be Christmas!

And home - that took us an hour. It's the calmest part of my day and I love it!

Hearts of Stone?

2011-11-25T11:19:00.000-08:00

No, hearts of glass. I've made some heart beads in the "Moeraki Stone" style lately, and have even made some tiny ones for earrings.

Yes, they're glass - lovely earthy colours, colours that change in the flame and combine with other colours to react and do something often unexpected. It's one of the many things I love about working with glass!
The Moeraki Stone beads are inspired by the giant round bead-like rocks at Moeraki Beach on the East Coast of the South Island - it's a gorgeous place of big country where the sea meets the land and the sky and you can stand out on a tiny sheltered penninsula or "kaik" and look all around for miles.
Moeraki is on my mind lately. I was given a book this week - Fleur Sullivan's autobiography. Fleur is a restauranteur in her '70's, still working hard and inspirationally at what she does best - cooking original food and presenting it in new but traditional ways. I know that sounds odd, but trust me, it's good! She collects old household wares and food from the land and combines them in an original, authentic ways.
Since the problems with the website I've been able to upload lots more works and have been busily preparing for the summer, squirreling away good stocks so we can relax a little too.
I've just finished a set that I'm particularly pleased with Black Raku Spice Cubes with transparent gray - the black raku beads are lovely, but the addition of the transparent gray really brings the pieces to life!

My latest silver order has just arrived and I've been carefully weighing it all out and sorting it into my system - MAN!!! The price has skyrocketed! I'm really afraid that I'm going to have to put my prices up soon - but I'll wait till the New Year. The price is all related to the world mineral prices which have gone crazy since the recession. Apparently people invest in gold, silver, copper etc during these times. Let's hope that things come right financially in 2012 so the prices of materials goes back to normal!
Oh, and just because I haven't blogged in ages, I'll show you something else I've been working on...

I've found a way to combine these really reactive glass colours - Lime Green, Opaque Pink and Cranberry. It's something I've been mulling over for ages, but when a friend came in looking for something to wear with a really pretty black top sprigged with pink and green I thought again and gave it a go. This one is Extra Large Lime Green & Raspberry Flow Heart Pendant.

Swarovski Crystal Christmas Decorations

2011-11-11T13:39:00.000-08:00

The ultimate in gorgeous sparkly Christmas decorations!

I had some large crystals in my stash which I wasn't sure how to use in jewellery, so I decided to have a go at making Christmas decorations.

My lovely sister-in-law has given us sumptuous Christmas decorations over the years and they're a gift that keeps on giving - we get them out every year to enjoy.

They're not something I would buy for myself - I'm just too miserly - but to receive them as a gift is pure luxury!

They're about 100mm (that's 4 inches) long and 30mm wide with a loop at the top for the hanging thread (which is provided), and have a stiff red and gold organza bow.

Individually they're $35 and a pack of three is $100.

Find them on the website here.

In the meantime they're adding a little festive flair hanging from the candelabra in the workroom!

Tiger Bead Earrings and New Walking Feet

2011-11-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

I've been busily uploading lots of new earrings - mostly Tiger Beads - I have been taking the time off between shows to spend quietly on the torch playing with overlaying transparent colour over an opaque "twisted" core. I find it amazing hos soothing it is to just potter away on the flame and lose myself in the flow of the glass.

I like the way that the opaque blended core accentuates the intensity of the outer glass. Each colour behaves differently - purple is really great!

I like the way that the opaque blended core accentuates the intensity of the outer glass. Each colour behaves differently - purple is really great but hard to photograph!

And now from the strange but true files comes the story of my new walking shoes...

I bought some new Vibram Fivefingers from Soul Shoes here in Takaka and they are the most amazing "shoe experience" ever!

The shoes are great - my feet feel so much more alive and active! I can feel my toes moving as they are meant to, rather than just moving as a "block" inside a hard soled shoe. They also support my feet and help with my posture and all those attendant aches and pains.

At the end of the week I just throw them in the washing machine with some quality laundry soap on a cold delicate wash then dry them in the sun - they're almost like a thick pair of socks.

I have a rude friend who who said that I looked like a hobbit!

I don't care - I'm comfortable and I don't care how daggy I look on the beach at dawn - I have only a trusted group of women friends who see me!

Maxed Out!

2011-10-31T01:13:00.000-07:00

Those who know me will confirm that there is absolutely nothing minimalist about me. Among my favourite sayings are "More is more", and "Minimalism, schminimalism!"

So when the website crashed yesterday, and when I started looking properly I found that it had been misbehaving for 10 days or so, it should have come as no surprise that I had completely maxed out my data allocation!
Apparently my disc was totally overloaded...

Getting a little MORE was no sweat for my clever techie Anita.

The Toy Boy is just glad that it wasn't my credit card that was maxed!

So look out for lots of lovely new beads being added daily...Yeehaa! I can have MORE!

Drumroll please....

2011-10-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

THE SIGNS ARE UP!

It's taken six months, but we finally found the perfect sign writer and look what he made for us!

Alex Burnett from Mapua made them, and his specialty is 3D sign designs. He has made the train and necklace out of a special lightweight foam made from compressed plastic bags.

So they're recycled, handmade and fun - just perfect for us!

What do you think of the name? It was the Toy Boy's idea and is a play on the Indiana Jones movie title "Raiders of the Lost Ark". We had to come up with a name of our combined work, and this seemed like a bit of a chuckle.

He also made the Golden Bay Toys sign for the side of the building - it has the 3D train on the top, and sits out a little from the building in a shallow "V" shape.

And this is a shot of the little courtyard in front of the shop - I love the little fernery and tables - it gives us a little distance from the street and invites people to linger.

We even had a soiree last week to celebrate the fact that we're (almost) organised.

It was a glittering affair, with the guests wearing their finest (beads) with a number of local celebrities in attendance. The hostess forgot to organise photos...so you will just have to take my word for it.

I Fell Off!

2011-10-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't fall off my perch, just felt a bit out of sorts and was fully occupied with just getting through the days with absolutely no added extras.

"So go ahead. Fall down. The world looks different from the ground."
Oprah Winfrey

I've had a bug - yes, the one I picked up in Invercargill and it has been very hard to shift. I think I'm on the tail end of it now - I have the chesty thing going on. but am getting back into my yoga and morning walks - a sure sign that I'm feeling better.

Meanwhile there have been lots of fun things happening in the studio - the Raindrops series is moving along nicely with the new Palest Emerald Green Raindrops just finished and uploaded to the website today.

The Palest Pastel and Watercolours sets of Raindrops are also now gracing Red Gallery in Nelson for their exhibition celebrating the launch of the latest Nelson Arts Guide book.

And..TaDa...we have the new signs up at the workroom! But more of that later.

Feeling Rich

2011-09-19T13:47:00.000-07:00

The sun is shining, I've been for a gorgeous walk on the beach with a friend, I'm finally feeling better and I'm about to go into the studio for the day.

Life is good!

Gorgeous Fabric Giveaway

2011-09-14T17:31:00.000-07:00

...not mine, but my sister's!
Lyndy is giving away some serious goodies on her blog Stitchbird Fabrics this week.
Her fabrics are just fabulous - she has a real "eye" for a gorgeous piece of cloth
There are six packs in all...

And all you have to do is tell her which ones you would like to win!
How easy is that?
Follow this link or click on her link in the sidebar.

Full Moon Blues

2011-09-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what's going on here at the moment, but I can't seem to shake a bug that I picked up in Invercargill. I often find that the full moon brings a lot of these things to the surface, don't you?

I thought I'd dealt with my bug pretty conclusively on the last day of the Craft Shows when we went to A & E at Invercargill Hopsital and I was prescribed some horse-sized antibiotic pills.

Now, that's an experience I could talk about at length - four hours in a public hospital Accident and Emergency waiting room sure are an education. Although I was feeling lousy, I had to tell myself how lucky I am, and how benevolently life has treated me.

However, I digress...we had a lovely rest as we drove north - the sun shone for us, the newborn lambs frolicked the spring flowers nodded...it was idyllic and by the time we got home three days later I was feeling much better.

It was still a relief to get home to Golden Bay - we had a wonderful house-sitter and the furballs were happy and full of fun, and the garden had turned on spring.

It's been great to get back to work - does that sound strange? I found myself really missing the torch while we were away - I think it comes from talking to people about the work, but not doing it!

However I find myself looking for sunny spots to lie down in.

Perhaps once the full moon has finished her phase I will feel better?

Dunkleys Great NZ Craft Show South Island Road Trip

2011-08-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

In New Zealand we like to think that our winters are mild in comparison to a lot of the world, but in the past week we had a polar blast sweep across the country. And wouldn't you know it, it was the week that we chose to travel south for the Dunkleys Great New Zealand Craft Show South Island Tour!
We were surprised that the weather was fabulous - a perfect winter's day right over our notorious Takaka Hill, the equally notorious Wangamoas. But when we got to the Kaikoura Coast in the east the sea was mountainous!

There were waves the size of buildings coming right up to the road. Fortunately we got there just after high tide - the water had been right across the road and there was lots of debris dumped there.

Even the poor seals that live there were right up by the road on the rocks trying to avoid the sea! I couldn't get a photo of them, sorry - and I apologise for the quality of these shots - they were taken from the moving van - there was no way I was getting out of there, and we wanted to get away from there as soon as we could as the wind was buffeting the van alarmingly!

Up through the Hundalees the road was really icy.

Then we hit heavy snow through the Greta Valley

But the good news is....that we made it! We set up the show on Thursday afternoon and here it is!

And we won FIRST PRIZE for Outstanding Display!

Woohoo! Thanks, Dunkleys!

Thanks to those people who dropped by to see us - and I apologise for being so busy that it was hard to chat - the crowd was overwhelming at times.

At the moment we're taking a couple of days out at Moeraki Beach - one of my favourite places in the world - just walking and cloudwatching. The weather is now glorious!

It's a great place to just sit and watch the sky.

And there's lots of treasure to collect on the beach - it's a great place for sea-glass.

And I found a T-Stick! Very topical at the moment as that's how I'm using the internet here ;).

New Books and the big draw

2011-08-15T02:36:00.000-07:00

One of the preparations I love to make for a trip is making sure that I have some nice books to read. Here's my little stash...I think it will last me for a bit longer than three weeks!
We leave here on Wednesday for Christchurch - weather permitting. This snow storm is putting the trip in some doubt - Oh! I do love the joys of traveling in winter! I wonder how the Christchurch Craft Show will be in this weather? Perhaps it will all have blown over by opening day on Friday - I do hope so!
Ironically, we are having beautiful days here in Golden Bay - the sun is high and warm, but the wind is cold.
And the winner of the Blog Giveaway is....drumroll, please...

Carol Soutter-Earle! Congratulations, Carol, I will be in touch!

Something New

2011-08-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

Taupe and Grape Tiger Beads

I told you recently that I was working on some beads that were driving me crazy. I was trying to get a subtle colour effect using a gorgeous very pale handmade brown glass - it's really almost not brown, more of a soft taupe.

I made it into Tiger Beads - it's actually very dark purple and white twisted stringer (for those who might be interested ;)) heavily encased in this lovely brown glass. I've spaced the feature beads with etched beads made from the same brown glass. I think you get a better idea of a "colour" from the etched beads. The insides of the beads are softly taupe-y, cream-y purple-y. The little crystal beads in between are Swarovski crystals in Light Topaz - slightly larger (round faceted) beads than I normally use. It may be one of those designs that's better seen in real time.

And here is the first of the Raindrops Series that I'm fiddling with. I'm really loving making these, but because we're in the middle of preparing for the Great NZ Craft Show South Island Tour, I've been rather distracted from them. I will make the other pieces up when we get back in mid September, I think.

They're based on very very soft transparent colours with etched beads and crystals. There's a little twist with some of the newer pieces, so I'll leave that as a surprise for later.

Don't forget to make sure that you have registered as a member of my blog so you go into the draw for a free pair of my "Roses" earrings! I will do the draw on Monday.

Found at the Bottom of the Garden

2011-08-06T02:37:00.000-07:00

Flowers are inspirational for me. And I also love bulbs - you plant these brown, boring looking lumps and a few months later, when there's nothing much else around, up come these little jewels.

These are little rock irises, and for some unknown reason, they remind me of feathers.

I would love to be able to reproduce these in glass!

Blog Giveaway!

2011-08-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

As a very special thank you to my newsletter followers and as a follow up to my website sale, I have decided to do my first online giveaway. There is one condition...as there always is!

If you register as a blog follower you will go into the draw to win this pair of Sapphire Blue Rose Earrings. You will also need to let me know how to contact you if you are the lucky winner.

I will draw the prize before we go away to do the South Island run of the Great New Zealand Craft Shows and will post them off to you at my cost - this includes overseas postage.

Mark these dates on your calendar

Christchurch Show - Addington Racecourse Friday 19th to Sunday 21st August

Dunedin Show - Edgar Centre Friday 26th to Sunday 28th August

Invercargill Show - ILT Velodrome Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th September

There is a printable discount coupon for these shows on my Facebook page.

You can "Like" the page to receive updates from the studio.

And don't forget to enter the draw for those earrings!

This giveaway is now closed, and the winner was Carol Soutter Earle.

Skirt Love

2011-07-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

"Magenta Purple"

I have fallen in love with the skirts of Anna Konya. She has been designing her gorgeous gypsy-inspired clothing since the '60's and they have become real collectors items in the States.

"Sedona Sunset"

They're made up of metres and metres of (mostly) cotton fabric and the colours are "bent" with metres and metres of ribbon. The waist is elasticised and there are apparently voluminous pockets hidden in the folds, so they are practical pieces that are meant to be worn every day.

There are gyspy shirts to match, too.

With the US Dollar so low at the moment, it's all very tempting, but I think I will have to wait and make a special birthday gift request!

illy & Mojo were doing a bit of "formation sleeping" in front of the fire tonight. Purrfect!

Pandora Beads

2011-07-22T15:50:00.000-07:00

You know that I am in love with glass beads and jewellery, and I'm often moved to make myself a little something!

Years ago the Toy Boy gave me a Pandora bracelet and I've mucked around with it for ages and I think I've finally found a style that suits me.

I've made a series of what are known as "white heart" beads - opaque white glass overlaid with bright transparent colours in the chakra colours. These beads have the big hole that is needed to go over the thick snake chain of the Pandora style bracelets - there are lots of brands of these, Troll beads and Love Links are the ones that come immediately to my mind.

I haven't cored my beads with silver - there shouldn't be a need with handmade glass beads that are properly annealed, so they move around the sections within the bracelet and tap together in a very satisfying way!

I have always made a few of these beads - they're not on the website, but here's a photo of the selection I have in the studio at the moment. If something there interests you, just drop me a line - they are NZ$25 each.

Don't you think that silver charms between the glass beads would look wonderful? Perhaps I will have to start dropping hints!

For those of you in New Zealand, stay warm this mid winter weekend - there's snow on the hills and it's bitterly cold here!

illy and Mojo took one look at the morning and decided to stay by the fire!

The Inspirational Work of Melissa Schmidt

2011-07-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

I've recently become aware of the work of glass bead artist Melissa Schmidt.

She makes tiny glass bubbles on the lamp from borosilicate or pyrex style glass. These first ones have an etched surface - something that is topical for me at the moment - I'm playing with etching a new series, but more of that later...

In these beads, which she initially developed as a birthday gift for her mother, she has inserted teeny tiny photographs, then sealed the bubble and hung it from a necklace...isn't it incredible?

She takes commissions and you can give her the photos that you would like to have added to your personalized piece.
A part of me wants to know the "how is it done?" bit, but another part of me just wants to sit back and enjoy the beautiful work!

Of course, the ones with the flowers in are my favourites! But you could probably guess that!

Don't forget to visit the JULY WEBSITE SALE before it's too late!

Glitz Art Glass Annual Website Sale and Newsletter

2011-07-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

Brrrr….!!!! It’s cold! It was just 6 degrees Celcius in the workroom this morning! It must be midwinter, and I remember this time last year I had my first Website Sale. It was so good that I thought that I should turn it into a tradition and make it my…

Annual Website Sale

So let’s grab a coffee, turn on the heaters and the kiln, turn up the jazz and get into it!

So just like last year, I have included a promotion code in this newsletter for you to use to receive 20% off all items on the website (excluding postage).

If you enter BUYBEADS into the coupon code box then follow the prompts, you will receive 20% discount on any item on the site, excluding postage.

Yes, that’s right – until the end of July, if you go onto the website and order any item, then enter the promotion code as you checkout, you will receive a 20% discount.

This offer is only open to people who have given me their email address and have signed up for my newsletter, so if you tell your friends about this, they must first register their email address, which they can easily do via my website www.glitz.co.nz

Shows

Wow! What a busy year this has been!

The beads and toys (Golden Bay Toys, my husband, Murray’s colourful handmade wooden pull along toys) have covered quite a lot of the country!

The best laid plans of mice and men went awry last year with lots of interference from Mother Nature!

We were all prepared, packed and ready for the Dunkley’s Great New Zealand Craft Show South Island run when the first of the Christchurch earthquakes struck on September 4^th. Although our venue was virtually undamaged, the ongoing aftershocks meant that the safety of the Addington Raceway could not be guaranteed, so the Dunkleys reluctantly decided to cancel the event. Of course, we all know how this awful year has progressed for Christchurch, and our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by the quakes.

However, to continue my story, we carried on and had a wonderful show in Dunedin (and I have to say that it was a relief to get out of a very wobbly Christchurch), even though a massive southerly storm hit and the weather was atrocious. In fact, while we were working in Dunedin the snow build-up on the fabulous Stadium Southland, the venue for our Invercargill show, caused the whole roof there to collapse! Fortunately there was no loss of life, and we were very aware that it would have been a very different story if we had been in the middle of the show at the time of the collapse!

We managed to sneak through to Invercargill during a small break in the weather, and carried on to have a great show in the Velodrome at Stadium Southland – right beside the ruin of the main stadium – a very sobering experience.

We came home from that trip appreciating that our home and workplaces were intact and our family safe.

To finish the season we went to the gorgeous Christmas Country Fete in Culverden – a major and very stylish South Island event, had our first year at Hunters Garden Marlborough in Blenheim (a beautiful day out, and if you’re a gardener, a visual feast!), the Thorndon Fair in Wellington – a very different city event – fun and frantic, and Martinborough Fairs in February and March.

Since then we have made some major changes to the way we work and have opened up a small workroom and shop in Commercial Street, Takaka, right in the CBD!

While it was a major wrench to leave our lovely studios at home, it makes sense to work and sell from a more easily accessible spot, and we have found the transition from working at home to going out to work interesting and quite positive both professionally and personally. We spend more time chatting with friends’ old and new and drinking coffee, but on the other hand we are managing to take a little time out and the garden is responding to this attention. We’re both enjoying having our work permanently displayed here, too.

So this has meant the end of the Nelson Market stall for me, but Murray still goes over with the toys. That’s meant a huge change of lifestyle for me! I really miss the buzz of the market, but the very early starts and long days are something I gave away very easily!

We are booked to do the Dunkley’s Great New Zealand Craft Show’s South Island run again this year. It’s a bit earlier than usual because of that Rugby competition,…and we’d like Mother Nature to cooperate this year, if possible!

Christchurch Show at Addington Raceway August 19^th – 21st,

Dunedin Show at the Edgar Centre August 26^th – 29th, and the

Invercargill Show at ILT Velodrome September 2^nd – 4^th.

If you would like a discount coupon for your entry fee, please let me know and I’ll get one to you.

You can contact me at lesley@glitz.co.nz or through the address below.

I am also booked in for the Thorndon Fair in Wellington on Sunday 4^th December in my usual spot, though that feels quite a long way off right now.

Happy Shopping!

Red Raku Barrels

2011-06-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

I thought it was time I showed you the Red and Black Raku Barrel beads that I have been making lately.

The Raku Barrel beads all began when I was trying something out for someone in Australia, and we were trying to come up with a shape and style within some parameters for her.
I've used glass raku frit (tiny shards of crushed glass) for a long time now in my beads, and have always loved it in combination with red and black. As I understand it, the colours in Raku glass are made by using a lot of metal in the recipe, and that metal is usually silver. Anyhow, it gives a lovely effect rather like that of tiny pebbles or spice sprinkled around.

Being an ex Cantabrian (that's the province in New Zealand where Christchurch is located, for you folk overseas), I have a penchant for red and black, especially in these post earthquake months, when our hearts go out to the people there. I wanted to combine them both in some beads but in a kind of subtle way that's more wearable than the usual sporting colours.
So...without further ado...here they are...

Red and Black Raku Barrels Necklace

This is the first necklace I made with the smaller shards of raku glass.

Red and Black Raku Barrels Bracelet 225mms

Red and Black Raku Barrels Earrings 1

And this is the set that I made with the larger shards - I can't decide which I like best!

Red and Black Raku Barrels Necklace 2

Red and Black Raku Barrels Bracelet 2

Red and Black Raku Barrels Earrings

I've been experimenting with the barrel shape in bigger beads too - here it is in the same True Red and Black, the same as the other ones here.

Medium Red and Black Raku Barrel Pendant

I think they look vaguely oriental, and because they're smooth and long, they're lovely to wear and quite neat and dainty looking.

There are a few more to look at here.

So, what do you think?

Shop Update

2011-06-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

Things have been moving along happily in the little shop in Takaka - we are still yet to build some storage and work units, but we are thoroughly enjoying being in the main street.

I'm enjoying having the torch, jewellers bench and office in the same place and often swing from one to the other and feel like I'm getting more work done.

I'm looking forward to hanging some favourite local artists work around the room.
We have lovely big windows along the side of the building and will build units to make enticing displays there. Do you see the sweet little French candelabra? I bought it to embellish, but I think I love it just the way it is.

The toy shelf is slowly filling up for the winter - we will need to have lots more made by the time August rolls around and we have the Dunkley's Great New Zealand Craft Show South Island run.

The space isn't huge, and we occasionally struggle with sharing, but generally we manage to get along pretty well. You can just see the Toy Boy working at his painting bench in this photo. I often work opposite him swinging a paintbrush on the toys.
The whole move into the village has been good, and we feel much more social - even if we do drink way too much coffee these days!

The Paper Art of Isabelle De Borchgrave

2011-06-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

I have just discovered the art of Isabelle De Borchgrave, a woman from Brussels who creates the most incredible paper "fabric" sculptures.
She paints paper then sculpts it into costumes, mostly iconic pieces from history, but often with her own whinsical twist. Among other things she has created a whole collection of historical garments but changed the colour palette to just white to show the design details in the garments.

She observed images in ancient portraits and as she was curious to see right around the clothing, she studied it's construction and used it as inspiration to construct like garments in paper.

It's hard to believe that the pieces are not made of fabric, such is her skill in catching the lie of the cloth, the texture of the embroidery, or the heft of her embelishments.
I've only ever seen her work online or on paper - I would love to see it "up close and personal", but I know that the first thing I would want to do is touch it, and I'm sure that would not be the done thing!

Delphos Dress 2006 2007 Inspired by a design by Mariano Fortuny.

Detail of Neopolitan Woman 2010. Inspired by a 1635 portrait by Massimo Stanzione in the collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

If you would like to see more - try the website link above, or just do a Google Image search - it's well worth the clicks!

Orange

2011-06-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous juicy colour! It's one of my favourite colours - to wear and to have around me.
Within the chakra system, it is the colour of the second or sacral chakra and represents passion, creativity and sexuality.
It's also the colour of Tibetan monks and nun's robes.
The first orange dyes for cloth were made from turmeric - there's just nothing not to love about orange!
I've been making Rose beads in orange lately, and have just fallen totally in love with a Transparent Orange which works differently in the flame every time, if I'm careful! I'm sure the Italian masters would prefer that I worked it so it came up the same colour every time, but that would be boring, now, wouldn't it?!
Orange is one of the colours that the Italian glass-makers seem to play with from time to time and I have had several odd batches over the years which have given some exquisite effects.

Transparent Orange & Olive Green Roses Necklace

Transparent Orange & Olive Green Roses Bracelet

Transparent Orange & Olive Green roses Earrings
Another Orange I've been playing with is Orange Sparkle, which is semi-opaque and has a gorgeous subtle sparkle in sunlight - I made the Roses using Olive Green again - I like the combination - what do you think?

Orange Sparkle & Olive Green Roses Necklace

Orange Sparkle & Olive Green Roses Bracelet

Orange Sparkle & Olive Green Roses Earrings
I'd love to know how the colour orange is made is glass - I am pretty sure it involves sulphur, but beyond that I know nothing.

A Weekend in Melbourne

2011-06-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

I am lucky to be the middle daughter of three girls, and I consider my sisters to be one of the greatest gifts of my life. Every year we try to get away for a weekend together - sometimes it works and sometimes family ties and responsibilities get in the way, but this was one of the years that it worked for us. We have just returned from Melbourne, one of the most beautiful cities that I know. Everywhere we looked there was a visual feast, from street art to architecture, food and craft markets to high end fashion stores. We explored as much of it as we could in the little time we had, and I have come home refreshed and inspired.

The city is flat and we walked everywhere, apart from taking the odd tram. We constantly stopped to ooh! and aah! over things that caught our eye.

I wonder what lies behind this doorway?

The Victoria Market was full of eye candy - these are flowering cacti that a guy grows from seed and pups.

We found this amazing little stall selling foodie goodies from the Middle East - their nougat was to die for, their walnut stuffed fresh dates the food of the gods, and their retail display one of the more inspirational sights we saw.

Even the fruit and vege sellers made sumptuous displays.

And I'd always wondered what to do with a pomegranate!

And I found an amazing little shop in one of the beautiful arcades making murrini out of sugar, (as opposed to glass)which I stood and watched for ages. They start off with a fat roll of rock on a heated pad with the image layered through, and slowly roll and pull it out to thin strands which they break off into sweeties. The smell of this was amazing!

You can see the image of a raspberry in the end of the cane.

This is one of the glorious little arcades that are dotted throughout the central city.
I could go on and on with the photos, and bore you all to death, but you get the picture? We had a ball!

New Zealand Glass Art Book

2011-05-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Early last year I was asked by the New Zealand Society of Artists in Glass to put together a submission for a "coffee table" book of...New Zealand glass art.
It was published in October last year....and here it is.

it's available at www.Fishpond.co.nz and I see that it's even on special offer at the moment for NZ$44.95.
I'm actually in love with a piece in the front of the book called Te Tau Hou by Te Rongo Kirkwood. It's a gorgeous piece that uses it's own reflection as part of the work.
This is a gorgeous book, with so many beautiful images that it's a visual feast!

OK, so here is my page, just in case you can't get it or find it at the library.

Putting images together for book printing purposes is quite a business and I had these ones take professionally. I think that the process actually changed the colours a little - especially the red, but they still look good, if not actually true to the original piece.

Sundays at Home

2011-05-15T01:31:00.000-07:00

This is one of the first Sunday's off I have had in many months, and I've enjoyed a day in the garden.
Now, I know that this is a strange thing for a maker of glass beads to blog about, but we have had a huge day using our latest toy. I have to admit that it's been a long time since I raved about something that I couldn't read, wear, eat or smell...so here it is...The Morrison Quiet Electric Garden Shredder

We have trimmed trees all afternoon and have put all of the branches that would fit through the shredder and collected the beautiful mulch in buckets. Not only have we saved a huge trailerload of green rubbish going into the landfill, we have created wonderful mulch and compost base for the garden. And it was all so quiet and easy! The branches that didn't fit through it have been put aside to be sawn up for firewood - so absolutely nothing leaves the property and absolutely nothing is wasted.
We're feeling rather grubby but very pleased with ourselves tonight - it must be time for a celebratory glass of wine! So...
Clean and green? Tick!
Pleased with our purchase? Tick!
Tired and dirty? Tick!

Making Progress

2011-04-16T02:12:00.000-07:00

A lot of you will be familiar with the clutter in the foreground that is my workbench, but look beyond...yes, we hung lots of busts, pictures and posters on the walls this week, and at least my side of the shop and workroom is filling up nicely.
You can see the little courtyard outside in this photo - we are set slightly back off the street, and right on a side-road/alley which goes through to the library and a little park-like space where a market is held every weekend.
AND...you can see my latest project piece which arrived this week - an old French provincial candelabra. I can't wait to embellish it! I can see it buzzing with bugs and flowers.

Creating our Space

2011-04-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

The Toy Boy and I have been as busy as bees for the past month creating a space to work in in Takaka - the little village in the area we live in.
I'm calling it a workroom, but it has a small retail area in the front for displaying our wares, and we are on the main street in what we jokingly call the CBD of Takaka.
Because my needs are greatest...in terms of space, that is (!), I seem to have cornered the largest share of the area, and have my torch, kiln and jewellers bench there, while I have kindly given the Toy Boy a corner and a large cupboard. My generosity overwhelms me sometimes! The toys will be painted and finished there, so we will both be there most of the time.
We are taking baby steps at the moment, and things are very empty and unformed, but we have opened our doors to the public, so I will share a little with you, too.
The colours are the same as they are in my studio at home - I still love them after living with them for eight years.
It's all so exciting - we are really enjoying putting everything together!

Candy Stripers

2011-03-29T15:01:00.000-07:00

I just had to take a photo and share these new beads - I love them! I love the way that the colour part of the bead is tiny, and it floats within a body of clear glass.

I have a new clear glass which is gorgeous - still from the same place, just nicer.

I'm going to make these beads into earrings, but I already have an idea buzzing around in my head for a necklace - oh, and I want to try lots of different colour combinations, too. Do you have any suggestions?

How Society Changes in Times of Trial

2011-02-27T00:35:00.000-08:00

We are still very focused on news of the earthquake at the moment - desperately hoping that more people will be found alive.
But no-one has been found for more than three days, and hopes are fading.
Tears come freely right now.
I have noticed how kind we all are to one another at the moment. The first thing we do whenever we meet is to ask how the other person is? Are their loved ones safe? Are they OK? And we listen...
We are so mindful that there are people among us who are hurting badly.
We make phone calls - when we can - to check that our wider community are OK - calls that we would usually put off.
Maybe this will make us all better people? If so, it's a hell of a way to find out!

Lost for Words

2011-02-23T16:08:00.000-08:00

I feel that I must post something about the quake that has devastated Christchurch, but I'm not sure where to begin, or even that I can express how I feel about it all.

Christchurch was my home town - it's where I come from, and the old city has almost totally collapsed with many deaths.

Fortunately, all of my family are safe - though it took us a few days to find everyone as phone systems are either totally overloaded or down.

We remain glued to the television and radio, and already we have seen a face in the reports of victims which we recognise. A lovely young guy who worked in a music store locally for a while.

We all wonder what we can do? We have offered beds in our home for anyone who wants to run away, but what is really needed is money.

Donations can be made through The Red Cross - this is the fund that was also used after the last quake, and is now needed more than ever.

For information and images you might like to look at www.stuff.co.nz - they have regular updates.

To everyone in Christchurch I send my deepest sympathy and aroha.

Kia kaha!

Counting Sheep

2011-02-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

I've been having lots of fun making these little sheep. They began as a project for the Beads of Courage Programme, but have since become something that other people are interested in and I really enjoy giving each one an individual personality.

I was asked a few weeks ago to work on a flat floral bead, which has teased my imagination a little. I've inserted man made "diamonds" into some of these beads - something I hadn't done for ages, but I think that this style rather suits the twinkle.

I've also been making loads of tomato relish, trying to use up some of the beautiful heritage tomatoes that the Toy Boy has growing in the garden. This is a tried and true family favourite here, something I do every year. I just love preserving food for the long cold winter months - I feel like sich a Domestic Goddess!

Home from the fair

2011-02-08T12:06:00.001-08:00

We're just home from the first of the Martinborough Fairs. We enjoyed our "South Pacific Cruise" on the ferry to Wellington, where we stayed with our son and his partner, then travelled up to Martinborough very early on Saturday morning.
Boy! It was a scorcher with temperatures well into the 30's, but we have a wonderful spot on the eastern side of the square, where we get the morning sun and are sheltered from the wind. Apparently there were 25,000 people there, though it really didn't seem that busy.
Had a fabulous meal in Wellington at La Belle Italia in Petone while we were there - real authentic Italian, with fresh, fresh food and incredible service.
It was real family time in Wellington - my sister and niece helped out on mine and the Toy Boy's stalls, and my brother-in-law, who is an amazing cook, treated us to one of his creations on Sunday night.
We have come home feeling filled-up on family and fabulous food!

Mixed Blessings

2011-01-27T16:36:00.000-08:00

I was really excited when I ordered my new computer, and had planned carefully to have it arrive while my son was home so he could help me in the teething stages - yes, I knew that it would be a bit of a challenge for me. I love technology and the way it connects me to a whole unimagined world...but I do find that the maze of computer speak just baffles me!
So all was well initially - Dell and me were making friends nicely and playing well. Then she refused to read my camera driver...for no reason, she just dug her toes in and said she couldn't see it, even though it was plugged into her side with the appropriate umbilicus. And I got cross.
I imported all kinds of special software to try to please her but she still stayed blindfolded to Canon, who is the nicest little camera you could find. And she's not that old, really...
So eventually, with my dear son's help, I purchased a mediator - a card reader who will take Canon's card and deliver it to Dell. What a long and frustrating story this has been.
So now all I have to do is get Blogger to behave - does anyone know of a mediator that will work with him? Blogger MUST be male, surely? He is just so inflexible...

Studio Time

2011-01-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope that 2011 brings you all the things that you wish!

It's holiday time in Golden Bay, and the time of year when I love to see visitors to my studio. We are on a hill just above the Pohara Holiday Park, and love to hear the sounds of people enjoying their summer break. As I write this I can just hear the sounds of children playing on the beach and the sounds of the sea. Everyone is so relaxed and happy - it is such a great time of year to spend with people - they are at their very best!

I have to say that it's VERY hot in the studio - with the kiln and the flame going combined with this gorgeous weather we're having, I have the fans doing double time.

Every time I go the bead box I find that the teal colour box is almost empty...so I have been enjoying making a few beads in that colour. I've been making a few Landscapes and a few Florals - can you see the One Colour Florals in the photos?
I've also been making a few sheep for the Beads of Courage Programme, and have been asked to make them for a client - isn't that fun?
Happy Holidays everyone!

Meet the Cats

2010-12-12T22:45:00.000-08:00

I've been sorting through photos and have come across some lovely recent ones of the cats.
They're Bombays - little black panthers with golden eyes. They're just beautiful and have the most wonderful natures.

illy (aka Princess illy One Eye)is slightly older than Mojo at 5 1/2, and lost her eye to a nasty infection last year. She is a huge personality and manages all of our lives quite successfully. If you've been to visit the studio you have probably met her!

Mojo is a little more shy, though he will occasionally socialize with new people. He always has a lot to say and can jump from the ground onto the top of the rotary washing line. His nickname is "Gerald McBoing Boing" (Do you remember the children's story about the boy who could leap to amazing heights?), and he has been found on the very top of our neighbours kitchen cabinets. He thinks its hilarious, but we have trouble with some of his jokes!

Here he is coming home with a story to tell.

We often call them the Bumpy cats because they adore one another and often bump along together - they seem to love to touch one another as they wander along - they are very sweet!

If you are wondering about their names - they are named for coffee brands - the Toy Boy and I both love good black coffee!

This last one is The Princess asleep hidden in the folded sun umbrella.

Meeting Laura-mae

2010-11-18T16:43:00.000-08:00

Recently I've been lucky to have a young woman share her Fridays with me on a local high school Day Out Programme.

Laura-mae lives just down the road from us, and though we have met before, it has been a real pleasure spending time with her getting to know her.

She is 14 years old and loves jewellery and music, spending time in her weekends busking (playing her guitar and singing) and hanging out with her friends.

The Toy boy also has a young man from Laura-mae's year group spending time with him in the workshop - Jeremy is helping to assemble snails as I write.

Since our son grew up and left home, we find that we have had ever decreasing contact with young people, so this has been great fun for both of us!

We're off to the bead room this afternoon to assemble some lovely coral Swirl beads that came out of the kiln this morning.

TGIF everyone! - Generation gap here - Laura-mae just asked what TGIF mean, and for those who don't know...THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY!

After a Long Silence...

2010-11-14T17:24:00.000-08:00

It's been ages since I've posted here - and ages since I have uploaded new work onto the website.
Excuses, excuses...we've been away doing lots of shows and fairs - our last one was to Hunters Garden Marlborough on the 7th November. It was a fabulous day out, but quite chilly with that good old east coast wind blowing through us rather than round us!
I've just been catching up with uploading some of the new pieces I've been making in the little studio time I have had
So here's a little taste...

Light Ivory "Spice" Pearls
I was thinking about pearls when I made these beads, but with a bit more character!

Peach Mango Round Spice Beads
I'm in love with this Peach Mango glass and have just discovered that it was a limited edition - and I only bought a pound! Neeedless to say, I'm squeezing out as much as I can possibly get out of this gorgeous glass.

True Red Small Round Spice Beads
I always love true red - the Italian Reds are wonderful - rich and full.

Earthy Colours on Black CanCans
This is a different one for me - I'm not usually good with "off" colours as they don't suit me, but this set looks wonderful on my friend Helen, who has dark hair and skin.

Chakra Lotus Flowers with Whole Colours and Crystals
I've been meaning to try this out for ages - making Lotus Flower beads in two shades of the same colour. This style has so much meaning for me, and I love the "rhythm" of making them. It's a bit like a meditation in itself.
So, it's back to the studio again for me - I have lots of ideas for Roses in different colours and styles - watch this space.

The Culverden Fete Thursday 28th October

2010-10-17T23:09:00.001-07:00

It's getting exciting...
Things are really busy here - both the Toy Boy and I have been very productive in our studios preparing for the Christmas Country Fete in Culverden next week.
It's always a gorgeous day out, with wonderful food, music and early Christmas shopping - I always manage to find something extra special for gift giving there.
So put the date on your diaries - Thursday 28th October, 10 am till 4 pm
I'm in Stand A57 and the Toy Boy is in Stand A56 with Golden Bay Toys, right next door.
Come and say "Hi" - and remember to bring your sunhat!
See you there!

Green Beads for Sonja

2010-10-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

It's been nearly a fortnight since we got home from our big trip South, and I've really enjoyed being back in my studio. After three weeks away I was beginning to get withdrawal symptoms - I just can't take time away from the torch!

However, the trip was a really good chance to recharge out batteries and breathe a little fresh air - and VERY fresh some of it was, too!

I've had a lovely project on, making a green bead necklace for Sonja - a petite redhead with that perfect Irish complexion. Those of you who know me well will know how much I love all shades of green - I have green eyes and wear a lot of it myself.

The colour green is one of the major colours associated with the heart chakra, the colour of healing and love.

The beads for this necklace are quite small and I decided to make them all in transparent glass in a Swirl pattern, and the colours are these. It's a very simple style but very effective, working on the principle that "less is more" - something I can find hard to achieve sometimes! The beads are quite small, too, and the transparent glass makes the piece look light and dainty.
In between each glass bead I have put a tiny Swarovski Crystal bead in the colour Peridot, just to create a flow of green from bead to bead.

I'm rather pleased with it, and so is Sonja, thank goodness!

Lemon Honey or Lemon Curd

2010-09-30T02:10:00.000-07:00

I seem to be blogging about almost anything except beads at the moment, but I promised to give you this recipe ages ago, so here it is.

Lemon Honey
Glennys Raffils

75 g butter
1/3 cup lemon juice
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rhind

Put butter, sugar, juice and rind into a little jug and cook on high (100%) for 1 – 2 mins (until sugar has dissolved). Mix and gradually add to egg mixture, stirring well. Return mixture to the jug and cook on medium (50%), stirring every minute until mixture thickens (3-5min). Mixture will thicken more as it cools.

Lemon Honey using left-over egg yolks

1 cup sugar
Juice of 3 lemons
100gm butter
1 egg
Grated rind of 1 lemon
3 egg yolks

Same method as above.

Lemon Curd
Annabel Langbein

340gm caster sugar
220gm butter
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
300ml lemon juice (about 6 juicy lemons, strained)
6 eggs beaten lightly with a whisk

Place sugar, butter, lemon zest and juice in a pot (use a double boiler if you don’t have a
thermometer). Heat over medium low heat till butter has melted. Take off heat and
strain eggs into mixture.
Return to heat with a thermometer attached and cook, stirring constantly, until
temperature reaches 75 deg C. If using a double boiler, cook until mixture thickens
enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove at once from heat and stir a little to prevent mixture overheating at base and egg
from curdling.
Pour into hot sterilized jars while still hot and seal with pop-top lids or store in a sealed
container in the fridge. Chilled, it will keep for many weeks.
Preserved it will keep indefinitely as long as seal is unbroken.
Makes just over 1 litre.

I made the complicated (Annabel Langbein) recipe a wee while ago, with all the fuss, complete with thermometer etc, and what a palaver it was! I ended up with so many dirty dishes and even put the mixture back in the pot to do it all over again as I wasn’t satisfied that it had set the first time. I have to say that it is absolutely fabulous though – the flavour is really tart, and I’ve used a dollop of it in the middle of muffins, made a Krummeltorte with it (a butter crumble cake), and mixed it with yoghurt and whipped cream for desserts – and there’s still a jar left.
There’s nothing like having a jar of Lemon Curd in the fridge to whip up something fabulous when the urge comes upon you!
Next time I will try the microwave recipe – it’s one which my sister has used often and swears by. I remember that she used to make lots of microwave jams in the days when her kids where at home, and they were jolly good.
I’m sure it’s not Weight Watchers approved, but a little of what we fancy does us good, they say, just focus on of all the Vitamin C in the lemons!

Travelling South

2010-09-13T01:33:00.000-07:00

When we heard that the Dunkley's Great NZ Craft Show was cancelled we were all packed and ready to leave - in fact we delayed our leaving because we were so sure that it could not go ahead.
So we decided to come ahead anyway, if only to take time to visit with elderly family living in Christchurch. It was an amazing experience, and one I'm not keen to repeat anytime soon.
I checked on this amazing website (you may have to install Google Earth to see it), and found that they have had in excess of 500 (yes, that's right) aftershocks since Saturday's huge quake. The ground is moving all the time, and even in the short time that we were there I began to wonder if my head was spinning or if the world really was moving constantly. A lot of the shakes were quite frightening, even then.
We had a brief drive around the city checking on old haunts and it seems that one of our old homes in the suburb of Dallington has probably gone - a victim of liquifaction. We could not get close enough to be sure, and it felt rather ghoulish to be viewing other people's misfortune quite so closely.
Liquifaction is where the earth is shaken so vigorously that the silt and fine sand comes to the surface with any groundwater - rather like shaking a container of wet cement.

The quaint old shop where I had my first after school job has totally gone - it is the gap in the photo at the top - there are so many of these lovely old heritage buildings disappearing and being demolished before they can do any harm.
We had a little essential shopping to do while we were in the city and found that when we asked shop assistants how they were coping they almost broke down - the whole city is in a state of shock and grief.
It's hard to convey just how hard this vibrant place has been hit - the damage goes much further than the eye can see - literally!
It has been a relief to move further South and sit in this gorgeous little fishing village on the coast. How fortunate we are to be able to do this! I will tell you more about this over the coming days.

CHRISTCHURCH DUNKLEYS GREAT NZ CRAFT SHOW CANCELLED

2010-09-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

Due to the horrifying series of earthquakes in Christchurch, the Great NZ Craft Show in that city ONLY has been cancelled.
We will be in Dunedin and Invercargill, but will only visit Christchurch briefly to check on family and friends. I wish I could bring you all home with me!
Our love and prayers go to everyone in Christchurch.

Christchurch Earthquake

2010-09-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

Even from this distance we are having trouble coming to terms with the devastating earthquake in our old home town. It seems that huge swathes of the old city have collapsed under an earthquake that is comparable with the Haiti quake.
It's hard to imagine, and a part of me wants to go there to see with my own eyes, and the other part of me never wants to see what's happened. Buildings that I walked past most days of my life at times and are so familiar that they are like old friends are not only gone, their remains are scattered and dismembered.
We are still making contact with friends and family and they are all OK apart from superficial damage, apart from one old and dear friend who has lost his home. It has been condemned.
So many people tell us that they ran for their lives - it's so hard to believe that there were no lives lost.
We are due to leave for the Dunkley's Great New Zealand Craft Show tomorrow, and can't quite believe that the show will go on...but we have had an email from the organisers to say that it's still happening. From what we hear in the news I'm expecting another email reversing that decision any time.
We live six and a half hours drive from Christchurch in Golden Bay, and were staying in Nelson on the night of the quake and still felt it quite strongly.
Our lovely old clock stopped at the time of the quake, as did the lovely old clock on the clock tower in Victoria Street in Christchurch. (Sorry - I've tried and tried to get a photo of this but you can find some amazing pictures here)

It reminded me of that poem by W H Auden "Stop the clocks...". Perhaps I'm being melodramatic?
Arohanui me kia kaha o te whanau o Te Waipounamu (Love and strength to family and friends in the South Island).
Apologies for the photo hiccups in this post - Blogger and I were having a disagreement!

Home Comforts

2010-08-31T01:02:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling poorly with winter ills and chills, and there's nothing like a little home baking and a cuppa to make me feel better.

These are blueberry and lemon curd muffins - I love cooking (and eating :P) food almost as much as I love cooking glass!

I just made ordinary blueberry muffins and put a dollop of lemon curd in their middles...divine!

I made the lemon curd the other day in a double boiler as suggested in a recipe, but what a fuss! It took ages and even then I wasn't sure that it had set. Then my sister gave me a microwave recipe which she says is easy-peasy, so I'm going to try that next time. Fresh lemon curd is one of life's luxuries for me!

It's officially the first day of spring tomorrow...bring it on!

I've Been Making Brooches

2010-08-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

This week I've been making brooches.

They're terrible things to photograph as they want to lie sideways when they're just hung from a ribbon, but they actually sit really nicely when worn.
I'm really quite pleased with this lot - the Red Raku Hearts are so easy to wear - I pinned one on a favourite jacket some time ago, and there it has remained - I can wear it with any scarf or outfit - it just seems to fit in with all the clothes I wear. These ones are
Medium True Red Raku Heart Brooch and Small True Red Raku Heart Brooch

The Flow Beads are a nice mix of transparent and opaque glass - the little pink one has a lovely big swirl of transparent amethyst across it and the blue one is a nice mix of Sapphire and Periwinkle Blues.

And these ones are Small Pink Amethyst Round Flow Brooch and Large Sapphire Blue Flow Heart Brooch

Half Price Tickets!

2010-08-15T23:11:00.000-07:00

Would you like to have half price tickets to any of the next three Dunkley's Great New Zealand Craft Shows?

The Toy Boy and I will be exhibiting our work at the shows in Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill next month, and as exhibitors we are offered as many half price tickets as we would like.

The price is normally $8, but we can get them for you for $4!

Show dates and venues are...
Christchurch, Addington Raceway, Friday 10th to Sunday 12th September
Dunedin, Edgar Centre, Friday 17th to Sunday 19th September
Invercargill, Stadium Southland, Friday 24th to Sunday 26th September

10 - 5 daily.

Drop me an email to lesley at glitz dot co dot nz and I will order and post them to you before the shows - I'll even pay the postage!

I will let you know our site number once we know where we will be.

Don't miss out on a great show - there are just so many unique handmade goodies there - it;s a great place to do your Christmas shopping.

Feather Gift

2010-08-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

Because I sit on my backside to work for most of the day I need to take lots of exercise, and lately my friend who lives nearby and I have been walking on the beach at dawn every morning.

It’s been lovely to see the lengthening of the days this way and we’ve really noticed recently that the mornings are much lighter. When we leave at 6.30 am the hills are just picked out by the first of the dawn light, but by the time we get home 45 minutes later it’s full daylight.

It’s a great way to see the day in, and we’re really energized when we get home.

As we were coming home this morning I almost stepped on a beautiful and perfect feather – I love to receive feathers from nature – I always feel as though they are a blessing.

In the book The Secret Language of Signs by Denise Linn feathers are said to be the connection between man and the supreme being, symbolizing the flight to spirit and to the heavens above. Maybe it’s that something is soft or “as light as a feather” or maybe I have “a feather in my cap”? Whatever it is, I love it and am grateful.

Now I need to see if I can discover what type of bird it came from – it’s such an unusual shape and colour.

Paua Shell Beads

2010-08-10T00:44:00.000-07:00

I’ve just uploaded a whole new batch of Paua Shells beads to the website.

These beads were the result of an amazing day of alchemy in the studio – I’d been playing with two glass colours for a while, but as an experiment I tried adding a third glass – and – WOW!

I got this lovely opalescence which is different every time it occurs.

This happened a few months ago now, and I keep playing with the idea and each time the result is different – I have yet to discover exactly WHY this happens, I just know that it does, to varying degrees every time!

I reckon they look rather like paua shells on a beach.

If you're looking for them on the website they are
1. Large Paua Shells Heart
2. Medium Flat Round Paua Shells Bead and
3. Small Paua Shells Round Bead

I’ve been fascinated with the colours in Paua shells forever – they’re known as Abalone shells in some other parts of the world. The shells have layer on layer of transluscent colours - blues, greens, pinks and purples – although they can be quite thin, the shellfish has taken the minerals from the water it lives in and created the individual swirls and flows – so like an intense version of the water it lives in.

They hold special significance in spiritual rituals and are often used as a bowl or vessel in ceremonies such as smudging. I love to find them on my beach walks – I am a real magpie (I pick up shiny things), and rarely come home empty-handed from a walk.

My artist friend Kim shares this love and has created some amazing paintings using a paint layering technique which emulates the paua’s own layering. I am the very blessed recipient of a fabulous triptych – a work that is very hard to photograph, but one which I can look into for a long time and always see something different. It is one of my treasures!

Working with Silver

2010-08-03T01:26:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I've been playing with over the past couple of weeks is a silverworking course here in Takaka with Duncan MacKay.

Our breif was to design and make a piece of jewellery of our choice, and Duncan would teach us the rudiments of metal smithing techniques practiced through the ages, including cutting, shaping, fusing, embossing, setting and cold fixing silver and or copper.

We could make our own ring, pendant, brooch or pair of earrings.

We were really lucky in that there were only four students, and Elvira, Mary Ann Nadia and I spent four mornings playing with Duncan's toys. And he has some pretty exciting toys to share...
My favourite...no surprises here...was the soldering torch! There's just something about playing with fire that I find irresistible!

But it's not easy - the way that solder jumps around in the flame is very disconcerting! And it runs everywhere!

I've discovered that metals also behave really uniquely in the flame - the copper in sterling silver comes to the surface, that metal anneals quite differently from glass and saw that the brass, copper and silver that Elvira used in her fabulous pendant reacted with one another to give unexpected results - rather like glass, but different.

I worked mostly in pure silver, which before it was worked was beautifully soft and "buttery", and has come up almost white in the finished piece.

One of the most amazing aspects of the course was that four of us, who chatted and looked through numerous books together, came up with such distinctly different designs.

Here is Elvira's pendant. She worked brass, copper and silver into this design and then bezel set an amber cabuchon in the centre. The designing and polishing of this piece was a joy to watch!

And this is Mary Ann's piece - she made a brooch in the letter "U" for her mother, Una. This was also an amazing piece to watch develop from stencils to finished. I just love the copper and silver Forget-Me-Nots.

Now here's Nadia's piece. She intends for this to be a wrist band, mounted on a leather strap, and the photos I took don't really do this lovely piece justice. I just love the way she framed this piece of paua (which she cut from the shell), in it's beautiful wavy frame.

And here's my piece. Its a brooch made in pure silver, and I've mounted glass (surprise, surprise!) droplets in the throat of the flower - with lots of help from Duncan!

So, thank you Duncan - that was such fun!

Spring is here!

2010-08-01T21:37:00.001-07:00

Just this week there are lots of wonderful signs that spring is here!

There are spring bulbs flowering, the magnolias, camellias and daphne are out and there is a sprinkling of calves and lambs about.

It's a beautiful day here - a day to be glad that you're alive.

I've been very involved in "busy work" lately - the days have been jam-packed and every minute seems to be accounted for a week in advance, so I did a terrible thing!

I took the day off!!!

Today I've planted the Christmas lilies, done a little cleaning, played with my camera, read my book in the sunshine...and not much else.

I was supposed to be somewhere else today, but I decided that I needed a quiet day at home - and it has been bliss!

I think that days off like mine should be compulsory on a monthly basis, and I may launch a petition...

I hope that you've enjoyed your day as much as I've enjoyed mine.

Ink Blue Flow Beads

2010-07-22T16:08:00.000-07:00

I had another play with ink blue yesterday, and have just taken these wee ones out of the kiln.
There are four beads, and I've photographed both sides, because the effect is quite different on each.
I'm really pleased with these because they show the effect that colours have on each other - the pink ones seem much more "violet" to me, while the blue has a "lavender" effect. Isn't colour so subjective and wonderful?
On one of the beads I've created a tiny air bubble at the end of a flow of pink glass - your eyes are not deceiving you!
I am mulling over an article I heard on the radio yesterday about how we see colour differently when we are depressed. Doesn't that make sense to you? I certainly did to me! It adds another layer to the "onion" of my love of colour and chakras. If we feel unhappy and surround ourselves with bright colour, will that lighten our mood?
Instinctively I took a bright orange gerbera wrapped in purple and orange florists wrap to someone I know who is depressed this week. He lives in a world of pastels and restful colours - but I just knew that he needed a shot of vibrancy. I will be interested to visit him again today to see how he is feeling.
I sometimes listen to National Radio in my studio - the only non-commercial station we have available here. It's a habit I picked up from the Toy Boy, and I often find that it's like having an intelligent, if one-sided, conversation!

2010-07-18T15:27:00.000-07:00

So here is one of the things that has been keeping me busy over the past weeks - I have sent out an email newsletter to reward my loyal customers.

To qualify for the discount, you must first join my email newsletter group. You can do this easily from the website on the "News" page. Happy browsing!

My First Ever Sale and Newsletter

I have been as busy as a wee bee in my little studio this winter, and have been uploading lots of lovely new work onto my website.

As promised, I have included a promotion code in this newsletter for you to use to receive 20% off all items on the website (excluding postage).

If you enter BUYBEADS into the coupon code box then follow the prompts, you will receive 20% discount on any item on the site, excluding postage.

Yes, that’s right – until the end of July, if you go onto the website and order any item, then enter the promotion code as you checkout, you will receive a 20% discount.

This offer is only open to people who have given me their email address and have signed up for my newsletter, so if you tell your friends about this, they must first register their email address, which they can easily do via my website www.glitz.co.nz

Bloggers

I will run the occasional “Blog Only” promotions, so keep yours eyes peeled!

Shows

I took the beads up to the Dunkleys Great New Zealand Craft Show in New Plymouth over Queens Birthday Weekend in June and had a wonderful time there. Just loved New Plymouth – it’s one of New Zealand’s beauty spots, being right on the wonderful wild West Coast with its sea and surf and under Mount Taranaki. The mountain showed herself in all her glory on the very first morning of the show, so we all felt very privileged to be blessed by her.

I will do the South Island trip with Dunkley’s Craft Shows again in September. Look out for me at the

Christchurch Show at Addington Raceway September 10 – 12,
Dunedin Show at the Edgar Centre September 17 – 19, and the
Invercargill Show at Stadium Southland September 24 – 26

If you would like a discount coupon for your entry fee, please let me know and I’ll get one to you.

You can contact me via my contact details on the website www.glitz.co.nz

I am also booked in for the Thorndon Fair in Wellington on Sunday 5th December in my usual spot, though that feels quite a long way off right now.

Apart from that, I can be found on the Nelson Market every Saturday morning, which the lovely Sophie will run for me whenever I’m away.

Happy Shopping!

Here They Are

2010-07-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

OK - so here they are...not quite what I expected in some cases, but that's the way it is with glass - expect the unexpected!

From left to right
1. Olive Green Riverstones Bead
2. Ink Blue Lazy Daisies Bead - I had forgotten how hard it is to capture this colour on camera. This is the one with the Periwinkle Blue core - but it's almost invisible! It is a gorgeous colour - quite transparent - almost a royal purple. The centres of the daisies are raised and made with twisted cane. A pretty bead, but not the effect I was looking for.
3. This is a landscape bead - it's a local beach - Wharariki - where you walk a track through bush and farmland to a really expansive beach of huge pale gray sand dunes. There are enormous rock formations at the water's edge. I'm going to mount this one with silver wire scrollwork.
4. Small True Red Raku Heart - I love the way the glass frit (crushed glass) has spread on this one.
5. Small Aqua Flow Bead - I'm pleased with this one - the glass has really moved around and taken its own course. There's a good play of light through the transparent glass in this one - can you see it?
6. This is the other one I was quite excited about - I've used a very pale handmade opaque green, and love the way it has moved with the lime and bottle greens. There are little pools of transparency throughout the bead. I will play with this glass again.
7. Ink Blue Riverstones Bead - once again, it's hard to capture this colour with the camera - purples always go either darker or bluer for me - darker today. Any camera tips gratefully accepted :). Lots of lovely tranpsarency in this one too, which really highlights this gorgeous colour - a transparent royal purple.

So...there you go...that's most of an afternoon's play to get to this stage!

Bead Love

2010-07-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

I've just had a wonderful afternoon in the studio, making lovely large pendant beads.

I've been very involved in a few larger projects lately (more on this later), and I'm really enjoying making larger detailed beads again.

I've made a couple of "Flow" beads and a couple of "Riverstones" beads and a
Couple of red Raku Inclusion Hearts... I'm really quite excited to see what
comes out of the kiln tomorrow morning - I have made a green flow heart which I am really quite excited about, and the Riverstones beads are in Ink Blue which I haven't done before. One has a core of Periwinkle Blue which should be interesting. I'm fascinated to see what difference this makes to the Ink Blue colour...

Here is a round "Flow" bead and "Riverstones" bead which I prepared earlier :). They're on the website...

I will try to remember to take photos of the new beads for you when they come out.

It's experimenting like this that leads me to make discoveries which totally enthrall me!

Give me a few days and I will be ready to make sets of smaller beads again, but for now I'm as happy as a sandboy!

Now, I'm off to the kitchen to cook some gurnard (fish) for dinner - still cooking, just at a rather lower temperature and with different ingredients!

A Very Brave Family

2010-06-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

While I was in New Plymouth for the Dunkley's Great New Zealand Craft Show I was privileged to meet an amazing family.
Rory Gardiner was diagnosed with two cancerous brain tumors when he was 7 years old in March 2009, and since then he and his family have been fighting for his life. He is currently in remission, but will not be considered "safe" until March 2014.
Rory's mother, Leigh, has kept a faithful record of their journey on Rory's website.
During the course of his illness, Rory has amassed an amazing 800+ Beads of Courage!
I urge you to visit there and to read their incredible story.
So to Rory, Leigh, Sean and Sam, I salute you.
You are heroes!

Beads of Courage

2010-06-22T01:07:00.000-07:00

I love making beads - it is one of the great joys of my life, but to make these fun beads for kids adds a whole other dimension to my pleasure!

In the Beads of Courage Programme, the children receive set colours and styles of beads for every proceedure they go through, (i.e. green for a blood transfusion) but when they go through a special- tougher - act of courage they receive an extra special - usually handmade - bead.

These are the beads in my latest contribution to the Beads of Courage for our local Child Cancer Foundation group.

The bugs are great fun to make - I'd never really bothered much with "sculptural" beads before and rather surprised myself when these wee fellows appeared.

Tiny Tea! I asked some of the parents what the children like, and apparently food is a big bugbear for their poor sick tummies - but they love to look at yummy things.

When they go into remission, the children receive a purple heart - rather like a soldier who has fought a courageous battle - isn't that appropriate?

I've thought about making cats and dogs and sports balls. Do you have any other suggestions for beads that I could make to make these wonderful children smile?

Little Reminders

2010-06-17T01:33:00.000-07:00

I've had a tough day, preparing to settle my Dad into a rest home.
So it was wonderful to be browsing my photos and find this photo which I took during a bleak winter in a challenging environment we were living in for a time. These exquisite little crocus sprung out of a messy bit of ground in the back yard - reminding me that there is beauty everywhere - I must just remember to look.
Aren't flowers miraculous little gifts?

Thank you, New Plymouth

2010-06-11T01:23:00.000-07:00

We got back from New Plymouth a couple of days ago, and finally have the van unpacked and repacked ready for the Nelson Market tomorrow.
We had a fabulous time doing the Dunkley’s Great New Zealand Craft Show together.
It’s the first time the Toy Boy and I have worked side-by-side like that and it was fun!
AND…we won first prize for the best stand at the show!

New Plymouth is a beautiful spot – being right on the west coast and right beside Mount Taranaki. We feel a sense of ownership of that mountain – we can see her from our home on crisp winters’ mornings.

So thanks, New Plymouth! I really enjoyed meeting you lovers of beads and beautiful things.

I Like Your Style New Plymouth!

2010-06-03T02:11:00.000-07:00

We're here in New Plymouth for the Dunkley's great New Zealand Craft Show which opens tomorrow morning at 10 am at the TSB Stadium at Pukekura Park.
We had a wonderful walk along the beachfront boardwalk this morning.
We went past the museum with it's beautiful nikau gardens and po - this beautiful carved pole, then crossed the train lines.
The fabulous boardwalk covers 6 kilometres of wild West Coast beach and includes the amazing Len Lye Wind Wand.
This lovely little city seems to be full of municipal art and architecture - I'm very impressed!
Is you're around, please come and say "Hi" at the Craft Show!

It's Showtime, Beadie Babies!

2010-05-26T00:58:00.000-07:00

My first blog post! How exciting!

I'm getting ready for the Dunkley's Great New Zealand Craft Show on Queens Birthday Weekend in New Plymouth. The show starts on Friday 4th June and runs through till Monday 7th June at the TSB Stadium.

As you can see, my bench becomes rather disorganised as I become more focused on getting lots of lovely glass made up before a show!

I will have lots of lovely new work there, so if you can make it there, I'd love to see you.