I happened to be selling beaded ID holders on Ebay and came across a lampworking listing and said "WHOA, that is COOL" , but didn't research it further. Then, I read an article in a beading magazine and thought "Yes, fire and glass! This is right up my alley!" I, then began the long torturous journey into glass (okay fun for me, but rather torturous for my dear, sweet, kind and generous husband as the money started draining from his bank account when I started buying scary tools).
I researched and studied and read every book out there about hot glass, warm glass, old glass, new glass, and who was who in glass before I informed my dear husband James that I wanted to hook up a torch in the garage and learn to flamework! He still thinks I'm a little crazy for going out there to work in the dead of winter! Fortunetely, I have an extremely supportive husband and now that glass and all the accompanying tools have taken over the garage I make him call it the glass studio!
A little bit about my lampwork...
All of my pieces are created from Moretti/Effetre, Vetrofond, Lauscha and/or Bullseye glass. Each bead is formed in the flame of my trusty Mini CC torch by Carlisle. My beads are fully kiln annealed and then cleaned by hand to remove any bits of remaining bead release and given a lovely little bubble bath (I serenade them too), before being lovingly wrapped up and sent off to their new homes for you to enjoy!
Please note: My beads are made of glass and even though they are kiln annealed to give them strength, they still are made of glass and might not survive rough treatment or a crash landing on the concrete patio in your backyard while you're pretending to be part of the roller derby craze sweeping the nation!
Check out the Lampworking 101 page for more information about lampworking and other cool beady stuff!
So many people ask "how did you get started lampworking?"