BHB

Here are a few more big-hole-beads. I finished applying the silver core properly after taking the pictures...

hmmm...long time no see

Well, I haven't been beading or blogging for about a year. The main reason is that I was pregnant with my first child :-) and since I don't have a good ventilation setup, I wasn't comfortable working with glass while pregnant. Now that he's born I don't get around to much beadmaking either, but I have had a few short sessions. Just before the pregnancy I bought a kiln so the great news is that all my beads are now kiln annealed, which basically means that they are stronger as the stresses in the glass are reduced by heat soaking and slow, controlled cooling. It also enables me to make beads that didn't work out before: disk beads. The thin glass cools too quickly when placed in vermiculite, resulting in cracked beads almost every time. With the kiln they've all come out fine. They're still a bit wonky but really cheerful and fun!

And here's a hanger I made for my little boy: