DebiDeaux Designs

What Difference a Day Makes (Fresh From the Flames)

2009-07-09T12:48:00.003-05:00

Ever have "one of those days"? I just couldn't seem to get the glass to do what I wanted it to yesterday.
Case in point:
Far left is the start of a medium blue Fleur de Lis. Can you see the bubbles? I'm gonna hafta admit that I started this just as "So You Think You Can Dance" was getting going. By the time I had enough glass wound on to get my base I noticed bubbles everywhere. *piffle*
So I started again. That would be the second blue bead. Next thing I know I've put too much glass for a FDL so I just crunched it and decorated.
Now the clear hollow in the center. Remember yesterday's clear hollow? It came out so absolutely perfect. And it practically made itself. I couldn't stop admiring it when I was cleaning it. Well, I used Precision Diamond Clear for that one. This one is from a batch of Effetre I have that's really pretty clean. But it kept falling in on itself and just never would puff up completely. I'd sure like to hear what anyone else has experienced with this.
Second from the right is that start of an amber hollow. About the third or fourth winding the release broke on the left side. I tried to rescue the left side by turning it into a ruffled disc but it's not a keeper either. *double piffle* The next try with the amber hollow came out just fine.
Notice the empty mandrel in the center? Well, that was my last attempt at bead creation last night and as I was warming the glass and the mandrel, the release started to crack. At that point I decided I was swimming against the tide. And since I'm not a spawning salmon, I wrapped it up. Never one to give up completely I'll be back playing with fire in just a little while. Wish me luck and creativity.
Come see me and my latest baubles at the Arts Market of New Orleans - Saturday, July 25, 2009, 10am to 4pm in Palmer Park corner of S Carrollton and S Claiborne.
Till later - Flame On!

Fresh From the Flame

2009-07-08T10:10:00.004-05:00

Wow, I realllly like the way these Fleur de Lis' are turning out. On the far left - pale emerald with purple heart and gold banding. Center - Blue with a red heart and white banding.
I think the clear hollow is the first one I've ever made using clear. I'm stunned to realize this because it is so beautiful. I know I will be making many more of these. The possibilities for filling the clear hollows are practically endless. I'm thinking tiny shells and sand. Colored beads...
The lower center - a medium blue hollow.
On the far right - a test bead using a latticino I made. You can't really tell from the photo but test passed.
I plan to wire these as pendants and fan pulls by the end of the week. If you are interested in buying one of these contact me. The price is significantly less if bought before I list in my shop.
Till later - Flame On!

Fresh From the Flame

2009-07-01T12:12:00.005-05:00

More dark aqua hollow beads for filled fanpulls. I'll have these clean and wired for hanging before the day is over. I will list them in my ArtFire shop by the end of the week. If you want one before then just drop me a line. I think I'll make another handful for etching.
Till next time - Flame On!

Fresh From the Flame

2009-06-19T12:12:00.004-05:00

Another black Fleur de Lis and an dark aqua one. I am going to etch both of these. One more pale emerald green hollow for a fan pull. A focal crunch bead testing lavender and raku frit. A color experiment with black and DH terra.

Don't forget to come see these latest baubles and more at the Arts Market of New Orleans - Saturday, June 27, 2009, 10am to 4pm in Palmer Park corner of S Carrollton and S Claiborne.

Till later - Flame On!

Fresh From the Flame

2009-06-18T14:00:00.005-05:00

Black Fleur de Lis with goldstone banding. The largest is 2 inches long, the other 2 are just a bit over 1 inch. I really like the largest one and am going to string it with some simple black beads for a necklace. I was thinking about etching them but think I will resist for now.

Don't forget to come see me and my latest baubles at the Arts Market of New Orleans - Saturday, June 27, 2009, 10am to 4pm in Palmer Park corner of S Carrollton and S Claiborne.

Till later - Flame On!

Fresh From the Flame

2009-06-15T22:51:00.004-05:00

Five discs and 4 spacers - cranberry and green flowers with a subtle ring of silvered plum on dark amethyst.
I listed these on Artfire but I don't think they'll last long cuz if they sit around I will add some Bali silver beads and a clasp and make a bracelet.

I will have them for sale at the Arts Market of New Orleans - Saturday, June 27, 2009, 10am to 4pm in Palmer Park corner of S Carrollton and S Claiborne.

Till later - Flame On!

Fresh From the Flames

2009-06-11T06:28:00.004-05:00

Help! I'm becoming addicted to etching... just kidding. But seriously the effect of etching on transparent glass beads is sooo luminescent.
I'm a big fan of transparent glass. I choose transparent over opaque all the time. With etching, the transparent glass loses some of it's transparency but gains a wonderful glowing luminosity. I looks like it's glowing from within.

From upper left: green, aqua and lavender hollows, 2 twister beads, dichro heart, center: 2 encased beads.

Since I know I'll be asked - I use Armour Etch Glass Etching Cream. I can't really say I recommend it over any other brand because I've never used (or even found in the stores) any other brand.
The directions on the bottle are given for etching with a stencil. I use an etching dedicated plastic container and old beat-up paint brush. I place all the pieces I want to etch in the container and cover them with the etching cream using the brush to get into all the little nooks and crannies. I then let it sit for a few minutes (sometimes 10 sometimes 30 depends on my attention span). I then come back to it and using the old paint brush, I move the beads around in the cream and turn them over and spread the cream around. Then I let them sit for a while again. I then use my old paint brush to remove and save as much of the etching cream as possible. I just put it all back into the bottle. Yup, you can reuse the etching cream. Yay! That's a good thing cuz this stuff is not cheap. After I have reclaimed as much of the cream as I can I put on my plastic gloves and clean my beads in running water. I sometimes take an old toothbrush to the ones with lots of nooks and crannies and once in a while I just let them soak for a while after rinsing then scrub and rinse again. Then dry and admire the glow. Oh, one note about drying - while your beads are wet they will look shiny and not like they are etched. So wait until they are completely dry before taking stock of your beautiful work.

You can find me and my beautiful little baubles at the Arts Market of New Orleans in Palmer Park on Saturday, June 27 from 10am to 4pm. Click the link for a Google map to the park on my website.

Till later - Flame On!

NOCGI Summer Camp Glass Class

2009-06-07T10:38:00.003-05:00

Hello Friends and Lovers of Glass,
This summer I have been invited to teach and share my love of flamework/lampwork glass bead making at the NOCGI Glass Blast Summer Class for kids and teens. This summer camp will include lots more than just beadmaking. There will be glass blowing, lampworking, glass etching, glass fusing, stained glass and so much more. These classes are filling up fast so please check out the information included below and give Jenny a call right away.
Hope to see you there,
DebiDeaux
*****\/*****\/*****\/*****
The New Orleans Creative Glass Institute presents:

our 1st annual Glass Blast Summer Camp for kids and teens!

We will be offering two sessions this summer for kids and teens ages 10 to 17.

Session One: will run July 6th thru July 10th 9am-4pm

Session Two: will run July 13th thru July 17th 9am-4pm

Each session cost $425.00 per child. There are 20 spots available for each week. The camp will be held at our studio in

Mid-city, 3924 Conti St, (near the intersection of Carrollton and Bienville).

In this camp students will get the opportunity to work with many forms of glass to create inspired projects in a safe and fun learning environment. Students will learn about glass blowing, lampworking, slumping and fusing, stained glass and more!

Registration begins Monday June 1st and will close Wednesday July 1st.

For more information and to receive a registration form please contact Jenny at 504... or email me at jenny@nocgi.org

A non-refundable deposit of ½ down is required to hold a spot in camp and full payment is due by July 1st.

Students are required to bring their own lunch daily. No other provisions will be made.

Link Exchange

2009-06-05T19:59:00.002-05:00

Yay, I finally did it - I installed a link exchange script on my web site. I'd love for you to add your site. Go here - http://www.debideaux.com/links
Please don't forget to link to my site too.
Website - http://www.debideaux.com/index.htm

Till later - Flame On!

Fresh From the Flames

2009-06-05T11:44:00.004-05:00

From upper left going clockwise -
Hollows - 1 aqua and 2 lavender for special order fan pulls.
Mixed lavender, purples and dichro focal. I plan to acid etch this one to bring out the luminous colors.
Twister, I saw this one on a tut online and gave it a try with some of my own colors. I think I will do it again without the silver foil. I like everything else about the bead and the technique. Thanks to Margaret Zinser for the tut.
The ivory oval was a test of some old stringer I wasn't sure what it was. And, yup, it's some leftover Terra. I need to guard it jealously since it's not being made anymore.
The heart just kinda happened when I started to make a large lentil. That's a trail of ink blue and aqua in the center with a little swirl in the center and bottom.

Till later - Flame On!

Arts Market of New Orleans Saturday May 30

2009-05-28T18:03:00.003-05:00

It's that time again - Arts Market of New Orleans in Palmer Park, corner of S Carrollton and S Claiborne, Saturday, May 30, 2009, 10am to 4pm

The Arts Council has a great entertainment lineup again. My friend, Kay Caldwell's band, Some Like It Hot will be playing. If you've never heard this group, c'mon out and let them put a big smile on your face. They start at 1 pm.

I've got lots of new pieces. The handful of Fleur de Lis beads pictured are just a small taste. I've also used plenty of my glass beads in some new finished jewelry pieces for your immediate wearing pleasure.

I gotta go finish some new pieces... Flame On!

Fresh From the Flame Fleur de Lis'

2009-05-23T13:40:00.005-05:00

Etched Fleur de Lis' in lavender (the one that changes with the light), light green and dark amethyst, with a silver winding. I will be listing these on Artfire soon but not for long. I will plan to use some to make pendants for Arts Market of New Orleans next Saturday, May 30, 2009, 10am to 4pm.

Till later - Flame On!

Fresh From the Flames

2009-05-19T15:38:00.004-05:00

Several more hollows, a pale green Fleur de Lis, 2 cupcakes.

Lower left - chocolate cupcake with yellow dotted bottom. This one didn't come out the way I imagined it. I think I'll use a brighter yellow next time. The top came out nicely. Chocolate cupcake with pink frosting.
Upper center - chocolate cupcake with cream frosting. Looks yummy.
Upper right - FDL is a bit wider than I like to make them, but still nice. I think I will etch this one. Etching looks quite nice on this pale green glass.
Hollows - most are duplicates of the ones already for sale in my Artfire Shop so I think I will fill these with seed beads and wire for lamp pulls. Look for them in the shop or at my next market in a few.
My next market will be the Art Market of New Orleans on Saturday, May 30, 10am to 4pm. I don't have the band and activity info yet but I think my friend Kay's band, "Some Like It Hot" is on the lineup. I know that's always a good time. Mark your calendar and be sure to come out to see us. Don't forget to mention reading about it here to get a 10% (or more) discount.
Till later - Flame On!

New on Artfire Hollows & Goddesses

2009-05-15T21:24:00.007-05:00

I just listed several Goddesses and hollow beads in my Artfire shop. The pic above is a handful of the hollows. The hollows were made on a 3/32 inch mandrel so the hole is large enough to fill the hollow bead with small seed beads. They make a wonderful fan/lamp pull.

If you mention that you learned about it here I will refund the shipping cost.

Visit debideaux's ArtFire Shop

Fresh From the Flame

2009-05-08T10:39:00.005-05:00

Click the image for a closer look.

Upper left and clockwise - Tree of Life, Etched Amethyst Fleur de Lis, Snail, Blue Turtle, Red Turtle, Red Hollow, Red Velvet Cupcake, Pink Blue Cupcake, Blue Goddess, Sea Green Goddess, Bead Landscape, Lavender Hollow, Blue Hollow, Green Fleur de Lis, Red Stripe Hollow, Sea Green Hollow, Red Goddess. The beads listed in Bold were inspired by my Facebook friend's suggestions. Thanks ya'll!

No, these are not all from yesterday but from a while that I have been neglecting my blogging duties to play Farm Town. =oO I will be wiring most of these for wearing and/or hanging and then listing on Artfire soon, contact me by email to get them before then for a big discount. Don't forget - get free shipping in any of my shops by just asking for it ;oD

Till later - Flame On!

Arts Market Saturday April 25

2009-04-23T07:42:00.004-05:00

Arts Market of New Orleans
presented by
Arts Council of New Orleans
Palmer Park
Corner S Carrollton & S Claiborne
Saturday, April 25, 2009
10 am to 4pm

The Arts Council has some great entertainment on tap for us:

Muscian's Tent:
1:00pm Tony Green & Gypsy Jazz
2:30pm Ricardo Crespo & Sol Brasil

Children’s Tent:
10:30am Port-A-Puppet Players
After the show, Make a noodle necklace!

Come out and shop for Mother's Day and/or Grads with plenty of sparkling handmade glass wearable art. Lots to choose from for the designers to make your own, too. Or you can choose your lovely glass beads and let me put it together for you while you wait.

The weather is predicted to be as sparkling as my glass baubles! See ya there!

Till then - Flame On!

AJDJSS Spring Cleaning & Treasure Hunt Event

2009-04-13T07:36:00.007-05:00

Hey ya'll - I'm taking part in a special web event. Check it out:

The Ajdjss Guild "Spring Cleaning and Treasure Hunt" Event starts on April 17th and runs through May 1st.
To visit the guild's shops you need to search in the handmade section for "ajdjss guild" and in the supplies section for "ajdjss guild". When you do this all our studios will come up for you to visit.
When you visit our studios you will find that each one has a special section called "Spring Cleaning"--check out this section for fabulous sales and specials on beautifully handcrafted jewelry and wonderful jewelry supplies. Deals you will find hard to resist.
But that's not all--We are having a "Treasure Hunt"--with the chance for you to win fabulous handcrafted jewelry from our talented jewelry artisans!

Here is the info about our special "Treasure Hunt":
1.Visit our studios and check out the "Spring Cleaning" Section.

2.Find the item with the special "treasure phrase" in the last sentence of it's decription.

3.There are 2 phrases--"This is a piece of jewelry to treasure for a lifetime" or
"This can be used to create a piece of jewelry to treasure for a lifetime."

4. Find 10 studios with the hidden phrases and you will be entered in a drawing for a pair of lovely handcrafted earrings.

Find 15 studios with the hidden phrases and you will be entered in a drawing for a beautiful handcrafted bracelet.

Find 20 studios with the hidden phrases and you will be entered in a drawing for a fabulous handrafted necklace.

5. There will be 3 winners in each category.

6. Contact Beadlady5 with the names of the studios that you find, your name, and your email address. Beadlady5 can be contacted by clicking on the guild's avatar at the top right of this page.

Treasures on the Point and Artfire Sale

2009-04-04T06:52:00.003-05:00

Having a yard sale today as part of the Algiers Point's Treasures on the Point. I'll be setting out a few of my beads along with the usual yardsale odds and ends. The link is to the sale organizer's map. I am on Slidell Street.
and...
The Artfire Jewelry Design and Supply Shop guild (Ajdjss) is having a "Spring Cleaning & Treasure Hunt Event" with lots of sales,specials, & free jewelry treasures to win starting on April27th. Check out our blog for all the exciting details:
http://artfirejewelrydesignjewelrysupplyshop.blogspot.com/

You can check out my shop while you're there.

See ya in the yard...

Arts Market Saturday March 28

2009-03-27T10:36:00.003-05:00

It's official - the Arts Market of New Orleans will go on as scheduled. Weather is predicted to clear up early. I'll have my floor mats down to keep your feet high and dry. The Arts Market has lined up Papillion's Cajun & Zydeco Music Show for the Kid's Tent. Adults can rock out to Washboard Chaz Trio and Bamboula 2000. And, of course, some of the best artists in the area.

Please come out to Palmer Park - corner of S Carrollton & S Claiborne, tomorrow, this Saturday, March 28, 10am to 4pm.

Pictured above is a hand full of rings in sizes from 4 to 10. I took a look at the rings I have for sale this month and discovered all blues and greens. So I tried to even it out with some yellow and red. Each ring has a Cubic Zirconium in the center. Click on the image for a closer looksee.

See ya'll at the Market! Flame On!

Fresh From the Flame

2009-03-24T11:45:00.004-05:00

Blue, Aqua, Green and rings, rings, rings and roses - I finally got the new sizes of ring mandrels in. Yay! It took 2 weeks to get them from ArrowSprings. They took a whole week to just process the order. With no explanation why it took so long **sigh**
Annnywaaay - I've had so many requests for rings I picked a few colors and filled the mandrels. Sizes range from 4 1/2 to 10. The rings you see above still need to be polished on the inside to remove the haziness you see on the inside. All of these rings have a cubic zirconia in the center. I wish I could capture the sparkle.

You can see the sparkle for yourself at the Arts Market of New Orleans in Palmer Park on the corner of S Carrollton and S Claiborne. The market is scheduled for this Saturday, March 28, 10am to 4pm. Please watch for updates though because the forecast is for storms and the market might be rescheduled to Sunday if that is the case.

Now I gotta go polish those rings and...
Flame On!

Fresh From the Flame

2009-03-15T15:38:00.006-05:00

Okay, maybe not as fresh as it should be -
This dragon was made last fall. I'm including him here for comparison to the next one -

The little green guy is the one I made. I saw one of Marcy Lamberson's dragons and they are just so "cute". My dragons just are not that cute. So I went for small and holding a heart thinking that would look cute. Well, I think he looks like a mouse with horns. LOL Oh, btw, the big brown one is from my collection and has taken up residence on my dresser.
My next bead is the Tree of Life. I'm going to have to give this to a very dear friend of mine because she pops into my head every time I look at it. I'm not going to mention her name yet just in case she's reading my blogs.

Now I think I need to get back to making beads. I wanted to say "regular" or even "plain" but that really does those kinds an injustice.

Come find me on Facebook. I seem to be spending a lot of time there.

Till later - Flame On!

Fresh From the Flame

2009-03-10T13:17:00.006-05:00

Cubic Zirconium, rings and big-hole beads - that's what keeps coming up in my flamework lately.
Starting at upper left going clockwise - dark amethyst ring with 4 petaled flower with CZ center, bright green ring with rose with CZ center, ivory cylinder with greenery and roses - 1/8 inch hole to fit on bottle stopper, 3 CZ flower beads, transparent tab with raku, Big hole ivory bead (center) with copper green, silvered plum and purple dots.

Look for the rings on Etsy soon. The 3 cz flower beads will be listed in my Artfire shop soon. The red raku tab will be made into a necklace and then listed on Etsy.

I have decided to give my blog readers first chance at my "Fresh From the Flame" baubles. Just let me know if you want one before they are listed on my online shops and you can have 25% off and free shipping. That will also apply to any item in my inventory. If you've seen something at one of my markets, shows or even on the online gallery and it's not listed on Etsy or Artfire, just contact me and it's yours for 25% off and free shipping.

You can find me next at the Arts Market of New Orleans in Palmer Park on Saturday, March 28, 2008 from 10am to 4pm.

Flame On!

Inspired Art

2009-03-05T09:33:00.005-06:00

At every market I set out at least one bowl of what is known as "orphan" beads, single beads without matching sets.

How cool that my little glass baubles have inspired an artist in another medium.

Thank you to Maurice - DotArtDude for bringing so much color to your interpretation. I cannot count the times that your "Dots" have inspired me.

Zachary Micheal Cruz Funeral Fund

2009-03-04T13:22:00.003-06:00

I recently got a request to pass this along. What better way than to post it on my blog.
This is from the Gaffer Girls Blog:
**quote -

LIFE can be SO INCREDIBLY BRUTAL..
PLEASE HELP THIS ETSY FAMILY ..........................

While I was out popping in and meeting new friends tonight I wondered onto
http://donnaldasmolens.blogspot.com/ a very talented artists blog......
and became aware of a families plight....

PLEASE read the following

AND FOLLOW YOUR HEART...

......................................................................................................
This is a thread on Etsy of Etsy sellers who are donating items for sale to help the family of this little boy who was killed in a traffic accident if you would like to help just click on this thread link
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6065506
here is the website for more info....
http://www.zacharymichaelcruz.com/

DONATE THRU THE ABOVE SITE IF YOU DON'T HAVE A ETSY STORE

UNDER ZACH'S FAVORITES ON THE RIGHT ...................
......................................................................................................

THANKS FOR ALL YOU SUPPORT FRIENDS....
RIP Zachary Michael Cruz .... 3/12/2003-2/27/2009

all our love
mona & the girls

hold your kids close and give them a big hug and a kiss today

tell them you love them like there's no tomorrow

cuz life is just to damn short........!!

- end quote**

Amethyst Sparkle on Artfire

2009-03-02T14:17:00.007-06:00

I have to give credit to these beads to Corina of CorinaBeads.com. I've tried to place CZ's in my beads for years with various degrees of success. Usually it was so difficult to get the CZ where I wanted it that it just wasn't worth the effort. A while back I read on Corina's site about using Elmer's glue to adhere the CZ to a mandrel. A few days ago I finally came across my collection of CZ's and gave it a try. Voila! Thank you, Corina!
I took the pics in the sunshine and still was not able to capture the full sparkle of seeing these shine in your hand.

You can find this beadset for sale at my Artfire shop. Or check out the "Rapid Cart" check out system on the left.

Flame On!