Necklaces: a whole new world!

I just realized that I can, ought and shall make necklaces! How about that? It started a while ago when I realized that I can, ought and shall make spacers. Once you make enough of those it's only natural to start think about stringing them together and hanging them around your necklace. At least that's what happened for me. This is a new version of my first necklace, the rainbow fade spacer necklace:

...and of course a matching bracelet:

Then I discovered my love for clear glass next to enameled rainbow spacers... it's so snappy:

And I had a lot of clear spacers so I made this extra long necklace (46") that's oh so fun to twirl around in:

I plan on making several necklaces from a few of my bead series. To start, a Star Draft necklace:

Most recently I found that the best thing to do with these cute little off mandrel beads I love to make is to pile them into what turns into a pretty funky and yet elegant necklace:

More to come, more to come. It turns out that making necklaces is kind of fun! If you want to see more pictures (or purchase!) click here! Like the clasps?? I have a rainbow selection of glass toggle clasps here. Thanks!

The website booth

I've always found it frustrating that my best display of beads is where the fewest people can see it... at shows. I do hope you've been able to get to a show I've vended at recently and can make it some upcoming shows - I'm working hard to make sure my display and beads are getting better and better at every show. Because of the emphasis on my inventory and display at shows, my website never really reflected the whole of what I have to offer. No worries, though - it's different now! Now my website has a huge, dedicated collection of beads that represents just about everything you might see at my booth. You can find a rainbow selection of each style of bead and pendant I make, all of your favorites included! The resulting collection is so big I've broken it down into an "easy-click" menu for your convenience or just you can just scroll and scroll and scroll... Check it out here!

Quick little summer clearance

As soon as I got home from my last trip I sorted through my inventory and picked out anything odd, differently sized/shaped, older and some bead sets that I had a bunch of and wouldn't mind selling by the group at my best wholesale prices. And they're all on sale for unbeatable prices right here... ready for you to make yours (but only for the next week)! Check them out!

Picket Fences & Sunflowers

It's almost time to leave for the Bead & Button show in Milwaukee, and my to-do list is like forever long. But I decided to take the time to show you some flowers... and fences. This is my newest work (though if you ask me I have a lot of new work). I love that it's so different but is still stringer and enamel based. Rock stringer and enamel, I say!

Joy of Stringer survey & update

Progress Update June will be a busy month for me! The Bead & Button Show and a class at Frantz will take up the whole month while preping for these events will take up every moment until then. Therefore, I've put my notes for the next tutorial away. When I return home at the end of the month the ISGB Gathering will be just around the corner. I hope to squeeze the work for the next tutorial into that window, keep your fingers crossed for me as I think that might be a little ambitious. Thank you so much for all your support and your continued enthusiasm! Won't you show us your progress in this LE thread?

Survey says! I found that the questions asked by lampworkers have been the most helpful tool in writing about stringer work. It's in thinking about the answers to those questions that I come to understand which details are most important. In my own work, I tend to struggle over the same roadbumps over and over, but these are not always going to be the same as your challenges. So I ask you to please share your experiences with me so that we can learn together. Won't you please take this 5-question survey about the Joy of Stringer tutorials to help me make them even better?

Your very last chance! This week is your very last chance to buy tutorials from me EVER. After this week they WILL NOT be available, at all, in anyway. If you want and Excellent Enamel Adventure package or Rainbow bead tutorials, NOW is your last chance - and the good news is they're on sale. Get your tutorials here!

It feels good to be free!

I'm already glad I took the time to write the Joy of Stringer tutorials. I've had a few really great notes of appreciation and I can see that this information will be used. That feels great!! Now I can't wait for questions, suggestions and pictures to start appearing. That will also feel great! So thank you! Thank you for your donations, purchases, questions and feedback. It all means so much. Now I'm looking forward to a couple more hours of catch-up computer work and then going to TORCH!!! Believe it or not... I can't wait to make some beads, with rings around them, inspired by the tutorials. It's true. And some giant spacers. I'm also looking forward to making giant spacer beads.

The Joy of Stringer: Giving it to you straight

I've been thinking about how to share the joy of stringer for quite a while. I figure that while I'm far from knowing everything I want to know about stringer, I would like to share what I have learned from focusing on stringer over the last few years. Recently, I settled on a format I can handle: A series of on-going, dontaion appreciated tutorials. Each tutorial will focus on the details of creating one specific line, in addition to sections on practicing, pulling stringer, fixing errors, Q&A and whatever else you and I come up with. These tutorials are designed for soft glass lampworkers at any skill level.

Here's how it works: I write tutorials about making straight lines with stringer on lampworked soft glass beads. You read the tutorials, try them, hopefully donate if you find them valuable, and ask me questions that I might use to update the Question & Answer section or the tutorial. I keep writing more tutorials as my travel, production and mental schedule allows, informing you of new tutorials and updates through the newsletter. And the whole process repeats... You'll notice these tutorials are websites, not PDF files. That's because I want to be able to continually edit and improve the tutorials so you will want to return the website regularly to see!

So go on, check it out! Visit www.jcherrell.com/stringerjoy.htm to check out the first three sections: Pulling Stringer, Practice Tips and Ring Around A Bead! Try them out and let me know what you think!

And guess what else? Since I'm going out of the tutorial selling business I have some discontinued inventory to clear out! Check out the Tutorials section of my website to find great deals (and the last chance to buy) a Rainbow Bead Tutorial and the Excellent Electronic Enamel Adventure tutorials.