Friday, September 05, 2008

Purple, Blue... Or Both?

Thankfully, Hanna seems to have fizzled out. We supposed to get some rain and wind, but nothing more. Now we just have to worry about hurricane Ike, which doesn't look like it will hit us head on. Poor Florida, they do get more than their fair share!

Thanks so much to Kelly, from Boxing Day, for the Brilliant Blog nomination! Now THAT'S the crowbar I needed to pry me out of the "poor me" mood I've been wallowing in. If you haven't seen her blog, it's very entertaining - she makes art for sale on Etsy using recycled materials.

My list of nominees:

A Fanciful Twist
Rochambeau
Collage Diva
Artsortments
Somepinkflowers
Tea and Honey Bread
A Whimsical Bohemian

The rules for the nominees:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs!

~

On another note, I had quality studio time last night and made some bracelets. How is it possible, that after two years of jewelry making, I've neglected this huge corner of the market?!? In tough times when people don't want to spend for a necklace, I should have smaller ticket items like bracelets for them.

I started with some gorgeous lampworked glass beads, bought a few years ago on ebay (lovingly referred to as feebay around here). This was a set of three different groups of beads intended to be used together. When I bought them, I saw some black with purple and blue flowers, some purple with blue dots, and some were clear lavender.

After I made the bracelet, I stuck it in the light box to photograph it. I turned on the fluorescent spotlights, and...Holy Crap! Those clear lavender beads turned sky blue!! How freaky is that?



I checked with some glass workers on Etsy and found out there is a special Moretti alexandrite glass that will do this. But how is it possible that I had these weird and lovely beads for years and never saw this? I spent a half hour walking back and forth in the doorway from the den (which has incandescent lighting) to the kitchen (which has fluorescent), just to watch the color change back and forth. Simple pleasures, right?


5 comments:

3rdEyeMuse said...

pretty, pretty beads - and how flippen cool is the color change thing?!? I had no idea there was such a thing. :)

Kathryn Costa said...

Thank you so much for the award! Your regular visits and comments on my blog inspire me to keep posting.

I love your bracelets. They are sure to be a hit.

It is amazing how light can be so different. I learned a bit about it when I took a digital photography class. Setting the white balance on your camera is another trick to minimize the extra blues and in some cases too much yellow depending on the lights you are using. I always favor natural light if I can get it.

Like you, I'm amused and filled with wonder by the simplest of things.

Anonymous said...

Dear Shibori Girl,
Glad you survived the hurricane!

Your new bracelet is fabulous! The beads are so pretty. You're smart to diversify your collection.
Thank you so much for your kind award Kate! It made my day yesterday!

xox
Constance

T.Allen said...

Thanks so much for the award!

Your bracelet is lovely...funny how the light does that huh? I would've gone nuts traipsing in and out trying to figure that out. Honestly I don't think I would've asked anyone about it-that's between my therapist and myself. ;)

Anonymous said...

Oh, a precious award!! merci my friend!! I loove your creations!! yummy yummmyyyy!