HOW DO YOU GIVE UP A FAVORITE??...

Thought I'd show off a bead that I made a few months ago...
I just love it. (surprise!)
I've been wearing it alot on the interchangable TWIG bead holder that was on my postcard that I posted on MY FAVORITE PIECE. It's gorgeous on that. It's also a "non-committment", LOL, since I haven't decided if I'm going to sell the bead or not... otherwise I'd probably wire it up into a permanent pendant w/ some Vintaj Natural Brass findings, which look so awesome w/ my beads.

I definitely need to make more of these... it was made using Cattwalk's largest Focal Sleek Pillow press (1" x 2")... although it's a little wider than the press...I really used alot of glass. :o) It was actually the first bead I made w/ this press.

So... I guess I'm wondering if you have any favorite beads that you just have to hang onto? I have several & I wear them. I don't know if I'll sell this one or not...

But you never know. :o)

We'll see...

BEAUTIFUL CROSSES...

When I started lampworking I had several people ask me pretty early on if I made crosses. I didn't at the time, but ended up buying an awesome VersaCube press from Cattwalk that makes an awesome cross base that I can then decorate & tweak as I wish... which I do, because I can't leave anything "as is". :o)

I've made some gorgeous crosses... one of my first ones is probably one of my favorites... I called it "Footprints in the Sand"... ...someone saw it at a show & said "this reminds me of that poem", so I said "Thank you very much!! I needed to come up w/ a name for it!" It sold right away. I haven't made another one, I keep frying my aqua glass... need to get back to it & try it again, I think I've got a little more controll than I did back then. :o)

Here's one of my most recent crosses... I made it for a friend's Mom's Christmas gift. Isn't it gorgeous? She just loved it (of course!) I love this style & love this look... especially made up into a pendant w/ the Vintaj Natural Brass findings (w/ a little sterling added to the mix)

Someday, I hope to see a beautiful rosary made up w/ one of my crosses.

~ Julie

ps... the VersaCube press comes in 2 thicknesses... 1/4" & 5/16"... I use the 5/16". I've seen the 1/4" & thought it was a little too skinny for me. I love this size.

HAPPY 2ND ANNIVERSARY TO ME...

I realized on my way to a Star of the North group event on Sunday that it had been exactly 2 years since I started lampworking.

I feel like I've made such huge strides this year. I'm so thrilled to be doing something that I completely adore & find so satisfying.

It's been a fun year of glass, too!
~ Missouri Bead Retreat in May...
~ a visit to the Bead & Button Show in June...
~ a 2 day class w/ Jennifer Geldard, Glass Stock & the Frantz Glass Bash in August/September...
~ a 2 day class w/ Michael Barley in October...
~ my first outdoor shows...
~ my first shows on my own...
~ my first home show/party, etc...
~ my first time being published (calendar)

... the list goes on.

This coming year looks even brighter... so much to look forward to! I'm participating in some out of town bead shows, like the:
~ next month I'll be in St. Louis for the Midwest Glass Experience @ Third Degree Glass Factory & will be taking classes with Anastasia, Michael Mangiafico & Libby Leuchtman!!
~ Art Glass & Bead Show in Madison in March
~ the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee in June
~ & Bead Fest Philadelphia in Augst.

AND I've been asked to be a part of a book of glass bead artists!! I'm so excited. I'll post more info when it's available. Nothing like a little bit of exposure. :o)

Plus we're going to be traveling to San Francisco on up into Oregon & Washington in late June through mid-July. I better have my act together, huh?? :o)

What a great place to be in my life... I'm feeling quite blessed.

Till next time...

~ Julie

LAMPWORK ETC. 2009 GLASS BEAD CALENDAR...

The 2009 Glass Bead Calendar featuring 36 LampworkEtc. artists is available now!!

I'm Mrs. February... alongside Lisa Washburn & Lara Lutrick, two very talented glass artists.

Marjorie Oxman (Marjo on LE) posted a call for submissions on LampworkEtc. in December for a LE Member 2009 Glass Bead Calendar. I didn't see the post until the night before the deadline, so I contacted her right away & she said to send her my image & she would see if she could fit me in, no guarantees because she already had the layout pretty much figured out.
So I sent her 6 different images & told her to pick whatever one she thought would work & she eMailed me back immediately saying that the pictures were gorgeous! Yay! :o) So, needless to say, it shocked me to see my heart necklace kind of front & center in February! Isn't that crazy?

I received my copy today... it's absolutely gorgeous!! Marjorie put hours & hours into this calendar... I sent her this note today:

Marjorie.... my calendar arrived today & it is absolutely PERFECTLY put together!! You did a fabulous job & should be so proud of yourself!! Not only are the pictures beautiful to begin w/... but the way you coordinated the colors, themes, seasons, etc... it is so well thought out, it's quite obvious that you put your heart & soul into it. BEAUTIFUL!! I'm so excited & proud to be a part of this calendar & very happy to show it off!

Here's the full list of contributing artists...
Kimberly Affleck
Beau Anderson
Amber Ballard
Kristi Brokaw
DeAnne Buchannon
Mary Beth Laire Callaghan
Dawn Ceccacci
Virginia L. Davies
Mimi Huszer Fagnant
Robin Foster
Sue Harmon-King
Heather Hertziger
Laurie Lalonde
Marcy Lamberson
Lara Lutrick
Tammy Michaud
Donna Millard
Patsy Monk
Julie Nordine
Carol Oliver
Marjorie Oxman
Gail Oyler (xstatic on LE)
Cherine Perrin
Karen Sealock
Becky Smith
Helen Starkweather
Londa Tanner
Jan Thompson
Cynthia Tucker
Melissa Vess
Lisa Washburn
Stephanie White

It's just fantastic. Whether you're in this calendar or not... or maybe you just love looking at beautiful things, it's definitely a keeper. Here's where you can find it & see a preview of each page.

PS.... if you receive this calendar, rate & review it on LULU for Marjorie. :o)

HOW TO BUY...

If you ever see an item that interests you here on my Blog, on my Website, in my Gallery, on LE, at a Show, in a publication or even something that my mother was showing off (here, here & here) and you want to know where to find one for yourself, CONTACT ME, please. I don't list all of my inventory because I do many shows, but it's very likely I have just what you want just waiting for you to ask for it. I'm also happy to email you photos of the options that are on hand as well as would love to chat with you about making up something special just for you. So don't forget, just click here...CONTACT ME.... and I'll get right back to you.

Thank you...

Julie

WHAT'S IN A NAME??....

So, I'm filling out the paperwork for the Bead & Button Show & can't decide if I wanted to be listed in their program & on my signage as Credit River Art Glass or as Julie Nordine..... or as Julie Nordine - Credit River Art Glass. I mean, yeah, my business name is Credit River Art Glass, but if I want to become "somebody" in this world of art glass beads, my name needs to be recognizable, right?

I think about the bead artist whom I greatly admire & are well know out there in the art glass bead world, my friend Bernadette Fuentes, Andrea Guarino, Jennifer Geldard, Kimberly Affleck, Gail Crosman Moore, Sarah Hornick, Dora Schubert... the list goes on..... do you know their business names??? It might be different than their personal name, but I don't know it. We know their names, period. I know lots of other glass bead artists who have business names... but I usually don't connect the two together.

I realized this mid-2008, which was when I began using my name & business name on my image signatures, w/ my name larger & first. Same thing on my website.

So... who am I going to be?

I think I figured it out. :o)

~ Julie (Nordine)

NEW LENTILS...

I'm REALLY loving these...


I'm busy working on taking photos... trying to decide if I'm going to try to list some pieces on Etsy or start building stock for some upcoming shows. I've had several people online contact me...wondering how or where they can buy from me... kind of tough to do when I don't have anything for sale out there, isn't it?

I saw a really nicely put-together site the other day... Sorta Flowering Designs, as far as online selling goes. They have catagories upon catagories of really cool bead styles that they make & sell on their website, as well as items they sell on eBay & in their Etsy shop, too! They also have really awesome single bead style tutorials for sale in their Etsy shop... check them out. Talk about having it together!! :o) That's what I want to do when I grow up. :wink: Maybe it's because they're a couple, working as a team... that would help, I think.

I can figure out how to do it all... it just takes some good time-coordination. :o)

Time to come up w/ a plan...

FACEBOOK...

Help... they're sucking me in!! LOL.

Do you "Facebook"?

My little sister told me about Facebook a while ago & I finally signed up. I didn't get what the big deal was. One more site to maybe find old friends... search for old boyfriends, LOL, etc...

THEN... I realized that there is a huge amount of glass artists on there that I know, some that I've met & many many others that I would like to know, some of whom I could possibly worship at their feet, if I were inclined to do that sort of thing. ;o)

So... I've been "making friends" on Facebook... and they're a super active crowd, so it's been fun getting to know people a little bit better, letting them get to know me. It's kind of cool... I like it... great for networking, for sure.

...except that it's sucking me in. :o)
It's hard to be at my computer, Photoshopping or whatever, when Facebook is calling to me, telling me to see what others are up to. And your "friend" can see when you're online there.... my silly sister-in-law started a chat w/ me today w/ "OMG, are you always on here???" LOL.... um, sure seems that way!!

Anyway...I still don't get what all of the invites, requests, gifts & such are all about... I have a gazillion of them waiting for me to accept them. If you've sent me one, sorry... one more distraction. :o)

One more thing to balance...

HAPPY 2009...

Happy New Year!

2009, huh? Wow. Where did 2008 go?

It was a crazy year... fun & fulfilling as far as glass goes, I'm loving how I've grown as a glass artist... I still enjoy feedback from others (duh!)... showing me that I'm on the right track. I had some really successful shows this year, even after bigger signs of US financial troubles started stressing people out, which is amazing to me (I think it's an emotional thing for people.... jewelry, beads, etc... being able to spend a little something on themselves maybe makes it a little easier to cope w/ stress???)... so I'm just really thrilled w/ how things are going from that point...

...but I'm still looking for balance in my life. Is balance possible? LOL. I'm praying that it is & that somehow this ADD brain of mine will allow me to figure it out.

Anyway... that's not where I was going to go here... ;o)

2009 is already shaping up to be an awesome & busy year! One of my biggest wishes this year was to somehow get into the BEAD & BUTTON SHOW in Milwaukee in early June. I put the word out in a few places that I was looking for someone who wanted to share their existing booth because I heard it through the grapevine that there was a long waiting list to get your own booth & I hadn't even started that process yet. Well... my wish came true!! Kristi Evenson of Coliebug Beads has done B&B for years & found out that she was going to have a conflict w/ another big show here in Minneapolis the same weekend (for at least the next 2 years!). My friend Jennifer Ionta told her that I was wanting to find someone to share a booth with & Kristi contacted me!! She was so happy that she didn't have to lose her perfect B&B booth space & I was thrilled to get the chance to do B&B for the first time w/out having to wait on a waiting list forever. :o) She had to get it okay'd w/ the B&B people, but no problem. So... I'll be bringing her fantastic copper & sterling stamped charms & pendants so she at least has some of her items there & I'll get my own 8' space for my stuff!! I'M SO EXCITED!!! :o)

Check out my SCHEDULE on my website to see what else I'm up to so far this year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, all!!