I have this list of things I would like to learn one time or another. Ceramics is high on that list and that's the reason I bought a larger kiln with more possibilities instead of a small beadkiln.
Wouldn't it be nice to combine Ceramic beads or pendants with beautiful glass beads. Oh my so much idea's and so little time.

Anyway enough about my plans and ideas. A customer of mine provided a link on her new (designed by me) website of this wonderful ceramic-artist Nicky Konings. The pictures below show some of the pieces I liked most on her website, but she made it pretty difficult to choose.
Not only do I think her work is great because of the origal shapes and textures but I simply love the colors she uses. Ofcourse I could continue rambling on about what I like, but I suggest you go and check out her work yourself.

The last time I feel like I'm in some kind of time-sportscar. Time rushes by and lately almost every end of the month I find myself thinking: Oh my is it really already end of the mont, where did the time go and more seriously what did I do with all this time?

I have a lots of idea's that simply aren't realised yet because I find myself in a constant lack of time. But there also is a lot I did realise... I designed and build a new website for a client and also started designing one for another, I'm constantly busy improving my webshop, wich by the way now also is open for business to foreign customers as well. Ofcourse I also made some new items to fill it, because what good is a webshop if you don't have anything to sell. One of the recently added items: Lovely lampwork phonecharmes and some vessels, so go check them out...

I already sold some of my lampwork and jewelry, received an order for a bracelet and (wich made me very happy) I received some orders for a customised version of my "gardian angel" pendants.

I also made some beads for a reactionglass-swap from one of the glass-forums I frequently visit.I was very happy with the results and before I send them off, I took them with me to a party to show them off. I'm so happy I did because I it resulted in an order for a necklace with similar beads, wich are the "flower-power-beads" showed below...

And last but not least I now am a I'm a registered SRA Member: No. E25

For additional information about the project, check the link below
http://www.self-representing-artist.com

I used to have this tutorial about needlefelting a little dog available for free, but due to the fact I moved to another provider and changed my domainname a year ago it wasn't available anymore.

Tonight I thought it would be a nice idea to change that, so below you'll find links to a pattern in Dutch and English.

The pattern is a pdf-file so in order to read or print it you will need to get yourself a free reader at the Adobe website.

Download tutorial in Dutch
Download tutorial in English

One of the things you need to think about when you are selling beads is what kind of packaging you will use to get your beads to your customers in one piece.

At a bead-forum-meeting last year I received a swapbead from Dorith, wich she put in a lovely tiny handmade origamibox. Ofcourse at home I had to figure out how this was made and when I was shopping in Amsterdam a few days later, I bought myself some origami paper in a Japanese store. I started making these boxes and thought it would be a nice way to package my Gardian Angel beads.

Well to be honest I thought it would be nice to use similar boxes for my other beads as well, but since origamipaper isn't cheap I didn't concider it to be an real option because spending that much on packaging would mean spending less on glass and I guess you are able to figure out what I prefer to spend my money on...

Anyway since I also have a part-time job as a secretary and I am the one to open all snailmail, a while back it hit me. Looking inside the envelopes I discovered the're not all boring grey. Sometimes compagnies use envelopes with lovely colors like green, blue and red inside and sometimes they even have nice patterns. So that's when I decided to cut those not so boring envelopes and recycle them into nice boxes... Taadaa....

This week I'm into sculpting with glass and to be more specific into making goddesses. I bought a tutorial by Teresa Laliberté a highly inspirational glass-artist who's sculptural work I really like a lot and who I hope to meet in person later this year.

These are my Goddesses and I must say I'm very pleased with how they turned out... I can see an addiction coming up here!
The one on the left is etched wich gives her a somewhat more ancient look, as if I used clay to make her.