Dichroic Fused Glass Jewellery - New Items on Website

I have added some new items to my website, the heart pendants above, some more slider pendants, the wave bangle and fused glass coasters.

Don't forget, I'm running a summer giveaway and you can still enter:

http://lazydaisyglass.blogspot.com/2009/07/blog-giveaway-summer-sizzler.html

I'm giving a huge array of glass goodies, so what are you waiting for.

The main reason is to try and reach 100 fans on my Facebook business page - so far it 71, which is good going. So if you fancy keeping up to date with more business stuff, become a fan on my Facebook page. You will find a link in the giveaway.

Kathryn, Lazy Daisy Glass xx

New Dichroic Jewellery

I have been waiting for my new jewellery findings to arrive so I can add new designs to my collection. I am very pleased with them and have been busy making cabochons to add. They look great and a little different in design. The triple pendant was soon to go at the Black Isle Show. I had to take some quick photos before the show, so the quality of them is not good. I will be taking more professional looking photos over the next day or so and then they will be added to my website.

Update on the Black Isle Show - arrived Wednesday afternoon to set up and the weather was sunny. We traded Thursday night from 4pm and packed up at 9pm. We camped in the marquee overnight and it wasn't at all comfortable! Trade was also very slow.

Thursday - up at the crack of dawn, weather was hot and sunny once again. Trade was better, but not great.

I had a last minute pitch in the retail trade area - not the best for a handcrafted trader, but it was the only available space and have been trying to get into the show for a few years. Hopefully next year, there will be a better opportunity for space.

Oh, and we were placed next to:

Yep, the sweety stall - not good for a little girl!!

Kathryn, Lazy Daisy Glass xx

Out of the kiln - Dichroic Glass Pendants

These are my latest pieces out of the kiln - a batch of pendants and some cute and colourful hangers. I get so excited when I load the kiln, even more so when I open the lid. I'm like a kid in a candy shop. On the otherhand, you can sometimes be disappointed with some of the pieces. During the firing process, many things can happen; glass can slip, burn, overheat to name but a few. If a piece of top glass slips from, say a pendant, the resulting item can look messy and uneven. Sometimes the dichroic glass metallic surface can burn off, leaving a grey chalky appearance and if the glass is over-heated, you will be left with spikey edges. So as well as pleasant surprises, there can be disappointments too. But, the surprises far outweigh the bad experiences! I still love my creations and spending time designing new items.

I'm glad to say that today looks like it will be bright and sunny. After posting that Spring is finally here, it turned absolutely horrid - high winds, sleet and snow and brrrr, it was damn cold.

Today I look out and see the sun and feel better already.

Kathryn, Lazy Daisy xx

How to Clean your Jewellery - Credit Crunch Tips

As money is tight at the monent, it doesn't have to cost a thing to clean your bling!

You can use ordinary household items, such as washing up liquid and baking soda.

Here are some tips:

Cleaning Silver
You can use a solution of washing-up liquid and warm water.
Rinse in hot water and buff dry.

Baking soda is fantastic for removing tarnish from silver. Every household should stock this little pot of powder - it is a great all rounder and good for domestic cleaning, and of course, completely safe.

Make a paste using one teaspoon of baking soda and a few drops of white vinegar (or just plain water, if no vinegar). Use an old toothbrush and rub the paste all over the silver piece, in all the nooks and crannies. Wash with warm water and buff with a cleaning cloth.

However, care must be taken when cleaning plated metals as it is easy to rub off the coating if you are too enthusiastic!

Another way of cleaning silver is using aluminium foil:

Line the bottom of the bowl with aluminum foil, add several spoonfuls of baking soda and fill the pan with boiling water. Now drop in your silver pieces and watch the tarnish disappear.

Why not try both methods and see which one works best for you.

TIP - Always clean jewellery in a plastic bowl lined with a cloth. This will protect delicate items and avoid your precious items from going down the plughole.

Gold
A simple bowl of warm soapy water should bring your gold up nicely - use an old toothbrush to get into awkward places.

Cleaning Precious Stones
Amethysts, diamonds, rubies and sapphires can be cleaned in washing up liquid and warm water – use a little paintbrush or make-up brush to gently scrub (toothbrushes can be too harsh for such delicate stones, so take care if this is all you have to clean). Rinse in lukewarm water then dip into surgical spirit to remove any soap residue. Buff gently with a cleaning cloth, or chamois leather works a treat.

Emeralds are softer and porous, so extra care must be taken - shine them using a chamois leather.

Pearls are porous and should not be washed in water. The oil on your skin is the best tonic for pearls, so wear them with abundance, but you must protect them from hairspray, make-up and perfume. You can polish pearls with chamois leather. This brings them up to a bright sheen.

If you are in a hurry, why not try this option - place your jewellery into a glass of warm water with a tablet of Alka-Seltzer, leave for a few minutes, remove and dry. The tablet does all the work for you. NOT suitable for pearls or opals though.

Hope you enjoyed these useful tips.
Kathryn, Lazy Daisy xx

Tutorial - Glass Tile Pendant

This tutorial will show you how to make glass tile pendants (as above).

Materials required:

Glass tile (7/8" x 7/8")

Paper (scrapbook paper, scraps, photo)

Dimensional glaze (Diamond Glaze, Glossy Accents)

Bail

Square cutting template (made from card)

Pencil

Glue (to fix bail)

Scissors

Paintbrush

Step 1 - Choose your pattern paper. I have chosen Japanese pattern paper in the pendants above, but you can use your scraps of paper or even print a photo for a personalised pendant (great for mothers day, fathers day, birthdays etc).

Japanese Paper

Step 2 - Make your square cutting template by measuring a 7/8" square from card (I recycled a food cardboard box), cut out the square using a craft knife. This will be used as a 'viewfinder' over your patterned paper. Move the viewfinder over the paper and select an appropriate section that makes a pretty frame. Try to select near the edge so as not to waste paper :

Square Cutting Template (Viewfinder)

Step 3 - Draw a square on to the paper, cut the paper square out and snip small rounded corners (because the glass has rounded corners, your paper will need to match):

Step 4 - Apply a generous layer of glaze to the back of the glass tile (the flatest part of your tile). Make sure to coat all the surface and slightly over the rounded edges. Place your piece of paper over the glass tile (remember to place the paper face down on to the glass), move the paper into place with your fingers and turn the tile over. Push down firmly on the tile to rid of any air bubbles that may have occurred. Leave to dry. Your tile may slide over the paper slightly, if so, move it back into place. TIP - use a grip seal bag as a base, this will prevent a sticky mess on your work surface:

Step 5 - Once dry, apply another generous amount of glaze on top of the paper. Spread the glaze over the paper, paying particular attention to the corners and edges. TIP - lightly glide your brush over the paper to minimise brushstroke marks in the glaze. Let to dry and set. Once dry, the texture is very smooth and shiny, like glass.

Step 6 - Apply glue (suitable for metal) to the back of the pendant and apply your bail. Let to dry/set.

I used E6000 glue for attaching the bail - this is an industrial glue I use for my glasswork. There are a couple of options for bails. You can use a flat bail (right in the photo) or an Aanraku jewellery bail (left in the photo). If using the flat bail, you will need to attach a jump ring to hang from a chain, the Aanraku bail already has a loop for a chain.

Two different bails (above)

(two bails - front view)

You can create all sorts of pendants - here are some examples:

You can even add a touch of your own artwork or personalise by drawing on the prints. You can see from the pendants below that I have added the word Diva in bright pink. I used a Sakura glaze pen for this as these are very bright and do not run when the glaze is added:
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

Kathryn, Lazy Daisy xx