Christina Catherine – CCGlassArt

The older I get the more I appreciate and am drawn to older things. They remind me of an era gone by and seem to hold so much more value than something brand new since they are already well used.

With this new scroll design, I have tried to recreate that antique feel and old-fashioned look of yesteryear. I look forward to incorporating this pattern into many more of my beads!

Antique Scrolls Oval Bead

I have decided to challenge myself to develop new designs by trying new techniques and learning new skills in 2012.

This journey begins with embedding three dimensional objects in glass as in this organic floral bead. This style bead is created in several parts which are then carefully assembled to make the final piece.

I had to first create a special pulled cane for the flower’s stamen. I then used the cane to create the flower bud. There is also a small implosion in this bead at the base of the flower so that needed to be made separately as well.

Then the base bead was made and shaped to allow room for the floral elements. Once formed, the flower was applied to the base and embedded inside lots of molten crystal clear glass to make it look as though it is suspended in mid air.

It is a lot of work and takes quite a while to put all these elements together – and although the process is a challenge it is so much fun! I will definitely be making more of this style bead

"Snow Drop" Lampwork Focal Bead

I am cleaning house to make room for 2012 beads by offering this set of Odd Lot Focals on eBay!

This set includes five medium sized 1″ lentil focals, one 1 1/4″ sized large lentil focal, and one of my large round ‘Pier’ style bead focals.

Odd Lot Focal Beads

Now available on Etsy - click to purchase

MAKING BEAUTIFUL MURRINI” Step-by-Step Tutorial
by Christina Catherine of CCGlassArt

Includes:

**Over 100 color photographs**
**More than 50 pages of instruction**
**Four murrini recipes including my super popular Starlight Murrini recipe**
**A Torch-Side Reference Guide**
…and SO much more!!

This tutorial is for every lampworker who has wanted to make murrini but didn’t because they were intimidated by the process, or perhaps has tried making murrini – spending many hours at the torch and using up lots of glass – only to be disappointed with the end result.

I was one of those lampworkers myself. I spent more hours and wasted more glass than I care to admit making hundreds of murrini canes with nothing worth using to show for it. Until, after much trial and error, I finally developed a fool-proof method and a series of reliable techniques, tips and tricks that helped me produce consistent results every time.

Once you learn to successfully make your own murrini cane the sky’s the limit! You can make custom designs anytime you want, in any colors you want. You can make murrini specifically for the style of beads you create.

You will be able to set your beads apart from the crowd making them more unique and individualized with murrini in color combinations and patterns you develop that are unavailable anywhere else.

You can even sell or share your extra murrini with other lampworkers (or fusers)!

Topics covered this tutorial include:

*Learn to create a 5 layer murrini design with up to 24 outer stripes (that will look like 48!)
*Choosing the best colors (I use COE 104 but you can easily adapt these tips and techniques to other COE glass)
*How to know which colors will work well together (and which colors to avoid)
*The entire process of making murrini cane from start to finish, step-by-step
*How to remove trapped air bubbles from encasing
*Getting multiple stringer lines spaced evenly and straight all the way around
*What to do when your stringer pops off unexpectedly
*Pulling the cane to a uniform diameter
*What to do with waste glass leftover from making murrini cane
*How best to apply murrini chips to your beads
…and tons more…

Making murrini can be intimidating but it doesn’t have to be. When broken down into easy-to-follow instructions, (with color photos guiding you every step of the way), you will have all the information you need – and the confidence – to successfully create beautiful, miniature designs in murrini that will take your beads to the next level.

This tutorial is written with the intermediate to advanced glass artist in mind who is well familiar with all aspects of lampworking including working with an open flame, melting glass rods, all safety precautions, etc.

However, if you consider yourself a beginner and are thinking about purchasing this tutorial but are unsure if you will benefit from it, please contact me. I may be able to help you decide if this tutorial is right for you at your current level of experience.