~Winding Glass in the flame,
much like spinning straw
into gold~

Im so excited to see the sun I cant even begin to tell you! It is so hard moving from Az where there are 364 days of sun,to Michigan where it feels like this year there was 360 days of no sun! I AM NOT EXAGGERATING! 

Working on some new designs and enjoying the weather, What have you been up to? 

here is my two latest auctions up on the bay

Dragonfly flight

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160422891498&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT#ht_3736wt_948

and Blushing Dogwoods and butterfly

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ever-After-Dogwood-Blush-Butterfly-Lampwork-beads-SRA_W0QQitemZ150432861872QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item23067f4eb0#ht_3810wt_948

Last week was battle fo the glass blowers at West Michigan Glass Society, Durning the battle Tracy and I demoed at the torches, and I thought because it was the battle of the blowers we should do some blowing in the torches, 

So I used Chihuly as inspiration and we made smurf scaled hollow shapes, to create chandelier Pendants  

Thennnn with my recent butterfly obsession i took it to another place and made this one

Butterfly Migration

I will be putting these pendants up for sale in my store on this site. I am in no hurry to get rid of them, I love them, lol

here are some pictures of other auctions Ive sold this month  

OK I have to get burning stuff  

Today I think is BHB (big holed bead day ) 

xo Laurie!

Just a quick post and run, Im cooking a three thighed chicken, and Lost is soming on Yes Im a lost Feign.

Wanted to show off some new butterfly designs, and shout out that MY PANSIES are blooming!! I left the container garden out all winter, figured I would have toreplant this spring, NOT!! Pansies are miracle flowers!!

Ok burning the mutant chicken!! here is two new sets up on the bay! each one would make three great focals in it self, or ONe fantastic peice!

I have tried for all my glassy years to come up with a butterfly design I loved and could call mine, 

Im so close I think!

Here are some of this weeks butterflies  .

http://shop.ebay.com/everafterartistry/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340

HEY! Just A quick bounce in to announce the new FREE TOP Tutorial!!

Click Here

I have tons to get done today! So I have to run, big love! XO Laurie

Just had a few minutes to say HI! so HI! 

 I thought I would come post some eye candy and new listings  

http://shop.ebay.com/everafterartistry/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340

http://shop.ebay.com/everafterartistry/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340

This weekend we taught 29 girlscouts at West Michigan Glass society, we did a windchime fusing project, and then we made beads! Its always so much fun to teach the young ones! 

Last Friday was the art hop, and at the art hope we do torch demos, this past one we made boro tops. too much fun and I have been a spinning fool since!

heres a not so good picture of them, and I will put the video up on the video page .<

I have so many ideas for tomorrow! Well I had them for today, but oops

xo L

Happy New Years~

    One more day till 2010! Im ready for sure!

I know I have been neglected the blog again the past couple months, we have had a lot of drama.

I have been doing everything I can to simply get by,

    But im ready to move forward, start fresh and kick it up a notch bam!!!

Today Im setting up a web store again so you can purchase the tutorials right from here.

and working on getting some really fun listings up!

    I love when January rolls around and I can start working on spring designs, Valentines, Easter, Mothers day etc!

I have been spending a lot of time On facebook, so If you wnt to follow me there too, I'm Laurie Donnette.

    Im also writing a follow along story, kind of nonsensical, but working on waking up the muse,

the link to it is .

Gnome Muse

    For a little eye candy here are some auctions I have up now.

Ok I am going to get running n get some ideas torched up

I will be back in 2010 to share a ton of fun stuff with you!

Its going to be a great year!

xo Laurie

Open toad shoes!!  (was kind of funny no?)

Anyways I promised I would come back and tell you about the latest e-book published, its LIL PRINCE CHARMERS,  sculpted frogs on encased calla lily beads.

with the purchase of this tutorial you also receive a frog bead,

I am making the frogs as fast as I can, but the e book will be mailed out to you within 24 hours of purchase.

here is where you can get the e book, just click on the picture

xo Laurie

No excuses for the time lapse between me updating this blog, or website, Im just going to start fresh .

I have published two more tutorials in this time,

Twisted PIxie Pots is the first one I did, its for hollow vessels and twisted latticino cane.click on picture to take you to the etsy listing for this tutorial.

I also just finished up today the free tuts to go with the pixie pots, tiny minatures, to put inside your pots, this first batch is halloween themed, little eyeballs, ghosts, hats, pumpkins, bones, and candy corns

it is located for free here on my website over there<<<<<Under "twisted Pixie mini tuts.

Ok I will be back in a bit to tell you about my Prince charmer tut

and other fun choatic tid bits of info.

xo Laurie

what did the ghost ask the other ghost?

do you believe in people?

Has been very chaoticilly busy this month with glass camp, classes, helping our brother move to BC, I have not had a weekend at home since my trip to AZ on mothers day! not to mention the weekdays spent away from it, (oh yeah my house is a mess!!! )

Glass camp was a blast! kind of sad to see it end, but we have sevreal big programs coming up andddddddd... I will be starting my sculptural floral class in SEPT! 

I am still working on the new tutorial, should finish it up this week, actually I just have to finish it up this week, lol

Though I have been so busy and scatterbrained I still been listing, so I will take a minute here to show off some bead porn. (why do we call it such things? Bead porn? pimping our auctions? etc. ) We need to think of some new pretty words

these are all up on the bay right now.

This week glass camp started at the glass society, Tuesday Was my first day with the kids, They are so awesome to teach! Precious little creative minds, that have never been told they cant do something, so they simply jump in and do it!

It got very very hot in the torch room, reminded me of when I torched in AZ during the summer!  Poor little guys had to keep taking popsicle breaks!  Today is Teen glass camp day 1, I will let you know how that goes!

Dont you wish that when you were a kid you could have done something like this?

popsicle break 2,

after their three days of camp, they had a gallry showing of their work, I didnt get to see this first rounds gallery, I hope to get to the next and get some pctures for you all.

After camp today, If im not totally roasted, I need to get busy on the class line up for the fall catalog.

still tossing around a couple ideas. any input you have throw it at me pleaseeeeeee..

I do think I will hold at least one session of sculpted flowers..

Happy summers solstice! and Fathers day!

Today will have the longest day of sunlight all year, enjoy it! I am going to try!

This spring has dragged on , and had so much rain here, I have moss on the north side of my butt!!

Wanna see some pretties???

These are up on ebay

Shy Butterflies

Midsummeres eve

Tiger Lilys

Lets catch up, Last week, I had a big scare, we had a gas leak in our basement, long story, but I am convinced something was definitely on my side that day, as a matter of fact, I think I kept God so busy that day, and I so apologize to any of you who were asking him for help that he couldnt get to you until wednesday!!!!

Yesterday I taught the Prince charmer class, it went very well, though the shop was HOT, which made for a long day. someone needs to invent good air conditioning for a torch shop, and donate it to the glass society,

This week starts glass camp for the kids, Its my first year teaching the glass camp, but it looks mondo cool! The kids get to blow glass in the hot shop, cast glass in sand molds, sand blast , do off mandrel peices, stained glass peices, make beads, and do fusing projects! How stinking cool is that???

There is still a couple openings in the July schedule, so If you know any one 10-18 shoot me an email and I will get you to the info.

We are going to Canton Michigan today for fathers day and to build a fence for his dad. and while I supervise, I need to get together fall classes for the society.

these are classes that run from sept to december, If you could take a one day class on something what would you like?

Teddy bears? berries? leaves and acorns? snow globe pendants?

chocolates? Fish? all of the above?

     Getting ready for day 2 of the beadmaking 101 class, and day one went fantastic!

3 new converts to the world of glass!!

I do feel I pushed a lot of info overload on them, I suspect, hope, they went home last night and had glass dreams, thinking about where they want to head with thier art today.

     This mornnig They will get to learn how to take their beads off the mandrels and clean them, and re dip them, bleh. lol we went through a lot of mandrels yesterday!

     I will try and remember to take a few pictures today of the studios etc. such a fun place.

     If you have never been to the West michigan glass society, its like OZ to me,

This hugeeeeeee industrial brick building must be 678 years old, ( i tend to exxagerate) and when you step inside,there are dozens of different art glarries and studios, everything from painting, glass, sculpting, iron work, pottery, candle making etc. Its like when dorothy landed in oz and the movie went from black and white to technicolor!

     Im trying to put together the fall/winter beadmaking class schedule, and deciding what classes to offer, aside from the beadmaking 101. any suggestions throw them at me!

     Looks like feeling froggy class is a go this saturday, making my little prince charmer beads, encased florals with a frog, clutching it, that will be a lot of fun!

     I also think Sue and I are putting together a wine bottle, slumping class, Sue slumps these wine bottles into cheese trays, and they turn out so cool! I will need to get a picture of that too! Words without pictures to back it up, just isnt the same is it?

 well here is a picture of the feeling froggy class we will be doing Saturday

Ok I have to get ready!!! have a great day everyone! make something pretty!

Good morning, I woke up to NO diet pepsi in the house (panic) So I am gering up with cups of International mocha instant coffees. I start teaching a 2 day beadmaking workshop today at the West Michigan glass society

I always get excited about conforming new glass art addicts! today 3 shall be born!

bwa ha ha ha ha

Im really trying to learn how to delegate my time, Time management I really truly suck at.

Are you a morning person, or an afternoon person etc? I seem to rotate, some mornings I wake up just scrambling to get work done, some mornings I wake up and wonder whats on lifetime movie netowrk today? Then come 4 o clock  Im done weeping at movies and I want at the torch. (even though there are only 4 plots in any given lifetime movie, battered wife, gold digger, evil nanny, and where oh where is my prince charming? )

What are your favorite times of the day? what is your favorite thing to do when you have time for just yourself?

 Do you have passions? that seem to give you excuses to not do what you should be doing? lol me, Archery, Geo caching, driving around looking for my dream house.

(which I could buy if i spent less time avoiding what I need to be doing,)

This morning however I have a legitimate excuse to sit here n blog, read forums, pimp my auctions, Im waiting for my jeans to dry. 2 hours before class starts, have i ever mentioned im a well intentioned procrastinator?

I actually get tired thinking of the things i plan on getting done, I think thats an ADD thing, One more cup of mocha rytalin and I should be good to go. right?

so? want some eye candy?

These are up on the bay, I will try and include links, but that seems to work, when my website provider wants it to. If not you can find them all here http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/everafterartistry_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZ

star gazer garland

Bees knees pansies

Butterfly Pandora

Ice cream shop

i will update again tonight or tomorrow morning about the class I have a great feeling about it. its gonna rock!

If Im not sitting in soggy jeans all day

This weekend I released my new series in tutorials, the aBc's of sculpting.

IN this 31 page 115+ full color picture tutorial you will learn how to make

Birds

Bees

Butterflies

Bunnies

Bugs

Blossoms

(ducks)

Fun techniques you can use to make a plethora of little friends!

simple tools needed, easy to find soft glass.

This is geared towards the beginer sculpter, but I think any level of range could pick up several tips and ideas!

this past week I have had the opportunity to host the gnome Frank, Frank is a gnome we are sending aroundd the world, to visit us, and go sight seeing etc.

Unfortunately for Frank he missed my trip to AZ, and came on a week that was choas, and uber busy. but we still found time to have fun..

one of his first nights he just rested and told stories with some gnome friends...

then he got the munchies...

rode a trian and a tug boat at South Haven peir.

Then watched the sunset,

They set up a blog for Frank and I will include a link after I get that updated. with all his adventures!

He will be going to his new hostess tomorrow.

The cobbler had it made with his little helpers,My elves I think ran away to New Orleans for a vacation..

Speaking of Vacations,I just got back last week from visiting AZ, My daughter, my mother, my neice, and my two brothers all live there, 5 days isnt enough time, I just got there it seems and we had to say our goodbyes again.

We had so much fun, on mothers day we went to the desert botanical garden, where Chihuly had a big glass exhibit, absolutely mondo cool (though it hit 108 degrees that day. ) On the front page of this site there is a slide show I made of the peices we got to see. Here, scroll down. Here is a sneak peek.

I also took my mom Geo caching, we found three treasures!! She really enjoyed it.

Im hoping my daughter will catch the bug and do it with her sometimes,

Have I explained Geo caching here? If not I will!!

But I have so much more to talk about!

I got home Thursday from my trip, that Saturday I had to work Explore glass art day at the glass society, then the next Sunday I had a beadmaking 101 class all day to teach.

We had a lot of fun! and Pat from a previous class, and a new beadmaking addict stopped by to work with us, Its absolutely so fun to see her eyes light up, and her new passion for the art!

In between all this, I have been making fistfuls of beads. wanna see?

fighting a bit with the new posistion of the sun to take pictures (yes they rehung the sun!!)

dragonfly dance.

with hand made dragonfly millis i made myself

Butterfly Pandora

Pansy pendants style

BIrds bees and cherry blossoms

oh and I want to share one that sold, that i really love how they turned out.

this set is on its way to Canada.

blushing Dogwoods

This past couple weeks, between special orders and classes, I have been Making A lot of beads with Latticino, (a stripey twisty encased cane that looks like those old candy sticks. (yum).) Playing with color combos etc, and Im totally addicted to using them in my beads!

Here are some beads listed up on the bay using the twisties on them..

TWISTED (large holes beads with a diagonally and twisted twice stripe, of the latticino cane, with jewel tone dots.

Caribean Carnival

seashells,

Pandora Pansies

with center bead with a wrap of latticino. pretty springy summer colors.

Also Here is a set of pansies I listed, no latticino, but the way the colors striked in this set turned out scrumptious! I hope I can do that again!