Draw 4... and the 3 winners are...

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments and participation in the last giveaway for 2009.

The first person drawn and the winner of Shansi is: iconoclastic1112000

The second person drawn and the winner of Morello is: rbird47

The third person drawn and the winner of Porter is: Pencio

Congratulations to you three! please email me your postal address to georgie@jawjee.com and I will send your new owly friend as soon as possible.

I wish I had enough owls for all who participated. I will have to do more giveaways in the future thanks again everyone!

Glass owl bead giveaway no. 4! 3 chances to win! Draw 5th Dec 2009

Here is the fourth owl giveaway for a no strings attached, handmade, very cute, jawjee original, OOAK glass owl. There are three owls so your chances of winning one are greatly increased :-).

Rules are the same as before... I will post like this with images showing the front, back, and hand size reference so you can see the owls up for giving away. All you need to do is comment to the blog post! it is that easy. I will then draw out 3 commentator's names on Saturday 5th December, post up the winners and we'll communicate so that you can receive your new little friend.

It's has been a fun exercise doing the giveaways and I think I will continue to do them intermittently everytime the owls have a population explosion. I regularly have others up for auction on ebay.

This week's owls are:

1. Shansi, she's very pretty decked out in psyche frit, which has lovely iridescence and possessing a pair of spectacular green-blue eyes.
2. Morello, a deep burgundy coloured owl, using the magical glass, Ekho, there are also deep purply pink hues, difficult to capture with the camera. Her back is sprinkled with psyche frit for iridescence. She has multi-hued auroras in her eyes.
3. Porter has lots of character, made with a silverbased glass with some white speckles on his front and a pair of terra caramel wings on his back. Raku details and lovely deep hued auroras in his eyes.
   

If you click on the picture it will open up a larger version of the image.
Good luck folks, remember to drop a comment!

Owl Giveaway 3 Winner is...... post no. 1... Nadine!!!

Thanks to everyone for participating and congratulations to Nadine.
Nadine if you could email me you postage details to georgie@jawjee.com, I will post out your little owl Monday :-D

There will be another post soon for Giveaway no. 4 which involves 3 owls... and therefore 3 lucky winners!

Glass owl bead giveaway no. 3!!! he's a cutie, Draw 28th Nov 2009

Here is the third owl giveaway for a no strings attached, handmade, very cute, jawjee original, OOAK glass owl.

Rules are the same as before... I will post like this with images showing the front, back, and hand size reference so you can see which owl is up for giving away. All you need to do is comment to the blog post! it is that easy. I will then draw out a user's name on Saturday 28th November, post up the winner and we'll communicate so that you can receive your new little friend.

You'll be surprised at the amount of people out there who collect owls, sometimes it's not apparent that somebody is a collector and you have to watch out for the subtle clues. As an experiment you could hold up a picture of a cute owl to the people that you come in contact with and look out for pupil dilation and hoots of delight... with practice you can spot these responses (;-/). I have others up for auction on ebay.

This week's owl is Antipodes, the first I have made with a glass called Green Dalai by TAG. This glass strikes to streaky greeny-blues. I then added some Reichenbach Dark Multicolour for details such as his beak, toes, spots on front and wings on back. Multicolour strikes to various colours - I love the navy blue, but was also pleasantly surprised to see the purply-reddy-blues in the wings. If you would like the chance to hold him... you know what to do!

For the last draw next week I am planning something special, like maybe 3 draws for a first second and third winner so don't forget to check it out next week as well!

and the Giveaway no. 2 winner is..... Darcys Knotty Knitter !!!!

Thanks to everyone who commented on my blog. I used a random number generator to draw the number of the post (no. 11). Darcy if you send me your post details to georgie@jawjee.com I'll have Constantinople out to you ASAP! Thankyou for your lovely story too, it was just meant to be!

GLASS OWL BEAD GIVEAWAY no. 2 who who! Draw 21st November

OK it's time for the second owl giveaway for a no strings attached, handmade, very cute, jawjee original, OOAK glass owl.

Rules are the same as before... I will post like this with images showing the front, back, and hand size reference so you can see which owl is up for giving away. All you need to do is comment! it is that easy. I will then draw out a user's name on Saturday 21st November, post up the winner and we'll communicate so that you can receive your new little friend.

A lot of people out there like owls, you're bound to know someone who would like one. They are often used as symbols of wisdom, so maybe they would make a cute little graduation gift. I have others up for auction on ebay.

This week's owl is Constantinople, he has the owl constellation on his tummy and inside it too! There are some gold bubbles that can be seen through his window-like front. I made C out of Triton, a reduction glass from Double Helix, and it has turned shades of blue as well as breaking into iridescent streaky cream striations (let's call them space clouds) . His ears are Mystic Grey, a translucent grey glass and his eyes are wonderful multi-hued nebulae.

Comment away!

And the Winner is..... SHELLEY!!!

Congratulations Shelley, I pulled you out of a bag of 37 or so names so get that owl suit on and bust some moves!! :-D

If you can contact me through email with your address at georgie@jawjee.com I'll post Hobo out to you this coming week. He's excited too!

I'll be posting another owl up tomorrow for the next giveaway... stay tuned!

Glass Owl Bead Giveaway!! HOOT HOOOOOOT!!!

Who would like a no strings attached, handmade, very cute, jawjee original, OOAK glass owl?

I have been on holidays and have made a surfeit of owls, they're staring at me from all directions and want some 'one on one' attention from a loving owner. Will you adopt one? Here's how....

I will be holding a weekly draw, on Saturdays starting next week 14th Nov 2009, for four weeks. That's four separate free owl giveaways. I will post like this with images showing the front, back, and hand size reference so you can see which owl is up for giving away. All you need to do is comment! it is that easy. I will then draw out a user's name on Saturday, post up the winner and we'll communicate so that you can receive your new little friend.

These little fellows have been selling like hotcakes on ebay for the past two years, here's your chance to nab a freebie! You probably know someone who collects owls (check with your librarian friends). Imagine how this would make a delightful christmas present! Because it is a bead you can turn him into a pendant or part of a necklace or bracelet or a dangle for your car rear vision mirror.

Moving on to the owl of the moment, here is Hobo. He's got itchy feet and wants to get out there! He was made from Super DaVinci with dots of Terranova glass on his front and back (wings). Ears, Beak and toes are raku and his eyes are a combination of glasses which mixed to form blue-green auroras. Measurements: 16mm x 17mm x 11mm. Get commenting!

The Owl Parliament is in session

I have been on holiday leave from work for 3 weeks and have one week remaining.

What have I done in that time?

Squillions of owls have been made, the parliament pictured are just the latest that have not been listed yet (or cleaned). I have made chicken balls (flying henriettas) and played with brass in glass. I have made a few moon owls and scarabs and a littlebo-peep bead. Outside of beadmaking, I've bought loads of glass (therefore spent too much). Basically I have lived the dream :-)

There's still so much to do and not enough time to do it! Where is my neverending supply of funds to maintain the lifestyle to which I have become accustomed?

Halloween inspiration

I was looking through a forum thread about Halloween and thought how fun the whole theme is. Thinking about creepy, scary beads, offered all kinds of potential and inspiration. The character I thought to portray was the word 'ghoul' and this combined with my sense or awful puns, 'Ghoul with a Pearl Earring' was born. I hadn't referenced the painting before I started but I was still very pleased with the result. After making her I got excited and thought of more awful puns...
Below is the 'Moaner Lisa'A hand shot to give an idea of sizes. Here we have 'The Scream', 'Whistler's Mummy' and 'Ghoul with a Pearl Earring' (mark 3 after I looked at the painting! the second one I did was interrupted when I ran out of gas and it cracked). I etched whistler's and scream but left the frame glossy. The reason I etched was because I had mistaken a reduction rod for black and when I reduced the frame, all this metallic luster popped up where it was NOT wanted. Etching removes luster. I really love the feel of etched glass and also the patterns and lines seem to pop more. However I'm not completely satisfied with whistler and scream and will redo them. I also have lined up, Henry the Ape and The Birth of Heinous, stay tuned....

The Frog Prince

Last week I was obsessed with blue and green, one of the beads reminded me of a frog, so I considered making a bunch of them, all the same, and just call them froggy beads.
Then I started putting various combinations of beads together and it suddenly stood out that there was a kind of figure (see pic one). I saw an ornately dressed frog prince with his hands on his hips, wearing pantaloons.
So I sketched the image I had in mind and thought about how he could be made and which glasses to use.
The most satisfaction came when I put his legs onto his pantaloons because I wasn't at all sure if the technique I used was going to work.
It gave me a good laugh when I put him all together, I hope you guys get a smile from him too. I don't think I'll kiss him... I like him just the way he is.

Three owls and a robot on ebay

My beads have been stockpiling on my desk and it's time to let go of a few of them, always reluctantly! For the first time I'm auctioning a robot bead with a brass cog named Edgar.Another first is this flattened bead with a landscape picture of a fluffy baby owl out for a walk. His eyes are the only raised part.
Dulce below, is a decorative owl with a folksy feel to her. (She hoots with a European accent.)
Finally Byrd is a slightly different design again, with rings of silvered ivory around his eyes.

Divertimento in blue and green

I have it in my head to make a piece of jewellery with funky unique beads including some large silver findings. Using the colour theme of green and blue this is what I have made so far. While I think they are pretty cool all together it's not really what I envisioned, so I am going to try some different shapes, more extreme, and also some larger-holed discs. Making them this afternoon hopefully!
The beauty of a project is the new things you learn along the way. Like how dense and rich Reichenbach Iris Blue is and how it spreads and forms some lovely gradations. Below is an extreme enlargement so you can see what I'm referring to. It was laid on CIM celadon, can't wait to play with this effect some more!

Owls by the Light of the Silvery Moon

In early March a friend who loves animals, emailed me some cute pictures of owls she had come across. One of them was this funny looking fellow who to me seemed so dignified but ridiculous. I called him Mr Fancy Pants and was inspired to make a bead - the bead also made me laugh. I kept at it, using different glasses and stylizations. Some were scary others offered whole little stories. It seemed appropriate to gift the first one to my friend as a pendant.
Below is the development of some of the owls. The first on the left is the pendant I gifted to my friend. The first two were 'raised' on the surface of the bead (note the monster owl with scary legs). The next couple were made a week later and were smoother. The third one I etched, except for the eyes, and he has a lovely feel. Definately one of my favorites. The fourth reminds me of Monte Burns emerging from the forest in a drug-induced stupor. The last four were done two days ago, some have raised eyeballs some are in line with the surface.
The first one of this next group was from March and indicates the direction I decided to head in. The following six in the group I made yesterday - I had gained momentum and gotten excited by some of the background effects and choices. I decided I liked the eyeballs raised. The fourth one is is probably my favorite of the bunch, I really like the colours and contrast. The image after it shows the back of these beads, basically a mystical tree-type figure. Notice the second one has a scary face peeking out of the branches, like a skull. oooOOOooo eeek!

That's all in this series so far. I still have work to do on it, there's a few things I want to adjust and play around with.

What came out of the kiln?

Three owls that's what! On the left is Maree Dubois and on the left is Lady Willow. Maree has a little french flavour and Willow has a little chinese crockery flavour. I finally committed to selling something on ebay again and these two are the first.

When I go to the torch to create something, there's always a dash of mystery involved. The heat turns the colours of the glass to incandescent orange or red or clear, so it takes some visualizing to predict what's going on as you apply various colours. Then you have to wait for them to cool down in the kiln, and that usually means going to bed and looking at them the next day.

I have always loved the kiln unveiling experience, but I have to say that the more time and labour involved in each bead, the greater the elation and excitement when they are successful (and the greater the disappointment when they fail).

Little Harriet below is nothing like what I thought was going on in terms of her colouring, and while she has some merit, well, I'm afraid she was determined to win one of those 'worst dressed' awards. Like Bjork with a dead swan slung around her neck.

Four Fanciful Fowl

Some more decorative owls, 4 in the hand is worth 8 in the bush? :-D
I took a photo in the hand so that you can get an idea of size. They are about 1/3 bigger than the size of my regular owls. Averaging around 27mm in height.
Below is Lady Pemberley. A 'dignified' mature owl. Made with some transparent dark teal, EDP (purple) and cobalt blue.
Now for some French flavor, we have Babette Dubois. It turns out that Dubois is a French name that means 'of the wood'. She's pert and pretty in pink and black
Next below is Lucy Lambada. I had to laugh when she came out of the kiln, the precocious chick has ripped up somebody's flower bed and shoved it on her head. But Lucy is vivacious and unashamed of her vitality.
Last we have the beautiful Lissette Dubois, sister to Babette. Created with a mixture of pinks a touch of red and detail of handpulled goldstone stringer along her wing.

More, more, more decorative owls

These two are my latest favorites from the decorative owls. I imported a previous owl, Hepzibah Lulu, into photoshop and played around with the colours and patterns. Armed with a warhol-esque sheet of owls, I went to the torch and made further progress.
Above on the left is Hannah from Humpilanti named after an old Finnish penpal of mine. On the right is the thoroughly modern Milly.
Directly below this text is Nanny Crack. She is the biggest of the ladies, being 30mm tall. Unfortunately her substance contributed to some cracking in her bottom (underneath her tail). Poor thing just can't get comfortable.
And finally we have the extraordinary Edie Pea, so called because her coat is 'pea green' and her breast and beak were made with the notorious EDP (Evil Devitrifying Purple). It's a beautiful color, but through it's evil powers it can transfer scum onto nearby glass. In this case, her left eye has a smudge of incredibly annoying topical scum which is not evident in the photo, but as yet I have been unable to polish off. ARGGGGH However I enjoy her unashamed flamboyance.

Duckie Magoo, Madame Fruit, Hepzibah Lulu

I want to share with you the delightful Mesdames three, on the left is Hepzibah Lulu, centre stage - Duckie Magoo (both names should be spoken aloud for maximum satisfaction and euphony) and on the right, Madam Fruit. They look like they're going out somewhere special.
Duckie Magoo was a little ray of sunshine in the kiln this morning. When these colours were heated it was impossible to tell what was going to happen with the final result but Duckie came through with flying colours. These owls are continuing on with the Frida Kahlo theme.
My favorite of the three is Madam Fruit, I see a lot of potential in her, particularly in the wing decoration. Her eyes are just divine! I've decided to go bigger with these ladies, pack in a bit more punch.

Frida Kahlo, The Websters, Mermaids, A set, and Heffalump

I have to do a bit of a catch up, I've been remiss in posting my latest creations and the developments that have taken place. There is actually quite a bit to share but I'll stick to the following 5 for this post.... in no particular order:

I started playing with encased aventurine chips and loved the subtle gold sparkle, so I made some scarabs and then got real ambitious and decided to make a set of curvy flat shapes with transparency and glitter. I really don't have a huge amount of patience for sets, I get skittish and want to move on to something new... but I stuck it out and made a couple each session. I used some harmonious colours with the always beautiful and currently fashionable purple.

Next I want to introduce my mermaid. I've actually made about four now and while I enjoy making them I know I'm learning and applying some different skills. It's exciting exploring new territory. By no means have I perfected her, but I love seeing how each of the challenges within this bead are developing and improving. In terms of the challenges:

• I am trying out my own handmade murrini for her eyes and learning how to apply them.
• I'm getting a lot of stringer work in for her hair and seaweed
• designing a flat image for 3 dimensional space, to create interest all the way around
• shape control without distortion
• seeking the perfect glass combo for colours with maximum impact while keeping the design in place.

I'm only going to show the first one... there's been a lot of changes since, but when I am finally happy with it I'll post the whole development. This one doesn't not have murrini eyes, so don't wonder why they look so awful (lol). The things I like about it are the copper green scrolls on the pyjama blue, and how her coral tail really pops out of it.


Next are my little Webster friends. They are a pair of owls who underwent the 'intense black' effect. Intense black in a special kind of glass which is packed full of compounds to make it a really dense black. These same elements will 'spread' out and produce a 'web' effect when put under intense heat, particularly on a sloppy base glass like ivory or white, which further exacerbates the effect. I'm really please with these two fellas.Fourth, just for eye-candy's sake, is little heffalump who I have fallen in love with. She was made out of a glass called heffalump, named after the elephant in winnie the pooh. A pale pinky lavender. She also features pink spots on her wings and white spots on her tummy. I just wanna pop her in my mouth like a candy.

Last but definately not least is my little carnivale of Frida Kahlo-inspired owls (Frida Kowlo's) Working in the state library with the art books, I can get distracted with what passes under my nose. Lately I think students have been studying Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist, because of the frequent use of books about her.
She does have a very distinctive, individual look and spirit about her which I admire.
She often self-portrayed herself with a mono-brow, red lipstick, and flowers and ribbons in her hair.
The photo below illustrates the order in which the owls were made. The first one was not inspired by Frida but it reminded me of Frida. So I thought about it for a while and then determined, for some unfathomable reason, that I should make more owl Frida's, with more of her characteristics.
They were fun to make and are simply a celebration of life. I can't wait to make more.
My favorites are the bottom three.