Lush Style

Do you like my style?


I love to play around with different stringing materials and enjoy coming up with alternatives to traditional tiger tail, with metal crimps and clasps.

Its actually a few years ago now that I first came across some wonderful 3mm PVC tube in a stunning array of frosted colours, I bought a bagful, stashed it in a drawer and waited for inspiration ... and waited ... I even bought some more ...


I have no idea what finally got me going but eventually I pulled all that lovely tube back into the daylight and rediscovered its fabulousness!  

When I realised that such good quality tube in this size was so hard to come by I decided to bite the bullet and offer it for sale to my friends and fellow lampworkers.  They loved my Lush Loops so much, they keep selling out!  

Lush Loops are perfect on their own for simple bracelets and chokers, and I also enjoy chopping up any leftovers and threading them onto cotton cord with a random colourful mixture of beads and ... Lush Hoops!  

Oh oh oh, look at all those colours!  I can't believe how happy a bunch of rubber Hoops can make me feel (except that they keep selling out too!).


That lovely silver clasp was made specially to compliment these designs by George Harper East - check out mizgeorge on Etsy.

So if you need a little inspiration, if your mojo could do with a kick to get it going in a new direction, take a look at my website and check out the new pages: there's Lush Loops, Lush Hoops in 3 sizes (the Small Hoops won't fit on the Loops but there's plenty of other uses for them), and Lush Style, where you can pick up cotton cord, and large seed beads to bring your designs right up to date!

And if that lot doesn't get you going, how about a Kit?!

Testing

I've been playing with a few rods that were sent to me for testing.  First up is the new silver glass by Double Helix, Notos.

Billed as "a silver saturated super-luster with a subtle blue-grey-green tone" I definitely agree with the grey/green tone, that's exactly how I was describing it to myself when working with it.  I found it really easy to reduce and achieve a shiny silver, which turns more golden when worked more in a cool reducing flame.  I had a little play to see what would happen if I allowed it to glow when reducing - as expected, Notos did then turn murky but I could mostly burn off the murkiness and reduce it again (something I can never do with Triton).

I had very little success with encasing Notos.  A few faintly lustred wisps was the best I achieved under clear, but its lovely when simply reduced on the surface.  I shall be interested to see what more those with more silver glass skills can achieve.

I made this heart from Verde Muschio with a Notos shoulder and spots.  The Verde Muschio - which I think means Moss Green - is really surprising.  

It starts out transparent, develops a bloom as it cools and ends up cloudily opaque - I love it!  The heart is a darker green than the lentil, probably due to the fuming effect of the silver glass ... interesting ...

Vetrofond Mauvelous is simply marvellous!  Its a pretty pale creamy mauve with a beautiful lustred sheen and just looks fabulous on its own. My torch tends to be a little reducing, so a more neutral environment may produce less, or more even, sheen.

Effetre Sandstone and Sediment are two lovely organic glasses that also work so nicely on their own, together or as an organic base.  I haven't yet had chance to try them with silver but I can just tell they'll be great.

I tried Pinky Winky once before and didn't really get it ... and I must admit, I still don't get it.  Its an odd combination of pink over blue, and I find the blue just makes the pink look a bit dirty.  But that just might be down to what I did with it!


Let's get a little brighter ... Vetrofond Orange Punch, Dreamsicle and Transparent Orange are next.  

Orange Punch is a rich, reddish orange.  

Dreamsicle is bright, with lots of lovely depth. 

Transparent Orange made my mouth water like a juicy ice lolly, its not really transparent at all, more like a CIM opal, brilliant!

I also had another very quick play with the new Effetre Cool Earth and Streaky Denim.  I managed to avoid Streaky Denim reducing this time and I'm pleased with the purple (just a touch of reduction on the edges).  

Earth is a strong, rich blue with a touch of green.

Let's finish with another look at that Mauvelous heart!