The Student Teaches!

Mum took a short a video of Me guiding Meelha in how to pull a stringer. It's not long - and Mum say's that it is ''sooooo cute''' *sigh*

The Student Teaches!

After school on Thursdays my friend Meelha comes over to our house until her Dad finishes work.I had been telling her about making beads and she asked if she could make one.

Mum said that she could but I would have to help showing her how to do it and that she would have to pull stringers first too. First, Meelha watched while I pulled a stringer and told her what I was doing.

Meelha watches Me.

Next Mum showed Meelha how to make a bead, because I haven't had that much practise at starting beads off and sometimes Mum has to help a bit.

Meelha making her first bead.

Meelha made two beads, they were very good. I think her dancing training helped her sit nice and straight at the torch and she held everything really straight too. She put some dots on her beads with the stringer she had made and Mum said her dot placement was great.

We put her beads into the kiln & Mum cleaned them quickly the next morning so that I could take them to school to give too Meelha, but Mum forgot to take photo's.

The Kiln Fairy Visits -YAY!

I've heard Mum talk about the kiln fairy - frankly, I thought she was losing it. The third morning when she opened her kiln and there were my beads - all ready to be taken off of the mandrels and cleaned....I knew what she meant.

Two days worth just sitting there waiting for me.....this is even better than the tooth fairy.

The two beads at the very back are the ones that Mum made when she was showing me what to do.

A bead is born

The next day Mum let me choose 3 new colours - so I choose a cheap purple, green and yellow. I watched the Corina DVD that morning after netball - I wanted to make some pink glass from two other glasses like Corina did (because that mean Mum wouldn't let me use her Gellys Sty!) and I was saving the fact that I want cute dogs to torch with for later, think I'll hold her to ransom over something with that one - hehehe!

Guess who had to make stringers first.....again! YUK!! At least the bossy lady left me alone this time and I only had to make two of each colour.
I started with the CHEAP purple ....still going to try and borrow a bit of her EDP when she isn't looking though!

Bossy lady was pretty impressed when she compared yesterday’s black, red & white stringers - to the cheap purple, green & yellow ones I made that day. She even mumbled something about getting me to make her stringers....I think that means I done good!!!

My Stringers

That night after dinner I asked Mum if I could go & make some more stringers - I don't know why - but she laughed.

I Get to Play With Fire!

Finally, after all this time, I get to play with fire and glass like Mummy. She has let me have a little turn before - but not since she got her new torch.
First of all Mummy let me choose 3 colors to make my beads with. I chose Black, Red and White, because Mummy said that I couldn't use the expensive glasses - like the nice purple she has sitting there or the bright shiny metallics ....mean Mummy! (I have a little poke around when she isn't looking and feels brave enough to leave me alone to torch).

Then, of all the cheek, she said that I couldn't make a bead right away - I had to get a feel for the glass by making stringers - WHAT? And I had to make at least 3 of each colour glass I had chosen - she made 2 in the white first to show me how to do it.Well I made the boring stringers - and I discovered that the white glass was the easiest and the black glass was the hardest to tell when to pull. Mummy was right about the glasses feeling different - but I'm not going to admit that to her!!!

Pulling my first stringer - I think I let it get a bit cool

After I had made my stupid stringers, with Mum standing right beside me supervising ....and keeping on telling me to sit straight on to the torch in my chair....and to keep rolling the rod around so the heat gets right through ...and heaps of other stuff (she's real bossy, my Mum, but secretly I switched off & wasn't listening except when I needed her to rescue me) - she let me make a bead!

She had to help a couple of times when the glass wanted to try and drop off onto the table - but I got the hang of it....in the end.... but gosh she talks - a LOT!
"Sit up straight Gabriela, if you sit wonky in your chair your bead will be wonky" - "hold the mandrel straight Gabriela- if you don't your bead will droop"....sheesh - does she ever stop? Did I mention she was bossy?

Making my first bead

I made two beads & they aren't too bad. Mummy is going to take photo's of them tomorrow so we have a visual progress record!

Lets Get the Party Started

A few weeks ago my Mum decided she needed more space in the garage...oops....I mean her studio.

Of course being my Mum she had to wait for winter. Well... to be fair... I supposed that she waited until after she had finished working....and it just happened to be winter by that time.

So off she went & started a whole week of disruption. While she grizzled and moaned, and we had to have half the stuff from the garage stored in the lounge so that no one could sit down (it was kind of wet outside) I was secretly clapping my hands together - because I knew it would mean some torch space for me....finally!

That Mum of mine is fussy - she spent days just sorting the glass and making sure every rod was named. Then, to cap it all off, told me that I'm not even allowed to touch some of it!

Anyway I think the results are kind of worth all the fuss - but I'm not telling her that....besides although she has doubled her space - she now has me, Gabriela, to contend with.