Tutorial for Butterflies for Beads of Courage.

Flock of butterflies ready to be sent to Bead of Courage.

Have you heard of Beads of Courage? I think a lot of people that see this blog, will have heard of them, but I finally got some butterfly beads that I like, so I took some photos and am blogging about Beads of Courage.

Beads of Courage is an incentive program for children undergoing medical treatment such as cancer and cardiac treatments. The beads "support and strengthen the protective resources in children coping with serious illness. Through the program children tell their story using colorful beads as meaningful symbols of courage that commemorate milestones they have achieved along their unique treatment path." (http://www.beadsofcourage.org/pages/beadsofcourage.htm)

Check out their website for more information on their program, to see videos of children and their beads, to see how to donate your beads and for a events and fundraising.

Why butterflies? Butterflies are given to the parents after a child dies. It is very hard for beadmakers to make these beads. It is difficult to think about why you need to make them and very touching to make a final bead.

Below are the steps I use to make these beads. I was never happy with my butterflies until I tried using my Gaffer and Val Cox veiled cane. Nikki Carollo posted some butterfly beads on LampworkEtc and a light bulb went off in my head. I have lots of veiled cane. I tweaked her design a little and came up with this way of making these beads. Feel free to use my tutorial for beads of your own to send to Beads of Couarge.

Wrap mandrel with first color of glass to form a tube shape. Make sure the ends are dimpled nicely as it will not be possible to return to the ends to make them smooth easily. Use the same color of glass to make four tall dots to form the beginnings of the wings. Take your second color of glass and wrap around the raised dots. You can see here the bottom side is done and the topside I started in the middle of t he dots. I like doing this so I can use the molten glass to get into all the edges. If needed add some glass to make the two wings the same size. Use your third color and stripe it down the sides of the wings to build up more height on the wings. Heat in the center of the wing on side. Use a razor tool, stump shaper or simlar tool to crease between the wings. Repeat on the other side. Heat one wing and use parallel mashers or tweezer to flatten the wings. Here all wings are mashed. Heat each wing and use tweezers to make ridges in the wings. You may need to heat and tweeze a couple times on each wing, if you are not fast enough. I like to start in the center of the wing and move to the left, then go back and finish on the right. Finished butterfly.

Give Away at Gaffergirls Blog

Wow, three of my favorite things all together in once spot (free stuff, Melanie Melaine Moertel and Gaffer Glass).

The GafferGirls are having a give away on their blog. Win this cute Melaine Moertel bead by posting a comment on their blog. The blog is http://www.gaffergirls.com. Direct link here.

If you let them know who sent you (ie me, Lara Lutrick), I can be given more chances to win. If you let your friends know who sent them, you can get more chances to win.

See their blog for more information.

Remember comments go on their blog to win the bead.

Fire Divas Sale

The Fire Divas are having a sale to celebrate our new team status on Etsy. Individual team members will be offering a variety of discounts or free shipping from their shops. Search "Fire Divas Sale" to find items on sale in participating shops from February 11- 17. After the sale, we hope you will continue to search "Fire Divas Team" for quality lampwork beads, jewelry and accessories.

Let's go shopping!

1. LA Jewelry Designs - 20% off all items in Etsy and ArtFire
2. Lutrick - 20% off all items in Etsy and ArtFire
3. Hollys Folly Glass - 20% all items in my Etsy shop
4. Tease Beads - 15% off all lampwork in my Etsy and artfire shops (artfire shop discount will be given as a refund)
5. Janel Dudley Beads - 15% off all items on Etsy, additional 10% off to returning customers
6. Something New 4 U - 20% off all items in my Etsy shop
7. Rivers Edge Glass - 15% off beads in my Etsy and ArtFire shops
8. Vedas Beads - 15% off in my Etsy shop (excluding squares)
9. MayBeads - Free Shipping on everything in my Etsy shop
10. Giapet - 20% off loose beads in my Etsy shop (jewelry,supplies not incl.)
11. Glasstastic Treasures - 15% off all items in my Etsy shop
12. Ema Kaye - 15% off all items in my Etsy shop
13. Dorset Hill Beads - Free shipping on everything in my Etsy shop

FUN WITH BUTTONS

Button by author Lara Lutrick

Choosing a button for last week's Fire Divas' Bead of the Day last Friday made me think about buttons and beads and what is a bead? Can a button by a bead or a bead be a button?

I don’t make a lot of buttons, but do enjoy it when I get a decent one made. For me, buttons are a challenge to make. I like a symmetrical round button and the nature of making a button, makes this more difficult than making a bead.

There are primarily two types of lampwork buttons: shank (glass and metal) and holes. There is another option, a normal one holed bead (usually a disc type) used as a button. Lampwork glass buttons can be used for: closures for sweaters, jewelry, and purses accents on hats/scarves, etc.



Check out this button closure on this felted purse. Nicole Valentine is showing it in her button listings on Etsy to give ideas on how great her buttons look. She has a wonderful selection of beautiful flower buttons. Check them out.

What should you look for in a button?

It is not very different than a bead, but a few extra things that I think about when I’m choosing a button to use.

Make sure the buttonholes are smooth without jagged edges. This is especially important if you are using your button as a closure for knitwear or fabric. A rough edge can even cut through wire beading materials. The holes in this sew-on sunflower button by giapet are nice and smooth. See how the holes dimple towards the base. This makes for a nice and smooth edge for the stringing material. If the button is made on a mandrel, make sure the holes are cleaned of the bead release. When beads and buttons are made on a mandrel, they are made over a thin metal rod (mandrel) coated with a ceramic paste called bead release. This release will break away from the metal and allow the bead/button to slip off the mandrel. This process makes the hole in the bead/button and artisian glass button makers will clean their hole of this powdery substance. Certain buttons are made without a mandrel and therefore will not have the release. See more information on shank buttons below.

Button by Linda Lawrence of Bella Bead Jewelry on Etsy.

Make sure the holes are large enough to get your stringing material through. Thin Softflex will fit through most holes, but a chunky yarn may not. Button makers should list the size of the holes and if they don’t, ask them, they would be happy to tell you.

Metal Shank Buttons by WildBird on Etsy.

The button should be annealed. Artists will usually mention that their button is annealed, if they don’t, ask and a responsible artist will tell you if they annealed their item. Annealed is the process of soaking the item in a kiln to slowly cool the glass down. This allows the stress in the glass produced during manufacturing to be reduced and decrease the risk of breaking. However, glass is brittle and could always break if the stress is right, so be careful with your buttons (for example, remove them when washing a garment).

Look for raised designs (such as dots and scroll work) to be melted in enough. Just like on beads, the designs should not have an undercut. Undercuts leave less glass-to-glass attachment and could cause the design to break off. If your button going to be getting heavy use choose a design with melted in elements. Check out the wonderful dots on this button by Tera Belinsky-Yoder (aka Beadygirl Beads).

The design of the button should be useful to your project. I like making raised dot buttons (the first button on the post is mine) however, on a garment with loose weave yarn, a raised dot design may get wrapped up in the yarn and be irritating to undo all the time. If this is a concern, choose a smooth round button. Do you want a button to match a whimsical design? If so, look for a button that is in a different shape or character (like a fish, flower).

What size do you need? Make sure the artists have accurately measured the button. Will it fit the hole in the fabric/weaving? If the photos are not clear, ask the artist, they should be willing to clarify the measurements for you.

What type of shank does the button have? There are two possibilities: glass and wire. Metal wire shanks are shaped into a U and then plunged into the molten glass during the manufacture or glued on the back with epoxy, or those really cool shanks above. The metal shanks should be smooth and without rough edges (like glass can be). The metal shanks can be different sizes and maybe easier to sew onto a garment.

Metal Shank Bead by karenemlquist on Etsy.

Glass shanks can be made on a mandrel or free formed into a loop without a mandrel. Glass shanks made on mandrels have consistent hole sizes and (for me) it is easier to get similar shapes and sizes of the button and the underlying bead. This type of shank will have the bead release and may have rougher edges than other types of shanks.

Button with bead shank by Genea on Etsy.

Glass loop shanks should have very smooth holes as they were made with a string of molten glass. For me this is the most difficult type to make, but other artists are much better. These holes, again speaking from my experience, may be inconsistent in size and shape. However, they look the most “finished” to me. Other's opinions may vary. Below is a glass shank button made by me.

Can that bead you bought be used for a button?

Sure, but there are a couple things to think about. I use disk beads for buttons as seen in the closure of my bracelet above. When using a bead you want to make sure there is enough glass around the hole to hold your buttonhole or other closure type so that it doesn’t slip off. If you have a tiny bead, it might not stay closed. To use a bead thread your stringing material from the back of the bead and use a smaller bead to catch the thread, then go back through the hole to secure.

Felted purse with disk bead closure from MandaJ on Etsy.

Can I use a button in Jewelry?

This stunning bracelet is by Cassie Donlen. She has it as an example of how to use her buttons. In researching this article, I found her buttons to be the prettiest for me. They are stunning.

Check out her buttons here.

Fire Diva January Challenge - BLUE

In honor of the blue moons this month, The Fire Divas are holding a January Blues Challenge! You can see big pictures of the entries below, then vote for your favorite on the Fire Diva Blog! The voting will be open for one week, and will end on February 7. Please go vote!

Entry #1

Entry #2

Entry #3

Entry #4

Entry #5

Entry #6