Happy mid-week to you!  How is 2008 treating you so far?  We’ve been enjoying incredible weather here in VA from the high 60’s to low 70’s.  Unreals.  I had lunch outside today with the littlest and the dogs, just as if it were a fine summer day.

Today I’m featuring an amazing artist from Austin.  Moon Stumpp is a jewelry designer, metal smith, potter, mixed media artist and lampworker (and more) who has an incredible sense of humor and great outlook on life.  Moon has been creating lampwork beads since 2003 and recently opened a successful shop on Etsy.  Here are some gorgeous beads that I added to my collection recently ~ just look at the cool combination of terra cotta, cream and green.

                Here is the inspiration for this bead set.

This is an intro into one of my latest pieces of jewelry.  I know I haven’t shown much on the jewelry front lately but I have been busy working on a few new pieces.  One of the bracelets I made this week is definitely a new personal favorite.  Here are some of the steps I took to incorporate some of Moon’s beads in her “Crazy Silvered” series.  I just love the bright primary colors on black and the silver used throughout the beads.  Look at all of the detail from layered dots to the use of multiple “twisties”. 

These are the  pieces for the bracelet.  I created a new style of wire links using heavy gauge wire and coils.  I was initially going for a “bow tie” look and this is how it ultimately turned out.  I used simple loops for the bead links but later changed this (as much as I dreaded cutting the wire…but they will go in to my massive scraps bowl to be recycled).  I switched the links to wrapped loops and linked them together.  The bracelet was then oxidized to a darkened patina and tumble polished. 

Now for my other new favorite.  This is a project that I’m currently working on…here is a sneak peak.  This gorgeous bead was created by another talented wonder who always blows me away with her talent….how is that for a run on sentence?  I couldn’t resist.  Maybe you recognize this artist’s work.  This bead is from a set in my extra-special collection.  There are hundreds of lampwork artists out there, but I only rant and rave about a few.

….until next time!

~ Cindy