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I've lots of bits of grey opaque glass left over from a large stained glass panel I made quite a few years ago. You can see it here.
I also used some to make a suncatcher elephant, picture here.
Still with a bag full of bits, I decided to try a bead elephant and this is the second one I've tried.
Hephalump

I wanted to try a differently shaped flower so did this one in a couple of stages.
Red Flower top view
It has a yellow centre and a green stem.
Red Flower side view

I wanted to see how a multicoloured vessel would look and the idea kept bugging me. I finally gave in and made one today.
Multicoloured vessel
The shell was one of those brought back from NewZealand in November 2005, just because the colour of it intrigued me.

I have at least managed to make one set of beads before getting bored.
Black and White beads
These others are one offs:-Red and White Cylinder
A first try at a flower in a kind of tulip or bell shape. I can't identify the flower, it's one I just made up! Given that it's Spring, perhaps I should have made it blue as in Bluebell.
Red Flower

Every so often I get the urge to make another flower and have been trying to improve my technique. This latest is better than previous but could still be improved.Another flower

After a small frost last night, I tottered down to the kitchen at about 8.00am to feed the cats and saw a fox walking across the lawn. Later, after the sun came out and whilst I was torching, DH saw the same fox come back onto the lawn and sit curled up in the sun. Here's a picture taken by him through the kitchen window.Foxy Visitor

I've finally got my second oxygen concentrator hooked up and have been trying various beads. Sunday I went to a bead fair at Ardingly in West Sussex and collected my pre-ordered bead kiln from Martin Tuffnell. I tried the practice program Tuesday and re-programmed it yesterday to the bead annealing programme. I've put one lot of simple beads in and today I thought I'd try some petals to make a flower. Here's a picture of the front:-
White Flower

Matt gave me some hollow mandrells for Christmas and I've been trying since then to get a decent blown vessel to show. I've managed one or two but ruined many more by blowing through or thermal cracking whilst I try to keep all the vessel hot during manufacture. This vessel is slightly lopsided but has two handles. Never mind that they are mismatched. They're there. It is a vessel and will hold a small amount of essential oils once I get a supply of suitable corks and trim with silver wire.

I've been alternating lately between making a few flowers and further fish beads. I've also been busy making a variety of different sizes and types of hearts to give away at a seed bead group I attend instead of taking food for everyone to eat. There's usually too much food anyway. I thought of making a set of numbered pieces of paper and letting the person who picks up no.1. have first choice etc. from about 30 different colours and sizes of hearts. Heres the flowers so far:-
Yellow Flower

I finally made a fish last night whose fins didn't fall off! Very simple fish but I wanted to test whether my slightly revised methods would work. I'll make some more fanciful fish in the future.
Side view
and
Front view
The fish is 39mm long by 38 mm fin to fin, a bit smallet than I've made before.
In the meantime here's a link to a true master of glass sculpture,
Wesley Fleming
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