Sea Glass Drilling and Kits

Did you know that I have a free sea glass drilling tutorial on my website?  It even has a link to a video (sort of armature, seeing how my young daughter shot the film, still helpful though).

http://stacilouise.blogspot.com/2011/06/btw-drilling-sea-glass-tutorial.html

I love being able to drill my own sea glass, shells and stones.  It has opened a whole new world for me.

I am selling some kits of seaglass and drill bits at a discounted price on my facebook page this week.  

https://www.facebook.com/stacilouiseoriginals?ref=br_tf

To drill sea glass you will need:

a cordless dremel
diamond drill bits
pencil
cross lock pliers (you can hold it with your fingers too, some people prefer that)
collet to fit the bits (mine I sell use 1/16")
sea glass
water
a dish to drill in with water in it

The kit only has two diamond tip drill bits (the ones I use and love) and sea glass-jewelry quality, in a variety of sizes and shapes and colors.  The rest is up to you.  Each 2x3" bag is filled with pieces! They are usually $25 per bag, but will be only $15 each this week.  You don't get to pick which bag you get, but they are all great with nice pieces for your jewelry creations.

ALL SEA GLASS IS GENUINE AND JEWELRY GRADE

I am also selling supplemental bags - regularly $20 each- of just sea glass, no drill bits, and they will be only $15 each (plus shipping, details on facebook).  These are great prices for jewelry grade sea glass!!!  

The winter is my favorite time to drill- since I am indoors more, it is fun to pull out my summer treasures and create things with them.

Take advantage while you can!  Supplies are limited!

Look at the fun you can have with drilling your own glass!

Bead Table Wednesday

Well, my bead table is full.  Getting ready for this sea glass festival has taken over my studio AND my kitchen.  Here is the kitchen, where I am drilling sea glass and have the earring making taking place.  (my studio is the metal smithing area right now)

Here is a close up of that tray thats waiting to be drilled.  I have some charm necklaces laid out.

Here are the earrings I made last night.  I already had a bunch glued into these bail caps from last year, so I just had to hang them on earwires (they are the one's hanging on the front), but alas, once these sell out I think this style is of the past. I really prefer making the one of a kind earrings.

Here are some of the one of a kind earrings I made with all my bronze clay bits and pieces I showed you a couple weeks ago.

These (below) were some of my favorites

The last pic above is a new style I made with 12g wire ILO the sheet copper I have been using for boho hoops.  I really like them.

So there you have it.  My bead table #2.  Poor family, no place to eat.  I have officially taken over the house.  Well, gotta get drilling.  I need to drill this morning, so when my battery dies, it can re-charge all day and I can drill more tonight.

Check out what other people have on their bead table here. 

What's on your bead table?

Shop Update.....Life Update.............

So, I will finally be getting around to lisitng some components today in my Artisan Accents Shop!  Stop by and check out this batch of wings and sea side charms!  Lots of blues this time around...PLUS, a giant sea urchin focal you don't want to miss!

Life Update:  Well, I feel so very busy this summer, and yet, we haven't done anything grand.  I guess we are just trying to spend lots of time with family and friends.  And ya know what?  Thats fine.  I sometimes think we need to have a list of all these great things we did, and places we went.........but why????  My husbands work is REALLY slow right now.  We can't just spend money on day trips and museums and aquariums.  But ya know, we are having a blast this summer.  The kids are making new friends, learning to swim, and going to the library every week, where we can learn about fish and art work.  AND, if this heat ever breaks, we will go "creeking" and hiking.....finding critters and then learning about them first hand.  (for those who do not know, because I may have made that word up, creeking is hiking up the creek, IN the creek...we take everyone, even the two dogs).

Someday we will make it to the Museum and Aquarium with the whole crew.  But for now, I am happy.  They are happy.  Life is good.

I am loving that my youngest child is almost 5, and we can just pack up and go where ever we want, without much planning at all.  *sigh*  Its so nice.  Hello outside world, I missed you!!!!!

(there he is, my not so little guy)

This new freedom is allowing me to do more with the business too.  Though I am totally slacking this summer, due to beautiful days and super cute kids, I did get out of the house to teach a class on Saturday, at Beads of a Feather, in East Greenville Pa.  It was just a sea glass and shell drilling demonstration, and then some quick pendant and necklace ideas with the pieces.  I loved it.  We had a great turn out, and I can really see it being something I would like to do more of.  I had fun with the ladies, who brought their own beach treasures, and we Oooooo'd and Aaaahhhhh'd over each others finds.  I am sorry that I didn't get pictures.  I was having too much fun and totally forgot!

I only have one goal this year....LEARN.  Learn to make my business successful.  Learn to balance that business with family.  Learn to make new and better beads and jewelry.  Most of all, I want to Learn to be happy and thankful with what I have...because its alot, no matter what I can tend to think, I am truly rich and blessed, and busy, and happy. 

To share in the happiness, I will be having a giveaway on Wednesday, along with a bead table update.  So stop back and check it out.

Take time.  Enjoy.  Don't sweat the small stuff.  Its all small stuff.  Love.

Trying New Things!

Tomorrow (Saturday, July 23rd) I will be teaching a free demo on drilling sea glass and shells, along with some idea's of what to do with them once they are drilled. 
Its at Beads of a Feather in East Greenville, Pa.  I finally typed up my outline, and posted it to my website as well (that way people can refer to it once they come home...we don't hand out papers for free classes).  But, I still need to make some samples of what you can do with your shells and sea glass you bring home from the beach.
I think I am going to do some sort of a charm bracelet and a couple pendant or necklace ideas. 

I am pretty excited to teach.  I love talking (oh my word, I never shut up!) and especially so when its something I am passionate about.  I also like to share any tid bits I pick up, so others can have as much fun as I do.  So, I think it may be a good fit for me.  I will certainly let you know how it goes, and maybe have some pictures too.

If you do make your way over to Beads of a Feather this weekend, check out Artisan Clay's trunk show of WONDERFUL ceramic beads and pendants.   She blogged about us setting it up over there.  You can read it over at the Artisan Clay blog.

She took this picture of us because we showed up wearing each others necklaces!  Aren't we funny???  I just love her work.  We have had a wonderful chance to grow together as artists, and share tips, websites, materials and encouragement.  She is great, and I am thankful for her.