A bit of abstract

I love abstract work and have had a go at making abstract buttons. My own handmade glazes have been used to give a water colour effect on these buttons.

Hootie Tootie Buttons

We made lots and lots of Hootie Tootie buttons; these ones turned out well, but quite a lot of them turned out so badly that they did not deserve a picture (poor Hootie Tooties).

Two medium sized brown Hootie Tootie buttons

Four pretty coloured small Hootie Tootie buttons

Three lovely green/blue small Hootie Tootie buttons

Two sweet little reddish Hootie Tootie buttons

One lonely Hootie Tootie button

Two cute little Hootie Tootie buttons

Little Chickies

Some of the Little Chickie buttons we have made.  I'm pleased with these Chickie buttons, like the size, shape, design and the colours.

Ceramic Buttons

Our attempt a making ceramic buttons. It is difficult to see what the end result will be as the glaze looks so different before it has been in the kiln. These are not particularly good photo's, but give an idea of how different the buttons are before the kiln cycle.

Buttons before the kiln cycle

Buttons after the kiln cycle

Ceramic Buttons

We have been having a play with ceramics; here are some of the buttons that we have made.

Testing Some New Frit Blends

Testing some new frit blends before listing them on the website (www.beadbug.co.uk).

For the first part of the new frit blend testing I have made swirl beads using clear. The frit blends are CoE 92-96 and the beads have been made with either Gaffer clear CoE 96, Uroboros CoE clear 96 or Reichenbach CoE 94(+/-2) clear; because the clear is a close CoE to the frit I have been able to use an unlimited amount of frit. All of these frit blends can be used with CoE 104 glass when using the 5% rule.

This new blend is called Aurelia and is a gorgeous mix of cerise and pinks. 

This new blends is called Lyra and is a groovy mix of greens, turquoise and earth tones.

This new blend is Elthea and is a wonderful combination of earth tones.

This new blend is Lorelei and is a pretty mixture of purples, mauves and pinks.

This new blend is called Phaedra and is a soft mix of turquoise and blues with hints of pink and sparkling gold.

This new blend is called Arwen and is a groovy blend of greens with hints of orange and earth tones.

This new blend is called Tigger and is a fun combination of oranges, reds, white and earth tones.

Another new blend, but no name yet.  This blend is a mix of pinks and purples with a subtle gold sparkle.

Another new blend without a name. This is a cool blend of peachy pink and earth tones.

Another new blend without a name. This is a warm blend of rusty reds and earth tones.

Another new blend with no name. This is a blend of different greens and turquoise.

Another new blend without a name. This is a soft blend of pinks, peaches and orange tones.

Another new blend without a name. This is a pretty soft blend of cerise and pinks with hints of blue, yellow and orange.

Here is another frit blends that is being tested at the moment.
All of these beads have been made with the same frit blend on clear. The clear is Reichenbach CoE 94(+/-2).

This blend is very pretty, with pinks, purples and sandy tones. It looks good as swirl beads, frittie beads and raised frittie beads.

CoE 104 Shards

Here are some different effects achieved by using shards to decorate beads. 

Shards Sets A
These two sets (set A1 and A2) of beads have been made using the same shards, but different bases.

Even though each bead in set A1 has been made on a base of clear and shards from the same batch have been used to decorate the beads, each bead has turned out with it's own unique and interesting patterns.







Using the same shards on set A2, but with a different base has created some more great patterns.

Shard Sets B
The shards used to make sets B1, B2 and B3 have been made using a different colour combination than the shards used to make sets A1 and A2. These shards have not only produced some interesting effects, but have produced some different colour variations depending on what colour base glass has been used.

Set B1 has been made on a base of red copper glass.

Set B2 has been made on a base of yellow tinged transparent glass.

Set B3 has been made on a base of clear glass.

Shard Set C

Set C1 has been made with a different colour combination shard.

Set C1

Shard Set E

Set E1 has been made with another colour combination shard. These beads have been made on a base of clear.

Set E1

Shard Set F

Set F1 has been made with yet another colour combination shard. The two front beads are on a base of deep transparent blue and the three beads at the back are on a base of transparent emerald green.

Set F1