No Lampwork For Me

This has been a bead making free month, no wait, I just worked it out it's nearly three months eek! I went away for a while to see mum in Lancaster back at the beginning of May and had lots of new summery bead ideas to try when I got home. Before I left I tidied up the studio and fixed the poorly oxygen generator ready for my return. Sadly the generator was not fixed at all and despite my best efforts I was not able to resuscitate it. This was very bad news for me as it is the most expensive piece of kit I own and not replaceable. I have been in discussion with the manufacturers who have been trying to talk me through fixing it but it's over 10 years old and it's not looking good.

I have to make something to keep me sane so I have been making jewellery. Obviously I used the opportunity to buy more beads because one can never have enough beads. I bought some very beautiful clay beads from Scorched Earth which have given me some wonderful inspiration for some new lampwork.

Instead I have mainly been

In no particular order

• set up my enameling station but not actually enameled anything

• investigated making clay beads but rejected it because of having to buy another kiln to fire them (also husband would divorce/kill me)

• tinkered/broken/fixed my website

• knit a shawl in gorgeous, hand dyed, gradated, sparkly yarn and a sock

• painting! (on paper, not the house although lord knows, painting the house might have been a better use of my time)

• Pointlessly guddled around inside my oxygen generator hoping against hope it would spring back to life

• I've been sick with a nasty virus that took me off my feet for nearly two weeks

• watched a humongous amount of crap tv, Sleepy Hollow anyone?

• Been on holiday for 10 days in Fornalutx, a spectacular village on the west side of Majorca

Hurrah

Gloriously when I got back from my holiday my superstar mum took pity on me and bought me an oxygen concentrator. I rang up Tuffnells lampwork suppliers immediately and ordered one of their 8 liter reconditioned machines, it's coming tomorrow. I'm so happy but it's is going to be interesting because it's a bit of a different animal to the machine I have been using. It produces less oxygen and delivers it at lower pressure which means I don't want to use my beloved Lynx torch with it. Fortunately I have back up torches (yes, torches plural, what of it?) so I'm finally going to give my Bethlehem Alpha a run out.

I am really excited because duh, new equipment, but also because I know that using a different torch can hugely impact and influence the way I melt glass and therefore the beads I make. I can't wait to see what I make with the Alpha,

Anyhoo I have to go and clean the spiderwebs out of the shed ready for action so stay tuned.

Toodles