Boro Bead Recipe # 10 by Nicole Valentine
Glass Used
Triple Passion
Coral Blush
Clear
Make a gather from the triple passion and burn off any haze. Stripe with 2 thin stripes of the coral blush glass. Heat, burn off any haze and pull into a twistie. Make a small base bead from the twistie, burn off any haze. Encase in clear glass, heat to HOT, allow to cool. Heat gently to strike. Pop it into your kiln to anneal.
Boro Bead Recipe # 9 by Nicole Valentine
Glass Used
Silver Strike 5
Caramel
Small Amazon Bronze Frit
Fine Purple Luster Frit
Clear
Make a gather from the silver strike 5 and burn off any haze. Stripe with 3 thin stripes of the caramel glass. Heat, burn off any haze and pull into a twistie. Make a small base bead from the twistie, burn off any haze, roll in fine purple buster frit and then in small amazon bronze frit. Encase in clear glass, heat to HOT, allow to cool. Heat gently to strike. Pop it into your kiln to anneal.
Boro Bead Recipe # 8 by Nicole Valentine
Glass Used
Warm Yellow
Fine Silver Strike 5 Frit
Clear
Make a small base bead from the warm yellow glass, burn off any haze. Roll in fine silver strike 5 frit. Encase in clear glass, heat to HOT, allow to cool. Heat gently to strike. Pop it into your kiln to anneal.
Boro Bead Recipe # 7 by Nicole Valentine
Glass Used
Tequila Sunrise
Fine Purple Luster Frit
Small Clear Frit
Clear
Make a small base bead from the triple passion glass. Roll in fine purple luster frit. Roll that in small clear frit. Encase in clear glass, do NOT re strike. Pop it into your kiln to anneal.
My kitchen counters haven’t seen much love for a while and had several large cracks and splits. Water settled into them and I was worried they would get worse if I didn’t do something about it.
It was time to invest in a hand sander, there was just too much surface area to try and do it without power tools. A trip to my local Home Hardware, which by the way has the most helpful staff around, found me a decent sander and some tips on using it.
I will recommend covering any area you are not sanding. I did not and it left quite a large clean up, even with the dust collector on the sander it leaves a fine layer of dust everywhere.
It didn’t take long and the butcher block was looking new again. The scratches had sanded out and only a few cracks remained. I filled the cracks with wood glue, let it dry for 24 hours and sanded it lightly again.
Several coats of butcher block conditioner brought the whole counter back to life. I will be using the conditioner monthly during the winter months here since it is quite dry here.
Boro Bead Recipe # 6 by Nicole Valentine
Glass Used
Triple Passion
Medium Butterscotch Frit
Medium Green Amber Purple Frit
Small Clear Frit
Clear
Make a small base bead from the triple passion glass. Roll 1/2 of the base bead in medium butterscotch frit and the other 1/2 in medium green amber purple frit. Then roll in small clear frit. Encase in clear glass, heat up HOT, slow to cool and re heat gently to strike . Pop it into your kiln to anneal.
A very good friend of mine gave me her families dining room table and chairs. It has lots of wear that I immediately fell in love with. I felt like the table had heard many stories over the years. The cross braces had wear spots where peoples feet had rested over coffee and meals. It was really important to me to keep the ageing in tact. I gave it a solid scrub with Thieves Household cleaner to remove any chemical residue. Hand sanding the top of the table allowed me to even out the wear while being careful not to sand through the veneer.
Being able to see the age and character in the table top was a priority so I decided to try mixing a small amount of dark wax with mineral spirits. It helps protect the surface while evening out the colour and bringing the age marks more visible.
Painting the bottom of the table I felt would bring out the character and I used Country Chic Sugar Plum. This colour is by far my favourite, it’s rich and has a blue undertone so it compliments many different colour palettes.
Using baby wipes I wiped the paint off the portions of the spindles that had more wear so you could see the character. A gentle sanding brought the character out even more and a coat of clear wax protects the whole piece.
It now graces my office as a desk and I swear I can hear it telling stories when I sit down with a cup of tea and my feet resting where so many have before me.
Boro Bead Recipe # 5 by Nicole Valentine
Glass Used
Persimmon Strike
Solara
Tequila Sunrise
Fine Purple Luster Frit
Medium Amazon Bronze Frit
Clear
Make a gather from the persimmon strike glass. Add two thick stripes of solara to the gather and two thick stripes tequila sunrise to the gather. Heat, burn off any haze and pull into a twistie. Make a small base bead from the twistie, burn off any haze and roll in fine purple buster frit. Then roll in medium amazon bronze frit. Heat again, burn off any haze, encase in clear glass, heat back to HOT, allow to cool and strike gently. Pop it into your kiln to anneal.
I have several vintage mirrors and mirror frames so when I thought I needed a better way to house my jewellery I thought I could re purpose one of them. The one I decided to use was quite dirty so I gave it a good once over with TSP to remove any oils, then a solid scrub with Thieves Household cleaner to remove any chemical residue. I gave it a coat of Country Chic Bliss and decided since this piece was smaller I could try something different. Mixing Country Chic Fresh Mustard and Little Star with some water to thin them out a sprayed them onto the frame. I really wanted layers of colour and something a bit outside my normal colour palette and the yellow’s where a nice addition.
Using baby wipes I removed some of the yellow and softened some into the Bliss. Water re activates the chalk paint and allows it to blend. I added more yellow, misted with water and blended again until I was happy with the layers.
Giving everything a light sanding further helped with the blending and aging of the piece. I like a little grunge look to vintage pieces and sanding gives the piece a lived in feel. I used dark wax in the detailed portions of the piece and wiped it back to add a little more grunge to it. Then coated the entire thing in clear wax.
Adding chicken wire to the frame gave me a unique way to store my jewellery. It was easy to apply and didn’t do any major damage to the back of the frame. It’s now a unique practical piece with a pop of colour.
Boro Bead Recipe # 4 by Nicole Valentine
Glass Used
Coral Blush
Solara
Purple Luster
Clear
Make a gather from the coral blush glass. Add two thick stripes of solara to the gather and two thick stripes purple luster to the gather. Heat and pull into a twistie. Make a small base bead from the twistie, heat HOT, allow to cool, reduce base bead in a reducing flame. Encase in clear glass, allow to cool and re heat slowly to strike. Pop it into your kiln to anneal.
My very kind aunt gave me this pretty vintage dresser in really good condition. Having some time to kill while I looked for a home early last fall I decided to paint it. I gave it a good once over with TSP to remove any oils, then a solid scrub with Thieves Household cleaner to remove any chemical residue.
Once the dresser was clean I decided on a paint colour and technique, no easy task as I have quite a collection of chalk paints. I decided on a faded blue palette working from dark to light in the centre. I had originally thought I’d work in some silver but later ditched that idea. It just didn’t seem to belong on the dresser. Paints used where all Country Chic chalk paint, Liquorice, Peacock and Moon Dew. In my opinion Peacock is one of the most versatile of the Country Chic blues, I blended it with the Liquorice to get the darker blue on the outer portions of the dresser.
Working the dark to light blue colour palette a few times over and blending well gave it a soft colour change I was really pleased with. Using a mister with water helps to blend the colours easily. I decided to add a hint of gold wax in the centre and around where the key holes would be to give it some texture. Finally protecting the whole thing with several coats of clear wax, buffing it well.
The local hardware store had some simple black drawer pulls that gave it functionality and a bit of a cleaner look than ornate pulls would have.
This dresser now graces my main bedroom and I found a deep blue paint for the closet door that compliments it nicely. Soft grey walls give the whole room a nice base for any colours I decide to add.
Boro Bead Recipe # 3 by Nicole Valentine
Glass Used
Mint
Green Exotic Medium Frit
Silver Tears
Clear Frit
Ice Blue
Clear
Make a thin tube base bead out of the mint glass. Roll 1/2 of the base bead in green exotic medium frit and cover the other 1/2 in silver tears glass. Roll the silver tears 1/2 in medium clear frit. Cover that 1/2 in a thin stringer of ice blue. Encase the entire bead, heat up HOT, allow bead to cool and gently re strike. Pop it into your kiln to anneal.
This little table was a small simple project to try a layered, distressed effect on. It already had a coat of white paint so I decided to give it a good clean with Thieves Household cleaner to remove any oils and chemical residue. Then I gave it a layer of bright turquoise and some dark blue. Paint used was Country Chic Peacock, Moon Dew and Strength.
I wanted some bright colours to come through when I distressed it so I also added a bright coral pink and purple. I focused the pink and purple on the areas I thought would distress easier. Paint used was Country Chic Cherry Blossom and Illusionist.
I covered it all in a milky mint blue being careful to not fully cover the piece. Leaving some sections lightly covered so it would look more aged. I then went over that with a bit of dry brushing in white. Once that all dried I went to town with a coarse sand paper. Really being aggressive making sure to not focus on one area for too long. I also used a wood file on the edges to get through even more of the layers. The finished look is bright but with an aged patina that really works well with the piece. Paint used was Fusion Picket Fence mixed with a bit of Moon Dew.
This little table is a bright cheery piece to house my meditation cards and ephemera.
Boro Bead Recipe # 2 by Nicole Valentine
Glass Used
Persimmon Strike
Solara
Tequila Sunrise
Clear
Make a small gather of persimmon strike glass. Lay two thick stripes of tequila sunrsise and two thick stripes of solara glass on the gather. Heat, burn off any haze and pull into a twistie. Make a small tease bead from the twistie. Burn off any haze, encase in clear, heat up to HOT, allow to cool and slowly strike for colours to pop. Pop it into your kiln to anneal.
Boro Bead Recipe # 1 by Nicole Valentine
Glass used
Coral Blush
Double Passion
Clear
Make a small gather of coral blush glass, make sure any haze is burned off. Lay four thick stripes of double passion glass on the gather. Heat and pull into a twistie. Make a small tease bead from the twistie. Burn off any haze, keep hot, encase in clear, allow to cool and slowly strike for colours to pop. Pop it into your kiln to anneal.
My studio has gone through many changes in the last several years. It has been packed and moved 4 times, purged, pondered, purged again and stuffed into a very tiny space.
My current major project is packing it up yet again for another move. I find myself really considering what I need in a studio space and why.
A tiny space just does not work for me. Abhorrent to clutter my mind needs a clean studio to function. In small spaces I find myself with layers of things on top of other things, which causes my brain to short circuit. I’ve found it really doesn’t matter what I do to try and bring my focus back, when my work space is messy I just cannot focus. And eventually it seems my creativity exits my brain, followed closely by my body exiting the studio.
So with this substantial change I find myself really considering my future, my studio and my needs.
What do I really need? What do I desire? Why?
What do you need in a creative space and why?
I realized while refreshing my website recently that my last blog post was 4 years ago. Around the time my life took a major change.
4 years ago on this date my marriage imploded. I had to leave my home and studio. As a person the journey has been heart breaking, frustrating, emotional and an emotional roller coaster. As an artist it has been crippling. My creative space was my escape and a place I centred myself. One of the few places at that time in my life I felt at peace. Leaving that space left a large part of me adrift and confused. Who am I, really? Where do I belong? Who am I? What did I do to deserve this? Who am I? Navigating all that while also navigating a brutal and long divorce caused my muse to run screaming. I found little joy in life, let alone creating.
Which I guess leads me back to ………. not having blogged in 4 years. Which leads me to believe I gave up on being an artist 4 years ago. I’d like to say I gave it a good solid try, to bring it back to life. But I’d be lying. I’d make a 1/2 hearted attempt when some pretty new stones arrived. Then the mayhem of divorce would swoop back in a and swallow me whole and I would back away again. Back and forth, trying to coax myself into believing I could create, finally giving up. I have dabbled in watercolours a bit over the last year. Paper and paint seems less daunting commit to. But, I have truly made very little effort to nurture my creative side.
As I pack my studio again I find myself determined that this IS in a large part who I am. In my opinion my only actual decent skill is creating. I hope this move settles my soul and allows my muse to return and join me, where ever that may be.
Have you had a life change affect your creating and your studio space?
My instagram account now has Studio Snippets! A couple times a week I will be sharing quick looks into what is going on in the studio that week. They will be fun, short and inspiring. What is going on in your studio this week?
Invictus Jewel Borosilicate Beads by Nicole Valentine Rimmer
Glass used
Amazon Jewel
Clear
Invictus Frit
Make a small gather of amazon jewel glass, make sure any haze is burned off. Dip that gather into Invictus frit twice. Heat the gather back up again and make a base bead out of it. Heat the base bead HOT. Encase that base bead with clear. Heat HOT again, allow it to cool. Strike gently until colour blooms. Pop it into your kiln to anneal.