Flame-On 2010

Click here to see more photos on Flickr

I've been very quiet lately! That's uncharacteristic of me I know! But do believe me when I say I have been very busy! A new puppy is like having a baby so I have been torching when Amigo sleeps. I’m busy right now finishing things up for the Flame-On next weekend. I’m actually getting a bit nervous about this event and I sometimes wonder, ‘Why, oh why did I decide to display and sell my beads there again this year?!’ Like most creative people I am my own worst critic and I can have scary thoughts that maybe my work isn’t up to scratch so to speak. When these thoughts and doubts creep into my head I have to remind myself of a few things.

One: I will always find something to wrong if I look hard enough.

Two: Would I ever really consider myself ‘good enough’?

Three: I had a blast last year and everyone was so nice.

Four: It is not about sales! Yes I said it!

The main reason I want a table is so I can meet people. If I go alone or with a couple of friends and I’m milling about I might make a few new acquaintances but if I have a table there people will approach me and they’ll talk to me…..and…..well…..that’s what it’s all about really! A few years back I was so envious of lampworkers in other parts of the world. They had forums, gatherings, a good selection of suppliers, in short, they had a lampwork community. I felt frustrated and alone….these days, thanks to certain folks, (and I hope you know who you are) lampworkers in the Benelux have a growing community! HURRAY!!

So if you are coming to the Flame-On please stop by my table and say hi!

Sorry that I have no bead news for the moment….summer holidays and all that…..but I just wanted to share some exciting family news.

I am just bouncing off the walls!!!! Soon we will have our newest family member home!!!! The puppies are now almost 4 weeks old and are starting to develop their very own little personalities! I get regular updates and photos from the breeder and almost feel a part of the process although the only things I have been able to do so far is shop and mend the fence. Erik and I went out and spent money on a kennel, toys, treats, a little collar and a lead. Yesterday we dug up 4 broken fence posts! I’m telling you it was true manual work! This is the only ‘training’ I have done since our return from Norway and it really feels good to get out and use my ‘muscles’.

We will bring our little ‘Amigo’ home 25 August! We have planned a family trip up and will stop for a couple of days in Windsor and London then spend a couple of days in Carmarthenshire Wales. Although we have neighbors looking after the house while we are gone I have booked our cat ‘Miss Marple’ a.k.a. Pookie in a five start cat hotel. I think it best we get Amigo home and let him settle in for a day before Pooks meets him. I know she will not be best pleased about our newest family member. She is calm after spending a few days in the cat hotel so I hope this will help her to have a more positive outlook on the whole puppy business. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

More puppy photos on my Flickr account.

Delana

A New Family Member

 The summer holidays are upon us and all should be quiet on the Blog for the next couple of months while I wind down and enjoy some family time and travels.  I just thought I'd wish everyone a wonderful summer and post the latest news:

I have exciting news for those of you who have been following the puppy saga! The puppies arrived a day early on 2 July. Three boys and one girl were delivered by C-section. Mom and pups are doing well! Needless to say our family is very excited now and we just can’t wait until we can see our newest family member and finally bring him home! We hope to travel together to Wales to visit the breeder and meet mom and the puppies sometime in early August. We would like to combine this trip with a stop over in London to see the sights and have a small family holiday together. And, if we can make this early trip, we will choose one of the males then. Of course the breeder may have a puppy she suggests we take and if we can’t make it for an early visit we will trust her recommendation. Since most Finnish Spitz look alike the main consideration for us is temperament and all of these puppies should be of sound body and temperament since they come from very good stock. We have pretty much decided on the name. We will call him Amigo. And I am over the moon since this will be my companion and sidekick not to mention my in-studio mascot! We should be able to bring Amigo home the last weekend in August so watch this space for more photos and news about the newest member of our family.

Just incase you were interested I am enclosing a photo of mom and a link to the website with a photo of dad at http://www.kunniakas-finnish-spitz.co.uk/dogpage.php?dog_ID=1.

You can visit the website of Mom's kennel at http://www.finnishspitzonline.com/

Happy Summer Holidays to you all!!!

Delana

Finished Bracelets!!

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Originally uploaded by Delana Loevbak

I have finally finished the bracelets I mentioned in my last post and have new photos on Flickr. I am so very happy with these beads and just over the moon that my client likes them and appreciates their worth. On the down side, I had planned to keep the bracelet she didn’t choose for myself but since she took both of them I guess I’ll just go without until I can get down in the studio and make another one for me.

I'm walking on air! I had a commission to make a bracelet for a dress. I came up with two bracelets and asked my customer to come with her dress and let me know what she thought. I was a bit nervous since I had way underestimated the price and even more nervous when she brought her husband along. She tried both on for size and couldn’t make up her mind so she told her husband….’These are an investment. Let’s get both.’ I used to cringe when someone asked me for a bespoke piece....I think I'm changing my mind! I have really enjoyed coming up with something that matches her dress perfectly and the fact is that I know she will treasure these pieces for a long time. It really made me happy that she recognized my work as an investment. I have not yet finished the bracelets for her. I wanted to make sure she was happy with them and I wanted to fit them for her so they sit on her arm just right. The beads are on my flicker account under the bracelet set and I will certainly post photos of the finished bracelets before they leave my hands.

This is not my first commissioned work but I can tell you that the high I get when someone really loves something I make never fades….I hope to be able to work with glass for many years to come and I know every time someone falls in love with my work this feeling will be just as strong.

Meet another Lampwork artist

What a lazy ‘blogger’ I’ve turned out to be! I guess I’ve been feeling kind of lonely here and I just haven’t had much to say. This is not at all like the ‘real’ me so I endeavour to do better!

I did have a very productive session in the studio yesterday and have a nice batch of beads to photograph later today. As soon as I get them up on Flickr I shall sound the trumpets!

My main reason for this post is to mention a fellow lampwork artist.

The woman behind Pegasus Lampwork is Beverley Edge. I met Beverley at the first Flame-On in the Netherlands in October 2009. Beverley and I were neighbours at this event and we had a lovely chat when we weren’t talking to people ogling our beads. I have long admired Bev’s work and I was just pleased to bits when she agreed to a bead swap with me! I plan on attending the upcoming Flame-On this year and I don’t know if Bev will be there or not but if she is I hope we are neighbours again. It would be lovely to have a chat with her! You can visit Beverley at: ‘Pegasus Lampwork’

Spring has been very good this year here in Belgium! I'm a bit late with this but here is a photo of spring flowers in my garden. To view a few more flower photos feel free to visit my Flickr photostream via the link to the right of your screen. I hope that they will at least brighten your day and will give some of you creative inspiration.

ByDelana - Glass Designs - Home

ByDelana - Glass Designs - Home

In Memory

Vinny
26 June 1997 – 01 March 2010
We have lost a very much loved member of our family. Those who met Vinny know what he meant to us. To say that he was a good dog is a gross understatement. To say that he was the best possible dog for our family is only adequate.

He had no vices. He was a gentleman. He was a true ambassador for his species. He was never aggressive to people. He viewed every one he met as a potential friend and playmate. Everyone who met him instantly connected with him. He was even loved by people who were afraid of dogs.

I remember well a Halloween party we held for Emil and Erik years ago. A little ‘princess’ named Brooke was on the guest list and her parents were worried about Vinny since she was terrified of dogs. We assured them we would keep Vinny in his pen. When they came to pick her up she was sitting with Vinny inside his pen petting him. That’s the kind of dog he was. He was just easy to be around.

His many hobbies included running after the neighbour’s cats and chasing rabbits in the fields where we took our walks. He was too big and heavy to catch either so we indulged him.

He was trusting. Too trusting….A favourite game of mine was to point in a random direction while out walking in the fields and say, ‘Did you see that rabbit…there he goes…go get that rabbit!’ He fell for it every time, running off in my indicated direction at top speed until I called him back.

And he always came back. He always did exactly as he was told. People credit me with that since I spent the best part of two years with him in dog school. But I think it was more his nature than my firm hand that made him so reliably obedient.

He adored pancakes and would sit next to me in the kitchen as I cooked them with full knowledge that he was allowed one when we were finished at the table.

When he could still manage the stairs to my studio he constantly kept me company there. Sometimes just popping down to let me know that there was a cat in the garden that needed to be chased off, sometimes sleeping there while I worked, occasionally sitting right next to me with his head on my lap.

Someone once asked me why I wanted a Border Collie. ‘I want a dog that will play fetch with the boys until he drops or until they get tired of the game.’….I got exactly what I wanted and so much more. He was always ready to play…always eager to learn a new trick.

In the end he held on to life as he lived it, with gusto and determination. His spirit was not willing to go but his body just couldn’t keep up. He was gently put to sleep at home with his family around him.

I have lost my children’s guardian and best playmate, my running partner, my friend and my companion at home and in the studio. The house is a lonely place without him. For me there is a colossal chasm left in his absence.

Sometime this spring, when we are ready, his ashes will be scattered over the fields he loved to run in. Maybe he’ll finally catch his rabbit.

Curved mandrels and Royal Tombs

First of all curved mandrels! Well Well!! I am really impressed with them! I ordered six (I rarely buy one of anything) from Zooziis ( www.zooziis.com )and could not wait to try them out when they arrived. Amy at Zooziis very kindly suggested a bead release to use on them so it was easy to remove the beads from the mandrels (something I was nervous about since I worked the beads in the flame for a LONG time)I will say that you will need to get used to working with them. I found that I get best results when turning them like I'm turning a crank (I do hope that makes sense)

Where does the Royal Tomb come in? Well the reason I ordered the mandrels in the first place was because I was inspired to make a curved bead from a photo I saw in a book, 'The History of Beads' by Lois Sherr Dublin. The book was a Christmas present from my son and the photo was of an agate bead found in a royal Mesopotamian tomb. Of course my bead looks much different from the 'original’. You can see more photos of this bead on my Flickr account.

Never underestimate the work of an artist!

I’ve been getting ready for another open studio weekend and this old Chinese fable has been on my mind lately so I thought I’d share it. (The open studio will be in March and I always like to prepare way ahead.)

There was once an artist who specialized in drawing Roosters. He travelled from village to village with his work and everyone marvelled at the realistic qualities of his art.

One day a rich patron asked the artist to draw a tiger for him. ‘Oh, I have no experience drawing Tigers.’ said the artist. ‘When I come back next time I will do my best to draw you a Tiger.’

The patron was satisfied with this and told the artist to call on him the next time he passed through the village. The artist went away and for nearly a year he practiced drawing nothing but tigers. A year later, when he was happy with his work, the artist passed through the village and called on the rich patron. The artist knew this man was extremely particular about everything so the artist had waited until calling upon the man to draw for him. He wanted to make sure he drew the tiger exactly as his patron wanted. So, after listening to the man for a while and understanding precisely what he desired the artist quickly and efficiently drew a tiger. He handed the work over to the patron who was very happy and said, ‘Yes! This is wonderful! You have given me exactly what I want! I will buy this drawing! How much is it?’ The artist told the patron his price. ‘WHAT!?’ said the patron. ‘That is very expensive! I mean to say it only took you a couple of minutes to draw this for me.’

The moral of the story: Never underestimate the amount of effort, time, passion, thought, imagination and (last but certainly not least) soul that goes into art and hand crafted works!

The Woman behind the blog

Some of you who are FB friends may have seen this already but I thought I'd post it here as well....A while back a high school friend sent me a request to list 25 Random things about me. At first I thought....this is silly, I don't have time for this an no one is really interested, but after a couple of days I found I did have little snippets of info I'd like to share with people. In a way this was a great way to reunite with old friends and intoduce my self to new friends so....Even if you've no time to read this maybe it will get you thinking about making your own list. And maybe you'll find a couple of surprises along the way.

25 Random things about Delana

1. I’m am and always have been a Florida girl down to the core! I love collecting shells on the beach! You know what they say: “You can take the girl away from the beach but you’ll never get all of the sand out of her pants….I mean shoes”

2. I spent a lot of hours in the 70’s and 80’s with my blow-dryer, curling iron and hot rollers trying to have hair like Farrah Faucet….I want those hours back!!

3. The only way for me to truly learn a foreign language is ‘on the pillow’. This explains why I only ever (almost) mastered Norwegian after nearly 20 years of living in Europe. It also means that if I ever master French or Netherlands Tom has a right to be suspicious!

4. I love to travel but when I’m not on holiday I’m a real ‘home body’. The best place for me to be in the evenings is at home with my family….oh, and DON’T mess with my evening routine!

5. My husband and two sons are gems!!! I could go on for pages but the main thing is I’m blissfully happy, consider myself extremely lucky and wouldn’t change a thing!

6. I feel landlocked in Belgium but other than that I’m happy here. (Yes Belgium has a coast but remember I’m a FLORIDA Girl !!)

7. I’m first and foremost a stay at home mom and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

8. I so enjoy teaching fitness classes and I'm lucky to have lovely clients!!

9. I get so much pleasure creating things from glass but still have a problem calling myself an artist.

10. I’m a ‘kitchen sink’ kind of gal…if I can get it in my bag it’s going with me!!

11. The hardest thing I’ve ever done was trekking in the Himalayas in June 2008 with my good friend Perina….the second hardest was boot camp! Childbirth was a breeze!

12. I managed to serve over 10 years in the U.S. Navy without ever being posted on something grey!! (For my sea duty I was posted to Antigua the Azores and SHAPE Belgium!! It was a tough life!)

13. My one regret is turning down a posting to Antarctica….how many people do you know who can tell you they’ve been on all 7 continents? I’ll save it for the next life!

14. My favorite chocolate is Neuhaus!

15. I LOVE to dance!!

16. BEADS....oh don't get me started! I LOVE making them! I LOVE meeting other people who make them! I LOVE meeting people who like them! I truely believe they bring people together! Glass is FANTASTIC!!

17. I’m emotionally high strung and after years of wishing I was different I’m learning to accept that this is just part of my 'charm'.

18. On 'days off' you're likely to find me in my studio creating away while still in my favorite jim-jams!

19. I’m a control freak…but I’m learning to deal with it!

20. I am proud that Tom and I made the effort to raise our boys with a rich understanding of their Norwegian and American backgrounds.

21. I believe that Tom and I were meant to be together and will be with each other always! (After all I’m terribly spoiled and have too many bad habits to live with anyone else!)

22. I don’t like to watch sports…except men’s rugby and men’s speed skating….It took Tom a long time to figure out I don’t care who is playing/competing or who wins! It is all about the legs!

23. My two favorite modern fictional characters are Captain Jack Sparrow and Sirius Black. I always was attracted to the guys who were most likely to get you into trouble!.....but I married a prince!

24. I like shoes and bags but not in a weird Imelda Marcos kind of way.

25. I never intend to ‘act my age’ or to let a number stop me from doing anything!

Maybe you can make your own list now....don't forget to tag me if we are friends on Facebook or if you are a 'Fan' of Bydelana on Facebook