The Flame Off, Uttoxeter 2016

A couple of weekends ago we made our annual trip to the Flame Off.   Now, for those unsure, or for those that thought I was going to a massive BBQ  (I'm vegetarian!) or a Chilli eating competition (you know who you are) let me explain...... The Flame Off is a meet-up for glass melting people.  It is in the UK, but we get people from all over the world attending which makes it great fun.  It is hostyed by Tuffnell Glass and Totally Beads.

This years teachers and demoists were ....

Rashan O Jones from Albuquerque in New Mexico.  We watched him make the most magnificent wine glass and candy dish. 

Then there was Gay Massender from the UK, who made her famous "Ladies That Lunch" bead and a vase bead with flowers in!

Vera Roder from Germany was also teaching and demoing.  She made some beautiful beads with enamels.  I must try to recreate them from what I learnt.

As well as watching demonstrations, there is a torch area where you can play with the torches and glasses and make things.  Here is Hubster (iMarbles) making... marbles, funnily enough.

Deep in concentration.

He made some lovely marbles while sitting there.

And also learn from Theresa at Tuffnell Glass, how to make a jellyfish pendant.  Here is the work in progress.

And I had a go, I would show you the beads that I made but I have no idea where I put them!

It was great to meet up with everyone again, and looking forward to next year!

UK Flame Off 2015

Well, we have just come back from an exhausting weekend at the yearly Flame Off event.

Hosted by Tuffnell Glass and held at Uttoxeter Racecourse, it is an event for people who love melting glass - and for people who think they might quite like to have a go at melting it too  ;)

The event is made up of separate areas, the selling village, which is full of hand-made glass items, tools, raw glass and other bits and bobs needed if you are a glassworker.

Then there is the demo room, this is where visiting artists demonstrate their own personal style.  They usually have a 45 minute slot, but it is so interesting that the time just flies by.

Let me introduce you to the 2015 artists.  I have made their names into links to their own pages so go off and have a look at their work if you like.

First of all there is Joy Munshower - her sculptural work is just out of this world!  In this demo she showed us a sculptured horse bead - so much detail it was unreal... actually it was very life-life, not unreal at all  ;)

This is Kathryn Greer.  Kathy started bead making at the young age of 14, and she produces the most intricate amazing floral beads with loads of depth and detail.   This was the  demo I was most looking forward to, and I wasn't disappointed  :)

Following on was Irina Sergeeva, her website seems to be all in Russian but if you click around you can see her beads.   Sadly, I didn't manage to get a photo of her demonstrating as I was stuck behind the camera man, but check out her website anyway  :)

And this is Glenn Godden, a most magnificent Borosilicate (type of glass) marble maker.  Both myself and Hubster were very impressed with his work.  This is him on the second day of demos making one of his signature alien art pieces.

Stunning isn't it?

Finally there is also the "play" area, where you can actually sit down at a torch and melt glass!   It's good for people wanting to start as they can play with the different torches to see which they like, in the same way it is good for people wanting to upgrade their torch as they too can try out a few to see which one suits.

Also, people who already work with glass jump on and do mini demos for the newbies.  This is Hubster starting a marble.

And the lovely Lorna Prime demonstrating how to use a bead press.  Doesn't her gorgeous arm tattoo just rock?

Oh, who is that I see opposite?  It might be me  :)  concentrating very hard.

I didn't make many purchases this time, Hubster made enough for both of us  :)  but I did treat myself to this lovely bead from Raspberry Rings as it reminded me so much of Marrakesh.

It is such a great event for meeting up old friends and making brand new ones too.

We were quite shattered after our busy weekend, but totally re-inspired.  In fact Hubster has started making marbles again already.  You can see them on his Facebook page - iMarbles.

Next year seems such a long time away  :)

More tales from the Flame Off 2014

Are you sick of hearing about the Flame Off yet?  Well, don't worry, it will be my last post for this year - unless I think of anything else of course   :)

The event runs from Thursday - Sunday.   Thursday is for master-classes with visiting artists.  Friday and Saturday are for demo watching, playing and shopping, then the whole event finishes with a bead fair on the Sunday.

Normally we go down on the Thursday, Hubby goes off and does his own thing while I take a class.   I didn't take a class this year as I have not fired my torch up since last years class so I was being a bit strict with myself and hoping that this year will be different - time wise.

But Hubster also couldn't get time off work which meant he could only do the Saturday event  (and the Sunday, but the bead fair doesn't really interest him).

I made the decision to go down on the Friday by myself, on the train, and he would meet me there Friday evening  (it's a 3.5 hour drive from home)

7.02am  - YES "AM" !!  saw me chugging away on the train while doing a bit of crochet.  A lady moved to stand beside me and watch to see how it was done, apparently she got a book for Christmas and hasn't been able to work it out yet.

A quick hop, skip and jump across the platform at Crewe saw me get the shuttle train which would take me to Uttoxeter.   I made the decision to stop at Crewe station for a pee, taking the chance of having to wait for an hour for the next train - I am so glad I did though as there was no facilities on the shuttle train - that would have been an interesting journey.

When I got off at Uttoxeter I was armed with a map that showed me the half a mile walk to the venue, when in fact, the platform was more or less in the back garden of the racecourse and it was a 3 minute stroll across the grass - bonus!

You can read all about the event in my last blog post HERE.

After the busy day watching demos and re-meeting people I had not seen for a year I blagged a lift to our hotel 14 miles away - the Ibis Budget in Derby.    I have never stayed in one of these before and although basic - rather like the inside of a caravan, it was certainly habitable and a great price at just £29 per night.   You can read my Trip Advisor review HERE if you like.

Dinner that first night was a Thai restaurant which we found on Trip Advisor (I love that site!)   It was ok, nothing overly special.   My curry tasted nice but eating those big mushroom things  (oyster mushrooms perhaps) felt like I was in the Jungle in "I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here" and trying to force down a kangaroo penis - or that's how I imagine it would be.

Served with sticky rice - boil in the bag style :/

As I said, it was ok, it filled our bellies, wouldn't rush back though.

On both the Friday and the Saturday there was a bead swap, this is where you choose a bead you have made, wrap it and pop it with a note to say who you are and pop it in a bag, then you take another one out.

I took three swaps, on the Friday I was swapping one, and on the Saturday two, as I thought there would be more people to trade with.

I am not showing you the Friday swap because quite frankly I was very disappointed in it.  It was a small spacer bead of which the maker had not even cleaned the hole out!   Now don't get me wrong, if this had been made by a newbie to glass work I would have loved and cherished it, but the card that was with it, and the subsequent website browsing told me that this person is capable of far better things and this one was probably out of her reject bin!!    To me, that is just plain bad manners, and actually I am sure that person must feel the tiniest bit bad about putting it in the the first place.

But these beauties I got on the Saturday.  A stunning etched bead by Jenefer Ham.

And a totally wonderful floral lentil bead by Scarlet Leonard.

THESE are the type of beads you should put in a bead swap, get your name out there and spread your beautiful work to people who might not already know you.

(I'm hoping mine were liked now  :)  )

I hardly made any purchases, Hubster made up for that by buying a second marble mold - he really needs to start showing off those marbles, he set up a Facebook page two years ago and there is only one photo on it!

But I did buy these, a popper system bangle, pendant and ring.

What you do is make your glass, with a flat back, then glue it onto the poppers so you can change your jewellery to match your clothing!  Genius eh?  Of course you don't have to stick glass on, anything goes with these.  I need to get on with making some cabochons to go on them.

If you fancy some for yourself you can find them over on MizGeorge's website.

Well, I think I have bored you enough with tales from the Flame Off so I will leave it there.... for now  ;)

Flame Off 2014 - Uttoxeter

This weekend was the 7th annual Flame Off event hosted by Tuffnell Glass & Totally Beads.

This year it was held at Uttoxeter Racecourse - what a great venue, loads of space and literally 3 minutes walk from the train station platform.

The event is all about melting glass and the demoists this year were....

Melanie Moertel from Germany.

J C Herrell from California, USA.

Michal Silberberg from Israel.

Helen Gorick from the UK.

As well as watching demos, you get to be able to play on the many torches that are set up for you.

This is the fabulous Kathryn Greer (aka MyPrecious) making one of her most famous floral numbers.   

And my lovely Hubster, making marbles - of which he is very good at I must say.  No website to link to for him, but I am working on that, once I can get him to part with his precious marbles.  Believe me, his pockets just cannot hold any more!

This is just one of many he made.  He was also showing and teaching other people to make them too.

This is the torch set-up.  People were enjoying themselves immensely.

Then there was the charity auction. I bidded on quite a few things but only won the one - a years subscription to Truly HandCrafted, a selling site with very low fees for hand-crafted items only.  Go take a look :)   I am not keeping it for myself though, I am giving it to Marie from Nim & Num so she can start selling her lovely hand-made items.

It was a great weekend and I have loads more to tell, so look out for another blog post soon  :)

I'm off to the Flame Off

I am running about like a headless chicken today (not the best analogy for a vegetarian I must admit).

Getting sorted to catch the train in the morning to go to the 2014 Flame Off event, hosted by Tuffnell Glass.

This year it is at Uttoxeter Racecourse.  Last year it was a Silverstone, so Uttoxeter is a bit nearer for us.

The Flame Off is a get together of people who have an interest in glass, made on the torch generally, called Lampworking.

I usually go down on the Thursday for a master-class, but as I have not even fired up my torch for a year to practise what I learnt last year I didn't allow myself to book a class this year.  I will just go for the Friday and Saturday demonstrations and glass/bead stands instead  :)   And to catch up with like-minded people  :)

I have my list, ready to tick off......

• Didyium Glasses  (safety specs)
• Crochet for the train
• Train tickets
• Breakfast (getting train at 7am!!)
• Pack my case
• Print map so I can get from the station to the racecourse
• Dye hair

What am I still doing here...??  Things to do, things to do.......

Have a look at last years photos if you like, you can find them HERE.

Flame Off 2013 (Picture heavy!)

Last weekend was the 6th Annual Flame Off event, hosted by Tuffnell Glass.

Usually the event is held at Towcester Racecourse, but this year it had moved to Silverstone Racing Circuit - home of the UK Grand Prix.

This will be the 4th one Andrew and I have attended.  Classes are held on the Thursday, followed by two days of demonstrations, glass shopping and playing with torches on the Friday and Saturday. On the Sunday there is a bead fair.
In the pic below you should be able to see the torches all set up in the back section of the room, ready for us all to play with.

On the Thursday took a class this year with Michou Pascale Anderson, a wonderful beadmaker who is well known for her brightly coloured beads..

It was a great class, playing with coloured stringers, murrini, presses and dichroic glasses. She demonstrated a couple of beads, one was a colourful parrot and the other a rainbow style bead.

The class at work.

The results of a days beadmaking.

 I made three beads - not great at all, but then my beads at classes never are.  You are in unfamiliar surroundings, using unfamiliar tools, the torches are different, the glass is sometimes different.  All excuses I know  :)

Still, the aim of the class was to take away something I could practise at home, and I certainly did that.

Every year I try to take a class, my first Flame Off class was in 2010 with Sharon Peters, then in 2011 with Michi Suzuki, and last year, 2012 with Patti Walton.

The Friday and Saturday was jam-packed with some great demos from some fabulous artists, in no particular order....

• Lucio Bubacco (Italy)
• Leah Fairbanks (USA)
• Michou P Anderson (Germany)
• Madeline Bunyan (UK)
• Sally Sutherland (UK)

You could also find some great artists working on the torches throughout the day, my favourite being Marshall Hyde (USA) who did a demo a couple of years ago that had people riveted to their seats, he has continued to support the event since by stewarding the torches and giving people advice.  This is Marshall at the torch, he was making a skull bead.

I spent a bit of time on the borosilicate torches, normally I work on a less fierce torch with a soft glass, Andrew works with boro, which is a harder glass.  It takes longer to melt, which for my impatient nature, is just no good :)  However I think I may have been tempted to go over to the dark side as I really enjoyed using the boro glass for a change.

Andrew making marbles.

I made some cabochons - I might set these into silver and try to make some rings.

I also made a borosilicate bead, which I was quite pleased with.

In the afternoon I went outside into the cold chilly wind to make a bauble, for Health & Safety reasons this glass furnace was not allowed inside Silverstone's nicely carpeted area - can't think why!

I enjoyed getting this close to a larger mass of hot glass, makes me want a furnace of my very own  :)

I made a red and purple bauble.  Andrew's was quite a bit bigger than mine, he must have more puff.  It was a real effort blowing into it.

I also had a go on a sandblaster, I stole one of Andrew's marbles and found an address label hanging about, which I then used to make a little pattern on the marble, stuck it in the sandblaster tent and gave it a good blast.  I was so impressed with the result that I bought myself a sandblasting kit  :)

Friday evening was spent catching up with Bead Buddies from the Bead Buddies Forum.

Let's just say that Saturday (and Sunday) was spent nursing a not-so-nice hangover :/

Sunday came around so quickly, and we finished the weekend off with a bead fair.

Right at the back of this photo, by the window, you can just make out Lucio Bubacco taking a class.  A genius at work.

Look at mad Laney, always guaranteed to make you smile, even with a hangover. Check out her glass beads HERE.

Oh, and Caroline's ceramic beads are just wonderful, you can find them HERE.

We did a few bits of last minute glass shopping, and set of on the 4 hour trip home  :(

Counting down the weeks until the next one.....