One of A Kind Fused Glass Pendants

I have to admit I love experimenting. Guess it all goes back to my geeky clinical scientist days! Warm glass is such a rewarding medium......check out just a few of my one of a kind experiments! I like experimenting with color and shape to create unique designs; chocolate and pastel pink triangles are tack fused together and accented with aqua, pink and clear bits of leftover glass. What a cool funky look.....
This next design is bit more sleek and chic. Hey, I'm a poet and didn't even know it. Did I just say that.....I can hear your groans, ya know! ;-) Vanilla art glass is the base and pink and black streaker glass are added in different directions to add interest. A sterling plated bail has been adhered with an industrial adhesive (with the design above and below).
Aqua blue and irridized clear glass come together beautifully in this next design. A sterling jump ring will allow you to wear it on any necklace/cord you already own. Simple clean design that can be worn everyday as a signature style piece. Just love it!
All of these pendants are super affordable ($15-$20) which is awesome for a unique handcrafted jewelry design. Please check back often as I will be adding new pendant designs daily for the upcoming holidays.

Jewelry for the Spirited Woman

Want to win an original vibrantly colored fused dichroic glass pendant on a gemstone necklace (red coral, sodalite, carnelian, malachite and crystal quartz) with a handcrafted sterling silver clasp ?
Enter the Spirited Woman video contest where 3 lucky winners will get an original necklace like this from Designing-Diva plus so much more.....grab your girlfriends, your video camera and have some fun! Don't wait too long because the contest end September 30th!

Check out why I'm a Spirited Woman....

Glass Rock Candy collection a huge hit at Shecky's GNO in Dallas

The Glass Rock Candy Collection that I revealed to the general public was a hit at the Shecky's GNO event in Dallas on Tuesday.

Phew. It is always so nerve wracking putting so much energy into creating a collection and then having to wait on the public's reaction!

I got to share my passion for creating fused glass & metal smithed jewelry that lets your personality shine through! Plus, I got to chat with a lot of people and talk about the private trunk shows and make it (fused glass parties) that I do in the area.

So, thank you Dallas for such a warm reception!

Tomorrow, I will be in Houston for the SOLD OUT Shecky's GNO event. I am really excited as this is the first Shecky's event in the city.

It is always fun to road trip and do a new venue and meet new customers.

The collection will be available to the general public by the end of May ( if you are signed up for the Diva's newsletter you would have already had a sneak preview! ).

Join Me at Shecky's Girl Night Out in Dallas & Houston

Join me at Shecky's Girls Night Out this week!

I'll be at the Dallas event May 6th and Houston event May 9th.

The new fused glass jewelry collection, Glass Rock Candy, will be revealed to the general public (at last!).

Hope to see you there!

Dichroic Window Pendants-Fused Art Glass Jewelry

One of my favorite pendants is the whimsical window fused art glass pendants. Each one ends up being unique and there are infinite ways to incorporate color and texture.

I find working with glass magical. Just look at the setup to create a window art glass pendant. Not very inspiring......until....

....it comes out of the kiln fully fused and annealed. The dichroic glass is just amazing one it fuses. Dichroic glass is a NASA technology where metal oxides are put on glass.Depending which way you turn the glass you will capture different colors as a result of the process of creating dichroic glass (dichro literally means two colors).

Georgia O' Keeffe just says it so eloquently.....it is exactly what my inner artistic voice was SHOUTING as I created these dichroic window pendants.

I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way.. things I had no words for.
-Georgia O'Keeffe

How to Choose Jewelry using the Spring/Summer 2008 Color Forecast

Spring /Summer 2008 Color Guide

Accessories like jewelry can really make an outfit pop and help define your style.

Using the above palette, here are a few ideas from the Diva's jewelry box to let you show off your personal style:

This fused glass pendant slide draws from 3 colors in the forecast: medley,raven and aerial.
These amethyst and peridot 14k GF earrings draw off 2 colors from the fashion color forecast: medley & fettle.
These mother of pearl hoops with button pearls and pink jade are inspired by peony, hellenic and novel.

These are just a few of my favorite jewelry designs that tie in beautifully with the Spring/Summer 2008 Fashion Color Forecast!

Nature Inspired Fused Glass Slide Pendants

The Peacock

The Frog

The CobraAll 3 of these fused dicrhoic glass pendants are big, bold and beautiful and can be slid onto an large omega chain or neck wire.

I will be show casing these at the Etsy Dallas Valentine's Handmade Trunk Show tomorrow in Dallas!

Hope to see you there!

Education-Continuing the Journey of Being an Artist

I am just so blessed and grateful for my family's support....yesterday was my birthday and my family bought me 2 awesome books to inspire and encourage me to try to new things in glass and silver/metal smithing.

I would love to take an Advanced Stone Setting Class from the Craft Guild of Dallas but haven't had the funds or time! :) John found an out of print book that is sought after called The Techniques of Master Stone Setting by Gerald L. Wykoff, G.G. ; it is a comprehensive picture/tet guide on diamond and colored stone setting using prongs, beads, bezels with an emphasis on pave and cluster setting. So, of course I was up later than I should have been poring over the book!

The other book that I was given is Fuse It by Petra Kaiser. I love the pictures (~ 300 color photos ) and the easy explanation/description. My husband fell in love with the it when he saw the original jewelry holder made from fused glass. Duh, why didn't I think of that!!!

So now, my "materials and supplies" wish list has grown because of all the new projects/ideas that I have! After 3 years, I still have a ton of ideas/projects/techniques in my sketchbook/idea pad that I haven't tried; that is what I love about being an artist....the infinite possibilities to express my voice to the world!

Dichroic and Fused Glass Jewelry

I am so excited to share this one-of-a-kind dichroic glass creation that I wrapped with sterling silver wire.
It is modern and edgy so I name it, "In the City".
It is now available by clicking the title but this is an ORIGINAL so don't wait!