25 glass beady things about me...

1. I've been making beads since 2002. I took a class in Santa Cruz, CA and was completely hooked from the very first time I lit the torch.
2. I didn't really think about the fact glass could melt before I saw it in real life. The very first time I saw glass melt was at Disneyland and I thought it was the coolest thing ever.
3. I had LOTS of hobbies before I started making beads. Now I just have one.
4. I used to do beadweaving with seed beads. I made amulet purses, rope necklaces, earrings and bracelets. I still have many of them.
5. For the first year I made beads constantly. I think part of the reason for that was because my daughter was a teenager at the time and she was completely hormonal, unruly and I wanted to escape her drama at the time. Looking back, I am grateful to have had that escape because I probably would have lost my mind without it.
6. I quit smoking in 2002 with the help of my new lampworking "co-workers". I'm still so grateful for their support.
7. I still have the Lapidary Journal issue that started the whole lampworking obsession for me. It's an article on Pamela Wolfersberger's teapot beads. I still love her work an insane amount. I would really love to meet her someday and tell her how she inspired me and continues to inspire me.
8. That magazine article sent me on a hunt for more information online and there I found eBay, where lampwork was HUGE, and many wonderful artist sites. I booked the class very soon after that.
9. My first beads were well formed but not very pretty. I got better pretty quickly because I spent A LOT of time at the torch. I have always been interested in sculptural beads.
10. I am addicted to lampwork forums.
11. I sell my beads online because I am afraid of doing shows or going into galleries and being rejected.
12. My dachshund is a major source of inspiration for my beads. I have been making dachshund beads since the very beginning. My website also features a dachshund theme.
13. Kidlets were made out of a misunderstanding between me and Corina Tettinger. She thought I made kid beads and I told her I didn't. She disagreed so I made a kidlet rather than argue with her. Thanks Corina!
14. I love color and I especially love rainbows. I arrange my glass rods in front of the torch in Roy G. Biv order.
15. My favorite colors in glass are periwinkle, pea green, pink, pastel (school bus) yellow and coral.
16. I made myself a smile tool to make the smiles on kidlets.
17. I have a stash of streaky pink that I am hoarding. I love it for kidlet cheeks. The amount of streaky pink I have will make at least 125,000 kidlet cheeks. :)
18. Currently, I am on a glass diet. I am running out of storage room for my glass so I have to use up some of what I have before I buy more. However, I am running out of Lauscha red so I may have to cheat on my diet soon.
19. I write periodic blog posts for a collaborative log www.watchmecreate.com and I really enjoy it. I write stuff on there that I would never write on my personal blog because I would be afraid people would think I was full of myself or something. I'm not sure why I don't think that when I submit my posts to watchmecreate. Another mystery of the LoriBrain, I suppose.
20. I live in LoriLand. It's a pleasant place with good weather, the economy is booming and everyone gets along. Loriland drives my husband nuts. I tell him that Loriland is funded entirely by beads and when he starts making beads he can buy himself a vote in how Loriland is operated. Until then, he gets no vote. :)
21. My daughter does my least favorite part of the beadmaking process for me now. The books. YAY!
22. It is kind of odd that doing the books is my least favorite part of the business for me because before I made beads I worked in finance and accounting.
23. I am seriously running out of interesting glass facts about myself.
24. I have done a couple videos on YouTube - one has no sound and I don't know why.
25. I met my three best friends through beadmaking. Only one of them still makes beads regularly. I am very grateful to have met them and I thank beadmaking for that!