Hager Studios News

Omigosh! Where has the time gone? It's been almost month since my last entry. It's all of the shows, you know? We have been either getting ready or presenting our beads and jewelry non-stop. Yesterday was the last scheduled trunk show appearance for the season, and as much as we enjoyed it, it will be good to slow things down just a bit so that we can get caught up. I am finishing up the special holiday orders and already starting to think about spring. Hope you enjoy one of the new black, white and red tabs that I made this week. It looks great wired up as a pendant and hung on a pretty silver chain.

This time of the year, I am up to my eyeballs in bead-making! I am excited about all of the upcoming shows and the opportunity to meet with so many of you, I can hardly wait. But in the meantime, I am makin' beads. I spent the weekend working on my Coffee and Cream series. I've made so many of these beads--the color combination is so neutral and yet so rich, too.

Because I've had so many requests for the Coffee and Cream series in the larger hole beads that fit the myriad of bracelets that allow you to swap out the beads, I went ahead and made some Coffee and Cream designs. They are really beautiful and I think that you will like them, too.

Last Friday, we drove to Ferndale for the gallery opening of the guild collaboration project. Wow! It was so cool to see all of the interpretations of "Water All Around Us." Sue Schwartzenberger, my collaboration partner, and I were thrilled to see our project mounted on the wall. If you get a chance to stop by and see it, be sure to do so. It's worth the effort. Margaret Sutherland and Sue acted as co-chairs and they both did a GREAT job! Congratulations!

I really enjoy making these encased florals! Unfortunately, they are time-intensive and every time you add a layer of glass you can smear it, crack it, or get it right. This is from my Christmas Rose series.

I haven't been at the torch for several days--actually, almost a week! I think that I am going through torch withdrawal, so, it looks like today will be a bead-making day, since my next show is a little over a week away.

Oh, WOW! I made Kathy and my mistletoe bracelet from the current issue of Bead & Button magazine in gold rings. I LOVE it! The silver version is beautiful, too, but gold is my personal favorite to wear so I thought I would share how it looks. I even made a pair of earrings to go with...I will share those with you another time, though .

Yesterday, we did the Winter Wonders show in Birmingham, Michigan. We had a wonderful time and sold lots of beads. The mistletoe beads were flying out of the trays. I sure am glad that I made lots for the show. This week, I'll have to make some more. Good thing I like making them.  

Our next fun thing will be the opening reception at the Lawence Street Gallery in Ferndale, Michigan this coming Friday. I can hardly wait to see all of the interpretatiions of the theme, Water All Around Us. Members of the Great Lakes Beadmakers Guild and the Southeastern Michigan Glass Beadmakers Guild collaborated to create 21 pieces of wearable jewelry based on the theme and during the month of November, if you are in Ferndale, be sure to check them out. The gallery is only open on certain days, so be sure to check out the times on their website at www.lawrencestreetgallery.com.

Well, here they are! I made the red, black and white beads in the classic bracelet that several of you wanted at the last few shows. We'll have them available this Saturday at the Winter Wonders show in Birmingham, Michigan. They are very pretty and it's that dark red that is so rich and luscious looking.

It's always so nice to hear from so many of you when you receive our monthly newsletter. The tomato recipe, although very rich, is mmm-mmm good so I hope that you enjoy it as much as we do. Enough for now--I am on a bead-making mission so that I have plenty for you to choose from on Saturday .

The pin oaks are stunningly beautiful in our backyard this year. After the rainy, cold day yesterday, they are the about the only trees that still have their leaves on them, except for the few ginkgo leaves on our two ginkgo trees and the gorgeous gold leaves on our Norwegian maple tree. The apple trees have lots of apples on them for the deer to eat but only apples--no leaves--so it seems that winter can't be far behind.

I thought that you might enjoy seeing my interpretation of those beautiful pin oaks on this Autumn Leaf bead. The workshop that I took in September with Kristen Frantzen Orr has unleashed all kinds of ideas that I've been playing with the past couple of years. Thank you, Kristen! The Autumn Leaf bead is featured in my November newsletter along with lots of other new beads from the studio. Enjoy!

I made beads all day today! Whoohoo! Worked in greens and reds making those holiday type beads. What fun. I've had so many requests for the beads that are in my personal Christmas bracelet so I tried to make 12 of each of the beads in the bracelet. I have two more to make and then I'll move on to the red, black and white beads that you all have asked to have me put back into the repertoire. My next show will be next weekend for Winter Wonders. I am planning to have LOTS of holiday beads for that show--plus my regular inventory, of course--so if you are looking for some beautiful holiday beads, be sure to stop by!

O.k., o.k., I know--it's been awhile. So much for good intentions, but, in truth, we have never been busier! As one of my lovely clients pointed out to me at one of my many fall shows, "You haven't blogged since last May!" ARGGH! A lot has happened since then, but, unless you get my monthly newsletter, I guess you will just have to imagine . Subscribing to the newsletter is the only way for sure that you will always be in the know, because I do send that out at the beginning of each month.

I gave my very first bead party last weekend. What a blast that was! Everybody made their very own earrings to take home and, from the teacher's perspective, it was a great success--I hope that everyone who was there has as good a time as I had.

So what am I doing now? Well, I am catching up on blogging, making lots of beads for my November and December shows (and the internet, too), and just trying to stay caught up with everything. Be sure to check out my calendar to see if I will be in your neighborhood. October was SUPER busy--we started our fall round of shows in September and October was a banner month. It's always such fun to meet and greet everybody with whom we've become good friends. Now that I am back on the wagon, so to speak, I'll try to do a better job of keeping you informed of who, what, where, and when in my blog!

I've been so busy in the studio pushing the envelope that you've perhaps noticed my blogging has fallen by the wayside.  Sorry abou that, but truth to tell, I have been pushing the envelope of my bead-making skills. I took a class from Trey Cornette a little over a week ago and have been trying to apply some of his techniques to my beads with some exciting results for me. I've been making lots of florals lately, too, getting ready to submit my 5 trays of beads to GlassAct for our Bead and Button booth. The thing about pushing the envelope and learning some new techniques is that, although you're working hard, making lots of experimental beads, so many of those beads are just that--experimental--and unlikely to see the light of the bead show day. But, I am very pleased with this encased floral. The larger ones are SO HARD to do well. Isn't it pretty?

Well, back to bead-making. I am in the studio all day today. I've got some more new ideas that I just can't wait to put into glass.

Yesterday, Kathy Petersen, her husband, Pete, my husband, Jerry, and I went to Lancaster, Ohio to view the first installation of the CONVERGENCE exhibit. It's an all-day trip for us, down and back, but OMG, worth every moment in the van to see the beautiful neckpieces and one bracelet that was on display. We were so pleased to be included. If you get a chance to see it, don't miss it as it is a wonderful look at some masterful creations. Kathy and I are already planning our next joint project--we have such fun that we just can't seem to stop doing it, ya know?

On another but related note, the bead pictured is a long ways away from the style of the beads used in the CONVERGENCE project. But those of you who know me, know that I get bored easily and I thrive on working on more than one idea at a time. I have just begun collaborating with another artist --Susan Schwartzenberger from Stony Creek Bead and Gallery. Susan and I are excited about the opportunity to create a collaborative piece with the theme, "Water All Around Us."  The theme was picked by the two Michigan guilds--Glass Beadmakers and Beadworkers--to celebrate the upcoming anniversaries of the two organizations. As everyone knows, Michigan is SURROUNDED by water 24/7! Since I grew up on Lake Michigan, it is one of my most favorite places in the world. So, pictured above is one of my newest "Beaches" beads, a few of  which I will have with me at the upcoming Bead and Button show at Booth 1018. Maybe I will see you there.