Color Me Happy

Glass Color Families Part Two

Previously I discussed how sometimes you get pigeonholed into making a specific style of bead and it can quash your creativity. I changed my mentality at the torch and began focusing on color families instead of specific bead styles.

I never went back. Occasionally I still kick out a set that is quintessentially me when I am on beadmaking autopilot ... but my beadmaking 'signature' has moved more towards color combinations and focusing on harmonious color palettes.

These recent sets are a shout-out to one of my favorite colors: orange.

Is there a happier color than orange? I can't help but smile when I see orange. It is a color I use quite often because I just love it so. 

I even love the smell of orange. It smells fresh and clean. It is invigorating and energizing. 

My dad's favorite color was orange. Maybe that is why I am so drawn to it and use it as the accent color throughout my home. It reminds me of him.

Orange and Aqua Lampwork Glass Beads


orange yellow pink lampwork glass beads
Sunshine: orange, yellow, pink:
tabs, discs, rounds



orange pink blue green lampwork glass beads
orange, pink, green, blue:
tabs, discs, sprees, barrels, rounds

Do you love color? Are you looking for inspiration and color recipes? Follow my blog for inspirational color palettes and glass color references. Shop my Etsy store for lampwork beads and jewelry.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Color Palettes: How to Incorporate Brown

Image
Lampworking Glass Color Reference Brown has not been a trendy color in glass for quite some time ... except with those beadmakers who make adorable critter beads or decadent sweet treats. It has been difficult to find brown clothing as well. It seems when grey became the new ' it ' color for literally everything from fashion to home decor, brown ceased to exist. Trying to find a nice pair of dark brown slacks has been next to impossible. I've all but given up and banished my blouses that need brown slacks to the back of the closet. For those of us whose natural skin and hair coloring pairs better with warm palettes over cool palettes, the struggle is real. I actually prefer grey and cool tones myself, but my person looks better in warm colors. So for the other warm palette people out there like me, I'm single-handedly bringing brown back in style. And if the rest of the world chooses not to hop on board that is okay. At least folks looking for warm colors know they ca...
Read more

Color Palettes: What to Pair with the Color Red

Image
Lampworking Soft Glass Color Reference Red is not a color I tend to gravitate towards. Whenever I pull it from my glass stash I usually just stare at it aimlessly trying to figure out what to pair with it. Then it goes back in its little cubby ... until I feel guilty that it never gets attention like the other colors do ... and I pull it out again,  only to repeat the cycle . But Fall is another story. When mother nature paints a gorgeous picture outside your window full of reds and yellows and greens and blues, then you know it is time. The red glass will have its day. Red, orange and yellow are a natural pairing as they are on the same side of the color wheel. Red and turquoise have been a popular combination for southwest designs. Red and green are together frequently at Christmas. But put them all together and it's like the most perfect woolly sweater ever made. It's as if Fall just opened up the gates and poured itself all over the studio. And really, who doesn't swoo...
Read more

Striking Glass: How to Get Color

Image
Lampworking Tips & Techniques Any lampworker who has ever attempted to work with 'striking' glass has experienced the struggle. How do you get all those fabulous color ranges and not just boring tan? Not that tan is a bad color ... but when you spend a small fortune on premium striking glass, tan is not the desired outcome. If we go way back into the glass time machine, the whole striking glass frenzy started with a furnace glass:  Reichenbach R-108 Iris Orange - lovingly nicknamed 'Raku' by the lampworking community ...  now I'm sounding like a food blogger 😉 There have been countless forum threads, e-books, tutorials, and conversations around how to get Raku to do its magic. Every single one of them has excellent information that anyone who chooses to work with this glass will benefit by reading and watching. I am no expert. I still can't get the full color range I want out of this glass after all this time. However, if we break down the already kno...
Read more

Recent Etsy Listings

Loading...