Glass Beads by Lotti

It's been ages since I last blogged.  I used to keep a blog of all our adventures since moving down to the South West from rural Hertfordshire, but got so busy it got rather neglected, and there were only so many times you could say, 'Oh I have seen deer; a buzzard; a woodpecker,' or 'Lovely day at the beach; on Dartmoor!'.  Then this week I went to a local small business networking meeting and met a nice lady who advises small business on social networking and was told to get blogging again, so here goes!

When we moved down here, a whole 6 years ago, I was working as a freelance trainer and coach working with small business teaching leadership and management skills (I used to be a project and line manager for a BIG HUGE global corporate company, you can take the girl out of management but you can't take the management out of the girl!).  I generally worked through private training providers or colleges and one of my assignments was working with a woman who worked in a craft centre; as part of her course I had to observe her teaching the customers jewellery making skills and as I used to have a bit of a play with a bead loom thought I could have a go at this.  I enjoyed making my own jewellery for friends and family and was mostly self taught through books and magazines.  One day I bought a magazine which had a tutorial in it for making a lampwork bead (what making a bead using your bedside lamp??).  I realised this was about melting glass and got very very excited.  I just love glass, always have, it's a bit of a family thing, collecting glass pieces and visiting hot shops (where they blow glass).  Quickly I found myself a tutor so could learn lampworking and just over a year ago I gave up the teaching work to become a full time artist (who me!). 

I started selling my work through a couple of small outlets and a weekly market, through the market I met other stallholders who told me about other markets and so on!  Finally one of my customers from that market contacted me and asked me if I would like to be part of a small co-operative of 4 glass orientated artists setting up a workshop and outlet in Bude in Cornwall, right by the sea and it was this break (pardon the pun) that enabled me (forced me actually as I couldn't do everything) to give up the teaching.  The workshop/outlet is a fabulous place and you can find out more information on it at
Altantic Glass Studio

I work in a cold breezy barn with so much natural ventilation that the swallows can get in in the summer even if the doors are closed!  Currently it is just too cold to get in there to torch without going blue in 5 minutes and heating is just a waste of money as the nice warm air just ends up outside!  So I am looking forward to warmer days when I can get back to work, the only issue is that warmer days mean busy days in the workshop in Bude and at the markets, but I shall just have to manage my time a bit better this year.

Enough as an intro at the moment I think, more soon on what I actually do and what lampworking is (and no it isn't using my bedside light to make beads).   I shall aim to blog at least twice a month, maybe more in these intial stages and as it is too cold to do any glass making.