I'm back.............

After a week of virus hell thanks to my son sharing his germs, I sniffed my way through the annual event that is the Flame Off.  Two whole days of fire and glass, of buying more glass, stroking a bit more glass, admiring other peoples glass and watching fantastic artists create using...GLASS!!  If you don't like glass, lampwork glass beads in particular, then the Flame Off isn't for you. 

Starting on Friday for the Flame Off  in Uttoexter UK the event ran until 5pm on Saturday  when some lampworkers packed up and went home, a fair few of us stayed put for another day trading on the Sunday for the bead fair. Its always great to catch up with those you have met on the internet, putting names to faces and to spend 3 glorious days nattering with friends you haven't seen for months...thanks to Caroline from BlueberriBeads for being my neighbour and putting up with me moaning and whinging about my snotty sniffing, even if she did threaten to wear a mask around me!  We had a lovely time talking beads, eating and drinking in the evening and hatching plans that will see us receive world domination and be knee deep in beads this time next year...watch this space we had 3 days to dream big!!

So, after arriving early on Friday morning to set up, me sniffing and my husband finding his bead fair soul mate in Caroline's husband, whom had brought his new drill and gadgets to attach to said drill, which then meant the pair of them proceeded to drill and screw down anything they could on both mine and Carolines tables, before they set off to collect Carolines new car - which is fantastic and ENORMOUS! with this marvellous step that comes out so you can get in the back...I am easily pleased and spent a fair few minutes just opening the sliding back door to watch the step pop out!

My photos are a bit on the lacking side...have I mentioned I was ill?...but if you can imagine I am to the right of the photo above.  I was next door to Caroline on my left but the GBUK stand on my right.  The photo above shows Heather from Heather Kelly Glass who makes the gremlin beads, they are just  amazing!  The other lady I am embarrassed to say I have forgotten her name, I am rubbish at remembering names, but she was just lovely.  The GBUK stand is a hive of activity at this event as it shows off the entries for the competition.  All winning entries can be seen here on their webpage.  All the entries were stunning, there is some talent in the glass bead work here in the UK, not least this entry below....

The beadwork has been done by the very talented and internationally acclaimed seed bead weaver Lynn Davy and features thousands of those iddy biddy little beads with some lampwork beads. 

The theme is Famous Artists and Lynn chose Damien Hirst, taking inspiration from his cow in a box with dead flies.....

So why am I showing you the entry that didn't win?  Well.  The winning entry was truly worthy of the win, but, back in January, I emailed Lynn, whom I am lucky to call a friend, and asked her if she wanted to have some beads for the competition.  The weather was nasty, the clouds dark grey and angry, the ground was sodden and the mountain of dog towels in my house was depressing and I wanted something to do that would make me smile and if anyone can come up with bead designs to make you smile then Lynn and I together can be dynamite! 

The photo on the bust is one I took at the Flame Off with my camera so its not brilliant, but the one above this text is one Lynn sent me of the finished piece.  The cows head is smiling...obviously...and the back that you can't see! is all bloody (glass red!) as if severed, the maggots are somewhat phallic in shape as are the pupae, and the flies are either dead with closed eyes or awake, but the best beads, which I believe were the idea of Lynn's husband was to have ...umm....shaggin' flies...how else do you get baby flies :P How much fun did I have over the weekend asking people if they had seen the shaggin' flies and watch them scurry back to the table for a closer look before they turned back with a massive grin :) So Lynn and I might not have won our category but if they were giving out prizes for the piece that got the most grins and sniggers.......