May 2025 Creativity Challenge
All That Glitters
Congratulations to Marcy Lamberson!
We're inviting everyone to join us in sharing your creativity with our sparkling new theme: "All That Glitters." Whether it's dazzling dichroic, shimmering glass, or anything that catches the light — we want to see your beads that sparkle and shine!
Thank you to our sponsor, Riley Designs Dichroic! 
Artist Statement
This photo is for the dichroic challenge! Dichro Glass fish!
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Artist Statement
I’m a retired RN, and now a full time glass artist for the past 5 years. Dichro is my jam!! If there is any way to add Dichro to a bead I’ll do it!
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My beads explore the use of colors and textures and many have a feeling of whimsy. I’m always interested in learning new techniques and I enjoy seeing where this bead journey takes me.
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I never get tired of using dichroic in my beads! I made this one using Riley Designs Rainbow Dichroic and made the bead into an everyday pendant that I enjoy wearing.
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Sublimation of Silver with Air
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My name is Kathy Johnson and I have been making beads since 1981. Sage Holland inspired me to start making beads. I love horses and make them still. They aren’t sparkly so I made some of my sparkle beads.
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A bouquet of spring flowers on a sparkling bed of leaves and dichroic glass.
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My name is Yi Zhang, I'm from Beijing, China.
I started my lampwork journey in 2018. I mainly work with soft glass. I became interested in making murrinis not long after I passed my beginner's phase.
I made lots of flowers and some cute animals murrinis. I get inspired from everything, nature, music, universe, along with my spiritual growth.
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I've been practicing octopus since my class last year with Joy Munshower. I covered the rock he was sitting on with green and blue transparent then sparkling silver to give the water some movement. Walked back into the house after this pic and dropped it and broke off the top tentacle that I worked so hard at.
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I made this bead using Bullseye glass. The base is light green. I added swipes of darker green and dichroic glass to make the background of the design.
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I've been fascinated by glass my entire life. From stringing seed beads to picking up pieces of broken coke bottles, it didn't matter. It was glass. When I went to my first torch class in 1996 it just clicked. I've been melting ever since. Serenade in Blues: encased silver foil hollow beads, approximately 1" diameter.
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My first experience with dichroic glass was a class with Lisa St. Martin at the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee, I believe it was in 2013. The inspiration for these beads came from a class with Frank Scott at another B&B show. Made this bunch getting ready for the summer markets.
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Glittery fun fish using double Helix and Lori Dichro. Thanks for the reminder on how fun these are to make. I also tried luminaire and glow in the dark but they didn’t come out worth showing.
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I've been making these little bear totems since our Albuquerque ISGB Gathering. They always make me happy. I love adding Lori Riley's dichro to the night sky. Sometimes it's in greens when doing Northern Lights and sometimes it's just in whatever color makes me smile at the moment.
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A miniature blown glass crow vessel that glitters with silver glass and fine silver. Soda lime glass.
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I used silver and dichroic glass mixed with cremains on this Memorial Bead. It was made to help a long time friend deal with a loved one's death, and was a very moving experience for me.
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Simple bead… but “could you add more glitter?”
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For these clear drops I have used Iris Violet reduction frit that I have found in an old box of lampworking items gifted to me after a bead store was closing. I didn't know what to expect or what the frit had. I pulled a stringer of Iris yellow with clear for the dots, sprinkled the Iris violet frit and reduced it, resulting in a bubbly drop.
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This sparkly bead started with a core of medium red, wrapped in a layer of teal dichroic strip, then cased in clear. Finally, end caps were added and stringer work was applied to the clear surface, both in Reichenbach Deep black. I love dichro for the sparkle, but it is a constant battle not to burn it and trap scum in your beads!
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I have used Helios in my glass bouquets for the glittery moments in my work. The shapes remind us of nature, yet these are full of fun and fantasy.
The shiny copper stem leads your eyes down to unique grouping of unusual roots.
Overall, My focus is to evoke a unique feeling of joy and wonder in the space between reality and fantasy.
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Hi everybody,
Here is my bead for the "All that Glitters".
Blown bead with Effetre glass, about 5 cm diameter.
I fell in love with glass beads 20 years ago by a journey in Mali where I found my first glass beads. For me they are witnessing techniques advances and population movements along the centuries. They are witnesses of human story.
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I liked this challenge way better than the Pantone Color Of The Year, as I am quite fond of dichroic glass and use it lot. I decided to keep it simple and just let the dichroic be the focus of the bead with no further decoration other than the edging in white gold leaf.
Heart bead - Base of Effetre intense blue, magenta/green Riley Designs crinkle dichroic, edged with white gold leaf.
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I am very pleased with how this oceanscape bead turned out. The Riley Dichroic really shines through and this is probably my best shaped bead ever! I’ve been practicing these techniques learned from Shelley Woolvin of Frantz Art Glass at her glass at GCBE 2025!
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Professionally, Peggy is a Commercial Interior Designer specializing in Accessibility and ADA. Color, Texture, and form are part of her daily language. Making jewelry has been a favorite side hustle since graduating college, and learning to make flamework beads has been her dream, which became reality in 2023. Other artistic pursuits include bag making, quilting, mixed media, pastels, and watercolor.
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I have been melting glass into pleasing shapes for 17 years now. I am getting pretty good at it. Glass is my habit. That’s my first choice activity. I want to do it. I don’t get deep and philosophical about understanding my drive to make art. What I know for sure is I want to do it, I get to do it, and it’s a ton of fun. That’s all I need to know.
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