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Here's my latest "bead" although it doesn't much look like one.

It's again in borosilicate glass. Some people think it reminds them of the film "Day of the Triffids" while others think of "Little shop of horrors".I hope it gives you a laugh anyway or at least a smile.

I'm trying something new with posting multiple images at once so bear with me since the spider image is repeated.
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Continuing the Halloween theme, I've been trying a spider or two. This ones in borosilicate glass rather than the more usual "soft" glass. Pyrex is a boro type glass as is all laboratory glassware including the test tubes etc used in school labs.

I've made a few pumpkins and a ghost so decided to try a witch. Here are my second and third attempts.
This is Grizelda,

I've been having fun making all sorts of twists, different sizes, shapes and colours. I'm not sure what I'll do with them but I've had fun. I've also used up some of my many bits of scrap stained glass.

Technically this is a bead but is in fact a small vessel as the body of it is hollow and will hold aromatic oils. It becomes hollow by blowing through a small bore 6mm blow pipe to expand the glass and then handles etc are added while praying that the rest will not crack while doing so.

I've made a red cat now. At least the eyes are better.

I've not made many beads lately but have made just a few to keep my hand in as it were. The top left is a vessel and the two bottom beads are made on curved mandrels. I foolishly decided to enter a cat bead swop on the Frit Happens Forum where you send a few beads to a coordinator who then send you the same number back from other participants. Can you see which three are meant to be cat beads?

I’ve just bought the book “Link It” by Susan C. Thomas and it contains projects using both rubber and aluminium rings. Purple Moon Beads sells the aluminium jump rings but I’m not too keen as the colour coating comes off very easily. One of the projects I’d quite like to try uses 1.6mm wire with a 10mm ID. I’ve made a sample using some of my own 1.0mm and 10mm ID (internal diameter) for quickness and it’s clear that the 1.0mm rings and not sturdy enough to withstand the forces on them so I've ordered some brass and copper rings from The Dragonfly Company.

I made this ring froma tutorial by Donna Spadafore and presented by the JewelryLessons.com website.