Fun Friday: Froggy Fun

Aren't these lampwork frog pendants cute? Each little frog is handmade by artist Guy Melamed using his lampwork torch; they can take as long as 45 minutes to create in a process described as " almost like painting but with a glass paintbrush in a 2000 degree flame". After the frog is made, it and its glass bead are annealed together (annealing is a method of making glass or steel tougher and more durable by a process of heating and cooling, like what is done to tempered glass) so the llittle guys stay cute for a long time. (The store's site actually has a page dedicated to the process, and it's pretty interesting.) They're pendants are then wound onto a sterling silver head pin with a sterling daisy spacer at the bottom and top of each bead. The silver ring up top will allow you to wear your little frog-friend on any number of necklaces.




They run about $30 each, and some are available on eBay for less. I really like the detail on the frogs, but some are just darned cute. Once again, it's artwork you can wear, isn't it? These little glass amphibians are cute, charming, and clever pieces of jewelry, and I think they'd be a blast to wear. They'll make a fun gift for anyone, but I do think your nature-loving friends might really like them, or perhaps someone off for a rainforest vacation. Regardless, they're cute and fun, good for everyday wear if you like!

The Blanche and Guy shop offers some truly beautiful glasswork in addition to the cute frogs. There are truly delicious and happy-noise-inspiring loose glass beads made by Guy as well as jewelry, like the bracelets (check out this extra-yummy one, I really like the colours) made up of Guy's marvellous glass creations. It's really beautiful, and if you're an artist, you are sure to appreciate Guy's work; if you're a jewelry-maker, you're going to be ogling the beads page and comparing your needs to your checking account for some time! They have a nifty gallery, too - please, no drooling on keyboards, darlings.

I also wanted to point out what I think is one of the best, most fun "About Us" pages I've seen. Perseverance, hope, overcoming, romance, love, hope, healing, victory, it's all there. I love it, it's so sweet - plus, Guy is a horse lover like myself, so that raises him even higher in my estimation. Be sure to check it out, I think you'll like reading about Guy and lovely Blanche as much as I did.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Just an FYI, I don't think I'll be posting next week due to Independence Day, but if you miss me desperately, feel free to check out my Flickr stream. Have a great week, a great Independence Day, and I'll definitely see y'all again on July 9th. :)