New Blog

I have a new blog especially for updates on my jewelry line, jewelry shop updates, and sales. Check it out over at: http://www.azizajewelry.blogspot.com Stop over, leave some feedback and comments! Happy Shopping!

I Took The Pledge

Today I took the pledge! And you can too right here! Whether you shop on Etsy, Craftster, Indiepublic or just shop at your local flea or craft market, you too can support handmade.

I usually make my own gifts around the holidays for friends and loved ones but if I don't make it, I try to support other handmade crafters whenever I can. So, it only made sense to take the pledge! Especially in today's economy I feel its so important now more than ever to support local small businesses, especially something as special as something handmade!

So...what the heck is lampworking??

Lately, in conversation with some of my most recent customers, (some jewelry and beading enthusiasts), it's come to my attention that there are a lot of people out there who have NO IDEA what lampworking is... and really don't understand what I mean when I say "I make the glass beads". As I know a lot of other lampworking artists face the challenge of educating their customers, I often face this task as well.

The conversation at my show booth usually goes a little something like this:

Customer: "I love this bracelet (or earrings, necklace, etc.)... so unique and colorful, where did you find such unique beads?!"

Me: "Thank you! The silver findings I buy and I make all of the glass beads from Italian glass through a process called lampworking."

Customer: "Oh! (with confused look on face) But where did you get the beads from?"

So then I usually explain that I make all of the beads by a process called lampworking and I use a 2000 degree torch made specifically for beadmaking. It's an arduous and time consuming task but it usually gets the job done (I think).

I have been selling my jewelry now at shows and online for just a few years and even though there is a huge glass bead community out there, most of my customers still have no idea what lampworking is, which is why I decided to dedicate this particular blog to this discussion.

Below is a picture of me lampworking in my studio.

So what the heck is lampworking anyway?

Lampworking is a process of glassworking or beadmaking where a propane/oxygen based torch is used to melt hot glass over a steel rod. The rod creates the hole over which the bead is formed. Various tools and hand positions are used to mold the glass into the desired shape. Even though today we use torches specifically designed for beadmaking, this technique is known as lampworking since oil lamps were originally used in older times as the fire source for beadmaking. Even more detailed information about this process can be found here.

Hopefully this clears some things up for my customers.

As always feel free to e-mail me with any questions or feedback about my work. And if you're interested in learning how to make glass beads yourself, feel free to join my mailing list . Oh and I forgot to mention, new items are always up on my etsy page!

Thats when IT hit me!

I've recently been working on narrowing down my jewelry collection to a more simple, more easily recognizable line, but after struggling with this concept for a while, I wasn't quite sure just in which direction I was really going. But just then I had a gentle reminder...




As I mentioned previously, the shows I had this past weekend went very well. I had a few nice surprises too. I reunited with an old friend of the family Diane Smith, who I hadn't seen in about 20 years. She surprised me by showing up at one of my shows where it was advertised that I would be selling there. Even though there was quite an age difference between us (I wasn't quite a teenager back then) at family get togethers, we always had a special connection through art and she always encouraged me to continue with my talents. She mentioned that she recently started a comic strip which was very much inspired by me and my work...from almost 20 years ago! I was absolutely shocked! Who would have thought a shy, young artist could have such an impact?





After talking with her and hearing about her cartoon series success I was so flattered and ofcourse very happy to hear about her return to art as a comic strip artist and to see my inspiration in action! Very exciting stuff. You can see my friend Diane's cartoons in a writers publication called "The Storyteller" which is sold nationally. Her cartoon series is featured on the inside back cover...in color on glossy paper!

Seeing her was so awesome because I was reinspired to keep going with my challenging redesign dilemna. She reminded me of the type of work I used to make when I was younger- mostly tiny Sculpey clay food dishes like fruit bowls, plates of cookies, pizzas and sandwiches. She particularly loved the pizza which I always garnished with mushrooms, pepperoni and onions. That might sound like a bizarre combination of pizza toppings, but those were the most recognizable tiny garnishes I could come up with! The pizza pie after all was about the size of a half dollar.

Turns out for her that the pizza was particularly inspiring...and then I remembered how much fun it was to make all of those tiny treasures. I used to spend hours upon hours making tiny dishes of food and fruits and it was so incredibly fun...and thats when it hit me! My idea for simplifying my work... is just doing whats fun! It never feels like work when its fun! Not that I don't have fun when I'm making work now but every now and then I forget why I chose to do what I do. So, the resut of all of this...well its still a work in progress, but do look out for my new more simplified work in the coming months!

Oh and I forgot to mention- everything featured on my etsy page is now 10% off! Even on the items already on Sale! So, shop now just in time for Mother's Day!

More Shows and More Sales

This past weekend was super hectic as I participated in the First Annual Bead Fiesta in NYC. The Bead Fiesta is an awesome show that takes place in various cities throughout the U.S. where you can see several Glass Bead Artists showcasing their work. I had the opportunity to meet some really fabulous people and see their beautiful work. So inspiring! I love doing shows! I then had a private show lined for all day Monday, so the past 3 days have been really crazy, but I'm finally getting back to business as usual.

I was also able to just recently line up a few on-going teaching/ consulting opportunities for group beadmaking lessons. Very exciting! I also do private lessons, so if anyone's interested in learning how to make glass beads, just let me know! Just incase you were wondering what my teaching philosophy is, I try to make learning fun and memorable but always keeping safety in mind ofcourse! You can always e-mail me at aziza@azizasboutique.com if you're interested in learning.

With Mother's Day approaching I have been looking for additional venues to showcase my new items. I have a few private shows lined up very soon (sorry it's a closed list of venues) but for now I'm still showcasing my NEW items on my etsy page all the time. If you would like to see anything in person, please feel free to contact me at aziza@azizasboutique.com to set up a private appointment. And as always, I will post any new shows that I'll be participating in, here on my blog.

Oh! More good news, I was recently featured in a really cool blog by a household treasures blogger and a really cool gal named Laura Foreman. You can read her review here. Thanks again Laura! Please stop by and check out her blog too- I found some really cool stuff on there.

So thats it for now- I'll keep you all posted if I indeed end up having another public showcase before Mother's Day.

Until then, there's always the new and SALE items available on my etsy page.

Easter Brings a Resurrection...of Beads and Banners

Yep, thats right! I'm working today...even on Easter Sunday. Today made me think about not just the resurrection of Jesus (not that I'm religious at all really) but also about resurrecting things from my past. From my work past that is. After doing an inventory recount recently, I realized that I have a LOT of inventory. Some great new designs, but mostly old styles...things I may have made for shows or for quick sales and for some reason or other, I have A HUGE surplus of styles still left over.

There just happened to be a LOT of the smaller earrings, so I figured I needed an immediate outlet besides my web site to loosen up inventory. They're all super cute, smallish but not too small (about 1 - 1 1/2 inches long). Mostly stone earrings, like coral, but also some super cute classic pearls. Plus with Mother's Day coming up, there couldn't be a better time to have a SALE!

Sooooo...Out with the old and in with the new! I love sales, so right now I'm taking a bunch of these smaller styles out of inventory and putting them on SALE on my etsy page. It's a win-win! I get to clear inventory and make someone else's day by offering them ridiculously low priced earrings.

Oh and there's also other great finds on my etsy page besides the earrings ofcourse!

Ok, ok, you got the picture. ;) I would also like to elicit any opinions there might be on my new banner. I finally figured out how to use picture editing software and after a bit of tinkering with a few photos and ideas, came up with a design I like. Coming up with a new banner design was one of the most time consuming, and yet fun tasks that I've given myself recently. Ofcourse there were a few designs I really liked but just didn't work. Why put them to total waste when I can share them with you guys?

Some of the no-go's are below:

Gosh, design is harder than I thought! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new banner I ended up with and again...feedback welcome!

Oh... and Happy Easter!

Upcoming Show!

I'm excited to announce a new show I have coming up in less than 2 weeks! I'll be showcasing some of my new jewelry and large and small pendants and beads suitable for quick adds onto chains. This will be my first time participating in this particular show but I have a feeling this will be a fresh, exciting new show!



I haven't showcased my work in a while so I'm really excited to showcase my new designs. I am especially excited about some of the new combos I've come up with- I call them my "clutter pendants" since these pendants have a lot of components in the center and it kind of looks a little "cluttered".

Besides finished jewelry, I will also have just pendants which you can quickly add onto chains of various sizes. I will also have some chains available for purchase! Below is an example of some of the pendants I will have.

Details of where/ when the show will be:

Bead Fiesta

@Bnai Zion Foundation

136 East 39th (39th @ Lexington Avenue)

Saturday April 18, 10:00-6:00 &

Sunday April 19, 10:00-5:00

New York, New York

If anyone needs directions by train or driing directions, feel free to leave a comment and I'll get back to you or e-mail me at aziza@azizasboutique.com.

Hope to see you there!

I Heart Vessels

After a recent trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, I was really inspired by pottery, glass art and jewelry from ancient cultures...especially Egypt. So I just started working on some new beads- bottles! Yep, they are kind of old looking or even antique if you will! Technically, they are called vessel beads and I even found the cutest little corks as stoppers for the tops. Yes, they actually can function as bottles and even hold liquid!

These beads measure around 3/4 " x 3/4" without the cork stopper. Small, but I'm really excited about the way they came out. I'm not exactly sure just what I will do with them yet though. Similar beads I've seen hold essential oils for therapeutical purposes and I guess these could too unless they are just worn for decorative purposes?

Small can be good too especially since you really don't want a lot of essential oil around at a time. That stuff can be really potent! I'll keep you all posted whatever I decide to do with them.

I've also recently become obsessed with heart beads...not just regular heart beads but hearts of unique non traditional colors. I think they came out great- really eye catching and bright! Below are just a few of the pieces I've been working on. Here's a pair of emerald green heart earrings with the cutest little swarovski crystals added.

And here's an aquamarine heart bead necklace also with some swarovski crystals added. I absolutely adore swarovski crystals- they add a bit of bling to everything. I love it!

These hearts can be bought at my etsy store as well as lots of other fun and unique items too. I'll probably be posting some of my other unique heart color jewelry within the next few coming days.

See you then!

I'm New Here!

So I finally decided to start blogging on here...yay me! I've been blogging for a while on my myspace page, but finally decided to get one up and running on here so that I can post it anywhere else I'd like to and ofcourse to attract even more readers!

Well, first I should tell you all a little about myself. I've never really been good at bios and such, but here goes... My name is Aziza. I am an artist. I make all sorts of crafty things but lately my focus has been lampwork glass bead jewelry. You can view and buy my work on my website. I make all of my own beads through a fun yet painstaking process called lampworking and then I make jewelry with them.

I also make jewelry using gemstones and simple wire and metalsmithing techniques, but most everything is made from glass beads. I absolutely love what I do! My dream is to one day open up a physical store and sell my jewelry along with a few other things...some prints, a few original paintings, collages and maybe pottery. I forgot to mention, I also make pottery.

Well, right now I don't have access to use of a pottery studio so its been a while since I've made any pottery, but that will change in the near future…I hope!

I recently also started selling things on my etsy page. I just joined but so far I've found that the community there is super friendly...its like nothing I've ever seen actually! I'm really looking forward to my first sale!

Well, I don't want to let my first post get too long, so I'll end it here. I'm really looking forward to sharing with you all again real soon!