Making Glass Beads & Blowing Glass Ornaments

“Light up your life” with this class as you learn how to make glass beads and blow glass ornaments. No experience is necessary. All supplies, tools and materials are provided.

You’ll learn how to make glass beads and pull stringers to decorate your beads in the flame of a torch. Each day, more styles, techniques and shapes will be taught, including complex twisties, raking, swirls, scrolls, stringer control, encasing, metals and using sparkly dichroic glass to add lots of bling! Discover chemical reactions that happen from the combination of heat, glass and metals. Enjoy the detailed precision of design or the organic free-form style. There is truly something for everyone in this class!

You will also learn how to make glass-blown ornaments from glass tubing. Everyone will make round and icicle shapes. The class includes ten ornament tubes per student, but Julie will have extra tubing on hand, so you can have enough ornaments for everyone on your gift list!

You’ll have more fun at the end of the week with power tools. Julie will have die cuts on hand to punch out copper etched sheet metal discs to forge your own bead caps. And you can use wire to make your own head pins. She’ll have extra findings on hand, if you’d like to assemble your hand-made beads into wearable jewelry.

Safety, equipment, tools and torch setup will be discussed. Bring a pair of safety glasses, and wear closed-toe shoes and cotton clothing. Long hair should be secured when working with flame.

Julie Lukosaitis has a passion for making glass beads in the small flame of a torch and has been a glass flameworking instructor for almost 20 years. She is the owner of Beadazzled By Julz, and travels around Wisconsin with her glass studio teaching classes. Julie has many years of experience working in public education and teaching to different learning levels. She believes the best reward for a teacher is seeing the joy her students feel with their own creativity and building on their skills. When that happens, she can see their confidence grow, and it shows in their work.

Julie will contact students prior to class.

Level: All Levels
Materials Fee: $50 for supplies and materials (Julie will have extra supplies on hand for purchase during class.)
Web: www.beadazzledbyjulz.com

Pricing (per person):
$1080 Dorm Room Package*
$1180 Two-Person Room Package*
$1770 Single-Person Room Package* (limited availability)
$635 Commuter Package** (limited availability)

*package includes tuition, lodging & 16 meals
**package includes tuition & 7 meals