I was born sometime ago, and reared by Killer Rabbits, in a commune full of Nuns ..... well ok, ....no I wasn't 
Um, Stuff about me then. 
Well I'm a Mum of 2 monsters, (thats true!) both the 'boy' variety, and Landrover (my 3rd Child,) A brilliant Hubby (don't tell him I said that, he'll get big headed)
I make glass beads and Jewellery.
I used to be a dinner lady at my Son's Primary School. It was a job I really enjoyed, plus was a sneaky way of checking up on my two lads the youngest of which is Autistic
Being Severly Dyslexic myself, I'd always hated school and felt that 'the education system' was well, in a word 'pants' for kids like meself, or others who also for whatever reason didn't have the 'right fit'
Square Pegs and Round holes and all that.
That was until I was able to see at first hand the depths and measures in place at my son's school.
They have a specialst unit for kids with emotional and behavioural problems, and ALL the staff are dedicated and well, just totally fab. My Youngest is making good progress, and there are even days when he reckons he actually enjoyed it!!!
I Volunteered to help out in class, one thing led to another and I start as an Learning support Assistant in Sept 07
I love both my Jobs, as each one stops me getting too involved with the other and keeps my feet firmly on the ground.
Right the Glassy stuff.....
I've been making jewellery scince 2000, It started initially as 'therapy' hobby, when the children were babies, and it kind of grew from that.
I used mainly Semi Precious Stones, loads of Seed Beads, (you need loads as they are so small - well thats my excuse) and of course my own Lampworked beads
Im totally self taught, in the Jewellery side of things, the bead weaving especially.
It's also 'How' I discovered Lampworked Beads.
As an art student (phew, THAT was a long time ago) Glass was one of the few mediums I hadn't played with, but from an early age it had always intrigued me big time...
I think it's the pyromaniac in me, the thought of playing with fire and Molten Glass
- well, to me there is a certain charm about it.
Just me that feels that way? ho hum.
Anyway .....
In Dec 2004 I attended a 2 day beginners course in Lampworking, run by Diana East.
It was fantastic, I loved it immediately. Layering the glass, Playing with fire, playing with colour, AND fire... learning how different colours react to each other in the fire
...just seemed to make sense.
Did I mention we also got to play with fire.... 
The following April (after playing around with a Hot Head Torch - yep Hubby thought that the name was hilarious! ) - I took the plunge and bought the kit.
I reckon that by the year 2015 I might have payed the money back to the savings account.....
shhh don't tell Hubby....
Now the 'Techy glassy bit'
All my beads are annealed using a digital thermostat, which is attached to the outside of my kiln, and regulates the kiln temperature doing all the hard work for me.
I use mainly Plowden and Thompson glass, ( I have had a brief go with the 'other stuff' but TBH it just wasn't me)
It's the only British Manufacter of 'Rod' glass for lampworking, and I feel proud that Im one of the few Glass artists that keep thngs 'homegrown'
The only other glass I use is in small amounts of the REICHENBACH 'Raku'
and Dichroic Clear and Black and thats it!
The whole annealing process takes (after the bead has been made) over 10 hours which is about 3 times longer than other glass, but well worth it as I get different colours and reactions as the glass is, well, different!
Some folks reckon that PLOWDEN & THOMPSON glass is
'ohhh.. well too shocky' and has 'far too many compatability issues for me to be bothered with it'
Well, all I can say to that is, yes it does handle differently and yes you do have to learn what goes with what (to date I've only found 4 or 5 colours that hate each other!
There are no more colours range that are incompatable than there is with Morretti and Lausha ranges.
The main difference is that as everyone uses that glass range the 'legwork' has been done, so it's 'common knowledge' which glasses are incompatible with each other.
I've worked with P&T glass now for a number of years, kept records and know ( most) of what does and doesn't work together. Alot of it is down the the temperatures you use and how long your annealing schedules are for this glass to work, You simply have to work it out for yourself as all kilns are different what works for me may well not work for you and vice versa.
There are no 'quick' fixes with glass you just have to learn what works for you and with what.
It is all PPP Practice Practice Practice
- and if you can be at all bothered you'll get some stunning results,
if you can't - then don't blame the glass for your lack of patience/experience .
Do I sound hard here? well just put it down to the fact that I hear many people that play with glass and completely dismiss PLOWDEN & THOMPSON as being 'pants'
when only a few of them have actually bothered to put any time in with it and then have decided it's not for them, and thats fine, great even - they have made and informed decision based on what they can be bothered to do!
But I do get frustrated when the majority play with a few sticks a couple of times - get dodgy results and then publicly blame P&T glass for their lack of skills/commitment and then advertise this as a PLOWDEN & THOMPSON glass problem and not theirs. 
It's like buying a Formula one car to drive to the shops and then slagging it off cos they burn out the clutch at the traffic lights, find it's hard to drive/park at the shops, plus theres no room for the baby seat or the shopping....
But worst of all to me, it gives PLOWDEN & THOMPSON glass a extremely unfair and detrimental reputation in the Lampworking community
- whislt being based on purely on the individuals lack of experience/patience rather than on the glass.
Right off me soapbox and back to beads, 
All my beads have been properally checked and cleaned by hand,
Dodgy ones end up in the bin, there are no marks and the ends are always tidy.
I don't sell seconds, nor do I do Commissions.
I Represent my self as an artist. No frills, no extras, what you see is what you get
