Bead Maker

Today was my flame work class! I was so excited! My husband guessed that we would get a lecture on how to make the beads and then only have time to make one or two beads. I was told by the shop owner to dress warm and get there early. The class is limited to 6 people since they only have torches for 6 students and one for the instructor.
I got there early... I was the only one there for our class. There was also a chain maille class at the same time, but only one girl had shown up early for that one too. About 10 minutes before my class, the other folks showed up! It was a good thing I was dressed warm. The glass studio part is very cold!!! Our instructor lectured us for only about 10 minutes, gave a quick 5 minute demo and then the rest of the hour and 45 minutes were ours to play with. I think I made 5 or 6 beads! It was so awesome!!! We learned how to make very simple beads on a mandle. It's a metal stick that you wind hot glass around and then shape. I mixed colors, I added dots, I had a chemical reaction in one bead (the colors I used turn other colors!) and I just had a good time playing with the glass. Two of the ladies in my class needed so much attention from the teacher and did not want to try on their own. The lady sitting next to me was in her own little world. The other two people in the class were a husband and wife team. The husband was so into it and his beads were amazing! The wife was mad that her beads were not as nice and not bead shaped as his. Mine look like beads, but the colors that I used were kind of weird. I think they will come out cool, but I couldn't tell as all of them looked like a yellow orange glowing blob while I was making them!
Tomorrow after school I can go and get my beads. I would defiantly like to take that class again (they told us a second time in the beginner class and then intermediate is a good way to go). I have also looked over some of their other classes and I think they would be good to take sometime too!