About Stephanie              The Process of Creating Beads             FAQs

I live in Cincinnati, Ohio and I am 41 years old (ugh, almost 42)! I have always had a creative streak in me but did not know quite how to express it. I tried many hobbies (much to my husband’s dismay) that ultimately bored me and cost me lots of money. I seemed to like collecting the stuff required for the hobby but then did not feel the passion to actually make something of it. So, you can probably understand my husband's concern when I decided that I wanted to torch glass!! I mean, after all, I trained him to give me that familiar sigh and rolling of the eyes. However, there is a silver lining in all of this.

After 3 months of searching and reading about glass, my husband finally came to me one day and said “well, I guess you really mean it this time!” He told me to buy what I needed and to get started. Now, thousands of dollars later in equipment, traveling to classes and hours of practice, I can say that he is THRILLED that I finally found my calling in life (outside of being a wife and mother)! He has worked very hard to put a studio together and support me in any way that he can. I would say that his biggest feat was smiling with encouragement every time I showed him a horrible beginning bead! BUT, it is with those first beads that left a footprint for something greater. I continue to learn, love and emote passion about glass and color, and when I am much older I hope to still be making my way to the studio to play with my glass!

I am the wife of Mark Handermann and the mother of two lovely girls named Amanda and Anna (and if you think I get them confused because they are both “A” names, you are absolutely correct). Mark loves me a lot and is a great husband because he puts up with all of my crazy ideas (well, that’s not the only reason he is so great)!

My oldest Amanda is in her second year of college for Interior Design and it truly suits her personality. She speaks her mind and I would not have it any other way (unless it is about me, lol) she has a laugh that could make anyone smile, I love watching hilarious television shows with her.

Anna is a 13 year old who is living in the moment, lol! She is very social and has a love of sports as well. I think if you asked her she would think that all 13 year olds should go out every day of the week, lol!!

Both of my girls are just lovely!! I adore them all with every part of my heart as most wives and mothers do!

I also have two little dapper guys in my life (no, not those kind of guys)! They are my two adorable West Highland Terriers named Max and Toby. No matter how many hours I spend at my torch, they are there for the long run. I could not imagine not having the unconditional love of my two little boys. They are truly special and add so much to my days when my family is hard at work. There is never a time they do not want kisses, hugs or a tug-of-war match. This is one of the rare times that predictability is a plus! They have made it much easier now that my children are older and I am not as cool as I once was (Mothers, you know what I mean). I dread the day that I come home or wake up and they are not there to meet me. But, until then I am blessed to have them as a reminder of how great puppy kisses are.

There are so many moments in life that are trying and energy zapping and I feel if you can truly find your passion and love that it will be a little easier to slip out of those warm comfy beds in the morning. Sitting behind a torch does this for me. So enjoy my site, it is a work in progress and please email me with suggestions or questions. I love people, they are so darn human!

 The Process of Creating Beads

Glass beads are a part of me and I cannot think of any other way to express myself and also earn money. All of the glass I use is from Italy, Germany and the USA. It is absolutely beautiful glass and I love the way it looks in rod form. It is so much fun to see if the glass colors turn out the way they look on the rod. I also use glass that is considered silver glass which has reactive properties when used with certain colors. It’s a lot of fun because you get such cool results. Lately I have not played enough with these, considering they are about 100.00 per pound. All of my creations are pretty much one of a kind; however, I have certainly found baubles that come out of my kiln that really catch my eye and I might recreate them in some manner. It’s just what I feel at that time that helps me to create.

The process is rather involved but not something that you cannot learn. I am available for classes in my home if anyone is interested. Please contact me and I will work out all the details.

My studio is set up with oxygen, ventilation, propane outside through the wall (I do not want it to ever be inside), a kiln, the proper tools and of course a torch. My glass as stated above starts in rod form. I have stainless steel mandrels (rods) that are coated with a bead release so that the bead can come off when finished. The mandrel is where you get the “hole” in the bead. I melt the glass and start winding it around the mandrel. Most of the time it is a balancing act of oozy drippy glass like honey. Then I decorate with various glasses or silver and once I am satisfied with my creation it goes straight into a kiln.

Once the kiln goes through its cycle, “VOILA”, the eye candy is ready to be taken out. Now your bead is properly annealed. There are a lot of beads out there that do not go through this cycle and that will cause breakage, so you always want to know about this because this is what will keep your bead lasting for many years beyond your lifetime. I then have to separate the bead from the mandrels and I properly clean the release out of the bead. Sometimes there is residue from the release that leaves a dull look inside, but that is normal.

I name my beads because they are a part of me and it is normal for me to send them out to their new homes with a story behind them. Sometimes people are connected to the name and other times they are just connected to the bead.

My beads are currently for sale at two stores in Cincinnati Ohio. The first place is Yelton’s Fine Jewelry and also the Pleasantree. If you are interested in custom pieces feel free to contact me directly. Otherwise, Yelton’s and Pleasantree will be happy to assist you with your purchase and ways to wear your new beads.

If you have a bead that breaks (rare), and you bought it from either one of the stores, please tell them and they can assist you. If you have an issue through me, I will be happy to help you!

Thanks to all - without you I would have so many beads I wouldn’t know what to do! Lol!!

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