By Andrea Mazzenga

Andrea is the Owner/Artisan of Buttercup Beads, and when time allows, specializes in flameworking or "lampworking" her own beads.

Lampworking is the art of melting glass rods over a very hot torch, until the glass is molten, and then catching and shaping the glass on a mandrel and forming it into a bead. The glass beads are then kiln-annealed for durability, removed from the mandrel, cleaned and then used to design jewelry.

Besides lampworking, Andrea enjoys teaching most all of the basic beading classes at the store. She is mostly a self-taught artist. Besides beading, she enjoys sketching and watercolour & acrylic painting. Her other hobbies include writing poetry, reading, and "blogging" irreverantly; web design, and yelling at her grown kids, cats, and husband.

She is a founding member of the Main Line Bead Society, and when she isn't lampworking she is slaving away at the bead shop to keep your beading addiction out of control.