Meet 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 designing and teaching a whole range of jewelry-making classes at the store. In class, she takes great pleasure in torturing her students just like the Nuns did to her in school. She is mostly a self-taught artist - and being an Aries - thinks she can do most everything. Consequently, she does pretty well at indulging her creative side. Besides beading, she enjoys sketching, watercolour & acrylic painting, and most any other type of craft that comes down the line. Her other hobbies include writing poetry, reading, and "blogging" irreverantly; web design, and yelling at her grown kids, cats, and husband. In 2008, she retired from her nursing career because frankly, "She would just rather be beading." Consequently, she's far less crankier now. Just ask her kids. You can read more about her specialty and see pics of her unusually tidy lampworking studio by clicking on menu to the right. 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. Locally, she is known as the "Bead Pusher of Pottstown." She's here simply to enable you. Oh yeah, she's evil like that doncha know. Despite all her flaws, her students and customers still love her. She hopes you too can come in soon to buy a lot of beads, as well as consider taking one of her fabulously informative and creative beading classes. (Anyway, that's her story and she's sticking to it.)