5.23.2008

Behind the scenes - MAY

I've always been the kind of girl who loves driving at night so I can look into the houses illuminated with light. I get this from my mother, thanks mom. Mostly, I like to see what kind of lamp they are using, since I use to work for a company that made handmade lighting. I also like to re-decorate and rearrange their furniture in my head, in the three seconds that Im passing.
I also love to see what other peoples studios look like, and the process of how they make stuff. Love it! Heres the flickr link to tons studio and craft room spaces, where if you like this kind of stuff, you could be browsing for hours: spaces

I thought I would share a few photos of what Ive been doing lately in the studio.

Left: Prepped for glueing, Ive already ground the backs and the bails.
Right: A mish-mash of things that are new, seconds, trials and stuff that needs to be finished on the "new stuff" board.

Above: This is my new way of organizing orders. I've been getting more combined orders, and larger sets of things and have had to figure out a way to keep them neat and tidy. Some things are ready to ship, some need to be custom made in several processes. I don't want to track them all over the room anymore. Hand drawn charts and graphs were the way to go! I've finally found a use for the 12 wooden trays that I got for mosaics years ago, and just never really wanted to mosaic them. They are perfect, and stack nicely to keep the studio less cluttered.


Above: The one fun new things I've made that ISNT for an order, but is a prototype for something that everyone has been asking me for for a year and a half. A tiny blue morpho butterfly wing necklace, under glass. Its actually quite rough and isn't really a finished peice, but thats the only way I'm really allowing myself to keep it and wear it. YAY!



Above: A load ready to be fired up in the kiln! I'm playing with tack fusing, and energizing colors. I fired these last week, and still need to grind all the edges again and fire it up once more (maybe more if needed), then grind the backs and get them ready for sale.

What else am I doing? Taking a metalsmithing class of course!

Above: My first rings in class, that I then set with stones (as in photo below).

Whew! After all those photos I realize that I DO have a bit going on around here. I have to get some glue, a box and rbbon now, as Im doing some more shipping today. Ciao!

5.12.2008

Drawing Winners!


Congratulations to Deb & Sheri, who won the (past two) monthly drawings for all newsletter/mailing list subscribers. Ive mentioned them before, but am just now posting the prizes! These two pendants are part of a new batch of glass that is tack fused and raised abouve the surface. They are quite fun and I cant wait to list them in my shop. Ive got photos of a bunch, so check the shop all week.
If you would like to be included in the monthly drawing, just jon my mailing list at the bottom of this page.

Made for Mom

I made something completely NEW the other day. Im very very very excited about it! I made it just for my mother, a new project JUST FOR FUN. Sometimes in the business of making things for other people all the time, I forget that making things came about because it was fun, not business. Its good to be reminded of that.

I was brainstorming about what to make my mom for Mother's Day. I decided on a tree, for all the symbolic reasons that I mentioned in her card (big points!). Shes really an incredible giver, and goes through a LOT of laundry detergent and groceries now that I live near her. Really, theres a million reasons why she is better than any mom in the world.
Thank you mom!
Heres the fused glass tree that I made for her, and added some copper wire to hang in a window or on a wall. I had never done this in my kiln before- a sculpture of sorts. I had only stuck to jewelry components, pendants and earrings and such. I plan on making more of these and with other nature themes. I am so happy with the results, I cant wait to have more fun!