Forever!

Good grief, it's been forever since I had anything of relative substance to say here. Not that I usually have incredible, high-level news, but still....

Summer is in full swing here, which means....I have made nothing recently. Well, nothing in glass, anyway. Actually, that's not entirely true.....at the beginning of June, I made these starfish beads, which I love love love! That's CiM's Creamsicle for the starfish, on a base of a variety of transparent and opaque blues, and some curdled ivory for the sand. Used Zoozii's SSL large trio for the shape (bead is made with the largest of the wells).

 And I FINALLY FINALLY was able to buy my new torch! A GTT Bobcat! It's so cute! And so much tinier than I expected! Unfortunately, for now, it's still sitting in the cupboard in my laundry room/workshop. I haven't been able to purchase the oxygen concentrator I need in order to run it. Hopefully that will be a purchase for this fall. After that, I will need to figure out a way to run it without scorching the wall behind my workbench. It's bee such a long road to getting this equipment, I can't wait until I have it all together and set up.

My oldest daughter finished eighth grade, and attended her first formal dance, which was exciting for both of us. She is so very beautiful, and I cried, I must admit, after I dropped her off at the dance. I think this is my most favorite picture of her that I have taken in a while.

After school was out, we drove to Miami to visit my Dad. THAT was a heck of a long drive, but it was a very successful trip for us, which means TRAVELING is now a real thing we can do without losing our minds! I'm very excited by the places we can go, and I learned a lot on this trip about how to make it all go well. Lesson #1 is: Make sure the iPads are fully charged and loaded with lots of interesting games, ebooks, and other stuff.

We used Savannah, GA, as the halfway point for the trip on the way down and the way back. I'd never been to this lovely city, and I was absolutely enchanted. My oldest wants to go to the Savannah College of Art and Design, so it was convenient to show her what college could be like in this place. The live oaks were everywhere, covered with moss hanging down, and everything was so lush and beautiful!

We took a wonderful tour by horse and carriage (our horse was Batman!), and learned so many interesting tidbits about the history of Savannah and it's people. There's the Savannah College of Art and Design's Welcome Center on the left.

More beautiful live oak trees!

Amazing architecture! This building is a shop now, but used to be a stable, built by a wealthy Middle Eastern man for his Arabian horses so they wouldn't get homesick for the look of their traditional stables! I got some great detail shots of the texture of the columns, too. Henry Ford bought the building and turned it into a showroom for his 'horseless carriages'.

No stop in Savannah would complete for the Girl Scouts of the family without a trip to the Juliette Gordon Low House on the corner of Bull Street and Ogelthorpe Avenue. Here we are posing at the iron gate in the garden. It's the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouting in the US, and I am happy we got to visit  Girl Scouting's Mecca, and take a tour of the interior of the house. We picked up commemorative pins and patches for uniforms, too.

The rest of our trip was pretty uneventful, just a long ride home culminating in some wicked thunderstorms right as we crossed the Virginia border. It was so nice to be home, though, after a week away. Since then, I've been spending LOTS of time at the neighborhood pool with the little kids, for swimming lessons and general playing in the pool. My oldest has gone to her summer at her dad's, and most days, it's just me, and Wren, and Noah.

There hasn't been a lot of opportunity for art-making for me so far, and frankly, since we just got through the worst heatwave I can remember, turning on the torch has not even been on the list of things I want to do. About two weeks of temperatures over 100* F with heat indices of 110 and over makes for a very unhappy HotGlassGirl. I even overwhelmed our heat pumps by baking hot dog buns one day, so running a kiln and a torch would be disastrous. Thankfully, the heat seems to have abated for the time being, but it's still too hot to melt glass.

I've been sewing, though, and trying to get into art journaling. I can't seem to wrap my brain around where to start with it all! I've got a ton of supplies, but I'm at a loss as to how to get started. Anybody have any good suggestions/resources/tips/tricks??

Anyway, there's the update for now. Hope all of you are having a great summer and enjoying yourself and making lots of things! 'Til next time....

New stuff to see!

A dear friend of mine is going out of town on her first "Girls Weekend" since....forever. Kelly was in the peace Corps, and worked overseas for years with Habitat for Humanity, and made many, many friends (she also speaks fluent Romanian, which is awesome!). A few weeks ago, Kelly asked me to make bracelet and earring sets for her to give to the friends joining her on the Girls Weekend, and of course I happily obliged! Here is the end result of my imagination, some yummy colored glass, and her faith in my creative vision:

UnMatched bracelet and coordinating earrings - bright blue glass with sterling silver

UnMatched bracelet of hot pinks and purples, with coordinating earrings - sterling silver

UnMatched bracelet and coordinating earrings in bronze and amber -- in copper

I am happy to say Kelly loved the work I did for her, and *I* loved that she gave me the colors and the metals she wanted, and let me go for it. Simple pieces, but pretty and different.

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In other news, I traded in my beloved Hyundai Santa Fe, which I have adored and driven for seven years (longest of any car I've ever had!), and bought this:

A 2012 Mazda 5 in Copper Red! Three rows of seats, great gas mileage, excellent reviews. I really like it a lot, although I do admit to shedding a few tears for the Santa Fe. I never once had any problems -- never! -- with my Hyundai, but at 145,000 miles, time was running out on it. And we needed a car that all 5 of us could sit in comfortably. My poor teenage daughter was jammed between the little kids in their booster seats in the Santa Fe, but now she will have an entire row to herself! And I won't have to put truck tires on it -- this one takes regular car tires!

I know all my show stuff will fit in there easily, too, so this makes me happy. I need to get leopard-print seat covers for it, though, as the interior is a VERY light tan -- not a fantastic color when you have little kids eating in the car.

And there's the news for now! What have YOU been up to lately?

Holiday break

Good morning, friends!

I know my blogging has been sparse lately....it's the time of year! The kids are all busy with activities, and I have been spending a lot of time at the museum lately, getting ready for a practice tour I had as an assignment. The tour was completed successfully, and the kids have one more week of school before Christmas break, so I am busily trying to get done all the things that need doing while the kids aren't home. And my husband completed another semester at the University of Richmond, and I am very proud of him. My youngest turned four right after Thanksgiving, so there was a party:

And then my middle daughter turned six, and there was another party:

My oldest tested for, and received, her green belt in Tae Kwon Do this weekend, too.

The period between Halloween and New Year's Day is a ridiculously crazy, family-event and holiday-filled time that always simultaneously makes me feel so good about all that I can do for my family, but also sucks the creative juice right out of me. I wrote about it in a post on the Studio Mothers blog the other day.

The kiln is still awesome. I can't believe the beads I can make now! Discs, and huge hollows, and beads with parts that stick out....all kinds of stuff that needs immediate heat and careful cooling after working. Now I need to work on getting my new torch (a GTT Bobcat is what I'm after!), and then I'll be set.

So, I'm still here, but taking a bit of a break for the holidays. I promise to return as soon as I can with pictures of new beads and other fun stuff. Until then, I hope everyone enjoys a fabulous holiday season, and best wishes for a terrific 2012!

Guess what I'm doing....

I am running my new kiln!!

So far, so good. I've never had a kiln with an electronic controller before, and the annealing cycle is programmed in it already....so there's a lot of anxious running back and forth while I watch the temps go up and down and try to figure out at what point in the cycle we're at. I wish I could turn on my torch, too, and make some beads, but my son (who's 4) is home with me. Not a good idea to play with fire while little ones are around. I guess I can wait til tomorrow or later tonight. Maaaaybe.

Anyway.

We had a fun and relaxing family Thanksgiving celebration on Wednesday night of last week.

I know what you're thinking...."Isn't Thanksgiving on a Thursday??" It is. But the custody schedule with my older daughter has her needing to be at her dad's by 2pm on Thanksgiving Day every year. We didn't want to miss having her join us for a holiday celebration, so we just have our big dinner on the night before! Then we can all watch the Macy's parade on TV the next morning and eat leftover pumpkin pie for breakfast. We've been doing this for years and it works out perfectly!

Mmmm....pumpkin pie....I think there's still some in the fridge.....

I hope, if you celebrate Thanksgiving, that your celebration was a fun and relaxing one. I sure am thankful for each and every one of you, who reads and comments on what I write, who supports my work and encourages me. You all are a blessing, and I appreciate each one of you!

Stay tuned for some new work from me later on this week (I hope). I am dying to make some disc beads that don't explode from thermal shock!

It's Been A While...

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the radio silence of late....life got busy and blogging kind of took a backseat for a while.

Last week, we took our kids to Disney World for the week, which was awesome. Exhausting, but awesome. My son (3) and my middle daughter (5) did not know they were going on this trip (my 13yo daughter did), so it was a fun surprise for them. Of course, we had hoped for a more enthusiastic reaction than we got when we told them where we were going, but we did drag them out of bed at 4am for our flight, so I guess you can't expect too much energy by 10am.

Cinderella's Castle was absolutely breathtaking at night, all lit for Christmas. It was fantastic. The kids had a great time, and I loved seeing them see all my favorite things for the first time. My older daughter and I got in our 'missions' -- to ride Space Mountain and The Haunted Mansion each at least once. My son seemed to enjoy rides that were outside, but it was hard to capture him smiling. Disney World is a lot of noise and sights and commotion, and I think he was overwhelmed by it all. We don't visit amusement parks and ride on rides as a general rule, so this was his first experience with anything like this. It was beautiful to see him smile SO much on the Flying Dumbo and Aladdin's Magic Carpet rides, though.

I'm already planning our next trip, in three years. I love love LOVE the Disney Parks, especially the Magic Kingdom.

Let's see.....what else....

Still training at the museum. Still loving it. I did my first couple of practice gallery talks already, scored well on them, and had a ton of fun. Last session, we were shown how to use the library at the museum (dangerous for me!), and I am so excited to get in there and do some research for my upcoming three-object "tour" in December.

I'm done with shows for the season. Yay! Now to make a ton of inventory for a huge local spring show that I am applying to.

My kiln has not yet made an appearance. Boo! Some parts were back-ordered, so I hope to get it later this week.

In case you didn't see this on Facebook, I scored BIG at an estate sale a few weeks ago. The estate was apparently the home of a hobby jewelry maker who managed to own materials for just about every craft or art I like. There were shelves of jewelry books -- most brand-new -- and at $5 each, I was pulling them off the shelf in handfuls. I got a Pepe jump ring winder for about $45, sheet metal, wire (gold filled, sterling, brass, and copper), hand tools, a texture hammer (for $8), and a bunch of other stuff. Someone was definitely looking out for me, because most of what I got were tools and things I have had on my wish list for a long time. It was insane how little I ended up paying for a lot of this, and the only conclusion I can draw is that I was meant to have it. I am sure the previous owner of this equipment would be happy to know that it went to a jewelry artisan and metalsmith.

Now if only I could carve out some time to play with everything...that would be fantastic.

Oh, and because I don't do *enough*, I'm also trying to teach myself to crochet so I can make this scarf. How insanely cool is that!? I love that scarf, and I want one. So I will (hopefully) make one, before the weather turns warm again.

My tea is hot, and my to-do list is sizeable, so I guess I should get going. See you real soon! ;)

So Many Great Things!

I've got a bunch of really great things to talk about today, and maybe even some pictures, too!

First, I can't believe I forgot to tell you about this, but a few weeks ago I was notified that I was accepted into the docent training program at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts! I wrote about it on my Facebook page, but I guess I didn't say anything here...I'm SO excited, though! Training will start the second week of September, and run through next year.

Second, I finally went ahead and ordered some postcards with jewelry-care information on the back. I used one of my very favorite photos of my enameled beads, some wire and glass, and the brass plaque I stamped 'creative'.

I got them done with VistaPrint, and they're not bad for the first go-around. I'm thinking of putting that image on my business cards, too. It captures most everything I do with my jewelry these days -- metalwork, wire, glass, enamels, stamping -- so I think it would be a little more 'iconic' for my business.

Does anybody use MOO cards as business cards?

I made beads this week, braving the heat to do so. I'm getting really frustrated with my torch setup these days, because I have so little time to make beads and I want to knock out a big bunch at each torch session. Unfortunately, with the HotHead, it takes a long time to melt the glass, which translates to extra time roasting over the flame and fewer beads made in an hour. Roasting me, as well as the glass, some of which doesn't take kindly to roasting and turns all kinds of funny colors, or just flat out burns. Sigh. Someday, someday I will be able to move on from my HotHead to something that will get me where I want to be, glasswise. I am starting to feel very limited, and that sucks.

All I need is money, though.

Quoth the Raven...."Got to get started on some Halloween ideas!"

Chickens and eggs for the market

Blue beads for a necklace idea I had.

Those grey transparent beads? Those are supposed to be crystal clear glass beads, but thanks to the HotHead, that's what I get. I look forward to the day when I get to work with clear glass again.

Other good news...I was invited to blog at 'Studio Mothers', which is a wonderful community of support and inspiration for creative moms....and not only moms! I've really enjoyed reading it, and now I am thrilled to be a part of it! Check out my intro blog post here.

I added dates to my schedule at the Manakin Market, so I will be there twice a month for August, September and October. The market ends the last Saturday in October. I will also be at the University of Richmond's Arts Around The Lake show on September 25 (oh please don't let it rain like last year!), and Whimsical Wares, in Richmond, which will be sometime in November.

I think that's the update for now. Lots of things going on around here, but it's also August, which means my kids are home all day (no camp/summer school/activities!). I'm trying not to get too stressed about having less time to myself, and instead trying to figure out how I can fit in little pieces of productive time to make jewelry and get stuff done. I'll get there, I'm sure.

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If any of you are local to Richmond, VA, and interested in having your own private A Hot Piece of Glass Trunk Show at your home, please get in touch! I'm starting to book dates for home sales, and I've put together some great hostess benefits that will get you some free and special-sale jewelry and accessories. Whether we want to believe it or not, Christmas shopping season will be upon us soon, and a Trunk Show is a great way to get some shopping done AND hang out with friends! Email me for details.

What I've been up to....

Celebrating

Loving

Being goofy

Coloring

Gardening

Happy Valentine's Day!!

(the kids and I were making cards with heart-shaped potato stamps)

Happy Winter!

The snow is really coming down today and tonight. We've had over 5", which I realize is not much for those of you in the North, but for those of us south of the Mason-Dixon Line, it's a pretty decent amount. The above picture is of our house, taken around 1pm this afternoon, when about 5" of snow had fallen, with more coming down.

We had a fantastic Christmas at home with our kids. Santa was good to everyone this year! My husband really knows me well...I got a Lortone tumbler that I had wanted, and a disc cutter set, and also this:

Yes, that is a starship Enterprise NCC-1701 pizza cutter! I adore it, and I think pizza will be on the menu for dinner tomorrow night so I can use it! I'm a great big geek, I know.

My husband is home all week with us, so we are planning on lots of family time. Tomorrow is definitely for playing in the snow and for having hot cocoa. My daughter has requested to go ice skating, and I would like to go see the Victorian Christmas decorations at Maymont House. I probably should work at my office, too, at some point. The little kids both got board games, so we will likely play those, and build train layouts, and make things with Legos, and play cars and play 'kitchen', too. My oldest is at her dad's for the week, and I am sure she is having fun hanging out on her dad's horse farm. It's shaping up to be a good week, I think.

I've got some jewelry ideas brewing, and some plans to try out some more ferric chloride etching on copper. I'm working on a design for a fundraiser project for a friend's school (more on that later), and I need to order some stainless steel shot for my tumbler....lots to do.

And I'd like to spend some time this week meditating on what I want 2011 to look like for me and my art. Lots to think about, and many plans to make.

I hope all of you have had wonderful celebrations and spent peaceful time enjoying this end of the year season.

Out My Winter Window

December 13, 2010
Richmond, Virginia
7:30 a.m.

(I'm in the middle of craziness, getting ready for Christmas....sewing preschool Christmas pageant costumes, making some of the scenery, and recovering from throwing my daughter's fifth birthday party this weekend...I'll be back soonish with jewelry-related and/or art-related stuff...I promise...)

And Another One...

So, I'm in the December issue of Bead Trends, too. Just a simple pair of earrings, but they are so nicely photographed! They're also easy to make, and I think they'd make a terrific last-minute gift!


There are several fantastic projects in this issue, including a number of excellent pieces in the Under $15 section (where you'll find my earrings!). Check out the great feature on designer Mary Jane Dodd, too. Her work never fails to inspire me.

I'm currently in the grip of holiday and birthday party preparations. My middle daughter turns five on Thursday and has her first real birthday party with friends on Saturday afternoon. Yikes! Must prep goodie bags and order the cake and make sure we have enough plates and utensils and figure out the games and prizes....and, and, and.....!!

More to come, I promise! Hope you all are enjoying the beginning of the holiday season too!

Birthday man, and Cupcakes!

Sorry I have been absent....the holiday this week has sucked up most of my time and I really needed the relaxation and hanging out time with the family. It's been a wonderful Thanksgiving with fun family time, plenty of leftovers and yummy good things to eat. I think today some of the turkey is becoming curried turkey salad, and I'll probably bake some bread later on. I don't do Black Friday shopping at all. I hate the way (some) people act and I don't really feel up to being in a crush of people. There's nothing I really want or need at the store THAT much.

Well, except for some 'Cars' plates and napkins, and maybe a bunch of balloons. Today is my son's third birthday! I can't believe this little guy is three already!

Here he is, all ready to go to a birthday party last Saturday for a little girl in his preschool class. We'll be having cupcakes and dinner out and a few presents later on today, and then my mom is coming tomorrow for even more cake and presents. It's a lot of cake, but I am a FIRM believer in marking one's birthday with cake ON the actual birthday. Every birthday should be a celebration.

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And now for the jewelry and glass content today...

I make glass cupcake pendants, and some of you may remember this summer, when I started selling them wholesale to a local cupcake bakery, designed to look like their cupcakes. I didn't know how well it would work, but people do love my cupcake necklaces. Imagine my surprise when the owner of the shop called me a few Fridays ago and placed a large order for necklaces and rings! I delivered them on Tuesday, and here is what I made them:

Ten of their 'Plain Jane' cupcakes on sterling silver ball chain necklaces:

And ten of their 'Red Velvet' cupcakes also on sterling silver ball chain necklaces:

Then eight silver wire-wrapped rings, four of the 'Plain Jane' and four of the 'Red Velvet':

If you are local to Richmond, Virginia, then get thee hence to Pearl's Cupcake Shoppe, on Grove Avenue, near Libbie. They have some of the most fantastic cupcakes ever, and also my necklaces, which make great stocking stuffers and gifts for little AND big girls!

Wishcasting Wednesday

Today is Wishcasting Wednesday again on Jamie Ridley's blog!

"How do you wish to spend some time?"




Reading












Exploring my beautiful city


















Hanging out with my eldest daughter













Making jewelry

Making beads, too!














Riding my scooter!










Spending fun time with my little ones



Being with my family....spending some time alone with my husband (a desperately rare commodity these days!)....creating....that's how I wish to spend some time.