Dog Days of Summer

The month of August ends on a high note for us. We found the perfect addition to our family with our new adopted dog, Bella. She needed to be re-homed and Russ happened to find her at just the right time earlier this month. She was oh, so skinny, and in need of a lot of tender loving care. We haven't had her for quite a month, so she is not 100% yet. But she is getting as much love as we can give, and returns it ten-fold with puppy licks and gratitude. Bella was just what the Doctor ordered for our family, as we have had a bit of a rough year ever since our dear Wilson passed away in January. Maggie and the cats have accepted Bella into the pack, for the most part. We still have some work to do in that area. All in good time. What I love most is she's helped me to smile again. Such a sweet dog, and good for our souls. 💕

Our new dog Bella enjoying her new found freedom with our old dog Maggie.

We got away with the dogs for a quick trip to Bear Lake. So much fun. 

Bella is already looking much better since the first day we got her, when she was skin and bones.

The summer days are coming to an end, and harvesting in the garden is taking place. Not quite as good as year's past, as we had a terrible issue with grasshoppers and aphids this year. But enough of a harvest to enjoy the fruits of our labor. And we were able to enjoy the roses again this month, even though everything seemed to struggle in the extra hot heat of the summer sun. 

Beautiful sunrise morning.

My favorite color of rose.

This one reminds me of ice cream sherbet. 

The month of August also saw another shipment of Blown Glass Wildlife headed out the door to the Yellowstone Park Stores again. 

Blown Glass Yellowstone Wildlife

After that order was wrapped up, Russ got creative and "upcycled" some window glass onto some kaowool in the large kiln. The end result was a curvy decorative dish, seen below. It turned out so well, he slumped another one to be auctioned off at his family's reunion. I upcycled some bottles as well to finish off the trays.  The end result can be seen below. 

Firing Float Glass onto Kaowool in the Kiln.

The end result

Another upcycled piece of art was auctioned off at a family reunion.

Colorful blown glass dragonflies were also created for a customer this month.

And the last blown glass to head out the door is a Unicorn wedding cake top made for our niece's wedding in Virginia. So now that the dog days of summer are just about over, I'd better get packing now. I have lots of orders that need to be shipped today in order for us to begin the next big venture. Until next time, stay safe, and be well. 

Blown glass Unicorns with gold accents.

Unexpected Turn of Events

Some new fused flowers were added to our garden sculpture recently. 

It's the last day of July, and I'm reflecting on the events of the last two months. We slowed down considerably in the Studio towards the middle of the month of June, not because we wanted to, but because we had to. Health problems have caught up with the two of us this year, and ended up putting one of us in the Hospital. We were just wrapping up some big projects around the property in June, along with some glass orders heading to our Local Museum of Idaho, when Russ experienced uncomfortable symptoms related to his heart. Sure enough, when he checked in to the hospital, they told him he was having a heart attack right then and there. So, obviously all things came to a complete stop for a while. All our energies were poured into Russ recovering. The staff at the local hospital were excellent caretakers of my guy for a few days. I am so thankful for their professional care. We were very lucky to catch this issue before it caused more damage. 

It didn't take that Superman of mine long to recover from his health scare. As luck would have it, he got to the hospital in time and only one artery was in need of a stint. He is very fortunate to have come away from that harrowing experience a little more for the wiser, and is learning to take it a little easier these days. We are taking more time to enjoy the summer days, as the big projects are behind us, thankfully.  Relaxing in the mountains became a top priority in July.  Pictured below are some of the pieces that were created back in June before all things came to a stop. 

Glass enamels were the medium for this piece, before the fish is fired in the kiln.

This fused glass piece can be seen at the Museum of Idaho.

Another blown glass sculpture at the Museum.

Taking the time to enjoy a beautiful Idaho Sunset...it's medicine! 

We got away to the Tetons the month of July. Very therapeutic. 

Beautiful babbling Brook.

Enjoying the balloon races at the Tetons in July. 

The Aspen Grove we camped in, might just be inspiration for new Art in the future. 

We also were lucky enough to enjoy the company of all 4 of our sons and their families this month. We took advantage of that opportunity to update long overdue family pictures, and celebrate the birthdays of our 2 youngest granddaughters. What a treat!  

Celebrating 2 of our darling granddaughters

Now we are slowly getting back to "normal" and finishing up a few orders, along with another batch of wildlife heading to Yellowstone Park Stores again. They had such a busy year, they ordered from us twice! (Good thing Russ is on the mend now.)

And finally, yesterday we remembered a very special woman in both our lives. Russ' Mom passed away 4 years ago. She loved butterflies, and wouldn't you know, one landed for us just in time to help us remember the beauty of her soul. One thing life teaches you as you age, slow down and enjoy the simple things, they really seem to help when life gives you unexpected turns and struggles. If you look hard enough, you can see beauty through the pain. 

A beautiful Butterfly landed on our lilies, just in time to help us remember his loving Mom. 

 

May Projects

Wildlife Art created for the Museum of Idaho. The pieces will be available in their gift shop.

The month of May flew by furiously for us (literally and figuratively....that darned Idaho wind!) as we checked off project after project we had been wanting to get done, both in glass works and home improvements. In between large orders of glass wildlife, Russ somehow found the time to also build a new and improved backyard deck. Of course, I was there to help him whenever he needed an extra pair of  hands. (We have been working well together for quite some time now.) I have to say that we are both absolutely tickled with the outcome, and thank our lucky stars he had the foresight to purchase the lumber at the beginning of the year before the prices of lumber skyrocketed. (Some people have not done so well from pandemic-related isolation, but Russ is not one of them. He is checking off project after project, as he is spurred on by views of a well-earned retirement on the horizon.) He had really wanted to get this project done before retiring, and sure enough, he "got 'er done!" in record time.

A lot of material lists and planning went into the substructure and layout of the deck. 

We have already spent many hours outside, enjoying the new and improved deck.

Festive lights really add to the deck's beauty. 

Somehow that man of mine also managed to design and build a "Catio" for our indoor cats in the month of May. All they do is jump through a kitty door that was installed in the screen window, and enjoy hours of  bird watching. A win-win for us, as there are too many predators where we live for these 3 precious ones to roam freely. (Besides, we put too much money into them since we rescued them, for them to just mysteriously disappear, as happens quite often in our neighborhood.) It's only good for the warm months, as we will need to close the window when the cold autumn nights arrive. But, I'm sure they will have had their share of bird watching by then. 

Russ designed and built this fun "Catio" on the side of our home.

 Once again, we breathed a sigh of relief as the Yellowstone Park Store's orders were completed. In between blowing, sculpting and packing up hundreds of wildlife pieces, Etsy orders also rushed out the door. I know we are both ready for a break in the Studio for a bit.

Some of the most popular blown glass wildlife pieces in the Yellowstone Stores.

These pieces are now packed and ready for distribution in the Yellowstone Stores. 

Only one more big outdoor building project to go, and then time to enjoy some weekends with family and camping in the mountains. That's what summer is for, after all. We are also excited to mingle with friends this year, a welcome to normalcy after a year of uncertainty. We hope this Memorial Weekend allows you to begin anew too.  Here's hoping you can also enjoy the summer months ahead. 

Art from Ashes

Our dog Wilson lives on, with a piece created on glass using his ashes.

March 31st already, and I realized I have been getting behind on my monthly blogging duties. My mind has been a bit distracted the last couple of months, dealing with loss. Losing our very best companion and furry friend due to lung cancer this last January, has taken it's toll on my partner and I. Grief is a very hard and real emotion to deal with. Maybe because the love and loyalty of a dog is so pure. Actually, between our son's dogs and ours we've lost 4 furry friends within 12 months time. It's been especially hard for us with our dear Wilson, a Lab/Retriever. We have always been "Dog People", but when Wilson came into our lives, we knew there was something extra special about this good and noble soul. Now after just under 11 short years, we are adjusting to the new reality of life without him. Those who don't care for animals probably wouldn't understand. But for me, the grief is still raw and real. So I decided to blog about it to show what has come from the healing process so far, when dealing with a loss of this sort. The loss of the unconditional love of our furry friend, has turned into an art form of sorts. 
I thought I'd share what has been created in the Studio, as  memorial keepsakes for all the dogs. The picture above was created by screen printing some of Wilson's ashes onto a sheet of white glass. It was then fused in the kiln. And the picture below is a painting Russ created of our dog, using glass enamels. It was also fired in the kiln and will be added to the keepsakes we have, to remind us of the great dog he was. He will forever leave a lasting imprint on our hearts. And now with the glass art created, we can see daily reminders of his goodness and love he exuded. 

The essence of Wilson: Painted with glass enamels and fired on glass. 

The next picture below was also screen printed onto glass using a black enamel fine frit. It was created as a memorial to "The three". After carefully sifting the fine frit, it was then annealed in the kiln. Our son and his family's now-departed dogs, and our "grand puppies" -the late Bear and Tank, are pictured alongside Wilson. Back in the day they were the best of friends and frolicked in water and on land. Their memories are chock full of the happy adventures enjoyed in years gone by with all of us.

Wilson, Bear and Tank Memorial made of glass.

And we had to have a piece to remember dear Copper, the oldest of them all. He was also a good and furry friend that deserved the best we could give him. We adopted him from family members and he lived with us since 2011. He passed last July, at close to 15 years of age. I created some string art in his likeness. Russ fired some of Copper's ashes onto a red glass heart, pictured below. We spread the rest of his ashes behind our property, where he used to teach Wilson and Maggie how to hunt mice.

A memorial to our sweet dog Copper.

I suppose the hardest part of the last two months has been watching our last remaining dog Maggie, become so confused and lonely without her BFF. She is filled with a sadness I can feel. It has truly been gut wrenching to deal with. But with time, we move onward as best we can. It has really taught me to savor the little moments in time. Before you know it, they are forever a memory. Life has a way of teaching us all lessons if we are willing to learn. I am forever grateful for the time I have got to spend with all our furry friends through the years. It has taught me the great lessons of compassion and empathy.  Russ and I are so thankful they were in our lives and filled our homes with love and happy times. So fortunate to have had them, even though just a short blip on the time-clock that is our associated with our own lives. 

Wilson and Maggie's last walk at the Park before he passed. 

Maggie missing Wilson, sleeps on his old bed. 

So dear reader, if you have gotten this far in my blog, thank you for allowing me to share my grief. It is somewhat therapeutic to write about. Meanwhile life keeps moving on, waiting for no-one. We are trying to get back into the rhythm of working in our Studio. The art piece pictured below was selected to display in a National Juried Art Exhibit this month at one of our local galleries. Russ received an honorable mention for it. The name speaks to the viewer to contemplate what is important in each of our lives. Not everything in life is black and white. When we look deeper, life can take on new and colorful meaning, if we think outside the box. We can be held back by small thinking, or move forward to progress to a deeper and more fulfilling life on this planet, working in harmony with all the planet already provides. "The future is in your hands" is a powerful testament to that. 

"The Future is in Your Hands"

 

So Long, Goodbye 2020!

As everyone already knows, this year has been one for the record books! For our Studio, it was both a blessing and a curse. We had to cancel many of our events that would have included social gatherings, like our annual Holiday Open House. We don't have adequate ventilation to have more than a couple people in the Studio, so we opted to lay low most of the year, out of safety concerns.
However, we were lucky that our online presence benefitted greatly from the side effects of Covid-19. Many customers searched online for gifts the last few months, and we found ourselves overwhelmed with orders. It got to the point where we had to shut down our Etsy store because the two of us just couldn't keep up with the demand. What a strange time to be living in. But of course, we are so thankful to be Covid-free up to this point in time. We had to create some ornaments (pictured below) for comic relief, as this year has been pretty heavy and full of sadness otherwise.  

The  masks were an appropriate add-on to some of our ornaments this year. 

We created so many ornaments this month it was hard to keep count. Literally hundreds and hundreds shipped out the door. Below are some examples of ornaments and glass gifts made for both local customers, and customers all throughout the United States this month. 

Glass Painter's Palettes flew out the door this month. 

A wide variety of ornaments created for the last several months. 

Blown and sculpted glass angels with gold highlights. 

Blown glass cross ornaments

A new style of candy cane made with white glass.

A custom blown glass bass drum gift.

Blown glass fish are always popular for gifts. 

This was a custom piece sculpted for a repeat customer.

A new fused ornament created this year, a pair of ice skates.

Russ made time to create a glass reindeer family representing his immediate family tree, and each deer was sent to a family member. I also sent some glass reindeer to members of my family this year. Covid-19 reiterated how much we miss family gatherings that we once took for granted. Not being with family that we love is one of the hardest things we've had to deal with during these stressful times. But our struggles are minute compared with so many who have lost jobs, loved ones, homes, hope. We empathize with the many who have had their own share of struggles this year. It was a year of charitable giving from our Studio, for those less fortunate and down on their luck. 

Russ' family tree of blown glass reindeer, represents his loved ones. 

Speaking of family, we were happy to engrave and etch these wine glasses, gifted to our 4th son and his wife. They represent the three different states they've resided in since being married. And the personalized  fused ice skates pictured above were gifted to all our son's families this Christmas. 

Wine glasses were etched for our son and his wife. 

Now we are taking a much needed short break from all things glass and enjoying the simple things of life, like all our pets, along with the wildlife that wanders onto the property this time of year. 

Our 3 kittens wait for us to quit working and play.

A nice looking Buck pays a visit to our bird feeder, a regular sight for us this time of year. 

With all that has happened throughout the Nation and the World this year, we can't say we will miss 2020 in the least. Hoping for a better outlook in the new year, now that 2020 is in "hindsight". Sending our thanks to those who supported our Studio this year. We are thankful for each and every one of you. We hope the new year finds you both safe and healthy. Hopeful that we can all break free from the stress that defined 2020. Here's to a better year.....we can only hope.