March....Full Steam Ahead!

A float glass train created in the Studio for a relative, who works for the Union Pacific Railroad.

And just like that, the March winds are blowing right through us, (literally) right up to the end of the month. You have to be tough to deal with the high desert winds that blow through Idaho this time of year. We have a relative who fits that description. He's about as tough as they come, and fits right in with his job at the Union Pacific Railroad. Our nephew asked Russ if he could come up with a glass design to fit the railroad spike/knife. It was to be gifted to our brother-in-law. Since our nephew has been a great supplier of the float glass, sending us old used window glass, we were happy to help out on this project. Another great example of "up-cycling".  Russ used topographical contouring to create the train's shape, and the wheels and front were scored with our glass saw. We think it will be an heirloom for generations to come. 

Screen printed glass Owl accented with glass enamels.

We managed to fit in a trip to Boise this month to visit our son and his family, and celebrate his birthday a little early. The owl pictured above was a house-warming gift that we thought could go alongside a computer-generated piece of artwork he had already created, using his graphic design skills. This project is one of the first attempts at screen-printing on glass. We will be showcasing more screen printing on our blog in the future. There is still a lot to learn, but we have the basics down, and it looks like a promising medium to add to the repertoire.

Spring is blowing into our Studio, new life everywhere!

 We have been involved in many different glass projects this month, that will spill over into April. Special requests are a constant now, and keep us on our toes. But there is always time to stare out into the backyard at the sure signs of Spring around here. (Besides the wind!) And when the Mallard ducks arrive, we know warm weather is just around the corner. Happy Spring and Easter weekend to you and yours!

The ducks always come back to our little pond every Spring.

New Spring Colors and Projects

Colorful glass eggs accent a real bird's nest we found in our yard.

Bird's nest completes our birdhouse outside

Time for us to check in again with our monthly blog. I'll keep it short and sweet this month. We are both ready for Spring color, and ready for March to be over. The winds are howling outside right now and it can grate on one's nerves after days on end of the same windy weather patterns. Just like the predictable winds, March was no exception to our pattern of staying busy in the Studio. 

While we had plenty of orders to take care of, I had been wanting to do something with this bird's nest I found in our yard. It had fallen from one of our trees. Russ created some colorful eggs, and I spruced up one of our bird houses outside with the recycled bird's nest. A fun project to create on the side.

Below are projects completed in the Studio while the March winds were whipping. The glass is hand sculpted in our lamp work flame. Some of the glass, like the crosses, are made using slumping and fusing techniques. There tends to be a wider variety of color when working with soft glass, as compared to the hard blown glass.

We've added a customized label to some of our ornaments this year.

Colorful balls remind us of an Easter basket full of colorful Spring eggs.

Glass crosses and a variety of other ornaments created for a customer.

Flowers were still in demand this month, and we had a variety of special orders to finish, like the anemones and tulips pictured below.

Our first try at a new flower

A pretty bouquet of Anemones

Glass Tulips are a perfect gift this time of year.

A completed glass tulip arrangement

One of our new baby chicks tip-toeing through the tulips

 Now that March is coming to a close, we are pondering which project to complete next. Hmmm, April showers bring May flowers. Maybe it's time to start thinking about doing some wedding bouquets.