Full Plate on a Full Moon

 

Blown glass black cat and bright orange pumpkins created in the Studio.

Last evening as I walked outside with our dogs, I was privy to watch a very full moon rise on the horizon. I was wishing I had something other than my phone to take a clear picture of the bright round lunar mass. It literally lit up the whole sky. And on Halloween eve, it couldn't set the mood any better. I was out late in the evening after a very long day in the Studio, with a full plate of tasks to accomplish for the two of us.

A very full October moon last night on my walk with the dogs.

In between the many holiday orders already piling up, we managed to harvest the last of our garden goodies. The cantaloupes were nice and sweet this year, although on the small side.  We will be carving the pumpkins later today, just for tradition's sake. (And because the garden was so generous with the pumpkin patch this year.)

Last of the harvest from our garden, delicious, succulent canteloupes.

Russ spent many hours planning and working on the wall art project pictured below, trying to get it just right for our son and daughter-in-law. The colors were tough to choose, and many different styles were created before he felt good about the latest creation. It is all hand sculpted, blown glass. He also created the copper "stems" and painted them a matte black to compliment the decor in the bathroom area where it would be placed. It was a long time in the making, and given as a late house warming gift for their beautiful new home.

Up close picture of the latest wall art work. 

Cheery and bright blue floral art.

A nice addition to a beautiful bathroom. 

Now it is on to creating many different ornaments like the mountain goat pictured below, and the holiday rush that always happens in our Studio this time of year. It seems like we are getting many more online orders this year. Probably because more people feel more comfortable shopping in their home because of that dreadful Covid19. It is certainly keeping us hopping, even with months to go.

Mountain Goat Ornament

So I'm keeping the blog short and sweet, so I can get back at it. Many orders to ship, and pumpkins to carve. Happy Halloween! 

Our pumpkin patch gave us many "Great Pumpkins" this year. 

September Harvest

Another batch of wildlife headed to Yellowstone

Lately, it seems the months are blurring into each other. I can't believe we are already looking  into the month of October in a few days. Time sure has a way of getting away from us. I'll take the time to write a quick blog post today, then head back into the Studio for more projects. (We never seem to run out of them these days.) Pictured above is part of the latest blown glass wildlife order from the Yellowstone stores. 

A hand engraved slumped wine bottle created for a customer in Iowa.

The flattened (slumped) bottle and logo above were made for a winery in Iowa. We enjoy creating Business' logos with our engraver. It's a hand engraver, so I take my time with these kind of projects to get it just right. No such luxury of  a laser engraver yet, maybe in the future. 

Orders are already piling up for the coming Holidays.

Pictured above is part of an order we created for an Art Gallery that's located across the country. I have lots of finish work to do, like tying cords onto each individual ornament, and adding tags of course. I take extra time carefully wrapping each one with tissue paper and bubble wrap, to make sure it arrives safely to it's destination. (You wouldn't believe how much of that product we go through every month.) The Devil is in the details.

Meanwhile, our garden harvest is full-bore this month of September. We've already harvested beans, peas, cucumbers, carrots, spinach, peppers, raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, herbs, and zucchini. Pictured below are the latest vegetables to be picked. We had no choice, as the garden got hit by frost last week. Looks like I have plenty of winter squash to store this year, along with a good variety of pumpkins. 

So, multi-tasking is a must in the month of September, with the business and home and garden duties. It's a way of life we have grown accustomed to. And you know how the saying goes, "You reap what you sow". Until next time, enjoy the Harvest. 

September is a month filled with canning garden goodies.

So Long, Farewell, Goodbye 2016

Well, the end is near folks! To 2016 that is. 😏 What a year! We've had as many highs as we've had lows. I guess that is what you call a full life. We were tested to our limits in so many ways, but we're still here standing on two feet, so that is what I like to focus on. The end of the year is a time for us to reflect back and also look forward. Things happened this year that we could and couldn't control. No matter how hard we tried, some things just weren't meant to be, or we couldn't quite get right. As is said, "That's the way the cookie crumbles", "the ball bounces", "the way the wind blows," etc. We got through a lot of tough issues and experiences, but have much to be happy about too, as this was the busiest and most productive year to date in our Studio.

Merry Christmas Ornament

December was a busy month right up until the end. Filling orders, packaging them securely, and shipping them out in all types of weather, including intense snowstorms, were a priority. Tree ornaments were in highest demand. We used enamel decals on a variety of glass ornaments this year. We tried to have a wide selection of blown ball ornaments ready to go for this festive season.

A variety of commissioned glass fly ties

Specialty gifts were commissioned as well, like the glass fly ties on Manzanita wood pictured above, and blown ball ornaments with a sports theme, pictured below.

Commissioned Oregon Duck themed blown glass ornaments

Our enamel decals also added a festive look to our slumped bottles and fused kiln ornaments.

Slumped bottles for Holiday trivets, and Fused Santa Ornaments

Russ went above and beyond this month, behind the torches. We went through many tanks of oxygen and propane as we both did our part and worked to fill order after order. We actually had to shut down the business for a bit to enjoy the birth of our 4th grandchild and first granddaughter mid December.

Our tireless Master Blaster, blowing glass until just about the last minute of the year

 One of the last orders to go out the door before we shut down for the year was the commissioned piece below, "Rabbits in the Garden".

Bunnies in the garden

 We were more than relieved when we could shut everything down in the Studio and just sit back and enjoy our kids and grand kids for the rest of the holiday season.

We were lucky to have everyone home for Christmas this year and enjoyed the company of our grown kids and grand kids. We don't take these precious moments for granted. Time spent with family is a gift in itself.

Our family continues to grow

 Russ and I have also grown to appreciate all that is offered to us from Nature's bounty, at our place of residence. The highlight of Christmas day was witnessing the mighty Buck pictured below, standing majestically on the front part of our property. It was as if he was giving us a simple but noble gift of his majesty. Simple gifts seem to be the most symbolic, like the gift of the little child wrapped in swaddling clothes thousands of years ago. Simplistic beauty is holy in many forms. For me, this gift from Nature was the height of the Christmas season this year. 

A majestic Buck on our property, Christmas Day

I hope that in the new year we can continue to strive for that kind of peace of mind and tranquility as we face new challenges in the coming year, both in our personal and professional lives. It is easy to lose sight of what matters, in this often turbulent world we live in. The new year always brings a fresh perspective, and we are hopeful we can continue to create new artistic beauty through new glass pieces and commissions. We want to wish our loyal customers the very best in the new year, and hope to welcome many new clients as well.  We are beyond thankful for all of you who continue to show us your support and business, throughout our many years of working with this wonderful medium of glass art. 

May Project for the Garden

Is it the last day of May already? I'm beginning to wonder how time keeps slipping away from me, the older I get. Time has had a way of eluding me lately, and I'm not sure how it slips out of my grasp so easily. Well, one last day to get the monthly Blog in. I'll make it short and sweet. 

Our garden sign from a couple years ago looked new, but needed a face lift this year.

This month has been so busy around the yard, sprucing up the trees, bushes and lawns, and planting the seasonal flowers and garden. After Old Man Winter has had his way with our landscape, it takes a lot of determination and effort to stay on top of such a large piece of property and the work that comes with it. Russ was busy with his own projects this month, so I managed to create a glass project of my own to spruce up the garden blocks. I was tired of repainting the garden sign every year, because of sun damage, so I decided to go with glass this year to see if it would last a little longer. 

Sanding old paint off the wood block.

First I had to sand down the old paint on the wood blocks. Then I re-stained the wood blocks. Next, I used our glass cutters and cut letters out of pieces of glass scrap left over from previous projects. I fused the lettering in the kiln overnight.

Cutting lettering from glass scraps.

Then I coated the glass molds with MR 97, a mold release spray used to help the glass frit come out of the molds, once they are fused and slumped in the kiln.

Glass molds need to be sprayed before use.

Next, I used a variety of crushed glass frit to fill the molds. I used butterflies, dragonflies, ladybug and flower molds for this project. 

A selection of crushed glass frit was used to fill the molds.

 And the picture below is the final project. Kind of whimsical by design, and hopefully will stand up to the harsh high desert climate for more than a year this time. 

Completed whimsical Garden blocks made with glass.

Well, that's about it for this month's blog. Now I'm headed out the door to ship more orders we processed off the website this busy month of  May. Until next time, happy gardening!

Back to the Grind

Now that the two big events of the year for the Lewis Bunch have come and gone, (the last Lewis wedding, and the birth of our second grandson) it's time to get "back to the grind".  And to tell you the truth, there is nothing I would rather be doing. To be able to work with our garden harvest and yard work, also while ramping back up in the glass studio, brings a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Running a small business and setting the schedules between home and work is a privilege afforded to very few. I certainly don't take it for granted, and look forward to setting new goals with my partner Russ for continued success in our Studio in the coming months.

Our Fall Garden

September is already coming to an end, and of course it has continued to be one of the busiest months for us in the garden. Harvesting all the crops, cleaning, preparing, and canning take up a large amount of our time. Wouldn't have it any other way though. There isn't much that can compare to the satisfaction of a well stocked pantry full of food put there from our own labor. Everything looks fresh and delectable sitting there in the glass jars. This year I even made homemade soup to enjoy for the coming winter months. Nature gave us a beautiful array of color, both in the garden and around the yard. I thought I'd share some of that in this blog for you to enjoy.

Blooming Sweet Peas

The fish are always hungry in our pond.

Marigolds surround the perimeter of our garden

Oodles and oodles of fresh strawberries this year

We will have lots of sunflower seeds to roast from our giant sunflowers

Our apple tree produced apples for the first time this year. Yum!

Gladiolus bloom

Daisy blooms

Part of our new and improved back yard

Ariel shot of our garden area

Ripening Pumpkins

Holly Hocks have such a beautiful bloom

Our chickens are producing lots of eggs for us

Another Daisy bloom

The Arbor has been a nice addition to our garden this year

As I write this morning, a fresh rain is falling down. Nothing like a cloudy day to get in the mood to head into the studio. I've always believed that's why there are so many artists in the Northwest, as grey skies seem to bring about the creative juices. Below is our latest slumped and fused creation out of the kiln. 

Slumped and fused vase

And of course, the hunting season is upon us. For those who would like to accent their den with something other than what a taxidermist would offer, we have some artistic options to choose from. Or if the hunters out there come up empty handed, we can offer a consolation prize of some glass wildlife art. 

Moose on Manzanita Burlwood

Large bugling Elk

A large selection of playful fox pieces

Sandblasted deer on Manzanita burlwood

Large fighting Elk scene

 Thanks for taking the time to read my monthly blog. I hope there is something in here that speaks to you. Taking the time to sit back and reflect now and then as to where we are going in our Studio, proves to me we are on the right path of creativity. And I enjoy sharing some of those ideas with you through photos. Maybe in the least, it will inspire you to create your own zen, whether it be through art, music, or any other creative outlet you wish to pursue.