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. 

Happy Halloween!

We wanted to take a minute and wish you a happy Halloween.....

Blown Glass Black Cat and Pumpkins

 This month in the Studio we've been creating some fun Fall projects. We took real leaves from our trees and fired them onto Float glass. Then colored in the imprints with enamels, and placed  them on Kao Wool for a unique glass enamel piece.

Enamels before firing in the kiln

 We also created a fused Fall scene piece (pictured right) for a gift given this month, to one of our sons and his family. We love the Fall colors on both pieces.

Enamel and fused Fall Leaves

 Now to wait for the little goblins and monsters to come knocking on our door. (Then back to work we go, to get ready for our first Fall Artisan Show.) Have a spook-tacular Day!

We recently visited our local "Boo at the Zoo." Enjoy the night of Halloween! 

The Pumpkin Patch

Black glass cat in our "glassy" pumpkin patch

I come from the generation that first fell in love with Charles Schulz's classic, "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown".  This year really dates me, as they are celebrating 50 years of the classic cartoon. Linus, Snoopy and the gang were a much anticipated Holiday treat that we first watched back in the 60's at both of our homes. Still to this day, I eagerly anticipate watching the whole Peanuts gang on Halloween night. Makes me feel like a kid again, and there's nothing wrong with bringing out the inner child now and then. Along those lines, while we didn't have much luck in our own pumpkin patch this year, (Only a few good pumpkins were picked) we enjoyed creating some out of glass, black cat included.

White Glass Frit accents our Snow Owl

We have also had our share of owls visiting the neighborhood this year, probably from the abundance of rabbits. Russ got inspired by the nightly hoots and created a cute glass Snow Owl this month.

Slumped and Fused Glass Vase accented with Fall colors

He also experimented with various scrap glass pieces and created a few new slumped and fused vases, including the one pictured above. 

Glass Display Stands in the Studio

It was time to update our display stands for an upcoming Art Show, so Russ used his welder for the base of the new stands. Then, using the scallop tool on float glass, he created the display stand pictured above. It accents the slumped and fused pieces quite nicely.

New creation of a slumped and fused decorative plate

Another iridescent and colorful plate was created this month. It has a riverbed of glass rocks fused and incorporated into this decorative piece.

Now if you will excuse me, I've got to be short and sweet on this month's blog, as we have lots of prep work before the first show of the holiday season. Here's hoping you found your own "Great Pumpkin" and have a spooktacular Halloween!

So Busy It's Scary

Whooooo's ready for Halloween?

You want to know what's scary this month? Besides the local hauntings, little goblins, and creepy crawlies....blinking an eye and realizing it's already over! It seems like a blur, so much done in the Studio, yet so far to go. 

We started out October like we ended September, blowing and sandblasting hundreds of dove ornaments for a non-profit organization that found us on Etsy. Wouldn't seem like a daunting task, except there's just the two of us, with a short time frame to get the work done. That counts for many, many hours of labor, and boy were we happy to ship them out the door this week. I think if there had been one more day of that noisy compressor blasting away, our dogs would've committed some kind of murder upon us for hurting their ears.

A small portion of a very large ornament order

We did manage to get away once in a while, and happened to come upon a scary looking forest one weekend, while looking for firewood. Scary as it looked, it felt really good to breathe in the forest and Autumn air, instead of dealing with the dust that accompanies our sandblast activities in the Studio.

Spooky forest

Also, everything was put to an abrupt halt earlier this month, when we were notified our 3rd grandchild was on his way.  What a beautiful reprieve from the tedious goings-on in the Studio, as I realized grandson #3 would come into the world on what was my very own day of birth, many years ago. He was welcomed into the world with lots of love, a perfect baby boy, and I couldn't believe we were both to share a special bond with this day. What a grand thing for this grandparent. I was gifted the ultimate present on my birthday. A precious day to be treasured for the rest of my years of life.

Our 3rd grandson is having sweet dreams

Once the happiness of welcoming our grandchild into the world had subsided, we headed back down the road home, and right into the Studio to complete lots of unfinished projects. The pieces below were created this month, along with the large order of doves.

Shark, Stingray, Starfish and Coral Scene

The War Cry

Mama Bear and her cubs

And now that Halloween is just about here, I think we'll take the time to spend with family members, and do some fun spooky hauntings before the next holiday orders come rushing at us full speed ahead. So busy it's scary!

Our carved pumpkins 

Boo-tiful Creations

Halloween Decorations on the front porch

It's almost time for the ghouls and goblins to come knocking at our door. We'll manage to take a breather from the Studio for just a bit to treat the little masked monsters. After that, the fires will be burning round the clock, and I'm not talking the kind of candles you would use to light your little Jack-o-lanterns either. Oh no, they will burn much hotter than that! There's lots to get done before our art show next week, so I'll keep this blog spookishly short. Mwaa-ha-ha-ha!

Denver Bronco Football Custom Glass Gift

We recently completed 2 unique glass gifts for a customer. They have a football theme and incorporate blown and sculpted glass with slumped and fused glass. Another challenging "outside the box" project, but we're happy with the outcome.

Custom Order  for a Miami Dolphins Football Theme

With this project behind us, we can get on to carving our pumpkins and tricking the little ghosts and goblins that come our way. We hope you get to do something spooky with your friends and family. Happy Halloween!

Have a howling good time with your friends this Halloween!

October's Delights

Snake River Fall Foliage

All year long I anticipate my favorite month of all, October.  My senses love to take in the crisp smells of this month, and I relish the visual masterpieces I get to enjoy in this delightful season. We've made it a tradition to head into the mountains and enjoy the beauty of the Fall colors abounding on the Aspens surrounding our scenic Snake River. Nothing like stumbling onto a path of Fall foliage at it's height of  glory with brightly colored leaves and strong Autumn smells.  

A variety of sizes of  pumpkins from our pumpkin patch make for fun carvings

 I also enjoy carving the pumpkins we grew in the garden each year. Makes me feel like a kid again. We are not a Picasso with the knife, but we try out a new face to carve each year, and always have fun while enjoying each other's company. Not only do we enjoy the carving tradition, but the seeds that we scoop out are transformed into bite sized delights of salted or cinnamon sugar  treats.

 A variety of toasted seeds from the pumpkins

 Since the kids are all grown, we have given the dogs the yearly task of costume humiliation. They put up with our mockeries as they wait to scare some innocent trick or treating youngster passing by.

Halloween Humiliation

 There's something fun about dressing up as a quirky character, even when you're a grown up. This year I'm the "Great Pumpkin". Feels appropriate, after sneaking one too many goodies from the kiddie's treat bowl.

October Colors

Mostly though, it's the colors and smells of October that excite the two of us. Very inspirational for a new project in the studio.  

More beauty along the Snake River

  Russ has started on a fused and slumped piece called "Aspens in Autumn". Just in time for one of our Holiday Shows coming up in November. Happy Halloween! Don't get lost in the woods tonight.

Aspens in Autumn