The latest Endeavors of November

As the month of November winds down we find ourselves once again, involved in a whirlwind of various projects at our glass Studio. We are wrapping, packaging and shipping Etsy orders as fast as we can. It seems orders are shipped on a daily basis these days. Our third son, who also happens to be our Graphic Designer, also helped us this month with a new YouTube video. It has a festive Holiday theme, along with Russ showing how to make a glass skier ornament. You can view it on our YouTube channel or click on the video below...

We had time to create and donate the grouping of upcycled wine glasses, pictured below, to the Holy Rosary Catholic School Fundraiser and Auction this month. These particular bottles turned out to be a real beast to cut with the saw, and then time was spent fire polishing the top edges. Afterwards I hand engraved the design on each one, and used rub'n buff to fill in the engravings. Hopefully they were auctioned for a good price, because we spent countless hours on this particular project.

Upcycled wine glasses created for a local school fundraiser.

Russ completed the Fused Crested Crane and was also able to create the wrought iron background below, for a stunning Fused and Slumped Wall Art scene. He continues to evolve with each new fused project he creates.

Fused Crested Crane Wall Art

We also set our display up at our local art museum and sold to a variety of patrons at the 

'Beaux Cadeaux" event earlier in the month. Pictured below is our display at "The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho".

Glass set up for the November Art Show

On a somber note, Russel's Mom passed away earlier this year, from complications due to  Alzheimer's. We celebrated her beautiful soul on two different occasions. Russ created a butterfly cremation memorial to her, pictured below. It went along beautifully with the poem she wrote about butterflies. It's been a rough year, losing her. But the memorial is a daily reminder what a loving, creative, and beautiful person she was in this life. Russ believes she spoke to him and guided him along, as he created this artistic piece with some of her ashes encased in the body of the butterfly. We miss her every day, but know she has spread her wings and is free from the bondage of that devastating disease.  Her artistic abilities live on through her son. This piece will be cherished for as long as we live.

And now we are busy as elves, preparing many different ornaments for our annual Open House, this year to be held on December 8th  & 9th. So excuse me if I keep it brief this month. No time to waste as the "elves" must work relentlessly round the clock this time of year. 

Some of our many ornaments we create for the Holidays.

'Tis the Season

Slumped and Fused Art

Lately I've got a bad habit of waiting 'til the last possible moment to write my monthly blog, through no fault of my own. Hectic doesn't begin to accurately describe what this month has been like for us in the Studio. First we had to prepare new art pieces to participate in a local art show, then create custom commissions for clients, then stock and restock all our ornaments that we are shipping through our Etsy storefront. Not to mention create custom blown ball ornaments for clients both local and across the country. I'm getting that stress knot in my stomach that tends to inflame around this time of the year. I suppose I need to focus on the end results, which is, that we are constantly validated these days both in the art world, and our home grown business. Makes it easier to lose sleep over I suppose. 

Our large Ornament rack holds lots of unique ornaments.

Set up for a local art show in November

We created a fun fused coaster set out of different hues and shades of red.

Red glass fused coasters

Bigger and more unique wildlife pieces were sculpted in the lamp working flames, like the pieces shown below.

Blown glass Owl on Manzanita Burlwood

A crystal clear trout making a glass splash out of the water

Blown glass Moose in Cattails

Sandblasted Mountain Goat on a glass rock ledge

While our Wildlife scenes are always popular, Russ went outside his comfort zone with soft glass, and spent hours and hours creating the Aspen scene below. A nice, thick piece was created by added layer after layer of various colors. The real Aspen log set it off perfectly.  Definitely one of the more intense pieces created to date.

Slumped and Fused Aspen Art Work

A real piece of Aspen bark was also used to help create a mold for the unique slumped and fused piece below. A light adds a soft touch to it.

Another unique glass Aspen piece

Russ was really pushed to his creative limits on the piece below. A client wanted a type of Salvidor Dali inspired piece of art work. This piece really moved me, almost to tears, as he described his inspiration behind it. Hours and hours of intense kiln time and flame working time were spent on it. Both ourselves and our client were extremely pleased with the outcome. 

This piece has many interpretations and levels to it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Another couple of unique projects are wrapping up this month, as two different clients wanted us to create their logos on the inside of their custom blown balls. Inserting the logo inside the ornament gives it a kind of floating-in-air impression. Lots of time and effort is being spent to get it to look just right. Hoping they are both happy with the outcome. 

Custom made blown ball ornaments

And of course, what would this time of year be like without our trusty source of income, affordable Christmas ornaments. These happy snowmen are just about to be fired in the kiln.

Slumped and Fused Glass Snowman Ornaments

Now if you will excuse me, I've got to rush to the Post Office to ship yet another car load of glass goodies. I need 4 sets of hands to get it all done!

Many packages waiting to be shipped out all across the country.

Good Tidings

One of our large blown glass Angels created by our Lamp work torch.

Have you ever had the feeling that external forces are helping you along in life, without being able to pinpoint the exact cause for your good tidings? This sums up our 2015 year in the Studio. Call it a guardian angel or whatever phenomenon you'd like, but we felt like the season was full of exciting and memorable creations, to where it felt like something outside ourselves was sometimes helping us along our paths of creativity.

A blown glass scuba diver ornament

The year is winding down and we are finding ourselves reflecting once again, on so many unique, fun creations of glass, from the beginning in January, right down to the very end of December.  

A unique piece of art features a fused glass trout swimming in a riverbed

Of course, we have had our share of mishaps too, like the trout scene above. Countless hours were spent on the fused piece, only to find out it was damaged during shipping. That's the luck of the draw, when it comes to shipping glass. But we try not to spend too much time and energy focused on the failures, and instead, like to focus on the overall success of the glass art we created in the Studio.

Blown glass treble clef ornament

Many ornaments were shipped out the door the last quarter of the year, from doves to candy canes, to Christmas trees, to musical ornaments. 

Lovely Calla Lily Arrangement

We also had time to create commissioned pieces like the elegant luster pink Calla lilies pictured above. They are nestled in one of our recycled and engraved wine bottles for a unique centerpiece for the home of our customer.

Slumped and fused pieces featured at our Annual Open House this year.

The fused pieces above, and the blown glass elk below were featured in our annual December Open House. We look forward to the community coming to our Studio this time every year to watch us blow glass and browse through our large selection of ornaments and glass art.

Blown Glass Elk were also featured at our annual Open House

We did a commissioned Idaho Falls Temple for one customer that came to our Open House. There are glass pine trees surrounding the building, just like the real time landscaping.

A commissioned blown and sculpted glass Idaho Falls Temple

We had time to make a unique tiki ornament for all of Adele's brothers and sister, to remember the fun we had at her family's reunion. It was held in sunny California earlier this year. The reunion had a tiki theme and we gave these whimsical ornaments to help them reflect back to good times with the family.

Whimsical Glass Tiki Ornaments

We also had time to make new ornaments right up to the last minute. One customer requested the cute penguin ornament below.

Commissioned blown glass penguin ornament

These scalloped float glass trees were a bit of a challenge to make, but the end result was what we were after, with an engraved greeting on the front of the ornaments.

Scalloped and engraved float glass Christmas tree ornaments

Another customer asked to have their pets blown out of glass to mimic the real thing. This was also a challenge to get exactly right, as the colored glass is much harder to work with. We hope the recipient was happy with this piece.

A customer's pets were recreated out of colored glass

Once all the orders were complete and picked up, we got to business preparing for family to come. We still pick out an old fashioned pine tree to decorate, just like the old days, when our kids were younger and we would go into the forest to chop down a tree. We eagerly awaited the arrival of all of our children on Christmas Eve. The little grandchildren were all gifted Christmas pajamas and this Grandpa and Grandma were in heaven surrounded by all our children and their families.

Our old fashioned Christmas tree

The most precious gifts, our grandchildren

Cute ornaments we made just for our grandchildren

We enjoyed some much needed time off from the Studio and played in our back yard's winter wonderland with our oldest grandson. It was quite cold, but still fun to enjoy a very white Christmas this year.

Fun in the snow with our grandson

The slumped and fused snowman candle centerpiece felt appropriate to make this year too, with all the snow that's been falling in our neck of the woods.

Slumped and fused winter snowman scene accented with a candle

Jack Frost is also working his magic lately. Everything is shimmering and bright under a full moon Christmas picture that we took out our front window. We would like to thank each and every customer that has purchased from us and helped us continue to thrive as a small business, and look forward to another new year of great tidings. Season's greetings and a very happy new year from 

A Touch of Glass Studio.

Jack Frost is helping us end the year out right with a beautiful winter scene view out our front yard.

Feeling Thankful

An early Thanksgiving feast shared last weekend

November is the month that brings us the season of giving and thanks, and boy do we have a lot to be thankful for. We got to celebrate the feast a little early this year, enjoying a brine turkey with our oldest son and his wife this past weekend. There is nothing like conversing with your grown children and realizing what amazing adults they have grown into. We are really looking forward to another round of "thanks" as we enjoy my niece's company for Thanksgiving and the rest of the week. Family from far and near are always close to our hearts. Only one month until this household is full of happy kids and grand kids celebrating with us during the holidays. Much to look forward to.

Meanwhile, lots of focus is required in the Studio as of late. We have been cranking out many new pieces for local art shows and our Annual Open House, always held the first weekend in December. Below are the latest pieces added to our collection of glass art.

Slumped and fused glass Mallard, Cattails, Moon

Grizzly confronts Bobcat

Blown glass trout are very popular with our customers

Mountain Goat with a weathered tree

Blown glass Bighorn Sheep Butting Heads

Another large blown glass Trout Scene

Another reason we've kept the torch fires burning is Internet orders coming from all over the country. We think we are catching up, only to receive yet another order. A good problem to have. Below is a large quantity of candy cane ornaments waiting to be wrapped up and shipped to the east coast.

A large order of Candy Cane ornaments

We've unpacked all the glass from the last art show and are getting our Studio ready for our Open House next weekend. If you are local, stop on by and have some refreshment while you watch us blow glass. 

Various items for sale in our Studio

Wall Art in our Studio

Adding many ornaments as we prepare for our Open House

Blown glass ball cluster with peacock feathers

Preparing fused jewelry pendants to sell in the Studio

It pays to have a thankful heart, even when there are outside forces that can drag you down. What you give, you receive back. And lately, we are receiving so much to be thankful for, amongst which are our valued customers. We are so thankful for those of you who continue to inspire us to do better in our craft. We hope you too, can find reasons to give thanks and have a happy Thanksgiving.