A New Look

A new look for our website!

This last month has been rather eventful for us, with many projects going on around the home front as well as the Studio. We have been collaborating with our Graphic Designer (who just happens to be our son) on a new look for our website. We rolled it out earlier this month and couldn't be happier with it's new design and user friendly application. If you haven't already taken a look you can find it at www.glass4gifts.com There is also an active link to shop on our Etsy page. Countless hours of tedious work have paid off, and that is one more thing we can check off our list of "to do's". I'm sure our son is breathing a sigh of relief too. 😊 He went beyond our expectations with the new look.

I also wanted to share a photo of a slumped and fused abstract piece Russ created for one of his sisters. She and her husband had just finished building a beautiful little home last Fall and he wanted them to have some new art to hang on their walls. A  housewarming gift that went to an appreciative home is pictured below. 

Abstract Fused Glass Art created for a family member

We also spent a lot of time these past few months outdoors on our property. We became aware of a Robin's nest a few months back, in one of our pine trees. I wasn't sure if there were any birds in it for quite some time, so Russ finally snuck in and took a picture and found out that yes indeed, there were newborns in the nest. There are only 2 pictures because we didn't want to disturb Ma and Pa Robin's babies too much. I can now say that they have weathered all the crazy winds, freak snow storms and loud lawn mowers passing by, to finally become independent of their parentals. I still see them fluttering around the yard, learning to feed themselves as their parents taught them. It was a joy witnessing the whole process from newborn to independent, flying around the property. 

Baby Robins on our property. 

Russ got to take some time off on Father's Day and enjoy our newest grand puppy, Moose. He is a beautiful Retriever! 

Russ chilling with Moose in our back yard.

The greenhouse is starting to pay off now. Russ has done a lot of tweaking to it. We never grew broccoli before, this was a first for us. It was delicious! And the tomato plants are coming along nicely. It continues to be a learning experience, as some plants are thriving while others seem to struggle. No matter, a great new hobby for him, since his hobby of glass blowing has turned into a full time business. 

Plants are starting to take off in the greenhouse.

We are still collaborating with an Author for her book series. This glass Gryphon was the latest created. The last one to work on will be a glass Phoenix. I already shared the dragon and unicorn in my previous blogs. We like thinking outside the box when it comes to commissions. 

A Blown Glass Gryphon Commission.

And lastly, we are working up to the last minute on a special commission, an artistic bench. Below is a sneak peek. The rest of this project will be revealed in another blog post.  Speaking of which, it's time to wrap this post up, so I can complete the final details of this huge undertaking. 

A sneak peek of a special artistic commission....

Our Website Is Now Live!

Well, here goes our first attempt at blogging. Not sure what a couple of "Old School" glassblowers have to offer in the sea of information out there, but we'll give it a go. We hope to talk in the future about new projects we're involved in, at our glass studio in rural Idaho, and techniques we used to achieve the end results. And hopefully we can get some feedback from you fine folks out there, as to what you think of our ideas.

We have stepped into a new era with our business. We've recently posted a first look at our new and improved and streamlined website. www.glass4gifts.com Our Graphic Designer and son Corey, put an all out effort into designing a new and modern website for us, and we couldn't be happier with the results.

Thought we'd give you a brief history on us, and our evolution into a full time business. Russ has lived in Idaho all his life. I (Adele) joined him some 30 years ago, and now call Idaho home. We started out on our adventure together in 1983 and have been happily enjoying each other's company for almost 30 years. In that time we managed to raise 4 fine young men, who are all now adults and off on their own adventures. Around 1987, Russ was pining for a hobby to release his creativity, and literally stumbled on the fascinating world of glassblowing. Back then, we didn't have this thing called the Internet, so he went to the local library to see what he could find on this unusual art form. (I think he just liked the idea of playing with fire!)

A couple of books were all there was to offer in our rural area of Idaho back then. So Russ proceeded the painful and "burnt finger" process of trial and error, and self-taught methods. As with any hobby, there have been highs and lows and learning curves. Slowly through the years, people started commenting that Russ should be selling his wares. It was turning into something much more visually stunning and artistic as the years passed by. And bit by bit, this "hobby" morphed into an actual artistic business which we very much enjoy today.

Since Russ became so busy with outside orders, I offered my help and was eager to learn what he could teach me. For the last 10 or so years, I have been taught various methods by the "Master" and now enjoy creating right alongside him. My specialties are the slumped and engraved wine bottles, and I also help with jewelry designs and Holiday ornaments. I also was given the title "Manager" since Russ didn't want to get bogged down with numbers and figures. I truly enjoy watching our artistic world blossom and run the day to day dealings of our home grown business.

Needless to say, "A Touch of Glass" has evolved into something we both never would have dreamed of at the beginning of this journey. It gives us both great satisfaction to know we are doing our part to make this life experience all the more beautiful with our blown glass art work.

Recently, we've branched out again into the fascinating world of fusing and slumping. We just bought a new kiln and have created many colorful and new pieces. We can see the possibilities will be endless with this new art form.

2012 so far has turned out to be a year of opportunity and possibilities. We just got back from our first visit to the Glass Expo and met other talented glass artists and craftsmen from around the country, and are looking forward to networking with other like minds. For so long, everything Russ learned was trial and error, but this year we feel we are meeting new acquaintances through social media that we never thought possible even a few years ago.

Well, if you're still reading this, I'm glad I didn't bore you to death with our little company's history. Come back often, as I hope to get a hang of the blog-o-sphere, and tell you about many more new and exciting projects we intend on working on. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. By the way, anyone out there need a talented Graphic Designer? I can reference a darn good one for you.....his name is Corey Lewis and he brought us out of the dark ages. Enjoy our new website and come back often for new updates. Till next post..............enjoy!