Time Marches On

And just like that, the month of March is fleeting. It's easy to let time slip through our hands, as we dabble in a variety of projects, both in the Studio and around our Property. This month's posting is short and sweet, as we really haven't spent much time in the Studio. We're finishing up loose ends on projects around the property, while we wait on a large order from the Yellowstone Stores to come through at the end of the week. So for this month's blog I thought I'd post some pictures of past projects we worked on for previous customers, to show the diversity we are capable of creating with both blown glass and slumped and fused glass.

Blown Glass Balls with Slumped and Fused Decorative Plate

Fighting Elk Scene

This month repairs were made to some glass that was damaged and broken. Past customers brought them in to have updated, including the blown glass Elk above, and the fun green Gecko below. 

Whimsical Gecko

The Swordfish below was a bit of a challenge to create, as the blue colored glass can be tricky to work with, as it tends to crack easily if it's not annealed right away.

Swordfish leaping out of the Ocean Waves

 The artistic piece below was sculpted in the Lamp Work flames a while back, and is still one of our favorite pieces to this date.

Labrador on the hunt for Pheasant

The floral bouquet pictured below, of tulips and daffodils, was sculpted this month to welcome in Spring. The pastel colors are fun to work with in the flame. I'd compare it to pulling taffy. Arrangements like these help brighten the mood of the room they are in. And that's about it for this month. Next time I write an entry, I'm sure we will be knee-deep in our contract to create a multitude of blown glass wildlife figures. So, off to finish a few more projects in the yard, before we head to the Studio for hours and weeks worth of work. Until next time, enjoy the Spring weather.

Spring Blooms sculpted in our Lamp Work Flames

New Year, New Creations

Here we are at the tail end of January in our new year, already reflecting on some special moments we've had, both in the Studio and also with some very special people in our extended family. So this month we have kept as busy as ever in the Studio. Below are some of the latest creations we've already made for the new year. We were excited to get to work on a special project that benefits a local fundraiser titled "Lighting the way to Literacy". Our Lampshade was created out of float glass, blown glass, and acrylics, and is titled "Edge of the Pond". It is displayed along with many other creative lampshades at the Willard Arts Center in Idaho Falls.

This creative lamp shade with glass accents imitates the edge of a pond.

Finished lit lampshade displayed for our Arts Council's fundraiser.

Next, we completed a unique dish setting in our kiln with sandblasted dragonfly accents. It was created for a nephew of ours who has supplied us with lots of float glass to "upcycle". We were really pleased to present him and his family with the unique setting made just for him. We have many more ideas that we will create with this type of glass in the kiln. 

I wanted to re post a picture of our son's glass dishes and cheese trays that we made for his wedding last August. They were made to go with his animated themes that he had come up with for their special day. We look forward to finishing a few more pieces to complete the picture, which will include a glass picture of their honeymoon.

Glass cheese trays, won ton bowls, dipping sauce bowls all have an animated look.

It was about the middle of January when a customer requested that a unicorn and dragon be custom made and shipped out. These blown glass pieces are accented in gold and halo platinum.

Mythical creatures made for a customer

And lastly, this month has ended on the right note, as we just returned from celebrating our parent's 60th wedding anniversary in sunny Arizona. They stand in a league of their own, and we wanted to come up with something that showed them how special they are. The anniversary cake top below was made with great care from float glass and engraved by hand. The glass diamonds at the base were blown and sculpted to compliment their diamond anniversary.

Our parent's 60th wedding anniversary cake top

We also cut the desert scene below out of float glass and finished it off in the kiln. It made a nice addition to their back patio in their home in Arizona. 

Coyote howling at the moon in the desert.

We know we are so lucky to have witnessed this rare milestone of 60 years of marriage. We've had such supportive parents (and in-laws) all these years. What a special way to end the first month of the year celebrating their love. They have supported us all throughout our lives, and we'd like to thank them for their part in inspiring us to follow our dreams and keep creating, growing, and learning, remembering of course, to stay young at heart. 

60th Wedding Anniversary Cake