January Tune Up

 
 Most of this month found us both down for the count. Bronchial crud is not easy to get rid of. We had to go to the Doc. to give us both a tune-up. In between the coughing spells we got to work on various projects, and also managed to give the Studio a tune-up of sorts. We added a wall so I could have my own space for packing up orders. I have really needed this area, especially when the orders start piling up. And of course there is a need to start fresh in the new year, so we organized the room and repainted it too. It feels much better to enter our work space since making some much needed improvements.  Now to work on the front display area before the Valentine lessons start in a few weeks.  (You wouldn't believe how quickly dust settles on the glass.) 

Not many new projects to report, other than the tennis ball snowmen ornaments we worked on. They took up a good chunk of the first part of the month. It was reported they were well received by the tennis club members. Makes all the labor worth it to have happy customers. 

Working on a commission of  tennis ball snowmen.

We worked on a few miscellaneous orders too, like the pouncing fox and cobalt blue dolphin, pictured below. Also a variety of roses and tulips. (Customers seem to buy lots of Spring flowers from us in January, they must want to kick the January blahs with some pops of color.)

Pouncing Fox

Cobalt Blue Dolphin Ornament

Our glass roses and tulips come in a variety of colors.

We haven't had as many deer this year, but it was nice to step outside the Studio and see a couple of bucks in the backyard recently. There have been some poaching incidents reported around our area, so it gives me solace to see two bucks surviving both winter and bad humans. We've also seen many birds of prey, but they are harder to get a snapshot of. And owls hoot away at night, perched in our tree tops in our backyard, waiting to snag one of the many rabbits around the property. Have I mentioned how much I love witnessing the plethora of wildlife and the nature around here? 💓

Two bucks in our backyard.

The first full moon in January was a sight to behold in the early morning hours. It made me long for a zoom lens so I could get a better shot of the man in the moon. 😊 As you can tell by the picture below, we are experiencing a good Idaho winter this year. As I get older and wiser, I realize how important the snow pack is for our summer months. So, while it may be cold and dreary this January day, I accept it as a good thing. A good snow pack means a good storage of water for those hot summer months coming down the road. Well, time to stop daydreaming of Summer and get ready for our "Hot Date Night" Valentine lessons. See you next month.

The first full moon of the year, setting over our sleepy little town.

Inundated with Orders

November's Blog will be short and sweet, as we are inundated with orders, and I need to get back in the Studio asap! The Internet seems to have really discovered us this year....so hard to keep up with the incredible amount of orders, many of them large orders of wholesale ornaments, shipping around the country. We are trying to pace ourselves, and have had to shut down some of our web presence, just to keep up. Below are samples of some of the ornaments shipping out the door. 

Packaging and shipping, repeat, repeat, repeat!

Hundreds of reindeer are in the process of being made for a customer.

We take great care in packaging our glass so it arrives safely at it's destination.

Another variety of reindeer ornament.

 Meanwhile, our dogs are feeling neglected, so we thought we'd brighten them up with some festive accessories....(actually, they were not amused!) At least they are decorated, not sure when I will have the time to do the same to the house!  

Our Lab/Retriever Handsome Doggie!

Our Border Collie humors us for a minute.

Our oldest dog is all lit up! (And asking "Why?")

That's it for the blog this month. Wish me luck in getting all these orders shipped out to their destination! I'm going to need it!

Autumn Works

Slumped and Fused Artwork titled "The Seasons"

It's that time of year again, as my most favorite of all the seasons has descended on us in what seems like the blink of an eye. I can't believe it is already time for crisp Fall walks! There is nothing that can compare to the sights and smells of an Autumn morning. Not much can tantalize our senses quite like a September morning can. Although, I have noticed this September has been much warmer than usual, and our Morning Glories continue to welcome us at the garden every morning in all their glory. Colors are more vibrant this time of year, and our animals are also more alert on their morning walks. The picture above shows our latest creation celebrating the seasons in a unique way. We slumped and fused glass Aspen scenes to depict the 4 seasons, inserted them in a tree branch, and added blown glass Aspen leaves as accents.

Morning glories are filling in nicely at the garden arbor

Ornamental grass in the backyard

Our lab/retriever dog is a little on the shy side

But we can't take too much time to enjoy the outdoors lately, as there is plenty of work to do in the Studio. It's right back to the torches to fill more orders, among them is a large one for 400 of our sandblasted doves, they need to be shipped out by the end of October. Also, our teardrops have been very popular as of late. Can't seem to keep enough in stock. We compare ourselves to the busy squirrels in Autumn, only with us it is our glass inventory. We have found that we can never have too much of an item on hand. Getting ready for the holiday season can be daunting at times, but so far we seem to pull through when the need for more custom requests come our way.

A variety of ornaments are headed out the door today

So, I am off to package and ship a variety of orders, including the stunning glass floral arrangement pictured below, that was a custom request off the internet. **Here's hoping it all arrives in one piece. After that, it's time to tackle 400 doves before the real push of the holidays begins. Hopefully, we will be able to make sure and take time to smell the roses, or more importantly to me anyway, the smells and sights of Idaho's crisp Fall mornings. 

A customized slumped and fused vase with a variety of blown glass flowers and hummingbirds was made for an upcoming wedding

Black Friday

The bombardment of commercialism is here once again as Black Friday has arrived. And while we are also in the business of selling our art work to the Public, we choose to go about this "black" day differently. We settle in the Studio and light up the torches and kilns, while avoiding the crowds and madness that ensues with this hyped up event at the big box stores. You know, it just doesn't do it for us, fighting the crowds to save a buck or two. Never understood the hype, and never want to. Instead, we prefer intimate settings for the holidays. Such as the annual tradition we have of opening our Studio to the Public the first weekend in December. Customers can come and browse around, while watching us at work behind the torches, and enjoy some holiday treats and hot cider and cocoa. It just seems to go with the flow and the Spirit of the Season, and we like to keep it that way.

We wanted to give an update of our latest pieces we've created, and continue to create, as sort of a preview of what you'll find in our Studio next weekend. Below are some samples for your viewing pleasure.

This glass floral wall art has a lot of movement to it

We came up with the above piece for our third son's home, as a show of appreciation for helping us with our website and graphic design work. The matching decorative plate below was fused and slumped to match this unique glass wall art.

A matching fused decorative plate to match the wall art

Below are a couple of new colorful slumped and fused plates we've been working on. We're excited about these new colors. 

A colorful gradient slumped and fused creation

A flowing plate has lots of layers to it

And we still have a lot to get done in time for the Open House next weekend, but we enjoy the thought of thinking of our studio as kind of a Santa's workshop. Busy little elves are working hard at this moment, to make sure someone on your Christmas list has a unique gift or piece of art work that will make their holiday all the more special. Come by and see us next weekend if you have the time.

Working on another piece of original wall art

Blown glass preparations or our Open House

Fused, engraved and sandblasted bottles need some finishing touches before our Open House

A Joyful and Triumphant Year

Well, it's the end of the year and I'm finding the time for one last entry in 2013.  As I gaze outside my window I observe with delight, at how our tree branches have transformed into shiny ice crystals. Jack Frost spread his magic across our town the night before. Makes me glad we are nestled in and cozy next to the hearth fires. But still, outside the crystallized flakes are a beautiful and mesmerizing treat for my eyes to behold. Our piece of  property on the hill, along with the presence of Nature's beauty, has continued to help bring out the creative juices while working with our chosen art medium, glass. Another year of  unique and gratifying projects have drawn to a close in our glass studio. Probably the highlight of the last quarter was being selected to create the official Idaho State Capitol Ornament. Below are some visuals on the process used to create a blown glass ornament with pine bough inserts for the Idaho State Capitol. We finished it off with a bright red ribbon draped around the blown ball. We were honored to be the chosen artists this year for a custom glass ornament project.

Our glassblower at work creating blown glass balls

Hundreds of balls waiting for  ribbons and pine boughs for completion.

Inserting pine boughs into Idaho State Capitol ornaments

Adding decorative ribbons

Finished ornament

Of course, we were also busy creating some of our tried and true ornaments for the season, like our slumped and fused crosses adorned with blown glass flowers.

Slumped and fused glass crosses

And once again, our hand sculpted poinsettias and other colorful blown balls were in high demand.

Colorful blown glass ornaments

 We collaborated on this fun chimney candle holder with a cheery Santa looking on. It was fused and sandblasted to create a fun candle centerpiece.

Santa's Sandblasted Chimney Candle holder

We also came up with some new slumped and fused ornaments that almost looked good enough to eat!

Glass gingerbread ornaments

And some more slumped and fused ornaments that were well received by our customers.

Slumped and fused snowman ornament

Fused red stocking ornament

Fused glass presents

 And we always seem to have music enthusiasts who love to purchase our treble clef and other musical ornaments.

Blown glass treble clef

We experimented with vibrant colors on our slumped and fused plates and vases.

Slumped and fused artistic glass plate

We also shipped off various customized glass chess sets across the country this year.

Custom blown glass chess set

And of course, the "upcylced"  slumped wine bottles are always a hit for a holiday get together.

Upcycled wine bottle art

 We'd like to thank our many loyal and returning customers for supporting us once again, this past year. It has been another banner year for A Touch of Glass Studio, and we have you to thank for that. If you are just stumbling across our website and haven't gotten to know us yet, keep us bookmarked for many new and interesting works of glass art that will be custom made in the new year, 2014. Maybe something will catch your eye and lift your spirit. We strive to instill a sense of beauty and thoughtfulness in our glass works, and hope you get as much enjoyment out of the finished project as we get from creating the pieces. Our sincere gratitude to all of you who have given us your patronage. Season's Greetings from our Idaho Glass studio, and may you have a very happy and prosperous new year.

View of an Idaho sunset through one of our blown glass balls

And the Award goes to....

Wow! Almost two months has gone by since we last talked. What a busy time in the studio! This time of year, we're lucky to take those pups of ours on their daily walks. And boy, do they let us know it! Well, sorry furry friends, it's only gonna get worse. Or better, depends on the perspective.

It seems lately this year, that one thing has led to another, and we are now so inundated with new projects we can't see straight. Better adjust those rose colored glasses, and get focused on the new venture at hand.

But first, I think our readers (if there are any out there in the blog-o-sphere) would like to see just what it is that's kept us so busy. Since we last talked, besides training for a 1/2 marathon, (a personal goal of mine for turning the big 50 this year. And yes, I ran the whole way and completed it. Just don't ask how I felt the next day. :) ) we had another opportunity to create some unique awards for our local art museum's 10th anniversary celebration. We just wrapped that project up, and then loaded up the rest of our glass for a 3 day Beaux Cadeux event at their lovely facility. We enjoyed packaging up a variety of our ornaments and glass gifts for several art patrons during this show.

Funny how things work, their director had heard we created the VIP gifts for the King Tut exhibit, and asked us to do something along similar lines. This time the task was to create a unique award for all the patrons and volunteers that helped make the museum what it is today. It's had 10 years of success as The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho, thanks in part to the support of many in our community. So a brief description will offer you the inside look at how we came about with another unique glass project, thinking outside the box.

We've attached pictures of the different phases of the award. First, we cut float glass two layers thick, then cleaned them up and came up with 4 different colors of glass frit that we sandwiched between the two layers. Then we fused them in the kiln. The process took 12 hours for two awards. We created a total of 30 awards.

Cutting float glass

Glass frit colors

Fusing glass awards

Fused glass

Next, we used a mold to slump the pieces into a beautiful  curved shape, and again for every two pieces, the slumping process took close to 12 hours. Below is an example of the finished piece. It has an organic feel, as the back of the award has a great texture to it, and we were happy with the end result. A unique award going out to some well deserving folk in our community. We were glad to be a part of this venture.

Unique glass award

And now, another local business has caught wind of our ability to think outside the box, and they want us to create 650 hand sculpted glass rocks! Oh my, looks like the torches will be roaring full time from here on out.  And our Open House is two weeks away. So much to do, so little time! We could use an extra pair of hands about right now. I've learned a great lesson here, "Be careful what you wish for"!