Unexpected Turn of Events

Some new fused flowers were added to our garden sculpture recently. 

It's the last day of July, and I'm reflecting on the events of the last two months. We slowed down considerably in the Studio towards the middle of the month of June, not because we wanted to, but because we had to. Health problems have caught up with the two of us this year, and ended up putting one of us in the Hospital. We were just wrapping up some big projects around the property in June, along with some glass orders heading to our Local Museum of Idaho, when Russ experienced uncomfortable symptoms related to his heart. Sure enough, when he checked in to the hospital, they told him he was having a heart attack right then and there. So, obviously all things came to a complete stop for a while. All our energies were poured into Russ recovering. The staff at the local hospital were excellent caretakers of my guy for a few days. I am so thankful for their professional care. We were very lucky to catch this issue before it caused more damage. 

It didn't take that Superman of mine long to recover from his health scare. As luck would have it, he got to the hospital in time and only one artery was in need of a stint. He is very fortunate to have come away from that harrowing experience a little more for the wiser, and is learning to take it a little easier these days. We are taking more time to enjoy the summer days, as the big projects are behind us, thankfully.  Relaxing in the mountains became a top priority in July.  Pictured below are some of the pieces that were created back in June before all things came to a stop. 

Glass enamels were the medium for this piece, before the fish is fired in the kiln.

This fused glass piece can be seen at the Museum of Idaho.

Another blown glass sculpture at the Museum.

Taking the time to enjoy a beautiful Idaho Sunset...it's medicine! 

We got away to the Tetons the month of July. Very therapeutic. 

Beautiful babbling Brook.

Enjoying the balloon races at the Tetons in July. 

The Aspen Grove we camped in, might just be inspiration for new Art in the future. 

We also were lucky enough to enjoy the company of all 4 of our sons and their families this month. We took advantage of that opportunity to update long overdue family pictures, and celebrate the birthdays of our 2 youngest granddaughters. What a treat!  

Celebrating 2 of our darling granddaughters

Now we are slowly getting back to "normal" and finishing up a few orders, along with another batch of wildlife heading to Yellowstone Park Stores again. They had such a busy year, they ordered from us twice! (Good thing Russ is on the mend now.)

And finally, yesterday we remembered a very special woman in both our lives. Russ' Mom passed away 4 years ago. She loved butterflies, and wouldn't you know, one landed for us just in time to help us remember the beauty of her soul. One thing life teaches you as you age, slow down and enjoy the simple things, they really seem to help when life gives you unexpected turns and struggles. If you look hard enough, you can see beauty through the pain. 

A beautiful Butterfly landed on our lilies, just in time to help us remember his loving Mom. 

 

May Projects

Wildlife Art created for the Museum of Idaho. The pieces will be available in their gift shop.

The month of May flew by furiously for us (literally and figuratively....that darned Idaho wind!) as we checked off project after project we had been wanting to get done, both in glass works and home improvements. In between large orders of glass wildlife, Russ somehow found the time to also build a new and improved backyard deck. Of course, I was there to help him whenever he needed an extra pair of  hands. (We have been working well together for quite some time now.) I have to say that we are both absolutely tickled with the outcome, and thank our lucky stars he had the foresight to purchase the lumber at the beginning of the year before the prices of lumber skyrocketed. (Some people have not done so well from pandemic-related isolation, but Russ is not one of them. He is checking off project after project, as he is spurred on by views of a well-earned retirement on the horizon.) He had really wanted to get this project done before retiring, and sure enough, he "got 'er done!" in record time.

A lot of material lists and planning went into the substructure and layout of the deck. 

We have already spent many hours outside, enjoying the new and improved deck.

Festive lights really add to the deck's beauty. 

Somehow that man of mine also managed to design and build a "Catio" for our indoor cats in the month of May. All they do is jump through a kitty door that was installed in the screen window, and enjoy hours of  bird watching. A win-win for us, as there are too many predators where we live for these 3 precious ones to roam freely. (Besides, we put too much money into them since we rescued them, for them to just mysteriously disappear, as happens quite often in our neighborhood.) It's only good for the warm months, as we will need to close the window when the cold autumn nights arrive. But, I'm sure they will have had their share of bird watching by then. 

Russ designed and built this fun "Catio" on the side of our home.

 Once again, we breathed a sigh of relief as the Yellowstone Park Store's orders were completed. In between blowing, sculpting and packing up hundreds of wildlife pieces, Etsy orders also rushed out the door. I know we are both ready for a break in the Studio for a bit.

Some of the most popular blown glass wildlife pieces in the Yellowstone Stores.

These pieces are now packed and ready for distribution in the Yellowstone Stores. 

Only one more big outdoor building project to go, and then time to enjoy some weekends with family and camping in the mountains. That's what summer is for, after all. We are also excited to mingle with friends this year, a welcome to normalcy after a year of uncertainty. We hope this Memorial Weekend allows you to begin anew too.  Here's hoping you can also enjoy the summer months ahead. 

So Long, Goodbye 2020!

As everyone already knows, this year has been one for the record books! For our Studio, it was both a blessing and a curse. We had to cancel many of our events that would have included social gatherings, like our annual Holiday Open House. We don't have adequate ventilation to have more than a couple people in the Studio, so we opted to lay low most of the year, out of safety concerns.
However, we were lucky that our online presence benefitted greatly from the side effects of Covid-19. Many customers searched online for gifts the last few months, and we found ourselves overwhelmed with orders. It got to the point where we had to shut down our Etsy store because the two of us just couldn't keep up with the demand. What a strange time to be living in. But of course, we are so thankful to be Covid-free up to this point in time. We had to create some ornaments (pictured below) for comic relief, as this year has been pretty heavy and full of sadness otherwise.  

The  masks were an appropriate add-on to some of our ornaments this year. 

We created so many ornaments this month it was hard to keep count. Literally hundreds and hundreds shipped out the door. Below are some examples of ornaments and glass gifts made for both local customers, and customers all throughout the United States this month. 

Glass Painter's Palettes flew out the door this month. 

A wide variety of ornaments created for the last several months. 

Blown and sculpted glass angels with gold highlights. 

Blown glass cross ornaments

A new style of candy cane made with white glass.

A custom blown glass bass drum gift.

Blown glass fish are always popular for gifts. 

This was a custom piece sculpted for a repeat customer.

A new fused ornament created this year, a pair of ice skates.

Russ made time to create a glass reindeer family representing his immediate family tree, and each deer was sent to a family member. I also sent some glass reindeer to members of my family this year. Covid-19 reiterated how much we miss family gatherings that we once took for granted. Not being with family that we love is one of the hardest things we've had to deal with during these stressful times. But our struggles are minute compared with so many who have lost jobs, loved ones, homes, hope. We empathize with the many who have had their own share of struggles this year. It was a year of charitable giving from our Studio, for those less fortunate and down on their luck. 

Russ' family tree of blown glass reindeer, represents his loved ones. 

Speaking of family, we were happy to engrave and etch these wine glasses, gifted to our 4th son and his wife. They represent the three different states they've resided in since being married. And the personalized  fused ice skates pictured above were gifted to all our son's families this Christmas. 

Wine glasses were etched for our son and his wife. 

Now we are taking a much needed short break from all things glass and enjoying the simple things of life, like all our pets, along with the wildlife that wanders onto the property this time of year. 

Our 3 kittens wait for us to quit working and play.

A nice looking Buck pays a visit to our bird feeder, a regular sight for us this time of year. 

With all that has happened throughout the Nation and the World this year, we can't say we will miss 2020 in the least. Hoping for a better outlook in the new year, now that 2020 is in "hindsight". Sending our thanks to those who supported our Studio this year. We are thankful for each and every one of you. We hope the new year finds you both safe and healthy. Hopeful that we can all break free from the stress that defined 2020. Here's to a better year.....we can only hope.