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. 

September Harvest

Another batch of wildlife headed to Yellowstone

Lately, it seems the months are blurring into each other. I can't believe we are already looking  into the month of October in a few days. Time sure has a way of getting away from us. I'll take the time to write a quick blog post today, then head back into the Studio for more projects. (We never seem to run out of them these days.) Pictured above is part of the latest blown glass wildlife order from the Yellowstone stores. 

A hand engraved slumped wine bottle created for a customer in Iowa.

The flattened (slumped) bottle and logo above were made for a winery in Iowa. We enjoy creating Business' logos with our engraver. It's a hand engraver, so I take my time with these kind of projects to get it just right. No such luxury of  a laser engraver yet, maybe in the future. 

Orders are already piling up for the coming Holidays.

Pictured above is part of an order we created for an Art Gallery that's located across the country. I have lots of finish work to do, like tying cords onto each individual ornament, and adding tags of course. I take extra time carefully wrapping each one with tissue paper and bubble wrap, to make sure it arrives safely to it's destination. (You wouldn't believe how much of that product we go through every month.) The Devil is in the details.

Meanwhile, our garden harvest is full-bore this month of September. We've already harvested beans, peas, cucumbers, carrots, spinach, peppers, raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, herbs, and zucchini. Pictured below are the latest vegetables to be picked. We had no choice, as the garden got hit by frost last week. Looks like I have plenty of winter squash to store this year, along with a good variety of pumpkins. 

So, multi-tasking is a must in the month of September, with the business and home and garden duties. It's a way of life we have grown accustomed to. And you know how the saying goes, "You reap what you sow". Until next time, enjoy the Harvest. 

September is a month filled with canning garden goodies.

February Forging Ahead

Even though winter is far from over in our high desert climate, we have managed to keep the home fires burning and are still plenty warm in the Studio, thankfully. February tends to keep us focused on Valentines. The first half of the month was plenty busy, between rose orders and giving glass rosebud lessons.

Creating blown glass roses and rosebuds are a common practice in our Studio for the month of February. 

 Heart shaped glass pendants were also created for some customers this month.

Sculpted glass heart pendants

 We have quite a bit of inventory building up in the Studio, which is a good thing. Some of our pieces have been selected to head out the door for upcoming Art Shows.

Completed Art Works in the Studio

 It's nice when things slow down just a bit after Valentine's Day. It gives us time to think ahead about various projects and also do a little creating, like the slumped and fused piece below.

One of our latest creations, a slumped and fused glass vase.

Now we can take some time and enjoy a little respite before we delve into new projects. We are hoping to hear good news from some stores in Yellowstone. The buyers may be interested in carrying our blown glass wildlife in their gift shops. We are waiting to hear back from them. If we get the green light, I'm sure the torch fires will be burning night and day. Until then, we will enjoy the calm before the next "storm". 

Glass Wildlife figurines akin to the real ones you would see in Yellowstone Park.

Wild West Creations

Manzanita Burlwood really accents our glass wildlife

July has proven to be yet another busy month in the Studio. Along with the usual Etsy orders shipped all over the country, we restocked the store in Jackson Hole with a new selection of wildlife this month. Pictured below was part of the selection of wildlife we sent up there, including some fun wildlife ornaments.

Blown Glass Fighting Elk Scenes are very popular

Blown Glass Moose with cattails

Our Bucking Bronco Ornament can either stand or hang

Moose Ornament with Gold Antlers

Glass Cowboy Boot Ornament

White Water Rafting Glass Ornament

Pouncing Fox Blown Glass Ornament

Bugling Elk Blown Glass Ornament

Cowboy/Bucking Bronco Glass Ornament

Blown glass Moose Ornament

Blown Glass Trout Ornament

Russ also created a Southwest themed slumped, sandblasted glass bowl this month.

Southwest themed float glass decorative bowl

While we do have a lot of success when shipping our glass, every now and then we endure the hassles of shipping mishandling. The Daisy pictured below was so beautiful, but when the postal service broke it not only once, but twice, both us and the customer were at our wit's end and we have decided that is one flower that can't endure shipping. Anyone wanting this particular flower will need to personally pick it up at the Studio. We're just like any business out there, can't seem to escape a little drama here and there. But overall, the rewards of glass far outweigh the mishaps. That's why we keep moving on.

A Fragile Blown Glass Daisy

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.

Western Wildlife Creations

Bighorn Sheep butting heads. Horns are tipped in gold.

The lamp work torch has been burning out some new wildlife creations this month. A storefront that carries some of our wildlife art work wanted some new creations, so here is a sampling of pieces headed up to Jackson Hole later this month. The wildlife that is up in that area and throughout Yellowstone, is a favorite subject for our glass artist to re-create. 

A bugling Elk with gold accents

Yellowstone's Bison

Art work depicting a confrontation between a grizzly and a cougar.

A pouncing fox

A Mallard duck in flight

This Moose has some funky colors swirled into his antlers

A majestic Mountain Goat

A Great Horned Owl of Yellowstone

Lone Wolf on the hunt

Our glass artist excels at giving the wildlife glass art movement and flowing motion. It's always a favorite to create any time of the year. If you see something here that sparks your interest for your cabin's decor, or a gift for the man cave or den, give us a call or e-mail. Contact information is on our website. We'd be happy to create a custom wildlife piece just for you.