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Showing posts from 2007

..and in with the New!

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Why is it always so thrilling to see the old year end and new begin? isn't it all pretty much more of the same anyway? and yet there's an air of anticipation at the start of a brand new year. And an urge to purge. Bodies..closets. I've ordered a body cleanse from some holistic chinese web site..ah well, it can't hurt, right? funny how that sentence just sort of hangs there. 2008 is the Year of the Rat according to the Chinese Zodiac. In Japan, each year assumes one of the 12 animal symbols of the Chinese Zodiac, and 2008 is the Year of the Rat, the first of the cycle. According to various sayings and lessons regarding stock transactions, the Year of the Rat is considered the year of prosperity, when stock prices mark a dramatic surge. This is good news for the year. Due to its strong propagating power, the rat is considered a symbol of "prosperity of one's posterity" and "increasing one's assets." This is why stock prices are believed to ris

Rolling into the New Year..

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So the turkey and butter tarts are all eaten... *whew* ..have I got work to do now! My boys were happy with what was under the tree for them, that's really what does it for me. They're sweethearts...it wasn't a flush year for us so it was a little sparse under that tree this year, but they said there wasn't anything else they wanted...♥ We trekked to my daughters house for the big day and I got to sit on my laurels while she slaved in the kitchen, so I thoroughly enjoyed my day as I hope you all did. I was gifted with some beautiful silver glass that I've been playing with over the past few days. What glorious glass. It reminds me of my Moms Blue Mountain Pottery collection..all sorts of iridescent blues and greens with some little hits of purples and bronze just to make you say, 'm-m-m-m'. I've got this focal and a few others up today with more to come..take a peek . I'm always excited for the New Year to begin..it's the whiff of something new

Snowboys and such..

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Cindi H, if you're still poking your head in here now and then..send me your snail mail addy and I will send you the latest in the snowboy series. I enjoy creating these little guys every Christmas season..each seems to develop their own personality even as I'm winding the toque on. Then right around this time of the year I start to get a little tired of the white glass. :) and stop making them until the next year rolls around. Thanks for entering the draw and as soon as I hear from you Cindi, he's on his way to your house! Seasons Greetings everyone!..I've finished my shopping..well, almost. Let's face it, we're never really finished shopping until the 24th. But the main presents are ready to wrap. I'm going to start baking next week..starting with Crybaby cookies . M-m-m-m..the Best cookies, and we only eat them at Christmas time. Why is that? I'm refusing to gain any weight this season and am staunchly relying on the power of positive thinking. ...thi

Back to work..

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I'm finally getting some studio time in...yes! I just played with the glass for the most part...pulled a few different canes, but I did do a couple of focals using those canes and have 2 of them up on the Bay right now . I've got at least one more to list today..maybe 2. And, I get to melt glass again today! How lucky can a girl get?

Life rolls on

Just a wee update to let you all know that I'm alive and well and back at the torch very very soon. Our family has had an interesting ride on Life's roller coaster for the past couple of weeks as my husband spent some time in the ICU fighting COPD, a lung disease brought on by a life time of smoking. We're all still learning about it. We will be coping with some new ways of living but he is much better and we will have him back home with us on Monday and yes, Christmas will be a good one. Thank you to each of you who have expressed concern..I appreciate each of you ♥ I promise you, I am missing the glass too. There will be some work back up on the Bay very shortly.

Pricing your work on EBay

I had an interesting discussion with one of my favorite customers the other day about setting the opening bid on Ebay. It's difficult to strike just the right number...low enough to bring in bids but not so low that you'll lose out should your item sell for just one bid. One of the thoughts was this; if the seller sets a very low opening bid consistently in their auctions it's possible to establish a customer base who would then in the future begin to raise the prices themselves. The buyer sets the price. I like that idea fine, I'm just not so sure about that 'in the future' bit...the seller would have to commit to the idea for several auctions. How long should one accept lower prices for their work? For the most part I have been opening at a price that I'm 'fairly' (let's be honest..I would like to see some bidding wars) happy with if it only sold at that price. This discussion has been hashed over and over again among artists in the field...we
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For you guys commenting...I did not realize that I had to okay it before it was published, so sorry about that and thanks for participating! I love it. I'm just redeeming myself today with a quickie shot of my lovely desk all primed for productivity. There is a story about that desk.. A good friend of mine let me know that someones parents were moving into a care home and the children were selling some of their belongings, one of which was this desk. I went out to take a look. The address turned out to be a little mobile home. There were boxes of belongings and worn furniture so stacked you could barely get around. It struck me how sad it must be to have to pack your life up like that. I don't know...maybe they were quite satisfied with the arrangement. I do tend to fantasize... anyway. I liked the desk..I liked that it was a rolltop and all my work could be covered without putting anything away. Very cool feature. I got it home and was cleaning it out. There in the back of one

Polish and scrub...blech

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Today is going to be a work day..and not a fun work day like turning on my torch and burning glass work day, but a scrub the floor kind of work day. I'm not fond of cleaning my house. I do like the results though so today has to be a work day. Unfortunately. In all of your wide world travels have you ever come across the FlyLady ? Lofty thoughts but.. staying organized just does not happen for some people. We must actually like things a little chaotic. I go through cycles it seems, and I have a need right now for some orderly rows and matched towels... I need the Fly Lady.

Unexpected treasure

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My studio got cleaned up enough for me to dig out some rods of silver glass I'd tucked away a couple of months ago. Not that is was that messy. I just happened to spy them at the bottom of my upturned wine crate (great flea market find last summer..) This glass is a little difficult to work to its greatest potential and I'd given up on it back then. I'm not sure what has changed but I could see while I was creating the beads that I was getting some fantastic color....muted shades of pinky purples and bronze. I held my breath until they were done cooking(all of my work is kiln annealed, of course ..)..and yep. They're quite lovely. Now I wonder if I can do it again ...

I kinda like a good mess

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At least I must... I'm always in one. I can relate to Charles Shwatrz's messy PigPen, because I've seen this premise in action. If you've ever seen the character you know that he doesn't have to do much to get dirty. In fact, he doesn't even move around. Smoot and grime just begin to mysteriously settle on him and in no time he's filthy. Both of my work areas have more than once experienced this odd phenomena. That desk has now moved from creatively organized to a creative disaster...I know what I'm doing today....

Play date with Boro..

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Oh I love boro glass! the color is phenomenal, but you really can't see that in a photograph. Sorry. You're just going to have to take my word for it. Hues of pink purple bronze and a green that makes me think of unearthed raku pottery. This set is available right now on the Bay. Take a quick peek ☺

The Colors of the Day..

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I love color. I bought some raw un-dyed silk cord and some mouth watering colors to paint them with...you can make a million colors from 5, did you know that?? I've got silk cords in lots of 5 ( 3 ft lengths )available in my Etsy shop ...changing all the time so check back often if you don't see the color you're after. I do, or should say...I used to do, watercolor. I haven't had a lot of time for it lately. When I began to do flamework I told my husband that it would go hand in hand. I would put away the glass the odd week end and bring out my watercolors...that was 2 years ago and it hasn't quite work that way. Glass is pretty much it. Sometimes I'll notice a painting and imagine how the artist let just enough water run into the gamboge to make the sun light hit the grass like that. Or I'll watch someone and in my mind I'll draw the lines ...but for the most part my need to create is completely fulfilled in the glass. And that's because I get to me
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This is not my favorite time of the year. The summer tees are put away, the robins aren't busy on my lawn in the morning and every time I step outside theres one more sticky leaf on my car. and things are dying. I left my potted herbs outside on the deck and they froze overnight. Can you cook with frozen herbs? I'm just steeling myself for the snow. There's always lots of snow. Maybe I should learn to ski..

What all well dressed Faeries are wearing this Season..

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Tiaras made of flame worked glass beads ...what else?? My mother sewed our clothes when I was growing up. There was little I owned that hadn't been worn by my older sister first (there were 6 of us..so Mom learned frugality). Sometimes I got a special dress or jumper that was custom made just for me...but that's a story for another day. Mom had an old box purse dating back to her youth that she used as a button box. I enjoyed running my hands through the buttons and exploring the colors and shapes and design of each button while Mom worked at the sewing machine. Every so often I would say, 'Look at this one!' and she'd dutifully look and agree that it was very beautiful. I still love buttons ..some are like little works of art. I was reminded of Mom's button box the other day as I watched my grand-daughter sort with great pleasure through all the wonkie beads I have in a bowl. She carefully examined each bead, seeing virtues in each one that I'd discarded as

What's new with me..whats new with you..

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I did start one of these Journals some time ago..let's hope I've learned some discipline since then.. I'm working on the set from Hell these days. Every bead seems to emerge from the kiln slightly off in some way. Oddly, it seems the more my glass skills improve the more I expect from myself. Will I ever create the masterpiece I've envisioned in my head?? thats the quest.