Artistic Flair

My Favorite Time of the Year

2011-09-18T02:29:00.001-07:00

Yep, Halloween's a' comin'! I couldn't wait until October to post these, so here we go....

You can find most of these items in my etsy shop. Happy Halloween!!!!

Latest....

2011-06-21T06:55:00.000-07:00

I received a custom order fused glass guitar from a guy who is in the music industry - very exciting! He's an entertainment agent and has worked with some big names - Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, Randy Travis, Kansas, Rascal Flats, to name a few. He was looking for a red, white and blue guitar and I came up with this for him. My guitars are one of my favorite things to make. Everything is glass, including the strings and I love coming up with new designs.

Next, a coffee tile for a good friend of mind, Jamie, from Glasstastic Treasures. She does lampwork beads, among other things, and I'm always ogling over her things and have quite a collection going of her beads. We did a trade - I made her a coffee tile for her kitchen, and she came up with a couple BEAUTIFUL lampwork pendants for me. Here is one of them:

And finally, some fun, summer pendants:

Being Green

2011-05-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I skipped April on blogging - let's move right along to May! The 3rd Annual Eco-Chic Craftacular put on by Etsy Team Columbus is just around the corner. This is my 2nd year doing this show and I canNOT wait! The shows goal is to have vendors challenge themselves to bring a more “green” concept to some of their wares. Of course I recycle almost all of my glass that I use. I have a HUGE bin of bits & pieces of broken glass from my bigger projects that I incorporate into lots of my jewelry and other art pieces. This year, I decided to take it one step further and create something totally different that will go along with the "green" theme. I LOVE Starbucks - who doesn't? All those pretty gift cards seem like such a waste to throw away. I started saving them last year thinking I would make something with them, but not sure what. I had quite a collection - not just Starbucks, but stores, restaurants, etc. as well. About a month ago, I came up with the idea to make them into key chains. I was toying around with different ideas on how to cut them into shapes, when duh, it was right there in front of me. The ring saw I use to cut my glass surely would cut through hard plastic, right? Yep - it did, and I have been obsessed with making these ever since. Now I have a local Starbucks saving me customer's used gift cards they don't want and I have parents, friends & family jumping on board and saving me gift cards as well. I honestly need to start getting my fused glass creations ready for the show, but I can't seem to put these key chains down. They are so fun to make and just when I think I've seen the cutest gift card, someone hands me another one that tops it. Some of the shapes I've come up with are hearts, dogs, squirrels, hedgehogs, bunnies, dinosaurs, birds, whales, turtles, butterflies.... I started making these a couple weeks ago and already have 50+ made for the show (and TONS of gift cards still to use!).

So, they're super cute and you want one, right? I'll have them at the Craftacular show - here's the deets:

Saturday May 14th 10am - 6pm
Sunday May 15th 12pm - 5pm
Whetstone Recreation Center
3923 N High St
Columbus, OH 43214
http://www.columbuscraftacular.com/

Latest

2011-03-09T11:24:00.000-08:00

So much going on..... so little time to blog. Clearly blogging has not been my forte lately, so here is what I have been working on over the last couple of months. Enjoy!

Fused Glass Circle Tile

Pretty Poppies

Bird in a Cage

Tile Art

Dandelion Dish

Custom Order

Colorful Dish

Wedding Couple

And just in time for St. Paddy's Day:

Lucky Leprechaun Pendant

Parting is such sweet sorrow....

2011-01-28T13:50:00.000-08:00

Down in my wee little studio, I've been keeping this gingerbread house that I made out of a box when my son was just 1-1/2 yrs. old (he's 8 now). I was really into photographing his every move and pretty much made props all the time and posed the poor child in more ways than you can imagine. I've parted with most of the props but could not come to get rid of this one. It took so long glueing every piece of hard candy on it (yes, its real candy), painting all the icing using puffy paints (I swear I probably went through a dozen bottles), and even making little gingerbread men to go along with the house. I was looking at it stored way back in the closet and saw how the candy was getting a bit gross. Apparently having hard candy stored for over six years in a closet where the room gets hot from time to time in the summer months, takes a toll on the candy. In fact, there are now drippings on the carpet from where the hard candy must have started to melt. Good times.

So, I decided it was time. I brought it upstairs to await its destruction. I got busy doing something else and turned around to see my other baby making a new home for herself! Sorry Stella - trash day is in a few days - have fun with it while you can.

Oh, and by-the-way, here is MY baby at 1-1/2 yrs. old:

Custom Guitar

2010-12-13T03:41:00.000-08:00

I've been busy this holiday season with shows, crafts, parties, etc. I wanted to take a moment to share a custom fused glass guitar that I made. Here is the original guitar and below is the reproduction in fused glass. The strings are glass as well. Its been a while since I've made a guitar and I really love the way this one turned out!

Beaded Pin

2010-10-29T16:51:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago I had a listing in my etsy shop for several dichroic fused glass cabochons that were sitting in my studio, awaiting someones artistic vision. Well, I had a lady snag them up straight away, and boy did she ever have an artistic vision that I never would have imagined. Grace, of Grace Beading, sent me her blog post and picture of the lovely beaded pin she made with one of the cabs she bought from me. I could NOT get over it. She is a fabulous beader and makes the most beautiful beaded creations.

You can read her blog post about it here and also see her other fabulous creations.

Recent works & such....

2010-09-08T17:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of what I've been working on in the last couple of months, and since I've been neglecting my blog, I decided to have a give-away for a fabulous Halloween skull pendant, in plenty of time for Halloween. Here's what to do: simply leave a comment here on what type of fused glass creation you would like to see come to life - the sky's the limit. Deadline for entries will be midnight EST Sept. 26th. - I'll pick one lucky winner on Sept. 27th to choose from one of the fused glass skull pendants pictured here in the last photo. Make sure to let me know how to contact you if you are the lucky winner and which skull you would like. Good luck!

Exquisite Corpse

2010-06-24T16:47:00.000-07:00

definition: a collective collage of words or images called the cadavre exquis (exquisite corpse). Based on an old parlor game invented by Surrealists in the 1900's, this was played by several people, each of whom would write a phrase on a sheet of paper, fold the paper to conceal part of it, and pass it on to the next player for his contribution.

With art, this method is a collaborative experiment among artists exploring the element of chance during the creative process, in which mistakes and unexpected outcomes can generate interesting ideas and images.

I was asked to participate in a jewelry exquisite corpse with some of my fellow Etsy Team Columbus members. Our collaborations will be profiled in a publication with photographs and chronicles of each creation as they develop. The end result: a jewelry piece $75 to $100 in value and this will be auctioned for charity.

I was the second collaborator of our piece. Karla, from Adornments by Karla, started the piece by creating 26 ½ inches of silver plated wire chain containing 51 individual semi-precious stones and minerals.

I added a fused glass pendant that I created by hand-cutting a lavender piece of glass and then layering small strips of clear glass on top that were also hand-cut by me and then fused together. I'm now passing it along and can't wait to see the outcome of our piece.

Rindy's Rally

2010-05-13T08:58:00.001-07:00

A good friend from my high school was just recently diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo a full mastectomy this week. She just started a new job and is not eligible for paid time off. She is estimated to be off work for 4-6 weeks. The classes of Reynoldsburg High School are coming together to have a fundraiser for her at Romeo's Pizza, 80 W. Church Street, Pickerington, OH on Tuesday, May 18, 2010. The event is from 6pm-9pm and tickets are $10.00, which includes pizza and pop. $8 of the $10 raised by each ticket goes directly to Rindy. Also, a portion of everything Romeo's sells that day will be going to Rindy too. So, if you are in the area.... you have to eat dinner, right? Stop by and get a pizza and you'll be helping out a very good friend of ours and supporting a great cause.

There will also be a silent auction as well. I couldn't think of a better way to donate a piece of my art to this great cause. Reynoldsburg High School's mascot is a raider (Reynoldsburg Raiders) and I thought it would be fun to create that with fused glass for the auction. I think I chose to make this because I really feel that this event shows how our class is coming together to support a fellow classmate/friend.

Now, on a personal note...... breast cancer sucks! I am a huge advocate of breast cancer awareness - my mom has been a survivor now for 10 years and cancer has affected many family members and friends. The best way to fight breast cancer is to catch the disease in its early stages. When breast cancer is detected early (localized stage), the 5-year survival rate is 98%. I actually have to thank Rindy - because of her, I got my first mammogram. So for my dear friend, hang in there, we're all pulling for you!

The Often Unpredictable Results in Glass Fusing

2010-04-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

This piece was a custom request from my cousin and my best attempt in making a fused glass King Tut. This was probably one of my most involved pieces, and also one of the weirdest end results. Let me begin........

I was really playing with different ideas about the colors to use as there is not an actual "gold" glass that would work. I decided on a marigold color and had another "idea" in the works. So I got down to business and cut each piece of glass by hand and layered the glass to make this design. This took a few days to get the pieces just right. (make sure to click on pictures for close-ups)

Then, into the kiln to cook at 1500 degrees (another day passed). This is how it looked after coming out of the kiln:

Next, came my "idea". I wanted to paint King Tut with a liquid gold. This liquid comes in a teeny tiny bottle of just 2 grams (& is a bit pricey, I might add). After you apply the gold (which is actually a dark liquid brown color) to the glass, it then is heated in the kiln w/air vent to burn off the organic components, leaving behind a thin ‘bright’ film of 22 karat gold. Now, I have used this before on ceramics and also on glass, although when I used it on glass previously, I only brushed a VERY small amount onto the glass to highlight certain areas. In fact, that little bottle I purchased lasted me for years. Since I wasn't sure how much I would be using on the King Tut piece, I went ahead and purchased another bottle. Now, you would think I wouldn't be hasty and just use practically an entire bottle of this stuff on this piece without looking into it first. (Again, you would "think"). I really saw no harm in painting the entire thing with a thick layer of this dark brown liquid gold. So, into the kiln it goes again. Here's a picture of what it looked like before the gold gets fired. I was sooooo excited..........

.........until I opened the kiln:

Nooooooooooooo - this did NOT just happen!!!!!!
OK, the color looks great. The breakage, not so much. I tried to take it in stride and hoped to piece it back together w/o a hitch. Not so easy. Seeing my frustration, the hubby said it would make it look more ancient this way (I wasn't buying it!). I did end up gluing, setting, filling, re-painting, and finally framing. The end result:

Perfect - no.
Ancient looking - maybe.
Cousin happy - we'll see this weekend.
Lesson learned about using this stuff in excess....... f*%king priceless!

Holy Cuteness!

2010-04-02T14:20:00.001-07:00

Lookie what I just took out of the kiln today! Spring is here (although at this moment it feels like summer) and its time for some new, fun & cute pendants.

home party

2010-03-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

So I had my first home party (at my house) yesterday with another fabulous gal who's a party rep for Tastefully Simple. She had samples of her food and drinks and of course I had my art and jewelry. Lots of time and preparations (& me running around like a mad woman) went into our event and it was so much fun! I'm sure you'd like to see pictures, right? Well, leave it to me - I had my camera out and ready, but alas, did not take one photo the entire time. I did take a couple pictures of my portion of the set-up before the party, so that's as good as its going to get. We did (honest) have a great turnout - lots of friends & family and loads of fun. Good times all around! Today, pretty much exhausted and off for a nap. Cheers!

Wire Mesh Melt

2010-02-20T13:47:00.000-08:00

After doing much research on pot melts and wire mesh melts with fused glass, I bit the bullet and tried my hand at it a few weeks ago. I chose the wire mesh method as this was the best for my small-sized kiln. So, what is a wire mesh melt you ask? Its a method of creating unique, one-of-a-kind mixtures of molten glass. Several layers of glass are stacked on top of a wire mesh that is created and supported by kiln furniture. The glass is heated in the kiln at high temperatures until the glass turns into liquid and flows through the wire onto a prepared kiln shelf, forming an array of abstract glass patterns. The resulting melt can be used in its entirety as a sculpture or bowl, or it can be cut up and made into tiles, jewelry, etc. The possibilities are endless. This was indeed a lengthy process, but the outcome was well worth it.

End result piece of glass (not the best picture - sorry!).

I then cut it up, re-fused the pieces I cut and made jewelry with it.

Playing with the Queen of Hearts...........

2010-02-04T16:28:00.001-08:00

I'm participating in a show next weekend on Sat., February 13th, called I heART . This art show takes place during that special time of year dedicated to love, the color pink, teddy bears, candy, and a chubby toddler with a weapon. This group art show - back for the second year - will explore all of those clichés and much more! Can you feel the love?

Well, since I had to come up with something "heart"-related, I just couldn't resist.

I'm a little mad here.................

2010-01-21T06:44:00.000-08:00

Its a no-brainer that I'm all about seeing the new Alice in Wonderland movie coming out in March. I had been working on this fused glass piece for a while now and finally finished it and got it framed last week.

The movie trailers look oh-so-good, and of course Johnny Depp being one of my FAV actors, is just perfect for the Mad Hatter.

So, today I'm unloading my kiln and my eye went right to these fused glass (soon-to-be) pendants. Now, these were seriously not Alice in Wonderland intended, but none-the-less....... an uncanny resemblance???

.....OFF WITH HER HEAD!

New & Upcoming Artist

2009-12-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

I always knew my nephew, Mike DiSalvo, was into art at a very early age. What I didn't know was the amazing talent that he has. I was simply BLOWN away with his drawings and paintings that I saw for the first time this year. Now, you may be thinking I am biased, him being my nephew and all...... well, take a look for yourself:

With his busy schedule, I was able to catch-up with 19-yr. old Mike DiSalvo for a brief interview (via facebook, of course!).

1. Describe a typical day in the life of Mike DiSalvo.
A typical day for me starts early, I never really sleep in. When I'm not working or in class, I like to watch movies and hangout with my friends.

2. When did you start painting?
I started painting in early September of this year. I have always enjoyed drawing and decided to try painting and now I love it.

3. What drew you to this medium versus any others?
Painting has always interested me, but what really pushed me into trying it was visiting the Art Institute of Chicago Museum. I was blown away by all the paintings from great artist like Bazille, Monet, and Van Gogh. Van Gogh's self portrait is the greatest piece of art I have ever seen.

4. What inspires you and who are your influences?
Music and movies inspire me the most. If I like a bands music I'll put their songs on a loop and listen to it for hours while I paint something involving the band. I love to draw and paint peoples faces the most. I'm not sure why, but I just enjoy creating all the details in the face.

5. What do you do in your spare time besides paint?
In my spare time I love watching movies. I also enjoying hanging out with my friends and keeping active by playing different sports with them.

6. What are your favorite movies, music and food?
I love all different types of movies, but some of my favorites are Casino Royale, Desperado, Die Hard, The Professional, and Lost in Translation. My favorite bands are Muse, Coldplay, Mute Math, and U2. I pretty much like every food and love trying new ones, but by far my favorite is spicy chinese stir fry.

7. What are your plans with your artwork and where do you think it will take you?
Right now I'm going to Columbus State Community College for Audio/Video Production. I am hoping to someday become a movie director. Painting is just a hobby for me, but I would love to continue painting forever.

8. If you could have lunch with & pick the brain of any artist, living or dead, who would you choose and why?
If I could have lunch with any artist ever it would have to be with Salvado Dali. His paintings are so different and out of this world. They are almost like dreams or nightmares. I would like to try and understand how he came up with such unique ideas.

pictures above:
1. Bono
2. Brad Pitt (Benjamin Button)
3. Heath Ledger (The Joker)
4. Daniel Craig
5. Muse
6. Jean Reno (Leon - The Professional) (Mike's first painting)

Biased???? I think not!

New Listings

2009-12-11T16:39:00.000-08:00

So I've had a busy November and December with craft shows, custom orders and new listings in my etsy shop. Needless to say, I've neglected my blog. So...... without further ado, here are a few pics of what I've been working on:

My Little Goth Girl

Snowmen and Gingerbread men

New Monster Magnets

Ninja Love Earrings

Taking pet rocks to a whole new level!

2009-11-06T08:48:00.000-08:00

So after my son made loads of pet rocks last month and all the great feedback everyone was giving him, I decided to search for pet rocks on etsy (just to see if anyone did this). Well...................... take a look - you won't believe your eyes! Make sure to click on the pictures and see these fabulous rocks up close and personal.

From RockArtiste's etsy shop:

From CynthiaKayoDesigns' etsy shop:

From MelanieKay's etsy shop:

From Gardenstones' etsy shop:

I especially liked how this artist used the cracks and crevices to compliment her designs! Very clever!

Which NOW leads you to the rock I painted. My son found this rock over the summer and I kept saying how it looked like a converse shoe. After much shameless begging, he let me paint it. Not quite like the artists above, but, none the less, fun!

monster pins

2009-10-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

My little monster pins that I made for my son's class Halloween party. We had a Monster Mash - good times!

Woo Hoo!!!

2009-10-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

Click on any picture above for more info.......................

Hope to see you there!

Pet Rocks Galore

2009-10-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

So, my son is gearing up with me for my upcoming art shows. We did this a couple years ago and he really had fun with it (and made a bit 'o money too, I might add!). For the last few months, he has been painting rocks and then I glue the "googly" eyes on them to make "pet rocks". He usually paints about 6-8 at a time before it gets old, so he has been working hard on these for a while now! He also makes up names that I print on little strips of paper, so that when someone buys a rock, they can pick a name for it too. The names are seriously the best - here are some (remember, HE came up with these!):

Obi One Baloney
Storm Pooper
R2 Poo Poo
Melon Head
Captain Underpants
Chowder
Fancy Pants
Brutus
Gizmo
Puppy Face
Little Miss Sunshine (I told him to have some girl names too!!)

btw- he has a name for almost every Star Wars character like the ones above. The last shows I took these to, they sold out and my son was starting to make more money than me!

My latest.............

2009-10-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

A few buildings in downtown Columbus.................

Contest

2009-09-21T10:53:00.000-07:00

I just happened to stop by one of my favorite bead stores, Pink Flamingo Beads, that I probably haven't been to in well over a year - had to get some wood beads for my son as we were making hemp bracelets. As I was checking out, the gal at the counter had told me about this contest they were having. They had a big basket full of plastic shapes, different sizes and colors. You had to incorporate one of the pieces into a design that could be worn. I was intrigued as I saw a two-color half-moon that I knew I had scrap glass at home of the same color. I made the fused glass pendant hanging from the half-moon plastic piece and viola:

So.....here's where my Columbus peeps can help me out. Starting this week, they will have all the entries displayed in their store. If by chance you are in the Powell area - stop in and vote for me - please! They are also having a 10-year anniversary event going on September 23rd where again, you can see all the entries. Here's a flyer of what's going on during their event: -click on the flyer for larger view-
:)

Now, these ladies at Pink Flamingo are serious beaders and my entry may very well be blown away by the beaders - but, it was fun and I don't think I've ever competed in a contest making jewelry! I'd love to hear your thoughts - leave a comment on my blog and when the contest is over (I think at the end of the month) I'll randomly pick someone to win this necklace! Just mention in the comment how much you love it and love me and that will score extra bonus points! Because really, a little boost to our ego (ass-kissing) is what we all want, right? LOL!

busy, busy, busy.......

2009-09-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

Lots of things happening at once. Here's the lowdown:

My 2 latest listings in my etsy shop:

Yin Yang Guitar and Let It Breathe

I LOVE, love, love the way this turned out!

Gearing up for 2 shows.

Independents' Day and C-Note Art Show

And my biggest surprise of all............
STAY TUNED - I'll be posting it next week. HINTS: it involves summer, a picture, a painting, a contest and the fabulous artist Christy DeKoning

Ah-ha moment

2009-09-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

So, my son is HUGE into playing with legos and the other day as I was building something with him, I just happened to think "I should make a little lego man out of my fused glass." My son was all excited and made up the lego man and I used that for my model. Of course after I made it, my son wanted it for himself, so I ended up making him a smaller version that was about 3 inches tall and not framed. He carries it around everywhere with him and actually fell asleep with it in his hand the other night. How funny is that?! What can I say...my son has great taste! :)

Urban Scrawl III

2009-08-31T12:32:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday marked the 3rd year of Urban Scrawl in Columbus, OH.

Urban Scrawl = art, crafts, skateboarding, breakdancing, vegan hot dogs, Hip Hop, graffiti, and artists coming together with a common goal - to create a vibrant Franklinton.

Franklinton—long considered one of the most depressed areas of central Columbus—is beginning to show signs of life and color. And Urban Scrawl is a driving force behind that effort.

Murals and artwork from past Urban Scrawls have been hung on buildings around Franklinton, said Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski, Urban Scrawl founder and president of the Franklinton Arts District. The artwork creates an aesthetic counterpoint to the neighborhood’s blight, Rutkowski said.

“It adds color where there wasn’t any,” said Jim Sweeney, Executive Director of the Franklinton Development Association. “It’s amazing to see the changes. Hats off to Urban Scrawl.”
-Columbus Underground

The artists who participated in this were AMAZING. Here are just a few of the pieces that were being worked on throughout the day.

Yummy!

2009-08-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to announce that I will have one of my fused glass art pieces hung at the the upcoming exhibition Yummy! an explosion of art & food from August 14th - September 13th.

Yummy! is an art exhibition which explores eating, drinking, cooking, dining, and everything related to food. Work created by over 35 artists from Columbus & beyond will be displayed.

The opening party for Yummy! is this Friday, August 14th, from 6pm to midnight at The Matchbox Gallery @ Junctionview Studios, 889 Williams Ave., Grandview Heights, OH. There will be refreshments, music and more. Junctionview Studios has teamed up with the folks at Pecha-Kucha Night Columbus to have Pecha-Kucha Night Volume 10 coincide with the opening of Yummy!

If you're unfamiliar with Pecha-Kucha, (Japanese for "the sound of conversation"), it's a forum for creative people to share information about the work they do. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each - giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show. Pecha-Kucha Nights happen all over the world, from Amsterdam to Hong Kong to LA to Chattanooga!

My submission - "Just Breathe":

If you can't make it to opening night, feel free to stop by the gallery during their regular hours:
Fri.: 1 - 5pm
Sat. & Sun.: 12 - 5pm

Etsy Inspired Challenge

2009-08-03T16:43:00.000-07:00

I am BLOWN-AWAY from all the creativity of these gals who created cards that were inspired from one of my fused glass art pieces. Here are just a few:

From my Boots were made for walking....

Ashley created this:

From my Cherries Jubilee pendant

De created this:

AND Ryann created this:

From my Breakfast at Tiffany's piece

Jacquie created this:

From my Birds of a Feather piece

Lee created this:

And these are just a few of the great creations.

The winner of this challenge goes to Cathy, who was inspired by:
my Dichroic Fused Glass Puzzle Piece Pin and my Abstract Piano piece

Here is what she created:

Congratulations Cathy - a rockin' fused glass pendant is on the way! Also, thanks to EVERYONE who participated in this challenge. You are very talented women who inspire me!

Heart Hugs & Give-away

2009-07-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

I am honored to be featured on Heart Hugs Designs blog - a blog that is home of the Etsy Inspired Challenge. Ashley, a SAHM to two sweet adorable boys came up with this blog and is a crafter herself. She says, "I love all things handmade and try to show off the wonderful things I find. That's why I came up with the EtsyInspired Challenge, to show off the amazing handmade things you can find."

So, check out her post this week. I'll be giving away one of my FABulous fused glass guitar pendants. Click here to find out the rules of this challenge, and YOU may be sporting one of my necklaces! Good luck!

Tweet Tweet

2009-07-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

My newest creation. Twitter much???

Gift for baby

2009-07-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

I was recently looking through my photo album of my fused glass art when I came upon this piece. I had blogged about it last year, but wanted to revisit it again.

This was made for my nephew for his baptism last year. Now, my brother is currently a police officer in Mechanicsburg, Ohio and is also certified as a paramedic and firefighter. His wife is also a certified EMT. Thus, the idea of this fused glass picture for the baby. With parents like this, there's no doubt for a future in public service for this little guy!

Fused Glass Night Lights

2009-07-17T07:57:00.000-07:00

Adding my fused glass night lights to my stash that I'm taking to the show tomorrow.

If you're in the area, stop on by! Here's more info about the show:
http://www.columbusarts.com/details.php?id=61948&type=e

Gearing up for Grandview Show

2009-07-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

I just got done with a batch of ceramic pendants for my upcoming show on Saturday. I like to step away from the glass and go back to my roots (ceramics) every so often. I also don't post my jewelry enough. The majority of my jewelry is taken to my art shows and not sold in my Etsy shop.

Also, some of my best sellers are my photo image glass pendants. But, the most popular of these pendants, of course, is my Twilight pendant. I took the cover of all 4 books and combined them into one picture. If you're a fan, you'll like this!

I also started selling these Twilight metal bookmarks that have a tiny framed picture dangling from the metal bookmark. I like these because I have a front and back to them. And of course, I have a swarovski crystal heart hanging from the bottom of the framed picture.

Here's the front and back (the back is my little spin on the Twilight series):

So, want to come and see my things in person? Here's the low-down about the show this weekend.

Lazy Daze of Summer Festival
Lawn and streets surrounding the Granview Library
1685 W. First Ave
Grandview, Ohio
Sat. July 18th (11:00am - 6pm)

There's No Place Like Home

2009-07-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

While watching The Wizard of Oz on TV last week with my son, I was inspired to create this fused glass piece.

LOVE the Dorothy shoes - so sparkly - every girl should have a pair! And here are some fun facts about these famous ruby slippers:

* In L. Frank Baum's original story, Dorothy's slippers are silver-not ruby as they are in the 1939 MGM film. This is one big difference between the books and MGM's movie. In the movie the slippers are ruby red. In the book they are silver.

* As with all films, major characters have stand-ins, and so did Dorothy's shoes. As many as seven pairs were manufactured, with at least four surviving the 1934 classic film's wardrobe department.

*The most expensive "ruby slippers" however, were not actually slippers but stiletto high heels, designed by Stuart Weitzman as a tribute to the Wizard of Oz. The pair of high stepping shoes were made from spun platinum thread, and used nearly 700 round and oval rubies on the network of elegant straps. The total weight of the gems was 100 carats, hiking the shoes estimated value to $1.6 million dollars. It took over 700 hours to produce the shoe. In 2003, the shoes went on display briefly at Harrod's Department store in London, England, before being whisked off to a vault with round the clock guards, as they awaited a buyer.

*In anticipation of the 70th anniversary DVD release of "The Wizard of Oz" on Sept. 29, Warner Bros. Consumer Products in partnership with Crystallized-Swarovski Elements, have invited the world's top shoe designers to reinterpret Dorothy's iconic ruby slippers for modern times. Contemporary works of art from the likes of fashion masterminds A. Testoni, Abaete, Alberta Ferretti Betsey Johnson, Botkier, Christian Louboutin, Diane von Furstenberg, Giuseppe Zanotti, Jimmy Choo, L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani, Lisa Pliner, Manolo Blahnik, Moschino, Oscar de la Renta, Roger Vivier, Sergio Rossi, Stuart Weitzman, Tibi, and Tuleh will compose The Wizard of Oz Ruby Slipper Collection.

For more info on my fused glass piece, it is listed in my etsy shop - click here.

2009-07-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

Made the Front Page of Etsy!

2009-07-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

A Tribute

2009-06-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

I have created a special one-of-a-kind fused glass art piece in memory of Michael Jackson, detailing his jacket in sequins and listing his albums and songs in the background. (click on picture for more detail)

We have lost a true icon. No matter what your stance on Michael Jackson as a person or his personal choices, there is no denying his impact on music and pop culture. He redefined Pop Music forever and brought people and cultures together that others have tried to do for centuries.

I'll never forget in 7th grade sitting in my basement with the headphones on and listening to his album "Thriller" over and over again trying to memorize each and every word of his songs. (Oh.....and of course drooling over the album cover!)

Whats your favorite Michael memory?

R.I.P. MJ (1958-2009)

For more info on this fused glass piece, click here.

New City Scene

2009-06-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite pieces I created was my very first city scene. I used an array of vibrant colored glass to create the buildings. This piece was made in 3 parts, over the course of 2 weeks, and then put together to be framed. I love the abstract look - just simple and colorful:

After I made this, I decided to get more intricate and re-create some famous city scenes:

Well, I decided this time it was back to the basics and made another abstract city scene - this one is done in with cool autumn colors. I love the way it turned out and if you'd like more information on this piece, please check it out in my etsy shop.

Cheers!

Pizza Clock Update

2009-06-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

Back in February of this year, I had a custom request from a gal in Atlanta, Georgia, who requested a custom ceramic "pizza" clock for a new restaurant that her and her husband were opening up. It was to be called Mia's Pizza and Eats, after their 8-month-old daughter. I ended up blogging about the entire process of making the clock and felt like I really got to know them as I kept in close touch throughout the process and as they embarked on their journey of opening this restaurant.

Now, let me back up a little. The original request was sent with this picture of a clock that she saw and wanted one to be made similar, but with a few variations.

With her instructions, I set out to come up with the perfect pizza clock for her. A basic recap of the entire process I blogged about can be found here.

And viola......the custom ceramic pizza clock:

Mia's Pizza and Eats officially opened its doors on April 8th and I was truly amazed at all the hard work they put into this restaurant. For more detailed info about their journey, check out Mia's Pizza and Eats blog.

And lookie.....here's the clock!

So...if you are in the Atlanta, Georgia area - you MUST, must, must stop in and get some pizza!

Oh, and of course we can't forget little Mia!

Granville Art Show

2009-06-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

The Granville Art Affair was quite a success. It was their first year doing a fine arts show on the Great Lawn of the Bryn Du Mansion. First year shows are always up in the air - you never know quite what the outcome will be - it could be really good or bomb. Well, with the great turn-out and feedback by the public they received during the show, they plan on making it a 2-day show next year and are planning on adding wine tasting. Yum!

The grounds of this historic mansion are breath-taking. A little history:

The Bryn Du Mansion and grounds comprise a fifty-two acre estate in Granville, Ohio. The property is managed by a commission established by the Village of Granville with a mission of historic preservation and to provide program and event facilities for the benefit of the community.

Along with the art show, a polo match took place. I had never seen one in person and it was actually quite cool! The picture of the polo players below was not taken by me - this was a previous year's picture of a match there. Unfortunately, since I was by myself at this show (no booth-mate) I couldn't leave my booth and take lots of pictures. Hopefully from the couple I did take, you can get the idea of how beautiful it is there. For more info and pictures of the mansion, click here for their website.

Theater Gal

2009-06-11T17:20:00.001-07:00

A gift I made for a gal who just graduated from high school, is college-bound and will be minoring in theater. Did I mention that I used to babysit her when she was in 2nd grade??? God, I'm starting to feel old!

....on Broadway

2009-06-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

I've come up with a couple Broadway fused glass pieces. I plan on taking these to my next show in Granville, OH. Its a fine arts show and I'm making some new pieces just for it. Here are my first two:

The Lion King

Wicked

Featured

2009-05-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to announce that I am the featured artisan in Handmade News, published by Artfire.com. Please check it out here. A special thanks to Angelica Schaaf, editor, for featuring me.

Dogs and their owners!

2009-05-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

I had a great time at the rescue run on Saturday. It was quite crowded and of course, TONS of dogs. Whenever I'm at a show I love to "people watch", and for this show I got to "dog watch".

Now remember, this is coming from someone who does not own a dog!

Here's one of the first things I noticed - a dog stroller - really? I saw so many of these! Aren't dogs supposed to walk?

Next, all the dogs that were dressed up. From tu-tu's to cute little jackets and here - a crazed Ohio State fan with his hairless(?) dogs. One was a cheerleader and one was a football player! Check out the football player's mohawk! Now, it was over 80 degrees that day - why would you put a jacket on your dog? Poor things! And why would you make your dog get a mohawk??

Now....on to the contests. Here is the winner of the largest dog contest:

I wonder how long it takes to brush his hair? That is a beautiful dog, though.

And the smallest dog contest (now we're talking!) Awwwww....look how cute! The winner was the daschund puppy on the left (Cooper) with the runner-up on the right (her name was Paris and she came with her owner in a purse, for god's sake!) Just look at Paris trying to suck face with Cooper - I guess the name's appropriate!!! All I know is I wanted to take that little daschund home for myself. Well...maybe I'd just like to take him for a few hours to play!!

All in all, it was a beautiful day (a bit hot, but I'm not complaining). The park where the event was held was located in the arena district of dowtown Columbus - a truly gorgeous spot with its lush green grass and beautiful buildings. Oh, and LOTS and LOTS of dogs with their crazy owners!

Gearing up for Rescue Run

2009-05-20T06:04:00.001-07:00

I was asked to show my art at the upcoming rescue run for homeless pets hosted by PetPromise this Saturday. They are having a vendor fair, food court, live music, pet contests and much more along with the rescue run/walk. If you are in the Columbus area and are interested in participating or coming out for the festivities, please check out their info by clicking here.

So, of course I'm getting ready for all the fun and have created some pet related items to go along with my other art.

First off, using precious metal clay, (which works as a clay and when you fire it turns into pure silver) I give you my pet earrings:

Using my crinkleized dichroic glass, a paw print pendant:

And 2 pet themed framed fused glass pieces. I simply adore the poodle - tres chic, no?

(you can click on any of the pictures to see a close-up)

Heart Art

2009-05-15T06:19:00.000-07:00

My newest creation using my crinkleized dichroic glass. I LOVE this glass and the results it produces. It is totally smooth before the firing, at which time I hand-etched the design on the dichroic glass. During the firing, the dichroic surface crinkles, sending thousands of miniature crystalline-like mirrors upwards and creating very cool shapes throughout the glass. So, if you love art, this one-of-a-kind pendant is for you! You can view it in my etsy shop here.

Good Times at OddMall

2009-05-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

OddMall was a success and I had loads of fun there. It was definitely my type of show - from plush monsters to thigh-high painted stiletto boots to day of the dead nesting dolls to felted sushi and wacked out t-shirts......yeah, I LOVED IT!!!! Definitely not your crocheted, needlepoint granny show.

Here are some of the things that were sold by FABulous vendors at the show (btw- the guitar necklace and ninja bookmark are mine!). Click on any picture to see the larger version.

OddMall

2009-05-06T05:57:00.001-07:00

Well, its finally almost here! I have been so excited about this show I'm doing this weekend. Its going to be loads of fun! What is OddMall you ask? Well, here is the description on their website:

Oddmall is more than just an ordinary craft show. It's a celebration of uniqueness, creativity, imagination, and wonder where artists, crafters, and like-minded sorts gather to offer their unusual creations for public consumption. It's a forum for creative expression, a classroom for esoteric wisdom, a soapbox for wild ideas, a miraculous marketplace of the unconventional, a metaphorical Serengetian watering hole where the zebras and wildebeests of inspiration and artistry congregate amidst the snapping crocodiles and scorching sunbeams of originality and ingenuity. ...umm yeah. Anyway, it'll be fun. Trust me.

Illustration by the fun, cool, hip, sarcastic, energetic artist, Andy Hopp, who put this whole thing together!

For more info about this show, check out their website here.

Let the Music Play....

2009-05-01T15:02:00.000-07:00

My newest fused glass creation. I love making the piano keys and this is the first time I slumped them into a "wavy" mold. This takes 2, sometimes 3 firings in the kiln to do.

Super Suppers

2009-04-27T06:46:00.001-07:00

More fused glass art for Super Suppers (see 2 posts below).

Craftstravaganza

2009-04-23T05:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday, April 26, 2009
2:30 pm – 8 pm
Earlybird shopping ($5) begins at 2 pm

Columbus Torah Academy
181 Noe Bixby Rd., Columbus OH, 43213

Wanted to plug the show I am in this weekend! Its the CTA Craftstravaganza where there will be fabulous vendors selling handmade goods. Proceeds from this event will benefit Columbus Torah Academy. So if you're in the area, stop on out for an afternoon of fun, food, raffle, kids activities and handmade goods! For more info and a list of the vendors, you can check out Craftstravaganza's website here.

A Super Duper Opportunity

2009-04-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to share my newest endeavor. I was contacted by a gal who works for a local Super Suppers here in Ohio. She saw my artwork at a previous show I did and wanted to see if I would like to display some of my fused glass artwork in their shop to sell. She particularly liked my food-themed items and thought they would compliment their store. Upon meeting with her and the owner of the shop, I found out that they are re-vamping their store to have more space to bring in a few local artists to sell their artwork and homemade items, such as salsas and food-related things. Upon walking in the store, the atmosphere is so welcoming and the aroma alone is to die-for. Super Suppers offers "take & bake" syle entrees, sides and desserts for families on-the-go, saving them time spent on trying to figure out what to cook each night, grocery shopping, reading recipes, prepping ingredients, etc. They also offer self-assembly, where you can come in and assemble the food yourself, as well as parties where you learn to cook a certain food with a group of friends and then take home your meal to feed your families. Sounds good, huh?!

So now I am busy making some new fused glass art for their store. Its really all very SUPER exciting!

Here are a few pieces that I have created so far and there will be more to come. Stay tuned!

Etsy Team Columbus - Punk Rock Challenge

2009-04-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a proud member of the Etsy Team Columbus and we are having our first team challenge! We officially have 11 submissions for this month's theme, which is "punk rock". So, pop on over to our team's blog and check it out. You can browse the candidates, decide on your favorite, then look for the poll on the right hand side to vote. Our team of artists will truly appreciate your enthusiasm and encouragement too!

My submission for the challenge: This truly rockin' fused glass guitar pendant.

The Ohio Academy Paul Mitchell Art & Fashion Show

2009-04-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

I am proud to announce my participation in the Ohio Academy Paul Mitchell Art and Fashion Charitable Fundraising Event. Each year they do a huge fundraiser in which all of the Paul Mitchell Schools participate across the country. The fundraiser is designed to support specific charitable foundations that the beauty industry is passionate about. The charities include, The Andrew Gomez Dream Foundation, Food 4 Africa, Larry King Cardiac Foundation, Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation, Cancer Schmancer. This year, the event is going to be a gallery opening and a fashion show. They will be having people around the community donate pieces of art to be sold for $100. The proceeds will be split 50/50 between the artist and charity.

Interview

2009-04-03T13:21:00.001-07:00

I was recently interviewed by the lovely Jill, the fabulous jewelry designer of Out of the Pink Sky on etsy. It wasn't your typical interview, but loads more fun! You can check it out here.

Beautiful Butterfly

2009-03-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting with a new kind of dichroic glass called crinklized dichroic, as it leaves a crinkle effect. It comes as a smooth surface and when it is fired, the dichroic surface crinkles, sending thousands of miniature crystalline-like mirrors upwards and creating dynamic shapes throughout the glass. I've noticed some of the colors turn out with this effect better than others. I made this butterfly pendant and the pink really turned out great. If you click on the picture, you can see it bigger with more detail. I'm sure I'll be experimenting lots more with this glass, so stay tuned!

Rock On!

2009-03-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

I've been working on my new line of fused glass guitar pendants. LOVE the way these turned out - they have dichroic glass accents and 2 swarovski crystals that adorn the body of the guitar to ROCK YOUR WORLD!!!! Check them out in my etsy shop here.

Awards, Art & Gratitude, Oh My!

2009-03-12T16:35:00.000-07:00

I am so honored to have received the Kreativ Blogger Award, not once, but twice now! I have received blogging awards before and although I am truly grateful for receiving them, I am not one to play by the rules, and don't list my "favorite" things and pass them along to other bloggers. I do sincerely appreciate them, but being the busy gal that I am, I don't partake in playing...... so YES, I am a chain mail breaker, blog award breaker, and I don't ever, I mean EVER, pass along emails that tell me to send this to x-amount of people or bad luck will happen (or good luck, for that matter). No hard feelings. As far as my favorite things.....my FAVORITE thing of all besides my family is ART and if you follow my blog, you surely know this by now.

So, now that I confessed all that, I did want to take the time to give a shout out to the gal who awarded me this, as I have a personal LOVE for her and her husband's artwork. I found the fabulous RavenX on her etsy shop, Dirty Pretty Things and immediately started following her blog. The name of her shop alone intrigued me! Through her blog, she had posted a give-away that her husband, MikieP, was having in his etsy shop. He was giving away one free mini-print every day through the month of February. Well, I adore his artwork, with all the superheroes, whimsical illustrations and the process he goes through making his art. Its fascinating! Of course I entered virtually every day and low and behold, I won one of his prints! I picked my favorite - The Little Seamstress:

His description of this piece is:
This little girl was born without a Heart.
With Love and Hope, she crafted one of fabric in her sewing room, so that someday she would be able to give it to her soul mate.

Well, there is a mate that went along with the seamstress in his shop and I had to get him also, as one cannot be without the other. This one is The Little Craftsman:

This little boy was born without a Heart.
With Spirit and Passion, he crafted one of wood in his workshop so that someday he would be able to give it to his soul mate.

I was then on a roll and of course had to get a mini print from Raven and I had my eye on her piece, The Sweet Escape.

Of course I'm a huge Gwen Stefani fan and I could NOT pass this up. And I love the saying she has on it: "i know i've been a real bad girl" - because really, we all have a little bad in us!

Gearing up for Art Show

2009-03-11T07:24:00.001-07:00

I have my first art show of the season this weekend and am going through everything, making things, getting organized, etc. In other words, I am in my "mad woman stage". Hell hath no fury when it comes to the week of me preparing for my art shows! LOL! I wanted to take a quick second to write in my blog and feature a few of my favorite things, as well as my newest creations that I am taking to the show. Nothing like a little self-promotion, right?!?!

Of course, my fused glass Audrey piece (I'm still hanging on to that one, but she has over 1,550 views in my etsy shop and 41 people who hearted her). Guess she's waiting on that perfect person to buy her!!!

My city scene - one of my first larger pieces that I made (and this is actually the "small" version of the city scene - I had a much larger one that sold in my etsy shop). This was made before I even purchased my ring saw, so every piece of glass was cut with a plain old hand-held glass cutter. I love the way this looks!

My new line of fun ceramic pendant necklaces. I love the simplicity of these and I plan on making more with different designs.

And lastly, my ring collection! These are all made with fused glass and ceramics. I love big, chunky rings and I think this picture supports that statement! Of course, I had to make a few OSU ceramic rings for the die-hard Buckeye fans here in Columbus, OH - puhleeese do not get me started on that topic! (if you live here, you know what I mean!) LOL!

Love Struck

2009-03-06T06:28:00.000-08:00

Sticking with the "love" theme, another framed fused glass art piece that was inspired by the "old school" tattoo style that I truly love. What better way to show someone how crazy in love you are with them!

Of course, this piece is listed on my etsy site - if you want more details, click here.

Tree of Love

2009-03-04T06:42:00.000-08:00

I haven't made a framed fused glass art piece in a while and came across this beautiful brown marbleized glass that I fell in love with. I immediately knew I wanted to make some kind of tree with it. After making the tree with swirly branches, I was stumped - it needed something. I had these 2 little fused glass doves that I had made a while back and were sitting in my stash of "not sure what to do with" glass. I loved the idea of the love birds. Now, when I got the brown glass, I also got the coolest cranberry marbleized glass and decided to make hearts with this glass. It kind of all came together yesterday as I was playing with different ways to arrange everything - I had the hearts sitting nearby and it was an "ah ha" moment when I decided to incorporate them in with the tree. And now it is complete and listed in my etsy shop here.

Altered Art

2009-02-24T12:51:00.000-08:00

As I was surfing through blogosphere the other day, I came across Janet Campbell's blog, Folk Art by Campbell Jane, and she had the coolest altered art on her blog using just an old paperback book page and a black marker. I was intrigued as I read about her "game". The rules are quite simple:

1. You must use an old paperback page.
2. No ripping or tearing or making holes in the page.
3. You can not have more than 7 words in one line across the page.
4. You must have more than 1 word on the entire page.
5. You must use only a black marker.
6. The art and drawings must make a little sense.

Now, drawing is not one of my forte's, but I tried it out and here's my first attempt (you may need to click on the page to see the words):

Janet posts Altered pages submitted to her on her blog every Tuesday. You definitely need to check hers out and the many she has already posted on her new blog designated purely for the love of altered art, called Altered Pages - Altered Art. You have got to try this out - its quite fun!

She also adds:
**Warning**
**This is addicting and will become your new obsession**

I can see I will be stocking up on black sharpies very soon!!!

Cherries Jubilee

2009-02-16T13:59:00.000-08:00

I created another Cherries Jubilee fused glass pendant. I really love the looks of this and since my other two sold, I had to make a couple more....of course, one for me too! I can so see myself wearing this with my daily attire of jeans or black addidas pants and a white t-shirt! You can check out the details of this pendant here in my etsy shop.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T08:22:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in my previous post that I was going out to dinner with my hubby and son for my 40th bithday.....well, the hubster totally surprised me and invited my absolute best friends to join us and was I surprised! Seriously, I didn't think he would come up with something like this for me - totally unexpected and FABULOUS! I couldn't have had a better birthday! Here's a short video slide of the night, which consisted of my friend decorating the party room with "over the hill" decorations and an "over the hill survival kit" for me including Depends, baby food, prunes, denture cleaner (you get the idea!) and there was even weird balloon guy! (my friends will understand this!):

Thank you my friends and WONDERFUL hubby for the perfect night!
Cheers!

2009-02-13T05:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's right kids, today's my birthday and I turn 40!!! And what better day to have it than Friday, the 13th! So, I'm feeling great about this birthday and I feel like I'm at the perfect place in my life right now doing exactly what I love to do - isn't life just FABULOUS!

So, what do I have planned for my big day you ask? I get to spend it with my son's kindergarten class, as I am their volunteer party coordinator, and get to spend the day making crafts with the kids! Seriously, what could be more fun? His teacher knew what she was doing when she asked me to coordinate all their parties this year! I absolutely love kids and making crafts...so, yeah, it will be a great time. I'm planning on making bottle cap necklaces with the kids using valentine images and even got some cool ones for the boys (robots, monsters, ninjas, etc.). Of course I took it another step further and made these fun polymer clay robot key chains for all the kids to take home with them - a little party favor, if you will. I get so excited making things with the kids and just love being around them. They all call me "Carson's Mom" when they ask me something and that always puts a smile on my face!

As for tonight, dinner with the hubby and son - crab legs galore - my favorite!

I LOVE stampin'!

2009-02-12T06:24:00.000-08:00

I recently had a few awesome rubber stamps handmade for me by Robin of facesarefunny on etsy. I was originally looking for some robot valentine gift tags to give to my son's kindergarten class with these little polymer clay robot keychains that I made for all of them (I'll be posting those tomorrow!). I ran across these robot love note cards in Robin's shop. I had asked her if she could use these stamps to make little gift tags for the class and she told me she would actually make a pair of rubber stamps with these images so I could do as I please with them and then always have them to make more creative things! I was so thrilled! I then was browsing her shop and found these raven gift tags and fell in love with the image. I had always wanted to make a ceramic raven necklace and asked if she would mind making me a rubber stamp with her raven on it. So, I scored 3 rubber stamps from this wonderful gal and here are my creations:

Valentine gift tags:

Ceramic Raven Pendants:

My pendants are available in my etsy shop - for more info, click here.

LOOK WHAT I WON!!!

2009-02-11T08:32:00.000-08:00

OK....if you haven't heard of the FABULOUS artist Chandra Michaels, the creative force behind Sugarluxe - America's Sweet Art, you most definitely need to pay attention! I fell in love with Chandra's art the minute I found her blog. She has to be one of the best art divas and her style is amazing. Make sure to click on her name above and you can read her most impressive bio. In less than three years, the portfolio of Sugarluxe artwork has been adapted and distributed across the globe. Z Gallerie Stores, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Helio, MTV, Miley Cyrus, T-Mobile, CMT, Playboy, BRIDES Magazine, Bong Spirit Vodka, START Mobile, VH1, Virgin and more, have selected the work of Sugarluxe. She says, "Never a conformist, I'm fiercely independent and determined to succeed despite the odds. I work excessively long hours and have sacrificed EVERYTHING in hopes of achieving my dream. I love Las Vegas, I can’t go for one day without dill pickles and I don’t like mean people."

First off, she is having an amazing weekly give-away this month on her blog in honor of February 14th marking Sugarluxe's 4th anniversary. I was so excited about this and entered the 1st weeks give-away for this Art & Soul Tattoo Heart Dual Mirror Compact. This design was originally created for an Art & Soul Showcase to benefit the Austin Children’s Shelter, and she had never offered this design on any of her Sugarluxe Compacts before. She had made only 3 of these compacts for 3 lucky winners. And can you guess who one of the winners was???? .............ME!!!!!!!!!!!

In her shop, she offers her wonderful artwork on modern fashion accessories and gifts, along with canvas artwork prints. Here are just a few of my favorites:

And what better way to end this post than my famous departing words: "CHEERS!"

Sweet Stella

2009-02-10T06:49:00.000-08:00

A few posts back I had a picture of my sweet Stella (our cat) up and had a wonderful comment about her from the fabulous Christy Dekoning asking if she could paint her. Ummmm.......yeah, of course! I would not say no to an offer like that! And WOW.......check out what she did!!!!!!

You can also check out her amazing paintings in her etsy and ArtFire shops.

Thanks again Christy!!!!

Finished Pizza Clock

2009-02-09T06:56:00.000-08:00

OK guys.......here it is!

OK...let's review my process, shall we???

Cut-out of pizza - wet clay

Air-dried clay

Bisqued Clay (after 1st firing)

Painted Bisqued Clay

Glazed Clay (after 2nd firing)

And that, my friends, ends my lesson in Ceramics 101.
Cheers!

Bisqued and Ready for Glaze

2009-02-08T06:35:00.000-08:00

Here is the clock after the first firing and now comes the fun part - gazing the entire piece. Its actually quite a lengthy process as you have to apply 3 coats of glaze. So, essentially, I have to "paint" this 3 times, waiting for it to dry between each coat.

I actually finished glazing the entire piece last night (around midnight - guess that means "this morning") and here it is ready to be fired for the last time. NOW.......why I always say its like Christmas when I open my kiln after the glaze firing - its because the colors of glaze shown here will be NOTHING like the actual color after the firing. So the anticipation to see the finished product is like waiting for Santa!!!

First firing

2009-02-05T05:13:00.000-08:00

The clock is completely air dried and ready for the first firing. This is called the bisque firing where the clay is fired at the highest temperature to the point it leaves no chemically bonded water left in the clay and it makes the piece hard enough for further work, such as the glazing. After this initial firing, it will be ready to be glazed and fired again. The bisque firing takes approximately 8-10 hours to fire and then a day for the kiln to cool. We're getting closer!!!

Making Pizza

2009-02-02T10:36:00.001-08:00

Well, a pizza clock, that is! I'm so excited about my newest custom order from a gal in Atlanta, Georgia, who requested a custom ceramic "pizza" clock for a new restaurant that her and her husband are opening up. It's called Mia's Pizza and Eats, after their 8-month-old daughter. She says, "we'll serve New York style pizza and also have a Southern style deli with BBQ chicken and sides, chicken salad, potato salad, etc. Kind of a fusion thing."

She gave me a picture to go off of, and hopefully (fingers crossed), it will turn out similar to this:

After many discussions about how I would create a similar clock like this, we are putting a twist on it and I'll be adding a swinging pendulum with a slice of pizza hanging from the bottom!

So, I thought I would blog about the process of this clock and how I am making it. This way, also, I can keep my customer up-to-date on what I'm doing!!!!

So, first off, I start with a wedge of clay:

I then roll it out with my huge rolling pin. After getting it big enough to cut (this will be about a 9-inch pie) I then cut the circle out. I used my kiln shelf for the basis of how big I could actually make this. Since I have a rather small kiln, about 9 inches is as big as I can fit inside my kiln.

After measuring and putting a hole in the center of the clay for the clock hardware, I then scored the clay to make the actual "slices" of pizza and making the squares to go around. I'm very careful to measure everything, so I don't end up with a lop-sided pizza. I also hate to have pictures of my hands taken - all my crafting has definitely taken its toll - notice the nice scab on my finger on my right hand (from my solder gun!) and my non-existent nails!!!! I usually have band-aids on my fingers from all my glass cutting! What we artists go through! Well, its all worth it.

OK....here's where I finished up for today. After it dries to a leather hard consistency, I can clean-up around the edges and such. Then, its off to air dry completely - usually a few days.

STAY TUNED............

Happy February!

2009-02-01T16:51:00.000-08:00

In honor of February and finally getting a new blade for my ring saw......my newest fused glass heart pendants. Just in time for Valentine's Day!!!

purple and black hearts

red and white hearts

SNOW DAY!!!

2009-01-28T12:46:00.000-08:00

Ok...we got LOTS of snow! And ice! Schools, businesses, Universities - all closed. Of course I was out "playing" (or I should say shoveling) in the snow all day with my son. Of course, he had the time of his life - I, on the other hand, am a bit pooped! I have to admit, it was pretty when it was snowing and I took some pics. Here's one outside my window and then the same picture after I played around in photoshop with it. I love my photoshop!

While I had my door open taking some pictures, our sweet Stella decided she wanted to go out in the snow! She actually LOVED it and I had to go out in my jammies and bring her back in!

Inside my kiln

2009-01-24T14:04:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is guys - my beloved kiln - isn't she lovely?! LOL! Since I've been talking about ceramics and my kiln lately, thought it would be neat to show you what I see when I open my kiln after the firing. It's seriously like Christmas when I open it. Especially with ceramics, because the firings take so long and then you have to wait until the kiln completely cools (a day) until you can open it. Its quite exciting to see how the pieces turned out. Fortunately with this batch, I was very happy with the outcome. I made some smaller pendants with simple black and white glaze and a splash of color on a few.

Kiln Up and Running!

2009-01-15T14:30:00.000-08:00

My hubby, bless him, fixed my kiln! I think he knows how crazed I can get when I don't have anything to do, so he got on it straight away and found out one of the wires in the cord shorted out and replaced it for me. My ring saw is still without a new blade, but I was able to get my ceramic pieces into the kiln and I was pretty happy with the outcome of them. Here are a couple pendants that I made and will be listing them soon in my etsy shop.

My 6-yr. old son even got in on the action and made this piece himself with my clay. I love the colors that he chose to glaze it - quite fabulous!

Could it get much worse????

2009-01-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

Ok...they say things happen in 3's, so here it goes.......

Yesterday, I was using my ring saw cutting my glass when my blade and rubber belt both broke at the same time! Drats - the blades alone cost around $100!!!! I decided I'd play with my clay last night for a change and create some things. Got them in my kiln today and about half way through the firing, I noticed an odd smell and saw one of the wires? coils? (I'm not quite sure yet) was bright red and looked just about to catch fire! I immediately turned it off. Still haven't determined what happened - I have to wait until the kiln cools down to assess what was burning. Here, I was so excited to have been working with my ceramics again and the darn kiln may be broke! Well, I decided to calm my nerves and make a nice Vanilla Latte with my espresso machine. I just went out today to buy more espresso beans from Starbucks to make sure I had enough on hand for my weekend afternoon addiction. I always have Starbucks grind it for me and apparently they ground the espresso soooooo fine, that the water wouldn't even run through it in my machine! No latte!!! Seriously, are the gods really trying to mess with me? At least give me my coffee! COME ON!!!!!
Not the best day:(

Ceramic & Glass Pendant.

2009-01-08T13:54:00.001-08:00

I came up with another design experimenting with my glass and ceramics. I liked this one so much that its actually in my etsy shop. Click here for details. The process involved with this is me hand-forming my clay into a heart shape and carving out the center for the glass to go in. I then bisque fire the heart in my kiln. After the piece has cooled in the kiln, I then glaze the outside of the heart (this one with a white glaze) and put tiny pieces of different colored glass in the center. The 2nd firing melts and fuses the glass into the clay and when it cools, the glass sometimes crackles leaving a pretty cool effect. I've actually made quite a few different pendants and the outcome has been fascinating. Its like Christmas when I open my kiln - I get so excited because I never quite know how the piece will turn out. This one is one of my favorites!

I Got Sucked In!

2009-01-05T17:13:00.000-08:00

As you may have seen through previous posts, I've made a few fused glass creations from the Twilight series, only really hearing about Twilight through my 13-yr. old niece and loads of other people. I really thought it was more of a teenage plot (which, I guess it is), and not until I read Christy DeKoning's blog over the weekend and saw her post on the book and her painting of "Edward" did I decide to break down and get the book. Christy sounded just like me being an avid book reader and not really sure about this series. I had a gift card for Barnes and Noble from Christmas and decided to bite the bullet and get the first book in paperback yesterday, figuring if I couldn't get into it, then no harm done. I mean, I even tried to get on the bandwagon with the Harry Potter series, only to read the first few chapters of the first book and knew that was not for me. I thought "a book about vampires, surely I won't get into this series either." So, I broke open Twilight this afternoon and haven't put it down, but to start making dinner, while stirring spaghetti with my book in hand and reading while I ate! Now, Christy warned me to buy the second book when I bought the first, because I wouldn't be able to stop after the first. Did I take her advice - no. So..............looks like tomorrow I'll be back at Barnes and Noble buying the 2nd book! I'm almost finished with the first and I'm sure I will not fall asleep tonight until its finished. Yeah, well..... its that good! Gotta run and get back to Edward and Bella!

More Twilight Fused Glass!

2009-01-02T07:25:00.001-08:00

I think I just officially hopped on the bandwagon with all you twilight fans! The more I see and read about this series, the more intrigued I become!

Here's my newest framed fused glass piece from the Twilight series, "Breaking Dawn". You can check it out in my etsy shop here.

And here's a cute fused glass Twilight inspired pendant made by me for all you Twilight lovers! This is also in my etsy shop, here.

2008-12-31T14:11:00.001-08:00

Here's to a great 2009!!! I've been on a hiatus from crafting over the holidays, but like any person addicted to crafts like me, I couldn't stay away for long. So watch out for some of my new creations in the new year - especially you Twilight fans - I have a few things in the works!
Cheers and have a safe and Happy New Year!

2008-12-25T07:09:00.001-08:00

Free Comments and Graphics

Yummy!

2008-12-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

Here are my newest fused glass cupcake pendants I just made. Don't they look yummy? And don't let the sprinkles on the cupcakes fool you - they are indeed glass also! For more info, they are posted in my etsy shop - click here to see!

Combining Ceramics with Glass

2008-12-19T09:55:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, I first started out doing ceramics and then moved on to glass. I think the biggest attraction with the glass is that it does not take as long from start to finish as ceramics does. I am all about instant gratification - when I want something, I want it NOW and I hate to wait! With ceramics, the process of making something can take from 3 days to a week or more, depending on the size of the piece. First, making the piece out of the clay and letting it completely air dry. Then, the bisque firing (another day). And finally, glazing the piece and firing it again (another day). With glass, I can cut the piece, put it in the kiln and then its done. I can make something and have it done in literally one day. But although I love working with glass, I do admit missing the feel of the clay and getting my hands dirty, so to speak. Well, this past week, I broke out the clay again and tried experimenting with firing glass into the clay. This heart pendant was fired 3 times. First, the bisque firing. Then, glaze firing. After that I put red glass frit (tiny pieces of broken glass) onto the glazed piece and fired it again to melt the glass into the glaze. Although a lengthy process, I really like the outcome. I like the way the red glass crackled against the glaze. This was my first try at this and I'm anxious to try out some more pieces and see what I can come up with.

Violin Cufflinks

2008-12-16T06:17:00.000-08:00

I received a custom order from a gal who wanted a special birthday gift for her husband who is an opera singer and violinist. We opted for cufflinks, and although I was a bit leary of being able to cut a violin out of my glass that small, I think they turned out nicely! I love making musical pieces, they are so much fun and close to my heart, as I grew up playing the oboe and even played in the Columbus Youth Symphony Orchestra in High School. Although I don't play anymore, I still love to listen to classical music and it always brings me back to my orchestra days! For more of my musical fused glass instruments, you can check them out in my etsy shop here.

Twilight Fever

2008-12-13T03:23:00.000-08:00

The 12 Days of Etsy was so fun. I loved picking some of my favorite etsy sellers and featuring them. Of course, I have so many favorites, I could list one every day for the whole year, but then I couldn't blog about my most favorite thing - ME! So, being that "it's all about me", here's my latest fused glass piece for all you Twilight fanatics (and there are so many of you!). Check it out here in my etsy shop!

The 12 Days of Etsy

2008-12-12T03:58:00.001-08:00

On the twelveth Day of etsy, Niven Glass Originals brought to me:

12 DIVA brooches;

11 Beadwoven Bracelets (Time2cre8);

10 Awesome Pictures (Lilleypics);

Kitty Cats with 9 Lives (Purrprints);

8 Snuggly Babies (Auntboosbabies);

7 Yummy Glass Treats (beadbrains);

6 Photo Bracelets (PinkPoochDesigns)

5 Illustrated Postcards (MillionMinds);

4 Steel Necklaces (TimothyAdamDesigns);

3 Ghosts of Manderly (StilettoHeights);

2 Rockers Rocking (The Black Apple);

and a goddess pendant custom made for me (Glasstastic Treasures)

The 12 Days of Etsy

2008-12-11T04:36:00.000-08:00

On the eleventh day of Etsy, Time2cre8 brought to me:

11 Beadwoven Bracelets;

10 Awesome Pictures (Lilleypics);

Kitty Cats with 9 Lives (Purrprints);

8 Snuggly Babies (Auntboosbabies);

7 Yummy Glass Treats (beadbrains);

6 Photo Bracelets (PinkPoochDesigns)

5 Illustrated Postcards (MillionMinds);

4 Steel Necklaces (TimothyAdamDesigns);

3 Ghosts of Manderly (StilettoHeights);

2 Rockers Rocking (The Black Apple);

and a goddess pendant custom made for me (Glasstastic Treasures)

The 12 Days of Etsy

2008-12-10T04:09:00.000-08:00

On the 10th day of Etsy, Lilley Pics brought to me:

10 Awesome Pictures;

Kitty Cats with 9 Lives (Purrprints);

8 Snuggly Babies (Auntboosbabies);

7 Yummy Glass Treats (beadbrains);

6 Photo Bracelets (PinkPoochDesigns)

5 Illustrated Postcards (MillionMinds);

4 Steel Necklaces (TimothyAdamDesigns);

3 Ghosts of Manderly (StilettoHeights);

2 Rockers Rocking (The Black Apple);

and a goddess pendant custom made for me (Glasstastic Treasures)

The 12 Days of Etsy

2008-12-09T04:52:00.000-08:00

On the ninth day of Etsy, Purr Prints brought to me:

Kitty Cats with 9 Lives;

8 Snuggly Babies (Auntboosbabies);

7 Yummy Glass Treats (beadbrains);

6 Photo Bracelets (PinkPoochDesigns)

5 Illustrated Postcards (MillionMinds);

4 Steel Necklaces (TimothyAdamDesigns);

3 Ghosts of Manderly (StilettoHeights);

2 Rockers Rocking (The Black Apple);

and a goddess pendant custom made for me (Glasstastic Treasures)

The 12 Days of Etsy

2008-12-08T03:23:00.001-08:00

On the eighth day of Etsy, Aunt Boo's Babies brought to me:

8 snuggly babies;

7 Yummy Glass Treats (beadbrains);

6 Photo Bracelets (PinkPoochDesigns)

5 Illustrated Postcards (MillionMinds);

4 Steel Necklaces (TimothyAdamDesigns);

3 Ghosts of Manderly (StilettoHeights);

2 Rockers Rocking (The Black Apple);

and a goddess pendant custom made for me (Glasstastic Treasures)

The 12 Days of Etsy

2008-12-07T05:21:00.001-08:00

On the seventh day of Etsy, beadbrains brought to me:

7 yummy glass treats;

6 Photo Bracelets (PinkPoochDesigns)

5 Illustrated Postcards (MillionMinds);

4 Steel Necklaces (TimothyAdamDesigns);

3 Ghosts of Manderly (StilettoHeights);

2 Rockers Rocking (The Black Apple);

and a goddess pendant custom made for me (Glasstastic Treasures)

The 12 Days of Etsy

2008-12-06T06:19:00.000-08:00

On the sixth day of Etsy, Pink Pooch Designs brought to me:

6 Photo Bracelets;

5 Illustrated Postcards (MillionMinds);

4 Steel Necklaces (TimothyAdamDesigns);

3 Ghosts of Manderly (StilettoHeights);

2 Rockers Rocking (The Black Apple);

and a goddess pendant custom made for me (Glasstastic Treasures)

The 12 Days of Etsy

2008-12-05T05:48:00.001-08:00

On the fifth Day of Etsy, Million Minds brought to me:

5 Illustrated Postcards;

4 Steel Necklaces (TimothyAdamDesigns);

3 Ghosts of Manderly (StilettoHeights);

2 Rockers Rocking (The Black Apple);

and a goddess pendant custom made for me (Glasstastic Treasures)

The 12 Days of Etsy

2008-12-04T04:20:00.000-08:00

On the fourth day of Etsy, TimothyAdamDesigns brought to me:

4 Steel Necklaces;

3 Ghosts of Manderly (StilettoHeights);

2 Rockers Rocking (The Black Apple);

and a goddess pendant custom made for me (Glasstastic Treasures)

The 12 Days of Etsy

2008-12-03T03:53:00.001-08:00

On the third day of Etsy, Stilettoheights brought to me:

3 Ghosts of Manderly;

2 Rockers Rocking (The Black Apple);

and a goddess pendant custom made for me (Glasstastic Treasures)

The 12 Days of Etsy

2008-12-02T04:54:00.001-08:00

On the second day of Etsy, The Black Apple brought to me:

2 Rockers Rocking;

and a goddess pendant custom made for me! (Glasstasstic Treasures)

The 12 Days of Etsy

2008-12-01T04:54:00.001-08:00

This is the perfect time to feature some of my favorite etsy artists, as the days of Christmas shopping are slowly dwindling down and Christmas will be here before we know it. Starting today I will be featuring 12 etsy artists, one-a-day, for 12 days. I call this "The 12 Days of Etsy". Make sure to check out these shops, as you may find the PERFECT gift for someone on your list, or even better, for yourself! Check back daily and I will also be putting the previous shops, along with the day's feature shop, as I go. Make sense? Let's get started then, shall we?

(of course, this is to the tune of "The 12 Days of Christmas"!)

On the first day of Etsy, Glasstastic Treasures brought to me:

A goddess pendant custom made for me!

Featured

2008-11-30T08:03:00.000-08:00

I am lucky enough to be featured again in the blog "Something Just to Start (Virtual Art Gallery)".
Coleen is featuring artists daily for holiday gift ideas and has had some truly spectacular artists on her blog. You definately MUST check out her blog daily, so you won't be missing out on anything - a great holiday shopping series for both men and women!

Now, as for me, starting tomorrow, I will be starting my "12 Days of Etsy" here on my blog and will feature, for 12 days, some of my very favorite etsy shops for you all to check out. I just LOVE to see fabulous artists, don't you???