Product Testing

In April, I decided to open a new shop on Etsy. Sometimes, my creativity bug drives me beyond glass fusing. Sometimes my children want to create things. Often my children want to create things. So, I decided to open
www.withthese2hands.etsy.com
with the intention of offering collaborative creations. If you check out the new shop, you can see some things that have made the cut. My son designed a banner and logo that I need to upload. He also did the product cards and business cards. My daughter loved selecting designs from the Japanese washi paper for the rings and pendants. They both took a turn with the drill press, once they agreed to the safety rules. I am excited about the shop and so are they. BUT..this bowl of stuff??? Well, it was an attempt at making play dough or a similar substance. It smelled nice (peppermint). It contained sooo many things that I think it might have been toxic in the end..but boy did they have fun. Me, well....I must say the clean up was not so bad. They initiated the project and followed through with the clean up. Next time, they say that the original recipe would be the way to go. Somethings are tough to improve on.

It is good to be back after a busy summer with my children. School is back in session here, so I hope you stop back often.

Takota Bear

Meet Takota, whose name means "Friend to Everyone". He is our Native American Dog, also known as a NAID. If you visit the home page of Night Eyes Farms. , you can see him as a puppy on the puppy mover monorail. Takota is riding second from the front. Native American Indian Dogs are a rare almost extinct breed of dog used by the Native Americans to pull a travois across thousands of miles of the North American continent. There are about 5 certified breeders of these dogs. Takota, true to his breed, is a problem solver. He is a watcher. Takota thinks ahead and plans. He is sometimes scary smart. Takota is also a big baby, who likes belly scratches and, best of all, being covered up in my blanket. Of course, I have to watch him with said blanket. He will shed it in an instant if he decides to. It is impossible to find a toy that he can not destroy. If any dog toy makers are up for the challenge...contact me!

in the light box

I think that bottles are too tight a fit for my light box. I think I needed to have a better backdrop. I know that I have put off photographing a bunch of slumped bottles because they are unruly. I tackled a few of them today. My camera (yikes!) almost fell to the ground. My table light was pulled to the floor by one of my four legged helpers. :)

However...I do like how the bottles look, especially when the light shines through them.

Sometimes..

I like to make earrings. I was organizing my bead stash over the winter and had just purchased these vintage Japanese glass beads from Epoch Bead's shop on Etsy. I loved them. I got this rush of inspiration to pair them with branch coral and the result was these earrings. I managed to post them on flickr, but never did get around to listing them in my etsy shop. I think it just might be that I like them so much that I want them for me. Have you ever made something that was just kind of meant to be yours?

Charmed

I decided to do this charm without a color background of resin to set it on. At first I was not sure if I made the right choice. But I keep finding myself touching the resin covered clover. It is just so clear, so glossy. It actually magnifies the clover a bit. I do not make many bracelets, just a handful each year. I hope you like this one. It feels nice on your wrist and you can even add other charms to it if you'd like. I will even send you some silver split jump rings to hang your favorite charms with the four leaf clover one. Just leave me a message in the notes to seller when purchasing from my shop. Have a great weekend!

Blue

I love to buy glass to fuse with, but I really like to recycle glass into usable art.

My dad stopped by yesterday with this garbage container filled with blue bottles! I have had a couple of blue bottles to work with in the past, but for me they are hard to come by. I plan to slump some for platters and spoon rests. Others I plan to cut into rings and fuse them into donut shaped pendants and rings for wind chimes. Some will become frit (smash, smash!!) and will be fused into shapes in molds. When using frit from bottles, you need to keep the glass from each bottle separate to ensure compatibility. Tomorrow I am going to have a bottle washing party in my back yard and everyone's invited. :)

Dry Your Hands On This

This is my paper free alternative to drying your hands after you wash them at the kitchen sink. A kitchen towel. This is not just any kitchen towel but an amazing tie dyed kitchen towel by the awesome Fluff of Etsy. Not only do I have several of these towels, but also a few of her shirts. She is an amazing artist and super nice person. Visit her shop and check out her beautiful quilts, clothing and other items, all hand dyed from handmade dyes. Amazing. :)

The Bottle Opener

I love to cut glass, grind glass, saw glass and melt glass. I have been trying to think outside of the box when coming up with functional fused glass items that people can "use" as well as enjoy. That is how the fused glass bottle opener was born. I can put a heavy duty magnet on the back and it can live on your refrigerator and hold up that grocery list. Need a bottle opener? There it is, no need to dig in the drawer for it. In my Etsy store you can find a variety of designs and if you are interested in one to match your kitchen, just contact me and we can talk.

Reminds Me of Jade

This glass cab does remind me of jade. It was cast in a mold from bigger pieces of frit (crushed glass) so it has very few (if any!) visible bubbles. I scored around the edge and wrapped it in sterling silver wire that also forms the bail. I am not sure if I will use this as a focal bead in a necklace or if I will list it on Etsy as a supply for one of the very talented beaded jewelry designers to consider purchasing.

Sale

Purchase any item from my Etsy store through midnight on June 29, 2008 (next Sunday) and receive any item of lesser value for 1/2 off. Just mention in the message to seller section that you are participating in my Blog Sale. I will send you a revised invoice or refund the savings via paypal. Hope you had a beautiful weekend.

This is new in my shop! The butterfly is cut out of copper, which turns a beautiful shade of red when heated in the kiln. I love the color combination as it reminds me of coral and turquoise. I have been working with the metal and glass combination for the past few months and love how they look together.

Ever since my son and daughter were little, I would have them balance an egg on end on the first day of summer. There is some debate if this is just a legend or if it is a scientific fact that the earth's energy is aligned in a way that egg balancing is possible on this day. I can't comment on that as we do not attempt to balance eggs at any other time of the year. What I do know is that it is yet another little tradition we have as a family and that makes our yearly egg balancing special. It brings us together and creates a new memory.

Perfect Fit

When I look at my collection of clovers, I am often amazed at how they seem to elude fitting into the settings that I have to work with. Note to self: learn to make bezels. :)

This clover pressed so nicely **and** it fit in this sterling silver adjustable bezel ring. I have it on a layer of white resin with a thick clear resin cap. It is really nice. I would wear it to Las Vegas!

For the Clover Patch

Take a look at what I made for my husband...the great four leaf clover hunter! It measures about 10 inches square and has three layers of glass, including the clover. It hangs at the peak of an outbuilding that sits on the edge of his favorite (luckiest) place to find patches of clover to search. When I look for four leaf clovers, I can be down on my knees, touching each clover to see if it has four leaves. I never find one. Except when he gives me a hint...."look over here...I think there might be one..." and the "here" is a one inch square of clovers. He, on the other hand stands and just looks or scans the area. Give him five minutes and he is bound to locate at least one for me to press and turn into something special for my customers. He's one "supplier" that I do not ever want to lose!

Time For Luck

Soon to be back in my shop on Etsy! These are empty vintage style pocket watch cases that have a beautiful, real, four leaf clover set in resin inside the case. They are not watches, they do not tell time. But they can make a wonderful pendant hung on a chain or just put into your pocket when you need a 'bit of luck (power of positive thinking!). It is hard to find clovers to fit into these empty cases, so they are only available when my husband is lucky enough to find one!!

Resin Infused Copper Bangle

This bracelet is so different I wish that you could hold it in your hand! First you would notice its weight, because it has some real substance to it. Then you would look under the glossy surface and see tiny little flecks of copper all held together by the resin. Almost a solid copper bracelet, with a very unique visual texture. I have a pendant to match in my etsy shop. You can see it here.
Thanks for visiting.

Magically Delicious

A buyer on Etsy had a wonderful idea...Lucky Charm cereal marshmallows set in resin. I was up for the challenge and this is what I came up with! My daughter is modeling the finished necklace, adorned with the "lucky charms".

First of all, I had no idea how many different marshmallow shapes there were. Last time I looked, there were 4. Now there are seven! And....marshmallows float in resin. I kept poking them down into the molds and finally the resin set and I covered them with the final layer. When cured, I sanded, polished and drilled them for the hand wrapped wire bails. Magically Delicious...to the eyes only. :)

Pressed and ready to start another life as a ring, a pendant or perhaps a bookmark....these four leaf clovers were found by my husband, who just has that eye for luck! I have others, still being pressed and now that the things are growing here in New Jersey, he is sure to find more. The real challenge for him is to find them before the bunnies eat into a leaf or two. Look for the finished product in my Etsy shop soon. www.aardvart.etsy.com

Musical Glass

I tend to work tiny with glass, but I find myself more and more interested in designing larger pieces. This wind chime combines so much of what I love about working with glass. Glass mixes well with metal and here I have copper wire that was formed into jump rings, copper sheet that was worked into the hanger, chain that holds it securely in the breeze. The glass is transparent, and makes the most beautiful sound when it moves and bumps into its neighbor...no need for an "excuse me" here....these pieces of glass need to be a bit clumsy in order to make their music. These are custom order pieces and can be a visual and auditory delight either inside or outside of your home.

Luck

While I am not sure if a four leaf clover can really bring one luck, I do think that it inspires positive thought. To feel that things have a better chance of moving in your favor is powerful. As many of you know, my husband loves to find four leaf clovers. At $10.00, these bottle cap four leaf clover pendants are an affordable way for you to have one of your very own. All of the clovers are different but yours will be beautiful and unique or your money back, no questions asked. Strung on an 18" brown suede cord with clasp. Just click on the paypal button to the right to purchase. Your necklace will be on its way to you from NJ in no time!

Time

I had a wonderful time creating this line. I spent time with my father, who collects and repairs vintage pocket watches. He gave me some wonderful parts that I chose for inclusions in the pendants. Some parts were copper, which turned a beautiful red in the kiln and some were brass while others were enameled. After a couple of test firings, I tweaked the firing schedule to minimize air bubble formation and stress in the glass from the watch pieces. This is the type of glass fusing that I really love. It takes more time than doing a dichroic piece but they are so different and rich with their own past history.