Glass Art by Patrice (Shepherd Creations)

Fire Divas January Challenge: Poll Closes TONIGHT!!!

2012-01-21T17:28:00.000-08:00

Glass lovers pay attention: ;) This month's Fire Divas challenge is Romance, and although I'm sure you good folks have already seen this poll and voted, I'll repost it here just in case you had to re-heat your cup of tea last time before you could click your vote in, or comment and BE ENTERED IN THE DRAWING FOR THE GRAND PRIZE!!! The Poll closes tonight at Midnight EST!!!

One lucky commenter will receive a 25% off Coupon for Sonja’s Artfire shop. So after you vote don’t forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the post on the Divas Blog to win!! Poll closes at Midnight (EST) on Saturday, January 21st.

Entry 1

Entry 2

Entry 3

Entry 4

Entry 5

Entry 6

Entry 7

Good luck, Fire Divas!

Wednesday's Llama...

2011-12-07T07:06:00.001-08:00

Happy Wednesday! Today I'm basking in the completed status of a custom order. This was a tough one, and I'm so glad my customer is happy with it, whew! Also, school is almost over for the semester, and I'm really going to be relieved after I take my final next week. I can't believe it's almost done, my first term back after my last five-year absence from higher education... ;)

Well, this morning I wanted to share my favorite piece from the custom order, which turned out to be this llama pendant (accent beads are also in the shot):

I think he's just the cutest, and he's gotten some pretty good feedback from those who saw him prior to making the cross-country voyage via USPS, what do you think?

Along similar lines, I came across this alpaca-felted soap this morning, and wondered if anyone I know has actually used such a kind of soap? If so, comment so I can know if it's a good gift jujee! :)
Have a great Wednesday!

Halloween Collection on ArtFire: Spooky Fun!

2011-10-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween weekend! I don't celebrate much, and when I do it's mostly because of the candy, but nevertheless: Happy Halloween :) I figured this ArtFire collection (with my goofy skull spider!) would be a good treat for you, and it's the most I can do while I take a break from my math homework (college is hard!). Although it's a spider, I'm told that he's still pretty cute and not very threatening-looking, so if you like cute spooky, you'll like this. Without further ado:

Spooky fun

Curated By: UnusuallyYours

ArtFire.com

First September Glass!

2011-09-01T21:54:00.000-07:00

Birthday month, woohoo! OK, so this is a very busy month at the Shepherd residence...
The highlights of this month's journey:

School started for me again! My latest foray back into college to finish my BS... Apparently two Associate degrees don't equal one BS.. O_o Go figure?
The new position is finally open at work. It's been a topic of discussion for over a year, and now it's almost interview time... Nervous about that, as I was on an interview panel a few times in the past year and know how nervous the applicants can be. Wish me luck when the time comes, ok? :)
My birthday is coming! Paul and I love our birthdays, because we celebrate Birthday Week as a concentrated week of a few special meals, maybe a picnic or two, hike, botanic garden trip, etc. My week = my choice, mwahahahaha!
Preparation for the Holiday Season - oh yeah, you know we still make glass goodies? :) I've made some cool new pieces recently shown below. They are basically my last fit of freedom from last weekend before classes started on Tuesday. The glass will have to take a backseat to these other more permanent things, but I will cling to some of it to ensure my own sanity. You know how it goes, no hobby, no hope ;)

Well those are the biggest items for me, but that's not to say Paul doesn't have his own task list to struggle with, but this is my blog, so... you know, mostly my stuff. Below are the beads I made this weekend(and some last weekend I think) and the goodies I made as my last freedom session in the studio. :)

A young man (photographer, I think) asked us if we make anything that's "not cute", and after surveying all my trays and suggesting a few pieces that I thought might be less cute, it was determined that my style just includes "cute." I'm happy with that, despite recalling being a young girl ages ago that wanted nothing to do with the word. ;)

My beads!!! I really still love beads, and I need to make more that I can use to make myself a bracelet or two. The one with brownish swirl over black (see that nugget on the right at the end?) was very similar to a set I made for a friend's moving-away present last week too. Things are changing, and not just the leaves. :)

New Implosions and an Octopus!

2011-07-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

Each week I get to do glass is really a different skill set. Since we went on vacation and spent 2.5 weeks mostly in Seattle, WA, I am rested and excited to make new stuff. Unfortunately, the clock is running out. I have put off finishing my Bachelor's degree for too many years, and now that I have firmly decided my career path (hey, Business Admin. just wasn't my dream, ok? :P), I have to get my butt back in gear. Therefore, this fall, I will hopefully be starting back up into my first class in years. I'm de-prioritized for registration as I have been out for so long, but I'll pick from what's left over available-seat-wise if a few good classes are still open. Wish me luck for getting into... drumroll please... Statistics! Yes I know you're excited for me, right?

Anyway, with my precious days and hours ticking down, it seems more and more imperative that I make new stuff and get to share it with all of you, as our fans have become friends, friends fans, and we're all just one big happy family now, right? :) Without further ado, here are my newest pieces:

White Flower Implosion (on ArtFire)

This is one of my newest implosions, and you may very well know this is a tough technique. You literally have to coax the glass into blooming for you, so I hope someone loves this flower someday! ;)

Black Octopus Pendant (on ArtFire)

We all love octopi, right? These guys always make me smile, so hopefully we shared one today!

White and Blue Small Implosion Pendant

Last but not least another implosion, but smaller and with 1/3 the petals as the first one. This one, however, has white petals that are blue on the back - no easy feat, I tell you. Drop me a comment, otherwise I'll be back with more new goodies to share soon, as again, time is running out! It will be more like a guilty pleasure to blog about glass once I have homework to do again. Have a great Friday!

Tide Pool Challenge! (Glass Art from the FD Group)

2011-07-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

Right now the Fire Divas July challenge is going on, this month's theme being "Tide Pool." There are some really fantastic beads entered into this one, so you know us Fire Divas are excited. Even though it's a bit of a competition each month we hold it, we are all glass fans at heart and love to see what everyone is up to in such a talented group.

Voting ends tomorrow! Please vote for your favorite entry on the right side of the Fire Divas blog and leave a comment there to be entered to win a $20 gift certificate from ME! Goodies that you can use the gift cert on can be found at Shepherd Creations ArtFire Studio! Please include your email address with your comment (does not have to show, I don't think) so that the Fire Divas group are able to notify you about your prize. :)

***You can find the poll to the right and at the top of the Fire Divas blog page***

You have to check out the blog to vote and qualify to win my $20 gift certificate, so what are you waiting for? Get over there! :)

Art for the Animals Auction: Bidding Ends June 21st!

2011-06-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

As mentioned previously, we had the privilege of donating two pieces to this year's Art for the Animals auction at our local shelter. We do this each year they have it, and are always glad when the pieces donated raise money to help fund their animal rescue and adoption efforts. :)

Here are the two pieces we sent in this year. It's easy to bid on these or any of the other great art pieces donated if you want to support our Riverside County Dept. of Animal Services! If you do, THANK YOU!!!


Black & White Spiral Turtle Necklace

Dragonfly Necklace

So whatever cause you choose to support, be it Beads of Courage, Breast Cancer Awareness, Alzheimer's Foundation, Feed the Poor, Humane Society, or even if you're undetermined, remember that a little support goes a long way. Plus they always need volunteers at the animal shelters to help out with the critters, so check out volunteering locally if you've got the time to volunteer and haven't decided where yet. A friend of mine encouraged her children for years by volunteering as a family, and her two children are now wonderful young adults that volunteer like it's second-nature. So look into it, you'll be glad you did! Have a great week! :)

Custom Work Week

2011-05-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

This week I had a rush custom order and one from last week, and both are FINISHED!!! I know you guys know how good it feels to finish a project, and I'm enjoying that feeling right now about these two challenges. First off, we have a custom project that involved three pendants, the hardest of which being a fancy citrus pendant. It was designed by my customer, and it has an orange as the focus, an orange blossom above it, and two upwards-facing leaves. Here are the final two that were delivered (forgive the background, I photo custom stuff on the kiln sometimes while it's fresh so I can email with my Droid :) ):

Lastly, we have this interesting challenge that was a thoughtful gift for one of my customer's children's teachers. It is a purple bow pendant, with lots of color variety and my own personal style :). Of course when we do custom requests, we can never make just one (unless we're REALLY feeling in the zone!), so here is my draft ribbon plus all the bows made for the final selection. She chose hers and was really pleased when it made the teacher tear up Friday when she presented it to her. Which one is your favorite?

So which one is it? Can you also guess which one was chosen as the final bow pendant?

Art for the Animals Show!

2011-05-15T10:06:00.001-07:00

It was yesterday, and really hard to resist adopting more critters! Our two shelter cats are plenty to handle, but really, there are so many cats and dogs that still need good homes. We donated our pieces for the auction that will take place near the end of this month, so you will see a post from me once the auction starts so you can bid or see the other local art being sold to raise funds.
The Art for the Animals show was also judged, and although it was the first time I think we've had our glass judged, it went well, with our goodies earning First Place in the jewelry category! See how excited we were?

Happy Earth Day, Easter, and Sunday Show-Off!

2011-04-24T01:15:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late, but nonetheless: Happy Earth Day! Also, I'm just on time to say Happy Easter! We're always celebrating nature and the earth around here, so I didn't feel that I had to show off my little planet earth pendants, but maybe another day :)

A new week, and finally new listings! I've been pretty busy lately making spring goodies, and have barely had time online. The big Mother's Day show is coming up next weekend, so I've been working on new designs too, some are firsts for me, and a few are with skills I've had to dust off, but you'll see them after the big show :) Today's showing off includes new insects and a teal sea turtle:
First, a red and pink butterfly pendant:

Next, here's a cute yellow and black bumblebee pendant:

And for variety... A new teal tiger-striped sea turtle pendant!!:

They are all my babies, so it's hard to say which is my favorite, but you know me: I sure do love sea turtles :P Have a great weekend, and remember to be kind to your Earth every day (I'm sure you already are!), and Happy Easter!

Farmer's Market Finds!

2011-04-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

I'm inspired by all the advice I've read from environmentalists that say "Eat local, eat organic, and eat what's in season!" Now organic may not always be feasible, but if we can at least have some farmer assurance that they don't use conventional fertilizer and pesticides, I'm satisfied. For now... And yes, I do realize how fortunate I am to live on the West coast, where farmer's markets can run all year round, and have ripe goodies no matter when you come. We are blessed here, and I am told that it's much harder to eat within a 100-mile food radius of your home if you live in areas less-suited for rich farming. I'm not intending to evoke jealousy from you cold-climate lovers, but here are some goodies I picked up at the farmer's markets recently:

These are gorgeous. It is art in the form of a root vegetable, color beyond my wildest beta-carotene-dreams, and I am in love with them:

Purple carrots!

These are purple carrots, with orange and yellow flesh inside. We roasted them in the oven, and they were delightful! It was fun buying them, chopping them, photographing them, cooking them, eating them, and now blogging about them. I highly advise you snag some of these if you find them, as you can see I was clearly smitten with them. A little olive oil and seasoning, plus some ripe local avocados on top, and voila! Lovely, healthful lunch :) It helped that I sort-of went along with this recipe from Smitten Kitchen (my favorite food blog).

Besides my newfound love of purple carrots (which, by the way, were too woody for snacking raw, so let me just put that out there for you who had dipping in mind!), I was also able to score a great deal on some strawberries at another farmer's market. I got 4 little green baskets of strawberries for such a deal that I had to photograph them as I was washing to cut and freeze them (some to eat now, the rest to freeze, can't have any going bad on me!). It was a lot of strawberries, and I am now smoothie-equipped!

Well, as this is also my glass blog, it must marry up to the obsession somehow: I'm now inspired to see what vegetables I can represent well in glass, as I already have two glass carrots (photo to come, promise!), have made a few other veggies, and will likely try for a gardener's necklace SOON. Stay tuned. And, eat fresh and local if you can. :)

Easter Eggs!

2011-04-05T22:05:00.001-07:00

Tonight's quick post is to show you the fun stuff we made in our most recent lesson: Easter Eggs! They were fun to make and decorate, and without the cleanup of regular egg decorating :)

My student made two and helped on another. The basket was mine, and I think it turned out rather well, don't you?

New Fire Divas Collection on ArtFire: Spring Goodies!

2011-04-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

Today's feature is a new collection of Fire Divas glass goodies fresh on ArtFire. We have a few new Fire Divas lately, including Michelle of SunDoor Beads and Christina of FengBeads, so there are even more goodies to choose from in the Fire Divas collections :) Besides this new collection to show off, today is the last day to take advantage of the Fire Divas sale (secret coupon Divathanks for most, see blog for specific shop coupon codes!), so make sure you visit the blog post to know what you're missing!

Glass! Lampwork from the Fire Divas Guil...

Curated By: shepherdcreat...

ArtFire.com

Craft Tutorials

Sunday Show-Off: Big-Holed Beads!

2011-03-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

As beads are what first attracted me to lampwork, I must stay true to my roots. This weekend, I worked on new color combinations and have a kiln full of wavy beads to show later. For now, let's look at a few new big-holed beads (the ones fitting Pandora, Chamilia, Trolll bracelets, etc.):

If you can make that first bead in the session, you may make many others. This bead is made from one of my favorite color blends with red and purple. At the very least, that one bead needs some company!

You get on a roll, and start making many new beads. Nowadays, I wonder who will receive the beads I work on, and if they will be used in some fantastic creation. Even by themselves, they are focally attractive to me :)

Before you notice, you haven't eaten for a few hours, your throat is dry, and the kiln is Chock FULL! We realize our addiction and take the first step to moving on; admitting we have a bead problem!

Well, at least I know I'm hooked, I love beads! Stay tuned next week for new designs and colors, and some awesome focal beads coming soon to a photo near you. Happy Sunday!

Sunday Show-Off: Student Earring Pairs!

2011-03-13T08:12:00.001-07:00

Happy Sunday! Today's post is to show off what my student and I made in our last lesson: earrings! We made several pairs, but this was our first time making earrings at all, so she wasn't able to make as many as I was, but don't worry: she gets to take them all home! : )

Our earring pairs from the most recent lesson!

I made the purple/teal ones into earrings for her before she left so they would be giftable now :)
We would have made Easter stuff, but we're ahead of schedule with St. Patrick's Day goodies already under our belts, that we felt earrings would be a good way to mix it up. Have a great Sunday and week, and I'll see you on later!

Sunday Show-Off for March 6th, 2011

2011-03-06T06:32:00.000-08:00

Today I have some new designs specially themed for this month's holiday, plus a new pendant that you'll usually find in my shop as a sculpture...

First we have this large shamrock/clover pendant. It has a colorful green shamrock implosion in the center of it, which I think makes it very different from my usual clovers:

Large Implosion Center Green Shamrock Pendant (Listed on ArtFire)

Next up is a smaller clover/shamrock pendant, using mint green and a more silvery green as the actual little clover "painted" on with glass from behind:

Small Mint Green with Clover Pendant

Lastly is my newest crossover from sculpture to pendant category... this custom-made hummingbird pendant! He's already found his new home by the sweet girl that special-ordered him, but I wanted to make sure he got his 15 minutes in the sun... hummingbirds like that ;)

Silvery Green with Yellow Accents Custom Hummingbird Pendant

Thanks for checking out my week's progress, and I'll see you back soon :)

Sunday Show-Off for February 27, 2011: Turtles!

2011-02-27T06:26:00.000-08:00

Good morning, and Happy Sunday! Today I have three new turtles to show off, as they are one of my favorite animals to sculpt. First is this new teal sea turtle with a lovely implosion flower in its shell:

Teal Sea Turtle with Blue-Tipped White Flower Implosion Shell

Next up is my feminine pink sea turtle with a white implosion flower in her shell:

Pink Sea Turtle with White Implosion Flower Shell

Third is my most time-consuming of the bunch, a land turtle with intricate green shell and cute little white toenails:

Green Turtle/Tortoise with Intricate Shell

Thanks for stopping by to see my latest turtles! I hope you have a great week and stay warm!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T15:04:00.001-08:00

I know, it's one of those hard-to-ignore, in-your-face holidays that has the ability to make people either really happy or spectacularly crummy. Well, I hope you are all having a good holiday regardless of your romantic involvements :)

Here's a daffodil bouquet from Paul, planted with love a few years back, now paying romantic dividends without getting flower carriers involved (which means this method is not only practical, but also better for the environment!).

Have a great week!

January's Newest Critters

2011-01-17T13:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, I've been remiss in updating you folks of our progress for a few weeks, so below are my latest new creations that are also listed in my ArtFire studio: First, my newest mint green sea turtle, with my favorite color theme and lovely frit added to his flippers. Then, a detailed glass cat pendant complete with little pink nose, and finally a new butterfly, since my customers love the butterflies :)

Of course my turtles are probably one of the most fun things to make, but it's good to have the challenge of trying to make a cat that isn't obese (hard to do when your models are pretty chubby!), and a butterfly with antennae that curve just-so. More updates later, I promise!

Mint Green Implosion Sea Turtle Pendant

Black Cat Glass Pendant

Red/Amber/Cream/Purple Striped Wing Butterfly Pendant

Sunday Show Off for December 19, 2010

2010-12-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday! Well, today I wanted to show off something I am proud of, because these were made by my current glass student. She had a part in most of these, and the wreath was what I made for her when she was going to town making all these trees. We make something different each lesson, and though we were not planning on making Christmas trees that day, our short session, the last one for this year, was well spent making these adorable trees. We had a few that didn't make it into this shot, but that's OK, these are the best! I am very proud of her, and wanted to share these with you guys.

Glass trees and wreath from a recent flamework lesson

We have a good time every lesson, and she is a truly kind and pleasant person to be around. I enjoy teaching her, and am fortunate to know her too. Thanks for sharing this glass pride with me, and I'll see you later in the week, to stop by and say Merry Christmas!!!

Sunday Show-Off for December 12, 2010

2010-12-12T06:43:00.000-08:00

I know, I've been offline a lot this holiday season so far. We have a lot of shows during this time of year, and this is the first day I've actually gotten a full night's sleep! :) Yay for sleep! Anyhow, no show today, so I'll be able to catch up on my blogging, laundry, reading, and of course, more glasswork for this week's shows. In the midst of our busy show schedule, I had a challenging custom order for a set of green tree frogs. A nice customer sent me a photo of a tree frog and asked if it was possible to represent the little fella in glass. Well, after some sufficient planning and practice, she was able to pick them up from our booth Friday, and here's my last-minute photo:

Yes, I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, and they are HARD to make! She was just ecstatic about them, and said they turned out so much better than she'd imagined was possible. I love that kind of feedback, so I wanted to share it with you guys. Have a great Sunday, and thanks for stopping in!

Fire Divas Glass Bead Challenge for November: Christmas/Hanukkah!

2010-11-20T09:12:00.000-08:00

The talented group of glass artists I belong to, the Fire Divas, are having their November Bead challenge! This month's theme is Christmas / Hanukkah, and we have many beautiful glass bead entries. You can browse them all below, then vote for your favorite over on the Fire Divas Blog - on the right side of the page!

Entry 1
Entry 2
Entry 3
Entry 4
Entry 5
Entry 6
Entry 7
Entry 8
Entry 9

Make sure you vote for your favorite Hanukkah/Christmas glass bead, then check out the rest of the Fire Divas blog for tons of glass goodies and photos. Thanks!

Sunday Show-Off: New Animals!

2010-11-14T07:43:00.000-08:00

Last week it was symbols, this week it's all about the new animals popping out of our studio. First up, we have my fabulous Thanksgiving Turkey, and he's my current favorite glass critter!

Thanksgiving Turkey Sculpture!

Now, my new monkey pendant!

Brown Monkey Pendant

And lastly, my first panda pendant!

Panda Bear Pendant

Thanks for visiting this week to see my new animals!

Sunday Show-Off for 11/07/10: New Symbols!

2010-11-07T07:21:00.000-08:00

I've been working on developing our Series offerings, and today's showing-off features my newest symbol glass art:

This is a beige-tipped cross pendant in my classic chess-style. I like to make different colors, but this is my favorite style for making crosses :).

This was a custom request for an Eastern Star, and it came out great! The bottom is white but this photo doesn't do it justice.

I work with several nurses, so am inspired to make winged Asclepius pendants! See below for the Asclepius attached to the Star of Life for the EMS Symbol.

Paul made these! Difficult custom requests pose an interesting challenge. He did a great job, as this is fine detail work for the laces...


The Star of Life EMS Symbol pendant! My favorite of the lot here, this is a field near and dear to my heart. I have loads of respect for the courageous folks who help our sickest, most injured citizens each and every day. Kudos!

Symbols: Express your messages however you like, but glass is the classiest :)

Saturday Show Off: Mint Green Red Eyed Tree Frog and Grey Elephant Pendant!

2010-10-30T11:16:00.001-07:00

Mint Green Red Eyed Tree Frog, originally uploaded by glassbypatrice.

Mint green body, orange feet, blue thighs, yellow and black accents on his sides, and red eyes make him one of my most complex frogs yet. He's a test frog for a custom order I'm working on, and I'm uber-proud of him so far :) Paul suggested I make the feet separately and attach them on after the body is done, so I may try that on the next one.

Also new on the block: this Grey Elephant Pendant

He's a sculpture and a pendant! I love making pendant animals that can stand on their own, it really helps show them off at our Farmer's Market booth :)

Fire Divas Quarterly Jewelry Challenge: Holidays! RESULTS!!!

2010-10-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

We have a winner! This quarter's Jewelry Challenge winner: R. Scott Bjorge of Accente. Congratulations Scott! Here's his first-place-winning jewelry challenge entry (using the spider he designed that I made!):

Char Black Widow Necklace by R. Scott Bjorge of Accente

From the Fire Divas Challenge entry:

"Sitting in a dark corner we find Char our Black Widow Spider, designed by Patrice of Shepherd Creations. Char awaits her prey perched upon a patina copper web surrounded by aqua colored glow beads, designed by Janel of Janel Dudley Beads.
Our sexy spider loves Halloween but is secured in a manner that she can be removed and another focal piece can be designed for year around wearing."

Fortunately, there are also second and third place winners:

"Bracelet made with olive green bead set by Fire Diva Holly Dare, brushed vermeil heart beads, lampwork red & green dotted bead, 10mm and 6mm green fire polish beads, gold spacers, bead caps, branch drop and gold vermeil filigree clasp.

My inspiration is from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.
"And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day."

The bracelet depicts the Grinch's transformation, while the dotted lampwork bead on the clasp represents the Whos. The gold branch is the horn the Grinch tied on his dog Max’s head.
What would the holidays be without watching all those wonderful TV specials we grew up with?"

"This necklace was inspired by the focal bead, "Monstrous Algae" by Melanie of Arensea. The beadwork is netting strung on soft flex wire with brass findings and swarovski crystals."

Great job, jewelry artists! Enjoy your prizes, and remember to enter your goodies in the next quarter's challenge for another chance to win :)

Fire Divas Quarterly Jewelry Challenge: Holidays!

2010-10-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, so many of you may already be aware that this awesome group of talented glassy ladies I belong to hosts a Jewelry Challenge quarterly... but did you know that voting ends tomorrow? Go vote please! Here is a link to the entries so you can see what to vote for: Fire Divas Holiday Jewelry Challenge Entries. Recognize one of those beads? I'm not saying you have to vote for that one, but please vote for your favorite holiday-inspired piece of jewelry art and help get the voting participation up. If elected, that bead will... just be gorgeous. No promises for tax breaks or anything!

Here is a preview of the entries, but you have to visit the blog for better photos:

Ok, now that you've caught a glimpse of what's up for voting, go vote! The winner gets to enjoy a shopping spree in the Fire Divas shops, details over in the Fire Divas blog :) Thanks for voting! (I know you will :P )

Saturday Show-Off for October 23rd, 2010

2010-10-23T20:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday! We had a very productive day out in the studio, and while those are cooling off, feast your eyes on these new insects! (I know the spider isn't an insect, but we still lump them in for our purposes!)

Yellow Bumblebee Pendant

Amber-Wing Cobalt Dragonfly Pendant

Red and Black Ladybug Pendant

Goofy Skull Spider Pendant

Thanks for visiting, and I'll see you back here for more glassy updates :)

Show Updates for the Fall of 2010

2010-10-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

Wow, so we're slated to do eight (8!) shows this month. That's a lot for us, so expect to see me on here even less :P We're excited to be in that many shows and markets, and we need to bust out some new fresh designs to keep up with sales. I made some lovely new dragonflies recently, and those should be up here soon. Our pumpkins sold out, the vampire bat is still here, but not for long :)

The newest show in our schedule was yesterday, at the Riverside Canyon Crest Towne Centre Art Walk. We were among good company of other local artists with wood work, paintings, ceramics, prints, sculpted flowers, jewelry, and embroidery. Sorry if I missed anyone, Paul's tummy wasn't feeling well and I couldn't leave as often as I'd like to go visiting. It was a nice show day, and we enjoyed the weather, customers, and good lunch. Our glass art also had plenty of sunlight, and that always helps!

I had a few new custom orders that turned out well, including a set of dichroic hearts by Paul for earrings to match his previous pendant, and an Eastern Star from me for a nice young lady. Photos should hit our site soon, as that was rather tough to make a star.

The Riverside Certified Farmer's Market is still doing well, and it's full of vendors this month. Our loyal repeat customers (you know who you are! :) ) keep coming back and perusing our newest wares, oftentimes buying glass I've only just made the day before!

Well, this is only our second year of shows, but we're mighty excited to enter the second Christmas season for our glass, because it is so nice to hear someone say they are giving your handmade animals to someone else as a gift for Christmas. Nice enough to hear it's a birthday gift, but even better for Christmas. Thanks for the compliments, it's always nice to have your work appreciated :o).

New Art Fire Collection: Fire Divas Summer Colors!

2010-09-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday! Here's my first collection created on Art Fire, and it's to showcase Fire Divas summer colors and styles. I love fall and am truly a winter person in many ways, but each season deserves to be celebrated, right?

Handmade Glass Bead: Fire Divas Bright S...

Curated By: shepherdcreat...

ArtFire.com

Thanks for looking at our goodies!

Fire Divas Quarterly Jewelry Challenge: Entries due October 15!

2010-09-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

For all you bead connoisseurs out there, the Fire Divas are hosting another Jewelry Challenge! For this challenge, the theme is "The Holiday Season." There are several holidays coming up, and we want to celebrate them! You can see holiday-inspired Fire Diva creations on our Flickr page. By entering this challenge, you have the chance to win:

http://www.twoglassyladies.ca/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JanelDudleyBeads

http://www.arensea.etsy.com/

http://www.teasebeads.artfire.com/

http://www.artfire.com/users/BabsBeadsandDesign

http://www.lajewelrydesigns.etsy.com/
or http://www.lajewelrydesigns.artfire.com/

http://www.hollysfolly.com/

http://www.lutrick.artfire.com/

Owl bead from http://www.maybeads.etsy.com/

http://www.emakaye.etsy.com/

http://www.beadygirlbeads.etsy.com/

Now for the details:

All submissions must feature Fire Divas' lampwork. We require the name of the Fire Diva who made the beads used in the submitted piece, so if you submit something, please be ready to provide that information.

We will allow one submission per person per contest, and a maximum of two photos per submission. Entries may be submitted here (http://www.flickr.com/groups/firedivachallenge/) for approval, no later than October 15, 2010. No Flickr account? No problem. You can also email your submissions to firedivas @ gmail . com (no spaces). Please include, in the comments section or in your email, the following:
Information about the beads:
Description of the piece:
Inspiration for the piece:
Submissions will not be approved without all of this information.

Fire Divas reserve the right to approve or reject any submissions.
Fire Divas reserve the right to modify or cancel the challenge at any time.
The winners will be determined by an open poll which does not allow multiple votes.

So... If you've been stashing away your lovelies and would like to make a holiday jewelry entry, do it now! You've got nothing to lose and some fabulous prizes to gain. Come on, bead people, I want to see what you've been up to with all those beads you're buying from my booth!

Sunday Show-Off: September 19th, 2010

2010-09-19T15:04:00.000-07:00

Birthday Weekend!!!

Ok, so amidst all the fun I still managed to make some holiday glass art recently, so feast your ghoulish eyes on these babies!


Orange Pumpkin Trio, Earring Charms and Pendant Set

I'm going to make those into earrings soon :) Also, this adorable dark dark cobalt/black bat pendant is new, and I'll make matching earrings soon enough!

Black Bat Pendant

I think you may have seen these little guys already, but here goes again, can't hurt, right?

Blue and White Skull Earrings

Thanks for visiting, and I'll see you later in the (birthday) week!

Birthday Weekend!

2010-09-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to share: I wanted to share my birthday weekend breakfast with you guys since it was a nice treat :) In our home, we celebrate Birthday Week, which usually encompasses two weekends as a form of birthday insurance. Here was my breakfast:

Yaaay! Paul is my man-servant this week :)

Pet Adoption Center's Comedy Night: This Friday!

2010-09-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

For any of you in the Riverside area that love pets, check this out: Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center's 13th Annual Comedy Night.

Where: Riverside Convention Center (3443 Orange St.) in Historic Downtown Riverside, California
When: Friday, September 10, 2010 at 7:00pm
Tickets are $50 per person, and include entertainment and hors d'oeurves

There should be some great standup, a reception, and a silent auction of eclectic goodies donated from local businesses. If you go, you'll have the opportunity to bid on a new turtle necklace and a fish necklace made by yours truly ;) Donations go towards helping the center's animals. See link for more details!

Sunday Show-Off: September 5th, 2010

2010-09-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday! It's a great day to catch up on house chores we neglected through the week, especially with two shows :) I hope your Sunday is relaxing, as it's a nicer day out here than it was all week. Well, today I wanted to share with you three of our latest glass art pieces to be listed, especially this first lovely implosion flower:

Blue Green Glass Implosion Flower Pendant

I love making sealife, and tentacles offer lots of variety on one piece... So, here's our cutest octopus, this lovely bright yellow one:

Canary Yellow Glass Octopus Pendant

And of course just in time for the holidays, a treat for cat lovers:)

Black Cat Pendant

Hope you enjoy the day and have a great Labor Day tomorrow :) See you later!

Remnants of Fruit!

2010-08-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

So much of my inspiration comes from nature, that my yard is always a source of interest :)
We had loads of delicious fruit, and luckily some is still around! I'm fine with fruit on the ground if someone is still eating it...

This bee had a huge appetite!

The great part about grazing insects is that I get to observe them up close while they're distracted...

This threesome stuck around for a group photo, but I can't guarantee they survived after the photo shoot...

And this little guy is still guarding my plums from other would-be assailants

Well, I can't leave you with a spider in mind, so enjoy this photo of a cluster of grapes from our little slope :) Someday we'll have enough for a glass of wine!

In the meantime, they do make a tasty snack... Plus I can work on my grape cluster design!

Sunday Show-Off: August 22nd, 2010

2010-08-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

Two blog posts in one day? Ridiculous! Now if I could get you to read both... then that would really be something :)

Today I'd like to showcase my new summery beach goodies, with my favorite first:

My newest beach bead, Beach Scene Shell Pendant

Then, my new whale tail pendant (my Sealife Series):

Whale Tail Pendant

And lastly (part of my Botanicals Series):

New Palm Tree Pendant

The palm tree is the only one listed for now, but after I measure the others they'll get on Artfire too. I just wanted to share them with you guys and gals first! See you again soon!

Fire Divas Quarterly Challenge: The Holiday Season!

2010-08-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

So many of you know I belong to a glassy ladies group called the Fire Divas. We all share a love of glass, and the group collectively creates some really awesome stuff. Well, part of what we do is showcase the designs that our connoisseurs/customers create using our glass art beads and pendants, and you may be interested to know that the holiday challenge is coming up. Tell you more? Ok!

The Holiday Season Challenge for jewelry designers is the next Quarterly Jewelry Challenge the Divas are hosting, and it will feature YOUR work if you submit it in time. Check out this page for more information. The Holiday Season Challenge can be any of your favorite designs that reflect the holidays coming up, not just Christmas. So... sift through your lovely designs (or make some new ones with our fabulous new beads!) and submit those photos. There are some great prizes offered to the winners, such as $20 and $25 gift certificates to Fire Diva shops! This is all for just submitting your designs, so really you have nothing to lose except a little time you'll already spend surfing the net :)

I'm speaking to the general "you" of my awesome readers, and also those nice folks who recently purchased beads such as these:

Teal/Red and Purple Twisted Squares Bracelet

Although this is a bracelet I made with custom colors for a client, there were other colorful beads in the set that were selected by some artistic designers from my shop recently, so you know who you are, get beading! :)

Saturday Showing Off: New Insect Series Additions

2010-08-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday! My favorite day of the week, it never disappoints. I'm reading a book currently called "The Art of Time" and I'm learning about the difference between real time and perceived time, where we think a year goes by faster as we age. It's pretty well written, and as I make my way through it, the book reminds us to live in the present, as it's the only place we really can be. Embracing that idea, Paul and I are enjoying our weekend, and I've even managed to get some work done photographing my new insects and listing them :) Here are three new critters to enjoy, and I think a good variety.

Teal & Purple Snail Pendant

Amber Purplish Butterfly Pendant

Cobalt & Gold Twisted Dragonfly Pendant

Once it gets too warm outside today, I'll continue reading my book. Do I really have time to read about time? We'll see!

Bead of the Day - Thursday, August 12th, 2010

2010-08-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday again, which means I am back browsing the wonderful glass offerings of the Fire Divas. Today, I found a really cute Yellow Lab dog bead:

Amber the Yellow Lab Lampwork Bead - Maybeads

Isn't she cute? This is from Maybeads, another adorable animal bead. She does make some lovelies that pet lovers everywhere especially should enjoy. Visit her Etsy shop here for more glass goodness.

See what the other Fire Divas are up to by visiting the Etsy thread and the Artfire thread.
I posted this originally on the Fire Divas blog, but I wanted to share it with you glass lovers too :)

Sunday Show-Off: August 8, 2010

2010-08-08T03:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday! Even though Saturday is my favorite day of the week, Sunday is a close second, especially when we have set aside most of the day for housework and some glass in the cool morning...

I love sculpting animals, and it's been awhile since I made new fish. A recent purchase of a fish pushed me to make new, fancy fish, so feast your sleepy Sunday eyes on these!

Glass Fish Frenzy - New Fish Pendants

Can you see the koi in the upper right corner? Yes, he blends into the white background all too well... That's OK, I've photographed him separately too!

Koi on Black Background

I wanted to start making koi fish so that I can send one to my sister for her birthday next month... Luckily she's a busy woman and doesn't keep up on my blog :) This isn't the one I'm sending her though, as hers is the fanciest one I don't want to tease people with it since this little guy is almost as fancy. All of these are currently available, but that can change as they find good homes, so I will keep making new fish as we enjoy the busy summer show season.

I'm working on other animals lately, furthering our inventory of unique glass art creations, with the recent addition of an owl, whale tail, crab, and a baby seal. If you can think of an animal you'd like to see in my style of glass art, please email me or mention it when you come see our booth at the Farmer's Market :) Meantime, more to come as I get better and better at my exotic critters! Thanks for reading, and have a great week, folks!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

2010-08-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday folks! It's a day for relaxation, and that's just what I'll do after my morning lesson ;) Relaxing is great, but Sundays are also good for sneaking some exercise into your weekend... Once we get into our summer groove, we'll start hiking more, like this photo of Paul I took on a morning hike:

Lots of inspiration can be found in nature, as these flowers are so lovely! Cute critters and wonderful wildflowers everywhere, though I think this time of the season there might not be as many blossoms...

Next Sunday, maybe some new flowers? I did make a lovely purple and white one last week... Stick around!

I Miss The Foxes :(

2010-07-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

Well, we have a foxy visitor that would come nap in our yard from time to time, and he first appeared a year ago. The cats would usually tip us off to his arrival in the back yard, with them scrambling to the top of the cat furniture at the window to catch a glance. We love seeing the fox in the back yard, and his presence keeps away other animals. Last year he was solitary, although it seemed like he might have a girlfriend from time to time. We couldn't get any proof, as he has the requisite fear of man, and we want it to stay that way for his own safety. Here's the glass fox I made last year after his inspiration:

This year he brought three pups/kits with him, and it was really exciting to see them playing together in the yard. They got a little raucous at night time, and they hunted pretty often, but they were very cute and did a GREAT job keeping the rodents in check. I couldn't confirm where they were living, but it was nice having them visiting and catching the rats and ground squirrels in the neighborhood.

See how cute they are?

I didn't get a lot of great shots of the daddy fox, but the boys are almost identical, just smaller. Here's one of them up near the top retaining wall:

See he's not that big compared to the wall blocks, but very healthy looking with a wonderful coat. I know they were eating well because we saw their successful hunting, and they left "evidence" of healthy digestion in some piles in the back yard too!

Well, one of our neighbors called to let us know there was a fox in the back yard, and that was pretty much the beginning of the end. The neighbor has a small Yorkie dog, very sweet but tiny, and I'm sure they called Animal Control and had the foxes relocated. I don't blame them, as they were just doing what's best for their dog, but Paul and I sure miss the foxes. The past few nights, a skunk has come traipsing around and the stink got in the house from the open windows, something that didn't happen when the foxes were around. Also, a rat has taken bold residence near the peach tree, and has been nibbling several peaches to see if they're ripe.

The foxes were good entertainment and good pest control. They shall be missed. I hope wherever they are, their family is safe and happy.

Fire Divas July Jewelry Challenge!

2010-07-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

Below are the great entries the Fire Divas received in this month's Jewelry Challenge. This is where artists and artisans use beads and components made by the Fire Divas, and enter their unique jewelry into the Challenge to win great Fire Divas prizes! Voting ends July 23. Each pieces has information from the jewelry artist on their inspiration and/or background on the piece.

Entry 1

Information about the beads: by Amy Hall
Description of the piece: Silver wire, chain, lampworked beads
Inspiration for the piece: The square tiles by Amy inspired something different, and the demi-necklace was born!

Entry 2

Necklace designed with Lampwork beads by Sonja of SilverRiverGlassWork and Copper. On a bright sunny summer day the sun hovers over the water, sending rays up through the clouds with rippled reflections in the rushing water below.

Entry 3

I commissioned Maybeads - www.etsy.com/shop/maybeads to create a set of turtle beads for me to make into a bracelet.
I think this turtle must be from Tahiti, just look at her lovely lavender shell topped with a pink flower that has a lavender heart at it's center! I call her Tita, which in Tahitian means "The Fruit of the Sun". Her gorgeous green eyes, which match her head, legs and tail, will look happily up at you throughout the day. Believe me, I know from experience, you can't help smiling when you look down and see that little turtle looking up at you! Two matching lampwork beads accompany her, each bead has a pink flower on one side and a pink heart on the other, with green dots between the two sides.

The other beads on the bracelet are Swarovski crystal and glass. The bracelet is 7" long, and Tita the Turtle is about 1/4 wide and 1/2 inch long

Entry 4

This necklace was inspired by the fabulous focal bead made by Tera of Beadygirl Beads. I made some beaded beads (peace signs, and cellini spirals) in some of the same colors, and strung it all with swarovski crystals and sterling silver findings.

To vote: The poll is on the right side of the Fire Divas Blog

Lizard Completed!

2010-07-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

Since I mentioned the little fella was inspiring me in a previous post, I feel compelled to share him with you in all his glass lizard-goodness. Here's my new favorite, my Dark Blue & Teal Striped Lizard Pendant:

Blue & Teal Lizard Pendant

And from a different angle:

I know, the toes seem a bit gangly, but honestly I just wanted people to know right off that he's a lizard, and not a gecko like my previous lizard that had short stubby toes :)

As with my typical glass art animals, if folks know what it is right away, I have done my job :P

So for the early cat sculpture that was mistaken for a kangaroo... sorry about that little guy. At least you're in good company with the bunny-chihuaha:

He gets mistaken for a chihuahua too often, so I must make new ones someday :)

I'm working on some great new animal designs, ones you haven't seen in glass before (or at least I've never seen them!), so stay tuned...

Weekend Roundup: Farmer's Market!

2010-07-11T07:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday! Today I'd like to share with you a few of the fantastic sights at my local Farmer's Market in Riverside. It's been around for over 25 years, and is one of the longest running farmer's markets in the state of California :) It's well-run by two smart women who know how to keep vendors and customers happy, so no wonder it was voted the #1 Farmer's Market in the Inland Empire!

Truth be told, I never frequented the farmer's markets before we became vendors (save for one time in LA and one time in Riverside with a girlfriend who wanted some fresh veggies). Now I'm hooked. The tomatoes are fresher than any store, and a better price also. They have fresh heirloom tomatoes for $2.50/lb. at the booth right near us, and other delicious varieties of large and cherry tomatoes for $1.50-$2/lb throughout the market. All of my salsa supplies can be found there, though jalapenos just became available after being out of season for a few months. Beautiful cilantro, bunches of green onions, multicolored carrots, eggs, potatoes, berries of several sorts, citrus booths, it's really quite nice to have a fully-stocked Farmer's Market this close to home that I come to 2x a month anyway. Plus there's fresh jalapeno/cheese bread, which goes great as a breakfast bread...

As we are somewhat of an island at the market (thanks Management!), we have good exposure from all sides. Here's a shot of the aisle to the East of our booth:

Yes, there are flowers at the end (you can see a woman with sunflowers on the left), and corn is right on that table in front of us :)

While I was mostly tending the booth, Paul was studying for an engineer-position exam next week:

In addition to the lovely fruits and veggies (and bread, avocado oil, eggs, etc.) found at the market, you have other artists and crafters displaying their treasures. One such vendor is a nice jewelry artist, Susie from Moonflower Jewelry. Her designs are very unique, and she does her own silversmithing and some rock cutting and finishing. This, as I imagine, doubly ensures that her designs remain her own :) Here's her azurite necklace I've been drooling over because of the fantastic cab loaded with blues and greens:

This link has a better photo of it on its home listing on Etsy.

Here's a photo of Susie at the market Friday, as she was kind enough to let me photograph her and her jewelry for my blog today :)

Her style is very eclectic and unique, which is really refreshing in today's scene where everybody seems to want to make the same designs.

Well this is a long blog post for me and I didn't even get to mention all the goodies I saw! Next time I'll have to tell you about the lovely soap that is also sold there... this means you'll have to come back :) Have a great week!

Burnt Finger and new Seahorses!

2010-07-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've successfully avoided any real burns for four years (almost boasting that my worst burn is from the toaster oven in retrieving french fries prematurely). Well, not so lucky this past week, as I only had my finger in the flame for a split second, but that's all it takes at 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. Here's what my finger looked like 5 minutes later:

My favorite nurse at work examined it in a meeting and told me "You should keep an eye on that." Since it's my middle finger, I definitely will, and may offer other cohorts to keep an eye on it too :P

After the burn (received while making a blue crab sculpture), I quickly went to the sink to run it under cold water for a minute, then into the house to photograph it. It hurt after that, but I had to put a glove and bandaid on and sally forth. If you fall off the horse and don't try to ride again soon, you might get scared, and I cannot let that happen with glass, my lady love!

So... Here are two of the three fancy items I made after the burn with a glove on (and off, it was harder to turn the glass with the glove) before Paul got back home from his morning's work:

Amber and Cream Striped Seahorse Pendant

Blue, Green & Teal Striped Seahorse, Dragon-Style

To all you who get back on that horse when you get bucked off: Flame on!

Sunday: Showing Off!

2010-07-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

Pink and Red Pointy Wicked Flower Pendant

Well, since my lovely rainbow seahorse and the beautiful one I made after him and didn't photograph have been sold, I need to make more seahorses... but for now, please enjoy two of our own Wicked Flower series pendants! It is just about my favorite design because I love vines and tentacles, and this is the best of both worlds :) This design has been a delight to my customers for a while now, so I hope you enjoy them as I keep tweaking my style on them each time. Today's are both pointed-petals, though I have made lots with rounded petals that look a bit sweeter (and less wicked!).

Another wicked flower:

The vine actually wraps around the cord several times. It is a unique design by myself after making so many flower and octopi that the two designs became conjoined...

Blue Wicked Flower

Since it's the 4th of July, I should throw in my patriotic bead set still up for grabs:

Patriotic Red, White & Blue Boro Bead Set

Hope you're having a great weekend, and have a safe and happy 4th of July.

Happy Independence Day!

Sunday: Showing Off

2010-06-20T02:51:00.000-07:00

No lizard yet, but he's a coming! In the meantime, here's a new seahorse from my studio featuring a red, teal, and purple blend.

Red, Teal, & Purple Seahorse Pendant

I know, the colors are pretty hip on that fella :)

Next in line: my somewhat-scary (it's the eyes, I think that's what makes him scary) Black Dotted-Back Spider Pendant:

The bail is white like a little bit of webbing :)

Hope your weekend is as relaxing as mine: I finally have a day off, woohoo!

A Visitor in the Studio: Fresh Inspiration!

2010-06-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

Our studio is a delightful place for Paul and I, and now for lizards! Just kidding, though we did just have a visitor briefly adorn the wall behind Paul's torch.

It was a fun surprise that delighted and distracted me for several minutes, causing me to somewhat inconvenience Mr. Paul as he was working on a project. He was a great sport about it though, and I got some nice photos to share with you :)

He crawled down the wall and surprised us at first, then climbed back down, then up again! He had a hard time deciding what to do, but we were really just glad that he avoided crossing the wall in front of the flame. Maybe his cute little feet felt the heat on the wall... He does have a really long tail, which I can only assume is his original tail. I like this pose, and he may serve as good inspiration for my next lizard pendant...

You know you want more! Here are some good shots of his cuteness on the wall behind the glass rods and with his tail wrapped around a glass tube on the bench...

See he's checking out our glass rods... I think he was eyeing the Momka's Lustrous Blue :)

One with the tube-wrap for good measure before the full studio shot:

I really like his tail, and hope that he keeps it safe from the neighborhood cats. Here's a final shot of my messy bench's many jars of glass rods around Mr. Lizard. Hope we'll have more visitors, because this was fun and refreshing!

Fire Divas June Challenge: Summer

2010-06-09T18:51:00.000-07:00

Each month, the Fire Divas host two challenges: One for glass artists/artisans, and one for jewelry designers that use artist/artisan beads. June's challenge is Summer, and our beach pendant in the previous post is my entry for this month. It's actually my first month in the challenge, but they've had them for a while, and each time you get the pleasure of seeing delightfully different artists' work. Be sure to check back for the challenge and the voting here :http://firedivas.blogspot.com

Make sure you vote! You don't have to vote for mine, just vote for your favorite embodiment of the theme :)

Happy Wednesday!

Beach Weather Ahoy!

2010-06-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again folks: Beach weather, picnic time, blue skies and nice days that you can spend outside enjoying the quiet beauty of nature. It's a great time of year, and the mornings especially lend themselves well to outdoor exploration and tourism. Make sure you soak up some sun, but don't forget the sunblock. Here's a final goodbye to my beach scene pendant I've had on display for a while that was purchased this past weekend, and went to a good home as a gift.

Beach Scene Pendant

Well, now that means I have to make another one, and I have just the idea...

Sunday Show-off: Custom Red Pinscher

2010-06-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

It's not every day you get a good challenge for glass art, though lately it does seem as though my customers are connoisseurs and appreciate the skill involved for their goodies. I do have great customers, and want to do my best when they ask for something special. This is along those lines, as the custom mermaid was specifically designed to meet stringent specifications, so was this lovely red mini pinscher. He wanted a red one, and I asked, "Copper?" "No," he replied, "he's pretty red." After a bit of research and study, this is what we created as our first mini pinscher:

Red Mini Pinscher Custom Pendant

They have long legs for their size, and the eyes are not recessed or blended in with the skull like some other breeds. His little ears must stand up and his tail is docked, though personally I would be a softie if given the choice for my poochie and let him keep his natural traits, though I don't think you often have a choice, especially if you rescue one.

It's really amazing how many breeds of dogs there are, and this led us on a journey to discover a bit about pinschers, mini ones, dobermans (named after a tax collected that began the breed!), great danes (though sometimes these get mistaken for ponies), and shepherds, of course. It did make me inspired to adopt a dog, but the cats put that thought back out of my mind, as this is their home and that would be an intrusion of their freedom. Dogs are hard to resist though, as such sweet animals you just want to adopt them all... Well, at least I can donate more pieces to the animal fundraisers, with mine successfully sold at the silent auction last month. Now that I know I can make dogs, I guess these would be the best pieces to donate to the shelters, right?

Happy Sunday all, I hope it's very restful :)

As Promised -- Black Octopus and Mermaid Pendants!

2010-06-05T23:03:00.000-07:00

First, our newest black octopus:

He's full of tentacled-fury, with blue and black eyes. Adorable, yet not overly-cutesy like some of our sweeter-looking tentacled friends. Feast your eyes upon him now; our last black octopus was snatched up in a flash!

Now on to our custom request mermaid pendant -- This is the one that was chosen by the customer, and she gave it as a gift 3 days ago for a birthday. I'm sure the recipient enjoyed it, so now here's your chance to sneak a peek at one of our newest custom requests:

I know, the picture isn't the best, but it was taken outdoors at the show before I handed her over :) Some pieces you just have to get a shot of before parting with them forever...

More to come soon, as I'll try to post some awesome glass on here to keep it interesting. Have a great weekend!

New Mermaid and Octopus Coming!

2010-06-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

I made two and gave the customer her choice ~ I'll be back on later today with a photo of the second-best mermaid I've made :).

Yes it occurs to me that in a Glass Art (and other nature-related stuff) Blog, it is appropriate to occasionally put glass in here. I'm sorry, it's just hard for me to put it out here without feeling like I'm advertising to you. This blog should be interesting first and foremost, and I don't want to just force feed a bunch of shameless glass promos at you. In this wish, I have sort-of avoided putting glass on here for the better part of a year, so I guess it's high-time to pony up the glass goods, eh? Later today. Patience... Once it's too hot in the studio I'll come in and do my photo'ing and posting and whatnot. Always the whatnot. Cheers!

Suspicious Mole!

2010-05-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

Well, there's something chewing up our garden goods but it's so overgrown right now with the issues we've been dealing with that they can have it for now. Munch away if you must, your time will come in mid-summer, Mr. Mole or gopher, you sneaky bugger...

But I digress; this post is actually intending to link you curious types to an interesting page created by Mollie's Fund, an organization set up to raise awareness about melanoma in honor of Mollie Biggane. She passed away at the early age of twenty; just six months after being diagnosed with melanoma. Here is a page giving you a few tips on the ABC(DE)s of suspicious moles.

What I also found interesting is that there is a Pepsi Refresh project that is asking for votes to decide which worthy causes will get grant funding. Check it out here and vote if you see something worth speaking out for. There are some screwball ideas asking for funding, so maybe it's worth a few minutes just to click click click to help get funding to go somewhere it deserves to be. Have a relaxing Saturday evening :)

Trouble(d) at the Knoll

2010-05-13T23:15:00.000-07:00

Always a sprinter, never a marathon-runner. It's so much easier to be positive in bursts, but extremely difficult to keep it up. The negative energy is getting to me, as my morning drive is mostly spent trying to spot white GMC Suburbans, thinking "Is that the Suburban that the burglars drove?" It's a double-edged sword to know exactly what they (and their vehicle) look like. Although I know that they aren't folks I have to see every day, it's easy to imagine them rifling through my dresser drawers :(

Anyone who knows me well can imagine how my mind would work in this situation. I'm a person that rarely ever loses things, and is generally quite organized. I've come to accept that although I tend to have clutter around me, I can usually find most things in under 5 minutes, which is the true definition of being "organized." Many adjectives have been used to describe me over the years (remind me not to ever say "anal" and "stick-in-the-mud" in the same sentence again!), but "lax" and "happy-go-lucky" aren't on the list. I tend to over-analyze things, so this situation is really less than ideal for me. I spent 45 minutes yesterday before work looking for a puzzle box I KNOW was in my office in front of my printer, with a little necklace inside it. It's not in the office, and it's not in the rest of the house either. Neither are the 2 Caesar's Palace gaming chips my father gave to me when I was ten after I found out our house burnt down. Seriously, you steal gaming chips?

It's really not any of the things missing that bothers me. I've never been really wrapped up in actual things, but more the idea of them. Having a fully-stocked pantry has always been comforting to me, and the idea that we were totally private in the house was too. Someone asked me if the burglars took anything from my fridge, though I'm sure that person immediately thought better of it a moment too late. Never did that occur to me, though it sure does now when I reach for that jalapeno ranch dressing. Did they try my fresh salsa that Paul and I had made together just days before? Were they tempted by the tuna salad that has not aged gracefully? Too many questions. Not enough answers.

Yet...

Trouble at the Knoll

2010-05-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, so back in the day, we used to make our own wine. Paul is a chemical engineer, and figured he could be a wine connoisseur and vintner also. He created his own label for his artisan wines that continued for several years until we fell in love with glass and it became the alpha-hobby. During that time, he coined the name "Shepherd's Knoll" for his labels, and that's what I like to use in reference to our home, our castle. Moving right along...

I was intending to blog about our show and to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day, but our plans were derailed. Upon arriving home last night after a show and putting in 7 hours at the office, we found our home had been burglarized. We were initially concerned we may have interrupted the crime in progress, as the television was off the wall but still connected to the stereo, so we went outside cautiously to dial 911. As many of you are aware, this is a crime that strikes the very core, the foundation of our security, as it was abundantly clear that nowhere we lay our heads was sacred. Our possessions ransacked, cats escaped (they came back in the house, but they're indoor kitties and shouldn't be exposed to the elements like that) and previous weekend's show revenue gone, we are still reeling but settling in with the lessons learned. The Riverside Police responded quickly, although the first two attempts to dial 9-1-1 were met with BUSY signals, forcing Paul to dial the non-emergency line used to report noise issues from raucous parties. It was a cold night waiting outside while the police searched the residence and property to secure the area so we could come inside, but we were eventually left to clean it up and try to get some sleep, hard as it was. Fingerprint residue seems to come off alright with Lysol wipes :)

The items can be replaced, money can be earned to replace the cash lost (yes, we should have deposited it, but we were going to do that today!), and we are very thankful that the most important "things" in our life cannot be stolen or ransacked. Our safety is most important in this type of situation, and we are both fine, as well as the kitties. The Riverside PD recommended we remove our show schedule from our website, however, and we have. We ask that you contact us for specific show dates, as we won't want to post it anymore. Harsh lessons I know, but ones that we all learn eventually, one way or another. We appreciate the kind sentiments from our friends who have sent messages our way during this turmoil, and will now proceed to apply the lessons learned for better preparedness. Onward and upward, and no looking back at what we could have done differently. Happy Saturday folks, and don't forget to celebrate your Mothers this weekend :)

Friday: Farmer's Market!

2010-05-02T02:20:00.000-07:00

Ok so it's a little past Friday, but we have a big show this weekend, so it was bound to happen ;)

We normally attend the Riverside Certified Farmer's Market (on Arlington x Madison) every other Friday, but we threw in one more for those customers wanting something special of ours to give for Mother's Day. Can't say what we're giving our moms for Mother's Day (because they might read it here), but it's bound to be good. It's difficult to keep trying to top it each year though. Moving right along...

The weather was lovely, albeit a bit gusty, and we had a great day. We did, however, become famished as it approached the noon hour, and Paul could not contain himself any longer; Here's a photo of him munching on the end of a Jalapeno Cheese loaf (PRICELESS!):

2010-04-26T23:15:00.001-07:00

Man is this flame HOT! This photo is a new one of me working on a large custom order. It’s good to push the limits of what we are able to create, and for that reason I am happy to make this request a reality. It just takes so much time, my shoulders were aching halfway through. You know that point where you are knee-deep into something and start second-guessing whether you should have embarked on that road at all? This is where I was, though in the photo I am nearing the finish line on this particular cane. Why can’t there be a snooze button on everyday tasks? Just putting them off without a button isn’t as satisfying ;)

Also, I’d like a Ctrl-Z function for regular life. That would be great. Thanks :P

Art for the Animals Auction Started Today!

2010-04-19T23:14:00.000-07:00

The auction is live, so go check it out! I saw a number of intriguing, tasteful, funny, colorful, serious, etc. pieces of art up for grabs, so if you want to buy (online silent auction!) a gift for someone that will help feed and support abandoned animals, this is the place to go. View the Auction Page

We have a purple seahorse and a minty green turtle in the auction, and right now the bidding is just at $5 each! Hurry though, the animals are waiting ;)

New Member of the Fire Divas

2010-04-18T13:55:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update: I've joined the Fire Divas - a group of talented artisans and artists blazing their way through the interwebs ;). It's a very interesting group, so please take a moment to visit the blog and see what's new with the ladies by clicking the banner below. More to come, as well as some new glass pieces and a possible spin-off blog of mine to get some of the nature stuff its own spotlight... Stay tuned!

http://firedivas.blogspot.com/

Art for the Animals : Riverside Animal Shelter's Art Fundraiser

2010-04-04T00:49:00.000-07:00

The timing may be different than their usual pre-Christmas affair, but the cause is the same: Art for the Animals is the yearly Riverside Animal Shelter's premier (in my opinion) fundraising event. It involves artists across various mediums donating their works of art for an online auction and competition. I'm not interested in the competition, since I think I'm the only glassworker that donates, and I don't think it translates into competition with the very talented painters who put their hearts and souls onto canvas. We do it for the cats and dogs (and other assorted adoptable animals) at our local shelters. 100% Of the funds raised from selling ours and others' art gets put towards creating a better environment for these temporarily-between-homes animals. See flyer and website Here.

So in line with that, what should we donate? I have some choice pieces available to bring in under the wire on Monday, but I was hoping to make something different, new, fresh -- for the kitties.

Our own two kitties were once from the Riverside shelter, and are now in the lap of kitty-luxury. Well, at least they get plenty of food, tons of lovin, fake mice that squeak, rattley plastic balls to play with, and a nice cat-condo-like piece of carpeted furniture from which they may gaze out upon the hummingbird feeder and backyard. Yep -- this is the life...

Back to the studio now, but check out their website if you want to visit the online auction once things get underway. It's a great way to add a new piece of fun art to your decor while simultaneously helping those animals in need. How can you say no to a face like that?

Spring? Almost!

2010-03-19T22:20:00.001-07:00

Spring is here! Or at least it will be this weekend, which is as good as here for me. :)
I need to design some new Easter glass pieces, as right now I have mostly just crosses and bunnies. Don't get me wrong, our crosses are awesome, but the bunnies can probably use some more work. I need to make white ones, those might do well. Also, Easter eggs, though that kinda throws me off since I can't make the Jesus-Easter-egg connection in my head. Oh well, maybe just crosses and bunnies again this year! Let Jesus sort the eggs out... you know he'll be fair with them.

With Spring comes the need to weed-whack. Yes I have a garden, and yes I have a ton of weeds. Anyone want to volunteer? I think I'm holding out on the gardening until Paul finds a great job, that way I can pay someone to clean up the yard and trim all the trees, instead of us having to get out the unwieldy 32 ft. ladder and the jimmy-rigged pole-saw-on-a-longer-pole--saw-with-stabilizing-super-strut-arm... That thing's just plain dangerous! Yet effective.
Today's blog's photo? My new favorite wicked flower pendant. It combines my tried-and-true (yes, I'm enjoying hyphens today) design of wicked vines with a new bi-color flower. Do you like it? Ok, I'll throw in my newest turtle too, a periwinkle sea turtle with tattooed fins :)

Thanks for coming back! Leave a comment sometime to let me know who's actually reading this stuff, ok?

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T17:23:00.001-08:00

Well I was absent for the holidays, (sorry) but you know how it is when real life gets too busy to keep up with your online one ;)

This holiday season was a busy one for Paul and I, with lots of shows and some quality family time squeezed in for good measure. Our niece enjoyed Christmas as kids do, and good times were had by all... we have a new Hot Chocolate device to try out from Williams Sonoma, now I just have to wait for some cold weather again. It was oddly warm today, around 76*, which was great for yardwork but not for hot cocoa. Well, we use the hand we're dealt, right? :)

I trust many people made New Year's resolutions? I typically don't, because it has always seemed like a half-ass thing to do (making a resolution simply because the calendar year has reset itself), but this year we were feeling strangely nostalgic, and wanted to mark the occasion with some goals that we'll be held accountable for later. This year will be for physical fitness -- not simply weight loss, which was pretty well accomplished in the past year, but actual fitness. I've spent many hours and trips to the library building my knowledge of nutrition and good foodstuffs, and now it's time to put that knowledge to use.

The show season didn't allow me to cook much ('twas all about Lean Cuisines and pre-made items), so now I must make up for it. I've always got this grand scheme of preparing a food menu for the week/month, but it has never come to fruition. Perhaps I just don't know how I want to organize it. If anyone has a bright suggestion about how they plan their food for the week based on available fresh groceries with deadlines, please share :) I read Woman's Day for a few years but still didn't osmosify the secrets of the kitchen universe and all things organized. I have (and use!) a labelmaker though, doesn't that count for something?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-22T07:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday! Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and there's still loads to be thankful for :) Before I go into discussing where we'll be right after Thanksgiving, let me first say that Paul and I are very fortunate people. Sure the job situation isn't where we'd like it to be, but we have a wonderful marriage, loving and supportive family, great cats, a nice home with lots of fruit trees, a full glassblowing studio, working vehicles, 3 good computers, and more. It's a lot to be thankful for, really. I know it's easy to lose sight of what we all have and what we really "need," so it's good that Thanksgiving rolls around right before we give gifts to others :)

This year (like all years) will again be spent with family in Murrieta, and we're bringing the mashed potatoes... I'm always on mashed potato duty because I make them a certain way: creamy but not homogenized, sauteed onions, garlic, parmesan, sour cream, oregano, butter, and pepper. Ingredients, if I'm forgetting any one of you, don't worry, I'll remember you on Thursday when it counts ;). We always make a ton, and Paul helps mash them (he's both the brains and the muscle in this operation). Fortunately for all involved, after our family meal we split up the leftovers, and we get enough yummy turkey and fixins to enjoy the next 2 days. Which makes me want to digress...but I'll wait a moment. This is a spirit-filled time of year, so let's take a moment for reflection and appreciation.....done yet? No? Ok, another minute or so.....

OK! So where will you be after Thanksgiving? Will you brave out into the malls and stores for Black Friday deals? Do you have cleats and mace ready? Just kidding, but it's still always bad enough to keep us away :). We try to do most shopping online, since it's actually good for the environment, you know USPS and the UPS trucks are going to drive by your house anyway...
Plus since we've joined ArtFire, we've met a lot of sweet and very talented artists and crafters with quality goods who we'd really like to support. Vote with your dollar, I'm voting for the cottage industries of America :).

Anyway, where we'll be is the Norco Hillside Farm Christmas Art & Craft Show! We're really excited, as this is a long-standing show in its 25th season, run by people that donate nearly all the proceeds to different charities, and even bake cookies for the months before the show to sell and raise money for another charity. I hear those cookies are pretty tasty, too... Anyhow, we'll have a booth there among many other talented handcrafters and artists, and we hope to do well. It's a 5-day affair, running November 27th-29th, then December 5th-6th. We're going to be exhausted! Wish us luck?

On to our Handcrafted Holiday feature for Thanksgiving!

Keep this in mind for next year, it's adorable AND made from real leaves!
This and the one below are arrangements by New Hampshire Woods Creations, floral designer Allison Kelley.
See the Pinecone Wreath with a Twist below, too, she makes some really cool arrangements from plants and trees, and she grows some of them herself.

This is pretty interesting, and would be a great festive addition to any wall or door. The stars are cut birch bark. I like this design because I've had wreaths that shed over the years (in storage, when a door it's hanging on closes, etc.), and this one doesn't look like it would drop anything, functional and lovely!

If you'd like to see more of Allison's creations, please visit her at New Hampshire Woods Creations.

Well, it's been fun chattin, but we need to get back to work today, big show coming up! Thanks for taking the time to read our blog, I hope you enjoy it :) Come back soon, won't you?

Artfire Trade & Stay Event!

2009-11-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

Good evening! This one wraps up the first day of the Artfire open Trade & Stay event, that runs from November 1 to November 7, and is open to all members. You can see the thread here: http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?mop=modload&name=Chatterbox&file=viewtopic&topic=21314&forum=11&start=0

I've already gotten to trade for some great hand sewn pouches, one a clutch :) and a neat doodle pouch for my niece, like this one:

I also am trading for some lovely prints by original artist Laura Malinor, my favorite here:

Check out the thread if you're interested in bartering, otherwise just check out these great vendors because they have lovely goodies that I'd pay money for if I had it! :)

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!
Been really busy lately, what with preparing for Halloween and now gearing up for Christmas... But for today it's about tonight's holiday! We've got the candy ready for the kiddies (the good stuff, chocolate and whatnot, not those Smarties, I hate those!), though we didn't decorate much this year. Work's been very hectic, so it suddenly dawned on me Thursday night that this was Halloween weekend. Yesterday was all about running errands and some sidetracking from my new Farmville farm (thanks peers and your pressure :P).
So in the spirit of things since I didn't decorate at home, I'm going to mention someone who makes some very cool paper goods for the holidays, and this one was no exception. Her name is Jamie, and the crafty woman behind She's Batty Designs on Artfire.com. She made a really cool haunted house card with a family of ghosts, but somebody snapped it up before I could get to it or snag a photo. The one pictured above is still available, and you can check out her other neat stuff at the address in the corner of the photo, or by clicking here: She's Batty Designs. Show some Halloween love and go on over! She's even offering free shipping for the next 2 months... :)

Autumn is Here!

2009-10-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

So what will you miss about summer?

Autumn is indeed here, and I'm pretty happy about it. The studio isn't air-conditioned, so it's sooo much nicer to be sitting in front of a torch when it's cool outside. It really is. I'm happy :)

With the fall comes harvest festivals, a great season of craft fairs, holiday shopping, and careful planning for all of us, I'm sure. I'm going to try to send out Christmas cards again this year, but I think I'm writing them over the next few months and then having them all ready-to go before Dec. 1. When do you actually put them in the mail though?

Paul and I are working on making our glass display a bit snappier, so look forward to those changes. I've got some new designs too, so our season is just beginning. It's exciting, but what I'd really like is a comment or two on this blog post ;) SO Share with us!

Now that the sweltering summer heat is mostly gone, what is the best thing about summer that you'll miss till next May?

Birthday Fun!

2009-09-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

Yay, it was my birthday! So now I'm old enough to know better, but still young enough to be out after it gets dark... though not much longer ;)

Paul and I had lots of fun this week (Birthday Week is a tradition with the two of us). I got new glass colors such as a lovely pink, a purple and sky blue, among others. There just aren't a lot of bright pretty colors in Boro that are easy to work with, so this was a nice treat as long as I baby the colors in the flame...

We also had a great time visiting the Arboretum (probably the LA one, it's in Pasadena) with our Aunt, and that was a real treat. There are lots of cool plants, trees and animals there, and we got to see some cute squirrels foraging, peacocks avoiding the hands of small children, and very adorable turtles (maybe box-variety) swarming in a pond. Despite the heat, the animals were out and doing what they do best. Well, I'm assuming that's what they do best; I know peacocks aren't that good on a unicycle, anyway. Squirrels do water-ski though, so...?

Here's a photo taken on my phone (non-Iphone, I'm afraid) of a waterfall on our hike back down to the Peacock Cafe.

Folks were also wishing me a happy B-Day on my Facebook, but I'm afraid I'm just not young enough to be fluent at FB yet... Oh well. I can always tweet about it, right?
Oh yeah, and to top off the birthday week this evening, I found my first non-brown hair. I was hoping it was a cat hair that just somehow made it to the top of my head at the part, but it was confirmed by Paul that no, it is indeed attached, and yes, it's lacking pigment... *sigh.* I think it's due to my exciting job, so maybe I should start looking at retirement, yes? :)

I'm watching golf...

2009-08-16T15:43:00.000-07:00

And apparently it's not common for Tiger to be behind, but lo and behold Y.E. Yang is in first place. No, I normally wouldn't be watching golf on tv, but hubby has convinced me it's interesting for now, and I'm taking a break from the studio for a few minutes anyway.

Relaxing, wearing my Cool-Tie (Thanks Linda L.!) but I think I need to rinse it out... It's an awesome little crafty invention that has gel inside it to hold cool water against my neck, thus enabling me to pursue my flamework passion later in the day. It's actually quite nice outside, but for some reason I'm still hot, so enter the Cool-Tie. Anyone else enjoying this lovely weather?

Ooh, come on Tiger, this 16th hole eludes you, but you can catch up! I know, the game will be over before I finish this blog post, but we recorded it so I don't want to look and spoil it for Paul.

Show Update: We started participating in the Riverside Certified Farmer's Market, and we really like it. The management is great, organization seems flawless, and lots have vendors have been really nice and helped make us feel welcome. I like having a booth in our own city, and packup is at 12n, before it gets sweltering here. Customers have all been nice, I think the best crowd we've had yet :) Plus we've learned a lot from participating in other shows so far this year, so we know what to expect and are fairly good at setting up our booth now. Paul is really fantastic for setup and breakdown, and he's a good boss. He's got it down to a science, perhaps an art. I know, I'm very fortunate to have such a sweet beast-of-burden ;) And he's cute, too!

Beginning Hole 18: It's so close! Yang by 1...

Artfire and Salsa!

2009-07-18T18:48:00.001-07:00

Good evening! Today's topics: Salsa and my new love: Artfire!
I'm on a salsa-making kick, and this new batch tonight is #8 in the last month or so. I toned down the onion and garlic for Paul, but it's still pretty good. I'm so into fresh salsa now it's ridiculous. I'm off to make the new batch of enchiladas after I post this...

On to my new love, Artfire. I've been on Etsy for less than a year and am already sold on Artfire's upgrades since I checked in out in December. It was a bit clunky then, but has since made serious improvements with cool new features still on the way. It is still a very young site, but already has addressed Etsy.com's shortcomings in its first year of existence.

I've set up shop over there and put most of my attention into it these days. I had a problem with a buyer's shipping fee and they had addressed my concern on the forum on a Thursday night within 6 minutes of posting. This is Staff we're talking about, being responsive and helpful. They got to the root of the problem and even have a phone # you can call during regular business hours. It's my new home on the web, since you can also link to your blog and other online goodies straight from your online Fusion Studio :) We've even got an updated website: http://www.shepherdcreations.com , and the Online Shop link takes you to our Artfire.com shop. Very cool. They are a great asset to handcrafters everywhere, and I hope you check it out after being here. Thanks!

Handcrafted Holidays: Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Father’s Day!

To all the fathers out there, Happy Father’s Day! Now don’t say we never gave you anything : ) . We already called both our fathers and should see them within the next month or so, traffic permitting (one’s a trucker). The other one we should see near our next show, and his birthday is coming up. Our family is one that lumps celebration occasions together: We’re efficient! So, that will be coming soon, as we also don’t feel the pressures of society to celebrate all at once like the masses…Conformists… Hallmark didn’t win this round :P Oh, and now that we’re into Etsy we have access to all kinds of handmade wonderful cards. I’ll be stocking up soon in time for the birthday/Christmas rush.

Well, today is more or less for resting, as we got lots of yardwork done yesterday and some great glass pieces that included some wicked flowers and a cute flower brooch. It’s summer, so yard-inspired glass is where it’s at. The apricots are juicy and delicious, and the plums are not far behind. Peaches, well I think those don’t usually ripen till July anyway, but we’re waiting with baited jam jars… Paul made some great medium salsa the other day, but we went through 40 ounces of that in a heartbeat (a week), so now if I want to make enchiladas I’d better whip up a batch of my own. Again, have a great Father’s day and visit Etsy for handmade cards to express how thoughtful you can be that won’t be mass-produced as 50,000 other dads are reading the same card… lol. Here are some of my favorite shops for cards so you have options for the next holiday:

All Handcrafted Goodies, Too:
Ideadesigns Lovely Cards, Invites and Scrapbooking Bits
Freedom To Express Beautiful Photo Cards
Farouche Personalized Cards, Tags, and Notes

2009-06-13T17:49:00.001-07:00

Peaches! Oh the glorious peach tree… Every year since 2004, our peach tree has been a strong producer that brightens up the whole garden. The jasmine and lilies can be languishing under unruly tangles of weeds and that peach tree will still be going strong, with a load of delicious freestone fruit. They’re fantastic for eating right off the tree, but not the best peach variety for pies (though we’ve made them anyway), because they are very soft and juicy. They do lend themselves very well to jam, however, as our friends and neighbors can attest. Sweet, sweet peach tree.

Plums… Yes the plum tree has also been there all along, through rainy seasons and dry spells, through my bleeding heart sympathy days that didn’t allow Paul to cut it back much that first year or two before I finally agreed it was best for the tre… It’s stood by us, and the peach tree. This year there isn’t much fruit (we may have thinned it out a little too well) but the ones that are on it are looking BIG and the first one to be eaten so far was delicious. Its little sister the Pluot tree is still doing very well too, with a bigger load than any tree in the yard in only its second year. This 60+ year old soil is just the bees knees ;)

Apricots – see the buggers are already trying to get to them! We love the birds, but come on, fruit season only comes once a year for us. Paul suggested a seed-filled decoy at the far end of the yard, and we might just do that. Foil strips are looking good, mylar perhaps? I’m told something that is reflective and flaps in the breeze will scare off birds. These are our garden's very first avocadoes ever! The photo that follows is representative of what happened to ALL of the nectarines…*Sigh.* There’s always next year. Nectarines :(

A jalapeno just tempting me…to make it a jalapeno on-a-stick! Destined for yummy salsa soon…

There were a few critters about in the garden, but that's for another blog post, maybe next time?

Why Hard Glass?

2009-06-08T22:54:00.000-07:00

Well, the weather outside is delightful... And I figure, why not take a moment to discuss the glorious benefits of hard glass?

This is prompted by the concerns of customers that our glass pendants are fragile. Well... Ours are actually quite strong, and can withstand a good amount of abuse, just short of dropping them onto a hard surface at some distance :) Paul and I perform strength tests on our glass designs before we sell them, because we have nieces and want to be sure our designs are safe. Most of my new designs are worn overnight to ensure they are not carelessly broken easily. Aside from a dragonfly wing jabbing into my neck(and not breaking, mind you), I’ve been very successful with this :)

I think people are just so used to the cheap imports that aren’t properly formed and annealed. This is a crucial step, and something to consider when you buy handcrafted local art glass vs. manufactured mass-produced imported glass. Yes, it’s cheap, but you really do get what you pay for. Our glass art is made to last, not the art equivalent of a single-use camera :)

Additionally, we use borosilicate glass in our Shepherd Creations (had to add that at some point, right?), which is more durable than “soft” glass. Glass itself is a fantastic medium capable of transforming into sculpture, beads, pendants, vases, just so many options in glassworking! Soft glass is created in so many more colors, but it’s much more sensitive to rapid heating and cooling, and you pay for it in the way of flying bits of hot glass when you treat it the wrong way. Boro is sooo much more easygoing, forgiving, and really quite durable. It’s what your traditional baking dishes are made of, and you know those don’t always break when you drop them either.

Which is melted with a furnace? The primary difference that gets folks confused is that boro glass is most commonly melted using a torch, at high temperatures around and upwards of 2,000 Fahrenheit. Soft glass, on the other hand, can be melted very easily at much lower temperatures, closer to 1,100 F. Soft glass is the kind used to make large vases and many of the chandelier sculptures you will see in Las Vegas, and it’s often done using a large propane or natural gas furnace. Its low temperature allows you to use just one gas, instead of needing oxygen to help it burn hotter like torchwork.

Soft glass can be used both with a torch and in a furnace, though the torch requires a much smaller flame to melt soft glass than to melt borosilicate glass. Flame work done at a torch also goes into the kiln for annealing, and soft glass is very susceptible to stress fractures due to rapid disproportionate cooling. Glasswork done on a torch needs to be kept warm throughout to avoid creating cooler gradients, and this applies to all kinds of glass, both soft and hard. Soft glass is often melted in pots and then kept hot and remelted while spinning in a furnace, then shaped and cooled, then annealed like borosilicate, just at lower temperatures. There are many types of glass; from super-soft leaded glass you can almost melt with a candle, to the hard glass we use that requires propane and oxygen both to achieve a clean super hot flame. We prefer to use a torch because we are in love with borosilicate. Can you tell?

This is meant to be a brief blog post on how I feel about boro on a late Monday night. I may be even more excited about it when I’m more awake, but we’ll save that for another time. Thanks for reading my blog, and post some comments sometime, won’t you?

June is here!

2009-06-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

Summer is on the way, yay! I know, it will soon be too hot for glass or hiking, but it's still nice to have seasons in California. Plus, when it's sweltering outside to the point that even sweat evaporates before it can drip down, we will appreciate how wonderful the winter will be again. Thankfulness, ah yes it is a good thing :)

Since it's such nice weather right now, we went for a mountain bike ride. It was wonderful exercise, but I am not as skilled a rider and still use my front break primarily... Which is apparently a bad thing going downhill? It is, and I have the bruise to prove it! After dusting off and continuing the journey, all was well and we arrived back home safely, much more tired but glad to be getting into shape. We are now looking forward to enjoying the good weather while it lasts, then participating in the Christmas in July fundraiser in Oceanside. I'll post more once we know, and other summer ramblings, so thanks for reading and see you next time!
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2009-05-18T15:37:00.001-07:00

Whew! Yesterday was the Escondido Street Faire, and boy was that fun! There were about 5 blocks of vendors, with folks on both sides and in the middle, and 2 streets intersecting the main fun with food booths. Paul ended up fetching several treats to keep us going all day, like iced coffee, fish tacos, you know, the important stuff :). I only stole away for about 2 minutes to see what I wanted for lunch, since we were right next to the food section smelling the delicious odors wafting over all morning/afternoon. It is a really well-organized event, and we likely be there in October for the next one. Great compliments and sales all day, with promising show information to keep us busy throughout the summertime. Overall it was a blast, and we were very glad to setup early and break down after the closing time. I think everyone really enjoyed the event, despite the heat wave around lunch time. Above is a photo Paul took of me once we were all ready and the sun was shining.

So what's next? We're considering a few shows like the Lake Arrowhead Rotary Art & Wine Festival and the Christmas in July at the Old Mission Montessori School in Oceanside. Thanks!

2009-05-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

Hi! This is my first blog, so please check back often for new info and interesting stuff including tutorials, articles, and great new photos, definitely a worthwhile stop...

It was very warm today, bordering on hot. That reminds us that summer is here, especially in southern California. We usually see just the 2 seasons, winter and summer, and winter is most definitely over. Summer, however, is basically upon us. I'll be getting up nice and early to get some glass done before the heat of the days sets in, and I am excited. Summer brings about great inspirations as people flock to the beaches to swim, surf, picnic, and just enjoy the great contrast of heat and cool water. I love animals, and summer makes me especially enjoy sculpting ocean animals, like seahorses, turtles, octopi and fish. I also have some special beach beads I'll post on here, because those are so fun to look at. Photos above are my favorites from the warm weather so far. :)

Sorry to see spring go; besides having great hiking weather with interesting flower to stop and enjoy, it also brought me lots of inspiration for new glass items from the garden such as ladybugs, snails, lizards, flowers and even glass leaves. Oh, and I tried making glass tomatoes, which turned out suspiciously like apples... It was a good spring, but alas, we'll have to wait to enjoy spring again next year.

Between blogs, I'll be maintaining my Etsy shop, so please stop by there for available glass gifts and items, and thanks again for visiting :)

Patrice Shepherd,

Shepherd Creations