Winter Solstice is next week -

Next week we will experience the Winter Solstice. December 21st is the shortest day of the year and soon we will see our days getting longer. I look forward to that.

I recently completed this star made from recycled window glass. The window was an old house window from my childhood home. It was a great way to use this old glass. This was modified from a Jim Mathews project,  Glasshoppa.com.

This is a closeup of the star. I love how the glass catches the light.

I also completed a new electroformed flower stem/sepal that I inserted a small, red & yellow, blown glass bulb into. I created the glass to fit and it does perfectly. I am very excited about this project. The glass reflects the light in interesting ways. All three of the following pictures are the same piece.

Keeping the kilns warm,

~ Julie

Keeping on . . .

 I find it difficult to work in my basement glass studio when the weather is nice, but I miss working creatively with glass if I don't do any work for a few days. Such a problem. November here in Wisconsin was a very mild month with many sunny, warm days. This last week in December also had some beautiful days. I have been working with glass, but in fits and starts rather than prolonged times. No excuses. It's just the way it is.

A few projects - 

My latest is a red and white lace bowl. This process can challenge my glass cutting abilities especially with white glass, but I love the results.

     

It can be found here in my Etsy shop.

I sold this Poppy Wreath from my Etsy shop this week. So excited.
It can be affirming to randomly sell some of my work.

 

I have been making coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc. drink stir sticks lately.
I love to use them in the morning to stir honey/oat milk into my coffee or tea and they also work great to stir an evening cocktail. I have been using them for a couple for months to make sure they wouldn't break and were functional. 

No breakage and YES, they are very functional.

I have been continuing to play with electroforming. So fun.

Christmas ornaments - 

I have blown a few small bulbs for our tree this year. Small is one inch in diameter, but we only have a small tree that we cut from our property, so it fits in well. No large ornaments on the tree, the branches will not support them. I have also been practicing icicles. I'm not consistent or happy with my icicles, but I keep practicing. Someday I may figure it out;-)

I have made some gnomes and viking gnomes. They are part of a Facebook challenge, but I like them and will be putting them on my tree this year.

Keeping the kilns warm,

~Julie

New Processes, New Work

I purchased a new tutorial by Komal C. Prassad for a fusing process - Controlled Gaps that I have wanted to learn for the last few years. Honestly, there are a bunch of processes/techniques that I want to try. My love of learning new things keeps me learning new things. It keeps my life interesting in these pandemic times.

This dish is the result of the new tutorial - 

I really like the result and have another (same process, different design) dish slumping in the kiln today.

I have also been playing around with a electroforming. I have always loved the look of electroforming when combined with beads and glass and I recently took an electroforming class from Terry Henry via Facebook. She makes the best electroformed bugs/animals with glass parts.

I'm just getting started. I have some objects that didn't work, a few that have worked, and some still in the bath. This was a leaf that I picked up on a walk this week. The small bit of glass is a headpin that I made a while ago. The headpin is now electroformed onto the leaf. I still need to figure out finishing my objects with a patina to better show the texture, but that will come.

I took a class last month at the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass in Neenah, WI where I worked with Deanna Clayton to make a pate de verre, also known as paste glass, bowl. Deanna Clayton fused the bowls and finished them after they were created in the class. The finished bowl has an electroformed rim. Very cool.

Another project I finished recently was some knobs for my bathroom. The bathroom was done being remodeled years ago and the cabinets needed knobs. I finally created knobs that I am happy with and got them installed.

Keeping the kilns warm,

~ Julie

Here we are. September.

 The weather is turning cooler. The days are shortening at an alarming pace.

Damn.

I have worked on many different glass projects this summer.

This is a glass on glass mosaic that has been planted in my front garden.

I have finished another circle and started a new mosaic of a flower.

My goal is to replicate this picture of one of my flowers - 

My bees are doing well. I did a successful walk away split that created its own queen.

The new queen is in the middle of this picture. I was so excited. Since this happened in the middle of July the new hive has been doing really well.

I now have three hives.

I love seeing my bees pollinating flowers in my garden and in the fields on my walks. It was a great year for sunflowers in my garden and the bees loved them.

I walk daily with my Sam. 

He has been a great addition to our household and gets me outside at least twice everyday for good walks.

I routinely find feathers on our adventures.

As well as many other critters. On this day we found six baby snapping turtles that had just hatched.

SO COOL!

I am really going to miss the flowers of summer.

Other end of summer thoughts - 

Our garden did very well this summer and is now winding down. 

I continue to create beads and try to improve my lampworking skills. I've got over 100 beads ready to ship to Beads of Courage this month.

I learned how to make glass chain this summer.

I continue to enjoy keeping track of area wildlife via my trail camera. I check weekly and have found many interesting animals including deer, mink, skunk, squirrels, coyote, and this fox.

Keeping the kiln warm,

~ Julie

Early May 2020

The first week of May finds us Safe at Home.

I am trying to continue to make art each day. Many times this will consist of just a hand full of beads for Beads of Courage, but it gets my kiln warm and sometimes it spurs a new idea. I do love experimenting with animals and animal heads for the kids.

We have had some warm weather and are in the process of getting the garden prepped for seeds and starts. We will start planting as soon as it is warm enough, but we are expecting freezing temperatures over night for the next few days.

I love this time of the year with the tulips, daffodils, magnolia and dandelions blooming.

I have one bee hive that is very active. I lost my other hive in April, but I'm getting a new package of bees this week. The package will include a new queen and bees so I can continue to have at least two hives this summer.

Recently I sold a few pieces on Etsy.

I enjoy making these assembly pieces. There are a lot of flowers that make up one piece, but it is so enjoyable to put them together and have them become a larger assembled wall hanging.

It is difficult to ship these pieces. The flowers are somewhat fragile. 

I haven't heard yet, but I hope they made it to their destination and didn't break in shipping.

~Julie

April

The weather has been nice this week, so not much glass. I did finish a fused and stained glass garden piece last week. I used float glass and enamels to create the circles and then put them together with copper foil and solder. I think it turned out really nice.

 

I also played with murrini and created a small round of just murrini. I'm not sure if I will create a bowl with it or not. Right now it's hanging in my studio.

Other News -
Both bee hives are still alive this far, but one is very weak. I ordered another package of bees just in case I loose my weak hive. I still want at least two hives going into summer. We, my husband and I made new hives and I painted them last week in the warm sun.

We are still sheltering in place except for groceries. I got my sewing machine out and dusted off to make masks for myself and my husband so that we could be a bit safer in our travels outside the house.

We are fostering a dog from the local Humane Society. I may fail at this foster business. Sam, our foster dog, is very easy. He stays close to me on walks, doesn't get up on furniture, rarely barks and is somewhat calm.

He may have to stay with us.

Spring is here. The frogs are singing. Some flowers are blooming.

Stay healthy!

~ Julie

At Home

At home . . .

For and indefinite time we are home bound to avoid Covid-19 version of the Corona Virus. As a retired introvert, I am used to being alone and spend a lot of time at home. I really enjoy listening to podcasts and books while I work on glass projects. Soon it will be warm enough to get outside and tend to my gardens and bees. It does feel weird to have all activities cancelled for the next month.

Here is a project that I just finished -

The lampworked glass poppies, made from various shades of red, are on wires that are attached to the copper pipe. The pipe was then covered with florist tape to cover it and the attaching wires. It's around 9 inches long and each end has a loop to hang it either vertically or horizontally. 

This fresh poppy wall art would brighten any small area and is for sale on my Etsy site.

Keeping the kilns warm,

~ Julie

March -Flowers & Earrings

I have been working on some new earring ideas in the last week.

I enjoy coming up with new ideas. Here are some blue flowers that have been made into earrings.



Here are some that I'm excited about. They are clear with a red base and hollow to make sure they don't get too heavy for earrings. I have been wearing them since they came out of the kiln this morning and love them.

Today was a very sun filled day with blue skies. The sun was streaming in through the window and it offered a wonderful chance to take a few photos. I've been working on a new flower ring and it looked lovely with the sun shining through it even though it was a cold day in Wisconsin.

Keeping the kiln warm,

~ Julie