Pretty Pair

My friend from work is a videographer and photographer. He took a few of my glass pendants on a recent photo shoot. Below are a few of the pictures he took. If you are interested in his work, you can find him on the Model Mayhem site.

Beautiful Blue Giveaway

I ran by the glass shop last week to pick up a huge sheet of black glass. I got one that's almost as tall as I am...I use lots of black glass! While there, I peeked at other glass and ended up with 3 smaller pieces. I fell for this beautiful blue piece, and it just looked so nice with the brown and green too.

How would you like to win a beautiful blue fused glass pendant. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below describing what this lovely blue glass reminds you of and you are entered to win. Giveaway ends July 29, 2011 at 8pm. Only one entry per person please. Winner will be chosen at random. Make sure to leave an email address so I can contact you if you win.

The Display's the Thing!

I've been thinking that I needed a new way to display pendants at the shows we do. Previously, I laid the pendants out on Charger plates and along the table. The problem there is that people have to come up to the table and look down to see the pieces.

Not having a huge budget to work with, I have to think creatively. I found a cool little fold up, metal shelf at Hobby Lobby during 50% off week. I bought it and brought it home thinking I could figure out a way to stand pendants up on the 3 shelves.

Then, the thought occurred to me that If I could find another, there might be a way to suspend something between the two. On Friday, I hit 2 other Hobby Lobby's before scoring a second shelf. Then it was off to Lowes, where I wandered, aimlessly up and down the aisles looking for bits and pieces to turn my idea into reality.

I finally decided on 3 of those metal things that hook over the sides of a paint tray, a couple of metal rods, some "S" hooks and a can of black spray paint.

Once home, I started putting things together. I sprayed the silver paint trays black and hung them over metal rods suspended between the 2 shelves. I had to hole punch all my product cards, which took a while, but once that was done, I used the "S" hooks to hook pendants onto the paint trays. I cut some black foam core to make "easels" for the shelves and was able to stand pendants along those easels on each shelf. This worked okay, but I still need to figure out a better way to stand pendants on the shelves.

I did a test run in the middle of my living room, and we really tested it out at the SLAM show on Saturday. I discovered that day that my metal rods were too weak to hold everything without bowing in the middle. So, I'm contemplating a replacement for those. I think maybe a retractable curtain rod will work better. It would certainly fit in my car better, but I think it would be stronger too.

Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions for improvement, I would love to hear them!

This butterfly pendant found a good home at the show. It went home with a sweet little girl from Florida who was visiting Greenville.

Poppies for Linda

I started this piece, actually 3 pieces for a friend at work. She really likes one that is hanging in a show here at work, but she needs a vertical in a very specific and unusual size. Rather than order a specially made board, I decided to try 3 square boards that she can hang as a group, or hinge together. This is still a work in progress, and I work a little on it most evenings. I will post the finished piece soon - I hope.

I finished this piece on Sunday. Below are shots of it after it was done.

A Little More Enameling

A Little Enameling

Weekend Creations

SLAM 2

Yesterday, we did our second SLAM or Saturday Local Art Market. This was our first time since they changed the hours to be earlier and at the same time as the Saturday Farmer's Market. The change in hours seemed to bring lots more people our way. Many did the Farmer's Market before stopping in to see what SLAM was all about. We had a good day there. It was very hot, but not quite as hot as the first time, plus we were out of there at 1:00 rather than 4:00.

They had added a few things this time too. They had a gourmet snow cone thing going on. Those were interesting and wonderful. Tim and I tried the Raspberry, Rhubarb, Rose flavor, and it was delicious. It tasted mostly of Raspberry but had a definite undertone of rose. Since I have no idea what rhubarb tastes like, it might have been there too, but I can't say. These were not like your usual snow cones. They weren't nearly as sweet, but they were refreshing. They use only natural, fresh ingredients. One of the other flavors was Cucumber Mint. I didn't get a chance to try that one, maybe next time.

Trial and Error

I've been working some with paint lately. Of course, I am still creating glass, but sometimes I need a break from that.

These are two recent pieces. One is quite small and the other is probably the largest piece I've ever attempted. The small one is acrylic on unprimed board. I really like working that way. It is about 8x8.

The other one is a similar technique, but it's on canvas. I was experimenting to see how canvas worked. It is 24x36 and took considerably more time. I really wanted to see what it felt like to work that big...kind of fun!

I have my ups and downs with painting. I enjoy it, but it's definitely a struggle. Glass is so much easier for me. My brain just gets it, whereas painting isn't as intuitive for me.

My paintings were some of the pieces I submitted to the local craft fair for jurying. I was "declined" - so that was a downer. They released the list of participants today, and I glanced through those selected to the 2-D Art Category. There was some very nice work there. After seeing those, I kind of think mine isn't terrible, just not what they were looking for.

On an positive note, I did sell 2 pieces that were hanging in the "Ensemble" show at work. Plus, I got at least one commission and possibly two from that show. That was encouraging! I think it's good to pursue many different outlets for work. What doesn't work in one venue, might be perfect in another.

Spinach Casserole

Today is Kelly's Korner "Show Us Your Life" - favorite side dishes. One of my all time favorites is this casserole. My best friend in high school's mom used to make it, and even though I was completely against the existence of spinach, I tried this and loved it. Of course, it has cheese in it, so that always helps.

2 packages frozen chopped spinach
8 ounces of grated sharp cheddar cheese (more if you like)
1 egg
1 large container cottage cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Thaw and squeeze excess water out of your spinach. Combine spinach, most of the cheese, cottage cheese, egg, and salt and pepper. Spread the mixture into a casserole dish. Use the reserved cheese to sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 degrees until the sides are bubbling, about 30-45 minutes.