Well I didn’t get things in the kiln as I wanted but did my chores and picked up the hot plate to be able to kiln wash my metal molds. They have to stay hot so the kiln wash will stick.

Did have lunch with some good friends which is always fun and sets the right frame of mind for everything else. We love to laugh and we do lots of that when we are together.

Here is a picture of a mirror frame I am working on. I am posting this before I get the mirror in to stay with the spirit of the February project.

This is fused glass pieces. I used white and black iridized with some of the iridized flipped to plain black. It will look great once the mirror is in it.

Flickr Tags: Fused glass,fused glass mirror frame,home decor

I am glad it’s Friday. I took on this February project with Janet and friends, and committed for weekdays only. I will have to use the weekend to get the brain cells active and plan my weeks for projects. My intentions are always good for planning but I am not very good at sticking to them. However I will try.

Here are my finished pieces for Friday the 5th. I do need a name for the series. So all suggestions for names will be greatly appreciated.I will do in different colours. My friend Shari says it reminders her of jelly. They are fused to a contour finish. The shapes of the pieces remain but there are no sharp point. All are soft and rounded.

Unfortunately not the best pictures in the world. Glass is very hard to get a decent picture of.

The 2 in one frame is a wall hanging only and the single one is a stand up frame.

Flickr Tags: art glass,framed glass art,fused glass pictures,framed fused art,glass,fused,fused glass,fused glass panels

Was off to the Cape Breton Center for Craft and Design this morning for the opening of an exhibit called “up Home” It was there that the finished piece was given to it’s owner.

She grew up in the Pier, officially known as Whitney Pier and locally known as the Pier. She liked the bright colours and the reminders of our childhood when there was a diner and banks and Archie’s open and thriving.

 

  Here we have a bank, Moraff’s Yarns(still open), a fish and chip diner(we couldn’t remember the name) It is one of those things that will wake you up at 3 am because you remember it then. And of course Archie’s Dry Goods store. The church being one of many in the small community has family ties and it is St. Philip’s African Orthodox Church.

Hope she has as much enjoyment seeing it as I had making it.

Flickr Tags: Fused glass,fused glass panels,home decor,Our Town series,Our Town

I have decided to take my friend Janet up on her challenge. http://scarfaday.blogspot.com/

I will work everyday in February except for weekends either at the kiln or finishing projects from the kiln.

Hopefully this will kick start me in the right direction for the season.

So I started today and have several pieces in the kiln. One is the second firing of a panel I want to give tomorrow. Nothing like cutting it close. The worst is I usually do these in one firing and not sure why this time I decided to do it in stages. Hope it works, I slowed down the ramp up times as well as holding longer at the annealing time. Keep the fingers crossed.

Also have my first attempt at a mirror frame in the kiln. As well as 4 other pieces that are simply experimental getting ready for some frit painting.

 

As well I will shortly finish a piece I worked on yesterday. Will post a picture later.

Flickr Tags: February project,fused glass,fused glass panels,fused glass frit painting

Winter finally came to Cape Breton yesterday, but really it’s the end of January. Another couple of months and it’s over. This is unbelievable for Cape Breton and scary at the same time.

Anyway I did manage to take myself to the shed and get some work done yesterday. The stars are still out there. The pieces of jewellery were a total flop but the clock base came out okay.

It is 3 layers of glass, the white is iridized with a transparent blue in the center. It is 5in x 5in so a good size for a desk clock. What you see scattered across the face of the blue is Inca gold mica powder. In person it gives it a nice effect.

I would love to tell you it was easy to put together and it should have been BUT it wasn’t. One of the screws didn’t fit right and by the time I discovered that, it was already on crocked and I ended up having to break up the clock movement. Of course the next one I picked up fit perfectly and was on in seconds.

The other new feat to allow me to make the clock was actually making myself learn to drill holes in glass. It is quite daunting sitting there with this drill and a piece of glass sitting in a container of water, all I could think of was electrocuting myself.

As you can tell that didn’t happen. Even did some pieces of beach glass (mermaid’s tears) that my Aunt Joan picked up on the shores of Cape Breton.

 

So now that I know how to do that no more excuses.

Flickr Tags: Fused glass,home decor,beach glass,fused glass clock,fused glass desk clock,Cape Breton Island

Well Happy New Year everyone.

I have decided to start my new year this time by being more productive than I normally am in the cold winter months.

I will try for more regular posts on the blog. As well will post each new product as it is developed and produced.

This year I am going to do some fused glass picture frames, fused glass desk clocks, fused glass switch plates etc.

The first sample produced today is the set of four fused glass magnets contained in a metal tin. Each fused glass magnet is approx 3/4  of an inch square. I had some of the regular craft magnets but have replaced them with the very strong earth magnets. These definitely will not fall off by accident.

This particular set is done with 2 layers of fused glass and taken to a full fuse. Others will be tacked fused. They will be fun to do and package.

 

 

Flickr Tags: Fused glass,fused glass magnets,home decor,office supplies

Finally have a chance to post some pictures.

We are going into the last week of the cruise ship season and things have been pretty hectic. Not a good time of the year for cruises in the north Atlantic. Some get cancelled because of the weather and others like today have passengers who can’t speak our language so don’t even try. Not great for sales.

Anyway here are some new fall leaves pieces

 

 

Technorati Tags: fused glass,fall colours,birch trees,home decor,art glass,glass panels

This one is called Main Street, Our Town. We have some shoes, crafts, gifts a mall and of course clothes. And you can’t have a Main Street that isn’t paved in gold.

This is 2 houses in Our Town series, perhaps mine and grandma’s.

Away for a few minutes to what I call “The Tree of Life”. The leaves are a moss green while the earth and branches are a bronze powder with dichroic accents.

And we are back to the changing of the colours so can’t have that without “Falling Leaves”

Back to Our Town, this is simply our house, You can see in the picture below that I put an easel back on it to allow it to stand or be hung.

And last but not least, a

night light in the series with the automatic censor, so it comes on as it gets dark, great for bathrooms or hallways.

Technorati Tags: Fused glass,Home Decor,Our Town series,Our Town,Main Street,fused glass night lights,Tree of Life,fused glass Tree of Life,Fused glass houses

Well I finally took some time to get some pictures. First the fleur de lis for Fortress Louisbourg. Even did some special carding.

Here are the dichroic pendants, magnets and coasters and hot pads.

Then I did a new grouping of tacked dichroic pendants for the ships and while I was at it did some framed pieces  that I call dichroic sculptures. Unfortunately these pictures don’t do them justice but will try to get better ones before putting them on the web.

 

I am really pleased with these pieces especially the one in the pewter frame. The wooden frames can stand, be hung or lay flat. the pewter frame is for hanging only and is bigger than the others as well as the glass pieces is larger.

Time speeds by and can’t seem to keep everything posted. Did do some new fleur de lis pieces for Fortress Louisbourg. Will post some pictures later but have some dichroic fleur de lis pendants done as well as magnets,coasters and hot pads completed. Will take them out this week.

Last time I was out decided to drive to Kennington Cove. Hadn’t been there since I was a kid and forgot how beautiful it was.

Not sure where this guy ended up must have climbed over the rocks from here, no more foot prints.

It was a couple of days after Bill went through and the area had just reopened that day.

 

Technorati Tags: Fortress Louisbourg,Glass Fleur de Lis,Kennington Cove,Home Decor,Fused glass,slumped glass