A New View

A new studio - a new view.
Painting and lampworking in the same space should be glorious.
Lots of cross-pollination (that's a floral painting joke).

There's lots of train action outside my four huge windows. Coupling and uncoupling.

Moving in and setting up last week was slow going - it was so stinkin' hot.
But after the wild thunderstorms of Friday night the weather yesterday was lovely. I spent the entire afternoon unpacking and sorting all my glass rods. Tomorrow I will hook up my trusty torch and will have a functional studio once again.

Poodle Fur Necklace

I had a mess of clear beads kicking around from when I was learning to make hollow beads.
A couple dozen practice beads, most of them are real clunkers with very little 'hollow' to to them.
I'm still not very good at making hollow beads but most of these are atrocious. I really did not want to throw them away and they were too terrible for the dollar bead bowl.

One day I got this weird idea.
At first I rejected it but it  kept clanging around up there in my brain.
I would make a reliquary necklace.
Filling each bead with something near and dear. It took some planning - I had to enlist my dog groomer. She already thinks I am nuts so why not ask her to save some clippings for me?

Using my dapping block and disc cutter I made some fancy bead caps from vintage buttons.
To see how click here.

Then I stuffed the crappy hollow beads with fur clippings from both my poodles and hammered the whole thing together.

Viola! A necklace only a crazy old poodle lady would wear.

The Steel Wool Trick

I hate touching steel wool and I loathe the way it makes my fingers smell.
Yet I need to use steel wool all the time, especially when working with blackened steel wire..

I keep the wad of steel wool into a plastic "snack size" baggie.

When I need to buff up a piece of wire I just push it down into the steel wool inside the bag. Wiggle and scrub the wire around while pinching it from the outside of the bag. It works great when cleaning headpins.

No touching nasty steel wool ever again.

#320 - A Blank Slate

It's a beautiful, long rectangular space with four tall windows that face the railroad yard.

In these photos I am standing in the doorway taking it all in.

One half will be for glass making and the other for painting. So much promise.

The chair? A leave behind from the last occupant.

Parked in the doorway is the first load of my crap to be moved in.

Flora

Just out and about with my camera.

(snug as a bug on a wet bud)

Looking for flowers that might end up as paintings.

Movin' On Up

Movin' on up, but actually down.
From #402 to #320.

I am moving my glass studio to a bigger, more wonderful space, in the same building.
A space large enough to spread out my glass and also do some painting.
It's dreamy.

But before I begin working in my fine, new space I have to pack up my gear and move it.

So, here are a few last snapshots of my old space as I begin to pile it into boxes and stack it on carts.

A last look at that amazing 'penthouse' view.
I will still have a fantastic view of the trains - just not quite as high up and from a different angle...

Don't forget to pack the champagne for toasting the new studio.