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.

Summer's First Earrings

A new batch of summery earrings, all carded and ready to go.

Mom

Published in the Ithaca Journal on June 25th, 2013.

Margaret E. Hotelling, age 75, of Ocala, Florida passed away on June 15th, 2013.

She was born in 1938 to Mary (Hurlbut) and Gilbert Kapp in Troupsburg, New York. She graduated from Ithaca High School in 1956 and married Kenneth R. Hotelling Jr. on September 28th that same year. Margaret was a long time resident of Ithaca and worked for many years as the office manager for Dr. James Orcutt in Collegetown.

She was an accomplished seamstress and craftsperson who delighted family and friends with her creations. She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend whose presence will be dearly missed.

She is survived by her husband, Kenneth; her daughters, Lucinda (Richard) Storms and Mary Jane Newhart; her grandchildren Corinne, Brian and John Newhart and Margaret Storms; her brothers Lloyd (Joan) Kapp and Gordon (Eileen) Kapp; many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her sister Betty Silvin. A private service will be held in Shunk, Pennsylvania in September.

In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to:
Alzheimer's Association, 1850 York Road, Suite D, Timonium, MD 20193

Absolute Faves

Ok, so they're not very springy but they are my current favorite earrings.
As in, everyday, day after day fave earrings.

They have flame red headpins made on 19g black steel wire, vintage rhinestone rondelles (scrounged from a broken garage sale necklace) and a pair of hand carved bone skulls. I have made three pairs of these - all the ladies dig 'em. There will be others just as soon as I find more of the rhinestone bits.

Harebrained Scheme

In my case it should be hairbrained scheme.

Photos of people who came up to me showing off that they were wearing my glass button ponytail elastics.

Trunk Show at The Memorial Art Gallery

I have a trunk show coming up.

It's in the gift shop of the local museum - if you're a Rochesterian come on down.

It should be a fun, there are all sorts of special events going on that night in the museum.

Charmed Hello Kitty

Another outlandish charm bracelet.

This one started with a plastic glitter Hello Kitty charm from a kid's necklace.

I added all sorts of found object treasures and shiny crap. Unicorns, fake teardrop pearls, an Eiffel tower, a pair of rhinestone disco balls and a bunch of pastel plastic hearts.

The heart of the bracelet is a collection of my lampworked beads - some gaudy dichroic nuggets, a big watery encased aventurine ball, some pink bubbles, and lots of other fancies.

Sometimes, less is not more. Sometimes, more is more.

Earring Freak Out

 I don't know how you prepare for Mother's Day but I do it by making lots and lots of earrings.

Stay tuned for part #2 of the spring earring freakout.