Photo Contest!

Submit a creative photo that shows off your favorite color.
The most creative/fun photo will win custom set of glass coasters in that color (or as close as I can match).

Rules:
You must have taken the photo yourself.
The color must be obvious/dominant.
You may submit up to 3 photos.

Deadline for submissions: June 18th, 2011

Please submit photos to:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1721740@N22/
or you can email them to me amykglass@gmail.com

Have fun!

*New Item!* Shiny Dichroic Bracelets

Introducing a new and very shiny line of my fused glass jewelry designs and I just love how they turned out!
I decided to add some pretty dichroic glass for sale... my store could use some more shinies.  :D


Some glass used actually changes colors depending on how the light hits it... very beautiful and guaranteed to turn heads.
Each piece of glass is hand cut by yours truely and fused in my kiln.  I love making these and I hope you love looking at them!


All glass is mounted on a 7" (17.8cm)  linked chain.
Silver plated chain with dichroic glass: $28
Gold plated chain with dichroic glass: $30


You can find them for sale in my shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/AmyKirkman?section_id=7569265
I plan to add more colors in the future so keep checking back!

New Giveaway... for charity!

As you all may or may not know, I love playing video games.
So when I learned about the opportunity to play video games to help raise money for the Children's Miracle Network... I knew I had to do it.
On October 16th I will be playing video games for 24 hours non stop and I am seeking sponsors.
Your donation is tax-deductible and 100% of your gift goes to help heal sick kids.
Any and all donations are welcome... for every $10 you donate will be chance to win a fused glass 2 pc desk set or 4 pc coaster set.  A solid color of your choice!  ($25 value)

More info:
https://www.hospitalshelpingkids.org/ExtraLife/m.aspx?i=18808E43C50BD89B5
Direct donation page:
https://www.hospitalshelpingkids.org/ExtraLife/getdonorinfo.aspx?i=18808E43C50BD89B5

Examples of a Desk Set (business card/cell phone holder + matching coaster) and a set of coasters (4pc).  For each $10 you donate, you get a chance to win a custom* set of your own!

*single solid color of your choice

Winner will be announced on October 17th, the day after the 24 hour marathon.  Thank you and share this with all your friends!

Looking for sponsors to support me help heal kids!

Hi I'm Amy Kirkman and this year I'm raising money and awareness for my local Children's Miracle Network hospital, Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

On October 16th, 2010 I'll attempt to play video games for 24-hours straight, and I've asked you to come by in hopes that you'll support me by giving just $1.00 per hour ($24 total).

Your donation is tax-deductible and 100% of your gift goes to help heal sick kids, here in Portland, OR.

This Fall, my fellow Extra Life gamers are going to make miracles happen for kids. I can't do that without your support. My goal is to raise $500.00.

Thank you for your time, support, and participation.

Link:

https://www.hospitalshelpingkids.org/ExtraLife/m.aspx?i=18808E43C50BD89B5

Introducing... art glass desk sets!

Still in development but almost complete... here is the desk set design that I am proud to introduce to you.
A great place to put your cell phone (or business cards) and your favorite drink while you are at your desk.  Looks great and is functional too!  Each set includes one holder and one matching coaster.

I will be creating more of these and will keep you updated with the latest and greatest!  Love this but want in your favorite colors?  Custom order requests are very welcome so don't be shy!

Each desk set will retail for $25 each.

Happy Towel Day! Don't Panic!

Towel Day is celebrated every 25 May as a tribute by fans of the late author Douglas Adams. On this day, fans carry a towel with them to demonstrate their love for the books and the author, as referenced in Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

To celebrate, I have created a new glass pendant with the number "42" on it.
42 is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life the Universe and Everything.

Next Line of Pendants... here's a sample

So here they are! I am so proud, hehe.
Paw prints, red hearts and gold stars.
But don't worry... I'll continue to make butterflies, yin yang, GAMER and kanji pendants too! :)

I've been experimenting with colored enamel and these turned out so fun! The gold stars are super shiny, the red hearts look so nice and the cute little paw prints are fun! Let me know what you think!

Survey: Necklace Type for Glass Pendants

Right now I am including a black satin necklace with each one of my pendants sold.

I've also thought about having ball chain necklaces instead.

So I'm asking for opinions... what do you think?

This is what I have available right now:

Would you rather see ball chain necklaces?  Keep the current black necklaces?

All comments and suggestions are welcome!

Introducing... a new line of gamer pendants!

I've been gaming for a long time.... and about 6-7 years ago I started playing my very first MMORPG (massively multi-player online role playing game).  Started with EverQuest and then ended up playing World of Warcraft for 5ish years.
It is very common for gamers to say things like.. "LOL, OMG, WTF, TMI, <3, HAX" etc etc...

So why not combine my love for gaming with my love of glass art.

Here's the first in my new line of gamer pendants:

These can also be made into magnets or zipper pulls... for all you non jewelry wearing people out there. ;)

So if you'd like one custom made, shoot me a message with what (up to three) letters you want and the color of glass (opaque only). The decals come in black only so make sure it's not too dark of a color.

I will be listing more of these pendants in my Etsy shop so keep an eye out!

What is Annealing? Why is it important?

If you've ever shopped for handmade glass... you'll often see "glass has been properly annealed".
But what does this mean?  Why should you care whether or not it was annealed?

"Annealing is a process of slowly cooling glass to relieve internal stresses after it was formed. The process may be carried out in a temperature-controlled kiln.  Glass which has not been annealed is liable to crack or shatter when subjected to a relatively small temperature change or mechanical shock. Annealing glass is critical to its durability. If glass is not annealed, it will retain many of the thermal stresses and significantly decrease the overall strength of the glass.

The glass is heated until the temperature reaches a stress-relief point, that is, the annealing temperature at which the glass is still too hard to deform, but is soft enough for the stresses to relax. The piece is then allowed to heat-soak until its temperature is even throughout. The time necessary for this step varies depending on the type of glass and its maximum thickness."

In my studio I anneal all of my glass... when the glass is cooling down from the highest tempurature (1465F for a full fuse) I hold it at 960F for an hour before letting the temperature come down back to room temperature.  Annealing time is longer if the glass is thicker.

This ensures that the glass will last much longer and be very strong and stable.

So next time you're interested in shopping for a hand made piece of warm or hot glass... make sure it has been properly annealed!

Artist Spotlight: Yvonne @ Aquila Glass School

Featuring an Artist from Aquila Glass School... Yvonne!

Yvonne makes adorable little scenes out of scrap glass!  Yvonne has been working with glass for about a year and it is always nice to see her when she walks through the door.

New Quest: My glass flameworking adventures!

As you all know... I love glass.
Learning more and more about it everyday... and I'm thankful for the opportunity at Aquila Glass School to have an apprenticeship.
So I took a class taught by Leah Pellegrini called "Torchworking for Fusers".  And wow!  So amazing and fun.  I am looking forward to creating some new glass with torchworked elements in my glass designs.

Here are a few pictures from that class:

We learned how to make glass dots, squiggly lines, petals, leaves, latticino (twisties) and also multi colored dots. If you're interested in taking this class or any other exciting glass class, check out Aquila Glass School.

And to celebrate learning the fun that is flameworking with glass... going to have a custom fused glass coaster set giveaway when I reach 200 facebook fans! Your choice of up to three colors on clear glass, squiggly lines or polka dots for design... tell all your friends!

http://www.facebook.com/amykglass

And the poll winner is... Glass Coasters!

Thank you to everyone who voted on my blog poll!
Coasters won with the most votes with candle holders being a close second.

So here is my first official set of fused glass coasters!

The blue, purple and white swirls are so beautiful.  Each coaster is a generous 4" square (10.16cm) and is equipped with feet to protect your furniture.  Makes a great housewarming gift too!   Let me know what you think!

These are available in my Etsy.com shop.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/45480951/blue-purple-and-white-swirl-glass

POLL: What glass item would you like to see next?

Variety is the spice of life, right?  I've been pondering creating some new items for my shop but would like some input from everyone!




   

Thanks for voting!

Feel free to post any comments for additional input or ideas!  Love to hear all feedback!

Latest Glass Plate Additions

Here are some recent glass plates that I've made.

And Much More...

I'm very open to custom orders so if you see something that you like, let me know.  I'll be happy to make a one of a kind glass piece just for you!

Introducing... my studio mascots!

As you already know, I'm a one woman studio.  I love listening to a great variety of music while I'm making my next glass creation.  But it was starting to get a bit lonely...
So I've added new Amy Kirkman Glass Studio mascots to the mix.

Introducing.... *drumroll please*

Domo-kun says "Safety First"!

New pal just joined... Game Stop Bunny!

They make me laugh while I'm at my glass cutting table... looking all cute in their safety glasses.

^_^

Peepshi? Making sushi from peeps!

'Tis the season (Easter) to find peeps in every almost grocery store.
But what could be more fun than making your own sushi... from Peeps?!

To start, what you will need:

A sharp knife
Peeps: 6 Peeps per roll, 1 Peep per handroll, 1 Peep per nigiri
1 box of Rice Krispies Treats
1 box of Fruit by the Foot

More info:
How to make Peepshi. Peeps + Sushi!

I bet these would look so fun presented on a special glass sushi plate.  :)

Polymer Clay Eggs - Happy Easter!

Okay I know that this is not glass art related but I just have to share this fun video.
I haven't thought about doing anything with clay but making these eggs look like a blast.






Polymer Clay Easter Eggs 

I just love all of the colors and styles of these eggs.  Enjoy!  

How to Eat Sushi

I make a wonderful and colorful variety of sushi plates... but do you know the proper and traditional way of eating this tasty food?



Not all sushi is made with raw fish... so if you've never tried it, be adventurous!  Start with something that you recognize... some are made with just veggies and rice.  :)

Here's a link to all of the sushi plates that I have created: 
Amy Kirkman Fused Glass Sushi Plates and Sets

I love making custom fused glass plates so feel free to send me a message if you'd like a plate or a plate set made with your favorite colors!  :)

ありがとうございます。
Arigatou gozaimasu.
Thank you very much.

Operation Leaded Tetris Panel... Almost Complete!

Okay so my cell phone doesn't take the best photos... but here's how my Tetris stained glass looks so far.

 Picture of it almost complete... just had two more squares to finish up.

Working with Lead Came... I don't think that I'll ever do it again but totally worth it when this is finished.

No idea where I'll hang it but I'm sure it'll look awesome.  :D

Next stop... framing and finishing!  It should be done next Wednesday 3/24/10.  :)