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.  :)

Gamer + Learning Stained Glass = Epic Project

As you all know, I'm taking stained glass classes.  I love it so far and have a greater appreciation for this glass art.
So my first project turned out pretty good.  Copper foil method koi fish.
Now we're learning about lead came.  Our teacher wanted us to choose our own projects keeping straight lines in mind.  Straight lines... hrm... after brainstorming a bit... what could be more "straight lines" than Tetris?

After deciding on the size and how many squares (don't hate me because it's not 10 across!) I created a grid on my computer.  8 squares across and 12 squares high and each piece is 2in (5cm) square.  I didn't want any two colors touching (one corner doesn't count, lol) and each piece had to be turned at least once.  That's a puzzle all in itself!  The colors are as close to official as I could find where the glass still matched.

Here's my progress so far.  Sorry that it's not the best picture, had to take it with my cell phone camera.

Only some of the rows have been completed so far.  I'll work in it some more this week... I had no idea how time consuming this stuff is.  I'll keep y'all posted!  :)

Who Likes Polka Dots?

I do!  I do!  It was fun creating my first polka dotted sushi plate. 

So what colors would you like to see on my next plate with dots?  I'm taking all suggestions!

My Stained Glass Adventures

Well here's my first stained glass piece completed!

Stained glass is more fun than I thought it would be!  I love cutting and grinding each piece of glass.  Foiling... eh, I don't love that part.  Soldering is actually fun!  I'm not very good at it yet but I will enjoy practicing and getting better.  :)
Traditional stained glass panels aren't really my thing so I'm looking forward to creating some fun and unique pieces... leaning towards 3D style like prisms and stars. 
Our next project will be a leaded panel... I'll keep y'all updated!

Facebook Fan Giveaway Entry Form

Hey all you people out there in Internetland!
My giveaway for facebook fans is officially up and running!

Check my website for your chance to win a pretty awesome looking sushi plate.

Facebook Fan Giveaway Page

Here's the prize for this drawing:

 

When I was making this plate, a tiny piece of green glass stringer wanted to be friends with the plate and got fused onto the edge of the glass.  I could have just melted it down and made something else... but I'm sure someone out there would love to give it a good home.  :)

Facebook Fan Giveaway!

I'll be having random giveaways for my Facebook fans!  Something different each time... could be a necklace, maybe a suncatcher, might be a plate... or something else!


Be a fan and fill out the entry form on the amykglass.com website for each drawing.  One entry per fan each drawing and no duplicate winners in a one year span.  More info and the entry form link will be announced when it's time.  :)
Winners will be announced on the website and on this blog. 


More information to come.. stay tuned!

Help name the latest suncatcher!

Finally got creating this style of suncatcher mastered... now I just need a name!
Help me name this design!

 

  

The blue and white swirls together.. reminds me of a sky.  Looks great in a window (turns lighter blue) and also on a wall.

Searching for great naming ideas for the style, not colors. 

Launching a New Website!

Here it is!

http://www.amykglass.com/

Yes I know some of it is empty... but it's a work in progress and I just had to share with y'all.  :)

I'll have information about my glass, myself and the studio. 
Tips, tutorials and giveaways will be added in the future.
I look forward to sharing!

If you have any suggestions or ideas for the site, please let me know.

Light tables can be expensive... here is a solution.

Transparent glass items can be difficult to photograph... you want to show off how the light shines through it.
A regular photo booth can to some degree but if the item is small it's a challenge, especially if you want to lay it flat.
I was getting frustrated with my dark photos and my friend Lee Black, a great photographer, suggested using my laptop to help shine light through my glass.
So here's what I did and I'm really happy with the results!  I'm sure this could be used for small transparent items that you'd like to shine light through.

What you need:
Camera
Steady hands or tripod
Laptop or flat screen monitor
Tracing Paper
Product

Here's my laptop.

Change the background to white and move any icons out of the way... less is better.

Carefully flip the laptop over so it looks like this... hold onto it if necessary.  Doing this won't hurt anything if you're careful.

Take a single sheet of white tracing or tissue paper and lay it over the monitor screen. 

Have the product that you'd like to take a picture of ready.

Gently place the product on top of the paper.  Take a picture!  DO NOT use the flash.  I like to use a tripod and add 2.5 second exposure... just to let in a touch more light.

Crop and edit your photo... all done!

  

Use this at your own risk... it worked for me so I just wanted to share.

NOT recommended for heavy items... you could damage your monitor screen.

Stained Glass and Lead Poisoning

I had it in my mind for a long time that if I learned stained glass I would be at risk for lead poisoning and get sick.  That mindset kept me from advancing towards learning this art.   I was wrong.
After lots of reading I learned that while stained glass workers do tend to have slightly elevated lead levels in their blood, if I'm careful there shouldn't be any reason why I won't be safe and healthy.

•Touching cold lead does not absorb through your pores.
•Soldering iron does not get lead solder hot enough to create harmful toxic fumes.  (But I'll use a fume trap just to be extra safe.)

Safety:
•Avoid dropping hot solder and have it burn through your skin.
•Avoid eating or having open drink containers in the stained glass work area.
•Wash your hands often and don't touch your face.

I love this article written by Glass Campus please read it!

Stained Glass Lead Poisoning

If I'm careful and treat it like raw meat (avoid touching but when I do, wash hands after) there shouldn't be any lead poisoning in my future.
Good idea to get a blood test each year just to be safe.
Only lead free solder is allowed for items that are near food (napkin holders, etc), jewelry, anything within reach of children, and items being constantly touched (ie: chessboards, etc).

My Stained Glass class starts on February 10th... wish me luck and remember... Safety First!  ^_^

Glass Craft & Bead Expo

I just found out about this event and now I'm very interested in going.
Going to be held in Las Vegas, April 9th-11th.  Classes start on the 7th.
Too bad I didn't know sooner... the classes I'm interested in are already sold out.  :(

Ah well I think that I'd still have a fabulous time at the expo... being able to talk to vendors, look at products, and see shiny new things!  Any opportunity to learn... count me in!

Glass Craft & Bead Expo is the premiere event in the art glass industry.

Oh and to quote Scott... "IT'S VEGAS BABY!!!"

Will Fuse Glass for Pizza!

I'm new to the Etsy community and love it so far!  So many people seem so nice and helpful.
So I decided to join an Etsy Team.  What is a team you ask?  Well an Etsy Team is a collection of artists and crafters who share ideas and help promote each other.
Will Craft for Food is a team for creative people working hard to turn to their art/craft into a primary source of income... and to keep sane and creatively fulfilled. 
Here's the story I shared with the team:
http://willcraftforfood.blogspot.com/2010/02/member-story.html

Check out the blog for some great articles and links to some nice shops. 

Will Craft for Food
  
Thanks!