Back in Business

There has been much concern expressed about the state of the furnace (thank you!)

The furnace (the source of all the glass) at the studio had to be shut down for maintenance.

In November? Yes. The worst possible time of year to have it turned off. This was unscheduled maintenance.

(Unfortunately, turning it off, and back on is not so simple. As you might recall from this blog post, it operates at 2100. So, it takes about 4 days for it to cool down. And another 4 days for it to get hot. All total, including the maintenance days, it will have been unuseable for about 12 days.)

As of now, the furnace is just about Hot, and we will resume working on Tuesday.

The most obvious question I was asked was:

What will you do? Two weeks with no glass?

And here is my answer.......

A lot!

Just about everything I make involves some type of Cold Work. Which means, it has to have additional thing(s) done to it when it is cold.

Bottlestoppers, Sea Stones and Oil Lights have to be ground (a process used to make things level or flat). Sea Stones and (some) vases have to be sandblasted (a process that gives the glass an etched appearance).

Bottlestoppers have to be glued (to cork or chrome plated stoppers)

And then there are the finishing touches.......

Ornaments have to be strung with ribbon, Chrome Bottlestoppers are packaged, gift boxes are stamped, Pocket Coins are packaged. There's a lot to do.

And then, of course, there are the Magnets and Hooks. Last Xmas season I sold over 400 sets (that's SETS, not individual) Magnets/Push Pins. I'm certain I would have sold more if I had the inventory. And this year alone, I have sold over 200 Hooks.

So, I've been busy. And in reality, have enjoyed this "cold" time. For, soon enough (10 days to be exact), I will begin my run of Holiday Craft Shows.......and will be grateful for all the Hot, and Cold time I've had at the studio.

Getting there.....

(on and off)

It's taken me a while (okay, a long while), but I have finally finished my pendants for my kitchen. It's definately one of the perks of being a glassblower.......I can make things. Cool things.

I not only learned that I couldn't decide on a design, but when all was said and done, I also could not photograph them. Believe it or not, there is a floral design etched on the glass.

As of now, only one is installed (don't ask). Once the second one is installed, I will take some nice photos, and show you the before and after.

This was a budget remodel.......and worth every penny.

Stay tuned.

Odd versus Even

(don't ask me what the photo means. I was not a math major. Or a science major. I was an Art History Major. So, if you'd like me to critique the photo, I can. As a matter of fact, I'm not really sure what this photo is all about. Answers are welcome).

Sooooooo. I made it to 500 sales in my Etsy shop *hooray*.

500

What a nice number. A nice, even number. When I reached 500, I did a little dance ("little" being the operative word), and relished in the joy of seeing that number next to my Items Sold.

I was happy.

No sooner had my little dance ended.....and the nice, even number was gone. I had sold another item, and was now at 501. *hooray again*

Now, this certainly isn't a complaint, as I do LOVE to sell things, but I also have a thing for even numbers. I like them. When I'm working, I have to make an even number of items.......20 bottlestoppers, for example. Not 19, not 21. Occasionally I will end on an odd number, and it always is a little unsettling. But, I move on.

And when I put gas in my car, I try to end on an even number......but that's more of a game, really. To see if I can let go of the trigger at the exact moment that the price changes to an even, whole number. Most of the time, I nail it *hooray*

So here's something to ponder......looking at the photo above, I actually prefer the Odd one. It's more interesting. Hmmmmm, odd=interesting.

I may have to rethink my ways.

Tick Tock Tick Tock

Time is running out.......

I am so, so, so, so close to 500 sales on Etsy! That means there is one, yes, one more chance to win a $30 gift certificate to my Etsy shop. See this post for details.

And......

Tomorrow (Saturday October 12th) is your last chance to visit me (and some of my friends) at the Providence Open Market. So, get out there!

www.providenceopenmarket.com

Lastly.....

I am sponsoring a giveaway. Kelsey contacted me, and asked if I would take part. One look at her blog and I said "yes"! Head on over to her blog to see how you can win something from me!

...............
Those clocks in the picture? Someday soon, one of them will be mine. Made by Uncommon, and I found them.......where else? On Etsy.

Enjoy!