♥ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish...

Due to time and financial constraints, I have decided to have to give up the flame for the time being. I want to thank everyone for their support throughout this journey, it has been a time and perhaps some day I will have the opportunity to get back into it again. If so, I will be sure to let folks know via this blog, but until that time, things will be fairly quiet around these parts. As for my website, it will be going off-line until such time as I am back at the torch.

I'm planning to sell off my glass inventory and torch, but will be keeping the small collection of tools that I have gathered. If you are looking for any specific soft glass colours let me know - I have virtually all of them! The torch is a Carlisle Mini-CC and is available for $150, glass will be priced according to colour.

One again, thanks for your support and hit me up with an email if you'd like to get the torch and/or any glass!

♥ New Year, New Skills!

Another year has pretty much come and gone, and I am looking forward to expanding my education in glassworking over the upcoming 365 days. Starting in January, I will be taking a weekly workshop in glass fusing at a local stained-glass shop. I am excited to try my hand at working with glass in an entirely new direction, and am certain that my flameworking will be both influential as well as influenced by the experience. The first project I will be undertaking will be to make myself a set of funky ‘n’ functional glass coasters since I so desperately need some and it’s quite the trick to find any that suit my sense of style and design... Necessity is often the mother of creation when you are a true DIY grrrl, and this certainly holds true in my case!

The second endeavour into expanding my skill-set is a week-long class in boroscilicate marble-making taught by Christopher Rice at the Corning Museum of Glass. I was fortunate enough to take a trip out to visit the CMoG this past summer to browse their extensive collection of art glass as well as learn of their world-class education facilities - even more fortunately, I have been accepted into Chris’ boroscilicate marble course this winter! You can be sure that I will be sharing the results of both the marble-making and glass fusing classes as I progress thru them.

Other than that, I’ve spent my holidays sketching out some ideas of what I would like to experiment with once I return to the torch in my spare time in the new year, as well as updating my online sketchbook to share that process - there can often be some interesting twists and turns along the path of bringing a hand-drawn image into the sculptural reality of the third dimension, so be sure to check back as I update with the newest postings.

Finally, as I have been enjoying this winter wonderland rather than working in the studio, I will leave you with an image from this past summer’s trip to the CMoG while I go back to enjoying a glass of wine by the fireplace and wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2010!

♥ Successes & Failures

Glass is a fickle medium.

Some days you can do no wrong and other days you can't buy the most simple of success in even forming a round bead for love or money. Yesterday was one of those days.

So rather than dwell on having spend the beautiful afternoon indoors behind a torch to the tune of not having anything to show for it, I decided to post some of my past successes that I haven't shared here before... Feast your eyes on my latest earring designs!





The Mod Earrings feature my handmade glass, sterling silver, a small round petrified wood bead, and tiger ebony wood frame. The St.Basil Earrings (so-called as the beads remind me of the onion domes of St.Basil's Catherdral in Moscow) feature my handmade glass beads, sterling silver and a Swarovski crystal. The crystal can be omitted should one prefer a more simple earring with less dangle.

While I currently have only the Mod Earrings up for sale (the St.Basil's have already been bought, sorry!) I will be in the studio making some more in the coming weeks. Custom colour requests are welcome, so please drop me an email if you'd like to order a pair for yourself or as a gift... Each set sells for $30, and can be shipped for an additional $5 or picked-up if you are local to Toronto.

♥ Autumn Amber Bead Set

Inspired by the beautiful fall colours after an afternoon wander thru the sunny woodlands along the Niagara Escarpment, these amber and ivory beads are sure to keep the spirit of a sparkling clear autumn day alive long after the leaves have all fallen to the ground and the snow flies. These beads are currently available in my Etsy Shop.

♥ Art Show

My hearts series of jewellery is on display along with some paintings from other artists-in-residence from Walnut Studios at The Public Butter for the next month, so feel free to drop by and have a look!

♥ Colour Shifting Barrel Beads

Just a quick snapshot of some barrel beads made with colour shifting and metallic glass that were recently removed from the kiln. I'm looking forward to experimenting some more with this shape and technique. Both beads are currently available in my Etsy Shop.

♥ Dutch Delft Blue

These beads whose colour was inspired by the famous Dutch delft blue pottery have been described as being reminiscent of sea creatures by those who have handled them. I have to agree that the patterns, linework and dots do remind me of the sea urchin shells we find washed up along the beaches in Florida. This set of beads would look spectacular combined with either freshwater pearls or sparkling Swarovski crystals.



This is my first bead set on offer in my Etsy Shop that shows off some of the pattern work I've been exploring. It takes quite some time to build up the patterns and layers, I spend close to 20 minutes on each bead. I am very fond of this collection of beads, the colours are so pure and saturated, and they are as interesting to explore visually as they are with your fingertips, the raised dots giving them a nice textural aspect as well as catching the light for added sparkle.