Here We Go!

I have to be honest, this truly IS a work-in-progress... I don't even know how to change my fonts yet, LOL! So, I'll play around til it looks the way I want. In the meantime, I'll try to post interesting bits here about glass, art, and life... maybe a couple times a week. Think I can do it? We'll see!!! ;)

I'll just start at the beginning. I have a husband, a teenager, a house, and a full time job. As if all that isn't enough to fill my days, I have these creative urges too. I'll admit, I'm a typical crafter/artist. That is, I love trying different mediums - and different tools & processes within the medium of choice - and I'm easily distracted by pretty, shiny things... like Swarovsky crystals, gemstones & pearls... and glass. So jewelry making was a logical choice... here are some wedding sets I made a couple years ago:

Like so many before me, I have accumulated lots of supplies for scrapbooking, painting, beading, and more... A good friend & I like to say that we have "Art A.D.D." {squirrel!} ...never really settling on one thing, but always coming back to it.

One thing I've consistently stuck with is GLASS, mostly kiln-fired in a variety of ways.

A few kiln-fired pieces...

So while I can never seem to find enough time to play with all the tools and pretty materials, I make a pretty good effort, and love coming up with new designs, color combinations, and even new processes that I may have once feared (like reaching into a 1700 degree kiln!) then finally tried, then inevitably obsessed on for awhile. And I even still manage to work in some old school beading & scrapbooking!

Why "Glass Garden Designs"? Many of my designs and color combinations are inspired by nature... trees, flowers, sunsets... so it was natural for me to brand my designs with something along those lines... and with Dear Hubby's help, a few years ago, we came up with Glass Garden Designs and set me up a little studio in the basement (oh, that was a happy day!). Then I set up shop on Etsy, and a good friend helped me develop an image and a website too. Oh, and yes, I still have a full time "regular job" too!

So now my glass studio is my "garden," one that I can tend to year-round. That, and my family, give me great pride & pleasure.