Gelf on a Shelf

 

Meet Gelf! The furry little elf who likes to pull pranks around the Holiday Season. Clogged toilet? He probably flushed all of your fudge from Aunt Marge! Missing socks? They are on the dog keeping his paw-paws warm -- How thoughtful! Toothpaste replaced with hemorrhoid cream? A total Gelf move! Shampoo dyed green with food coloring? Gelf is just helping bring out your inner Grinch! What is in the gift boxes you ask??? Hot homemade Guinea Pig droppings of course! No need to write a thank you note. You're welcome!

Grogru

 

Grogru is eagerly awaiting breakfast on his comfy perch.  The little guy knows that if he tilts his head just so, the adorable pose will be rewarded with almond slivers... no wonder his cheeks are so round!  Enjoy ;)

Moonlight Flight

 

Happy Monday!  Hope your week is filled with happiness & simple pleasures. 

Giverny No.1

Inspired by Claude Monet's Water Lilies, painted at his home in Giverny.  In my late teens, I was lucky enough to see his work in person during a visit to an art museum.  The size of canvas used is something I didn't expect.  The photos of his paintings in artbooks at the time didn't convey the scale or beauty of his work.  Still one of my favorite painters. 
 

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice!

 

Pumpkin Pie Filling Recipe:

  • Cut the tops off of the pumpkins in a circle... sure, this is a little messy but just pretend that you are preforming a craniotomy and making a jack-o-lantern.
  • Quarter the pumpkins from the top down and scoop out the seeds and tendrils.  Feel free at this point to ignore the pumpkin's look of horror... they cannot feel anything and are just being a big, pouty baby at this point.   Note:  Keep seeds for pepitas if you like ;)
  • Place the pumpkin shells meat-side up on a large cookie sheet or other sided baking dish.
  • Smear the inner surfaces of the pumpkins with fresh churned butter... like a greased pig at the county fair.  The more butter, the better!!!
  • Sprinkle the brown sugar and spices, including a small bit of salt, over the shells.
  • Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until you can easily stab through the flesh with a fork.  Yes, I realized this recipe is getting a bit murdery and may not be an appropriate family baking activity for children under 12. 
  • Let stand to cool.  
  • Gently cut away the outer skin -- This is great for compost and covering up the crime scene.  
  • Puree, mash, or process the meat to the desired consistency for the recipe you're preparing - very smooth for a mousse, less so for a standard pie.  Yum!  Enjoy!!!

Ocean Inspired

 Studio work from Monday evening. 

 Glass Prep:

 Creating the base:

 
Adding Design Detail:

A twirl for the camera before heading to the kiln:

Elegance

 


Elegance (noun)

-- the quality of being graceful and stylish in appearance or manner; style.

Arctic Snail

 

Anyone have a salt shaker???  This little guy was created from CiM Arctic Milky 593.

 
Warning: Do not overheat the Escargot... little guys tend to get a little moody when their nubbin is too toasty.

Cafe Au Lait Otter

 

A little coffee stained milkstache on this otter, courtesy of Creation is Messy glass!  <3

Bawk Bawk!

Ever wonder where Easter eggs come from?  Push aside the preposterous idea of purple speckled chickens popping out eggs onto a conveyer belt, all while being handfed jelly beans, gummy worms, and Belgium chocolate. Nope, time to put on your big girl pants and face the truth.  Say hello to Easter Bonnie **bawk, bawk** 

Reflections

The Beads of Courage Artist Challenge is always a special day.  Firing up the torch, I found myself surrounded by close friends and talented artists giving so freely of their time and skills.  I deeply admire their selfless gift of service.  Having a son born with a congenital heart defect, Beads of Courage is a cause near and dear to my heart on so many levels.

Courageous children, who have requested special beads, gather around the studio tables as the glass enters the flame.  Skilled artisans steady their hands as they begin to bring Dream Beads to life.  The molten glass starts to flow and a menagerie of one-of-a-kind beads fill the hot kilns.  Happy ladybugs, alien-like monsters, smiling minions, superheroes, monkeys, and waddling ducks form a colorful parade of silliness.  Sounds of laughter echo in the bustling studio as whimsical designs take shape.  These beads will become unique Act of Courage beads, given to children on tough treatment days or to acknowledge milestones. 

Sheer amazement is visible in the children’s inquisitive eyes as they watch the dance of molten glass.  Creativity floods their eager minds as beads take shape.  In this moment, the children forget about their serious illnesses and the daily struggles.  Their thoughts drift away to the endless possibilities of glass.  Parents’ hearts are filled with happiness as they see their child’s wonder.  On this day, I have watched parents hold back tears, while children smile with joy.  This is the reason why so many love the National Bead Challenge Day.  The delightful scene is repeated in glass studios around the world.  Artists as a collective inspire hope, one bead at a time. 
The children are full of questions.  Many are concerned for the artist’s safety and ask, “Have you ever burnt yourself?”  In the child’s eyes, the artists are brave souls who tame fire and molten glass.  In our eyes, the children are the brave ones.  Each bead on their elaborate necklace stands as significant evidence of their courageous spirit, a record of their story.  They are gallant heroes in every sense of the word. 

Harvest Time Again


Feel free to contact me via facebook for dibs on a new pumpkin paperweight.

Frankie

Looking for a longterm relationship: Don't let the rough exterior fool you, Frankie is as huggable as a patchwork quilt... stitched with love. A monster of few words, he enjoys long evening walks through the town square, playing golf during lightening storms, and tinkering in the workshop. Greatest fears: pitchforks, torches, and not finding true love.

Giveaway!!!! Clarus Custom Glassboard

Update:  Congratulations to Ivy Boyer for winning the Giveaway drawing!

 I have partnered with Clarus as a showcase artist for an upcoming design show in SoCal! 

The Clarus team of amazing designers assisted in creating a custom magnetic, glassboard that is float-mounted on my studio wall!  Just wait... it gets better!!!!  Clarus donated (1) exact replica of my glassboard with mounting brackets, dry erase marker set, magnetic box tray & magnets as a giveaway prize for a lucky follower to win!  

Details:

1 Entry per person. 

To enter, just follow me on Facebook & "like" the Clarus Giveaway post... no comment necessary!

Important -- Due to shipping logistics, the winner must have a shipping address within the 48 contiguous United States.  What does that mean???  The contiguous United States or officially the conterminous United States consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states (plus the District of Columbia) on the continent of North America. Sorry, this excludes the non-contiguous states of Alaska and Hawaii and all other off-shore insular areas such as American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.

All entries must be submitted by the Midnight Deadline, September 29th (Pacific Standard Time).

Interested in designing your own awesome, magnetic glassboard to suit your specific design needs???  Head on over to the Clarus website and submit a request:

Clarus

SoCal Design Show - September 2021

Gift necklaces for a design show in SoCal this September. Some exciting announcements coming soon -- including an amazing Giveaway for a lucky follower's studio space! ❤

Goldie

Hope this sweet little guy brightens your day with the lovely citrus of CiM Kniphofia and CiM Orange-zilla.  So yum!

Cronicles of Cupcake the Otter & His Covid-19lbs of Chunk

 

Meet Cupcake!  Contrary to popular belief, he didn't get his name from having a sugary-sweet personality.  During the year long Covid quarantine, Cupcake built quite the reputation for putting down the baked goods by the baker's dozen.  
His kryptonite?  Boston cream filled vanilla cupcakes with a maraschino cherry buttercream frosting.  Aside from the extra Covid-19lbs of insulation, his otter-stache (aka flavor saver) is permanently stained a cupcake color.  Time for a Keto-Kelp health eating plan!
On a positive note, the local bakery near the wildlife sanctuary is thriving.

Nonya Beeswax!

 

Nonya is a sassy little guy.  He likes to hoard seed and when asked, "what do you have there?"  He promptly responds with a chirpy "Nonya Beeswax!"  Someone may need to learn to share... getting a little round in the mid-section.  

For my glassy-geek friends... this was made with CiM Beeswax Misty.

CiM Toothpaste... so minty fresh!

 

Loving how this fan/light pull turned out!  It was created from CiM Toothpaste and pure 24kt gold.   
It will definitely add design interest and a pop of color to a lucky lamp or fan.
#heathersellers #cimglass #customfanpull #ooak #mint #cimtoothpaste #cimcolortesting #cimglass  #creationismessy #glass #handmade #artglass #functionalglass #24ktgold #24kt #design #ooakdesign

Baby Yoda

 

Good morning sunshine! Did you sleep well in the kiln? Snuggy warm you are.
 

Why I trail run...

...because sometimes life is challenging and it gives me strength to know that I can accomplish hard things like summit mountains in my physical and personal life. By small in simple things, great things can be accomplished... one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. 

Carb Loading

1 day until Christmas... let the carb loading begin!  A stickler for clean energy, Santa fuels his sleigh with high-quality organic, non-GMO deer feed.  Wash it down with a steamy mug of hazelnut hot chocolate topped with frothy whip cream and peppermint sprinkles.  Sooey!