Something Bright!

  

I just love this sunny coloured treasury I was featured in, it proper cheered me up!  You can see the full treasury, and click on the links, here COLOUR ME HAPPY Treasury - if you can't tell, mine are the Groovy Baby coasters....

New News....

Well, there's not that much of it I am afraid!

Last week, I worked with a local school making Chinese lanterns with willow and tissue.  For two days, I worked with Year 6's (or for you of a certain age, fourth year juniors!) - one class each day - 22 lovely children each day.  It  was a challenge to get done, but the kids worked really hard and by the end of each day we had a classroom full of pretty, rabbit inspired lanterns.  By Wednesday, I thought I'd gone deaf though, as I didn't hear anybody calling my name, or 'Miss' for ages...

Sadly the weather wasn't very nice on Saturday for the Chinese New Year celebrations on Ilkeston market place - after those howling winds (where's my fence panel gone?  Did it skip off into the sunset with the trampoline cover?) - although there was still a good turn-out for the dancing and festivities.  Just not many lanterns - not that they stayed lit in all that wind.

So what else have I been doing?  More listing on Etsy - and the Frit Happens Etsy Street Team have been working hard as usual to promote everybody.... I made it into another treasury or two...

Listing on Etsy is a bit addictive... mind you, checking how many views the items in your shop has had is even more so!  They say a watched pot never boils, so I need to stay away!

I've got to start thinking of new ideas - I am loving using the decals, but I want to start designing my own - although my supplier does some lovely ones, they aren't unique.  And I also have some ideas I want to try out for the exhibitions that are coming up in spring.

I might share with you when I have had a play!

Wow what a week

Last week was full on.  The school seemed really pleased with the work, I just want to go back with a bit more time to take some better photographs, so I can use some images for publicity material.  Meanwhile, I took a provisional booking for a workshop, along with some lantern making workshops I am doing next week, did a bit of networking,  I sold another item on Etsy (yay) and, erm, what else - oh, yes, I did the cap and gown thing and graduated, officially, on stage.

This week has been a bit mixed, mostly non-work problems that I won't bore you with, but include my new all singing all dancing phone breaking down, what a pain.  Hopefully, if I set it up right, I won't have lost too much information.  A few other things, mixed in with a great time visiting my past by going to Rock City to see The Cult (a bit too old for all that mosh pit stuff these days though!)

Anyway, I have been featured in another Etsy Treasury, this time my VW Camper Coasters:

On the Shed 2 Studios front, we're opening for the Derbyshire Open Arts 2011 event, which is at the end of May.  I will tell you more about that nearer the time.

I am treasured!

I started listing a few more things on Etsy, thanks to the encouragement of friends on Frit Happens.

I am now part of the Frit Happens Etsy 'Street' Team, who do a fantastic job of promoting it's members...

And I have been picked for a treasury already! (if you click on the large picture, it will take you straight to the Etsy Treasury page)

Groovy Baby!

I did it.  I actually did it. I listed something on Etsy....

I thought I would give it a try. Etsy is an online facility for buying handmade, vintage and interesting goods.  It's quite popular amongst my friends in the lamp-working community.

Although the work I am going to list on Etsy doesn't really fit into the public art category, it is a good way of carrying on working with glass, developing ideas on a smaller scale, and importantly, showing what you can do with glass fusing, which I hope will encourage people to sign up for a workshop when they're up and running (which will be as soon as the workshop is a bit warmer!)

Here's what I have listed...

Tile Works

This is one of the tiled pieces that I made in the summer... finally got round to photographing some work the other day!

This one sits by the fire (well, the wood burner) at the studios - it went on the wall at our open event, and it looks just right in the space - saved me packing it away!

I spent most of the day photographing, was good to get back to the camera - expect a few more pictures over the coming week or so!

Dancing on Ice....

Not me.  My car.  This afternoon.  In fact, what a great day all round!

This morning, I drove over to the art room at Long Eaton to see if the kiln fairies had been kind to the Sunday class.  They were, and I hope everybody who took the class will be pleased with the results.  Mind you, it was so cold, that when I put the kiln shelves back in the boot of the car, I noticed some glass in a box had ice on it!  

A visit to the studio next, to find Rachel had a roaring fire going, too the point the stove was actually glowing hot... unfortunately, after a warm by the fire, it was all hands on deck (well, me and Rachel, as that was all who was there) after a pipe burst and we had water everywhere.  Don't panic!  Oh, yeah, and the toilets were frozen.... 

After this, I had to call at the exhaust repair centre, to get a bracket replaced - quick job, five minutes in and out.  Or it would have been if I hadn't got stuck with wheels-a-spinning, trying to get back up the road out of the place... oh the embarrassment.... I have to say, I was glad to get home tonight!

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

The reason I was up in Rowsley, before the weather got really bad last week, is because I am shadowing Rachel Carter as an artist in residence for the Bolsover Project.  We're weaving willow spheres (something new to me and thoroughly enjoyable) with community groups there.  The spheres are then going to be part of the Bolsover Lantern Parade on Saturday.  I am helping Rachel with the work, although I am not sure I will be able to get to Bolsover on Saturday to see them lit up in all their glory, as my son is playing in a band on Saturday night, and it's hardly the weather for racing around...

I hope I remember to take my camera with me tomorrow up to the Peak District, even if the snow is melting, it should still be spectacular scenery....