experimentations in glass

I realize that I have gotten really behind in my postings and now there is just to much to update!

Since the end of October I have busy playing with my kiln and making fused-glass pieces. I started with pendants and then added earrings, then pendant and earring sets and now this weekend have tried making small plates and dishes.

I really didn't anticipate that I'd want to spend so much time on this craft or that other people would be so interested! After receiving a few compliments on the necklaces I had been wearing I let it slip that they were handmade and several coworkers expressed interest in purchasing pendants for holiday gifts. Well - once I brought them in word spread and not only coworkers from my building/department wanted to buy them but other staff from across the University were contacting me. I think a conservative estimate would be that I've sold 60 pieces! I'm selling them at cost right now so they are quite affordable.

I just love this response! It's enabled me to splurge on more expensive glass and supplies, experiment with inclusions and different techniques and get immediate feedback on some of my trials. If I was only making them as gift for friends and family than I likely wouldn't have gotten so far in my experimentations.

Here are a few of my favourites (that I have pics of!):

In hindsight I wish I had anticipated this reaction and taken pictures of each piece I made. Oh well, you live and learn.

Here are some pendant/earring sets made last weekend.

These photos (and the dishtowel they are lying on as the bails dry) don't do them justice.

This week at work we have our "secret santa" gift exchange. The person I drew loves the colour tourquoise - I made 4 small candy dishes/appetizer plates for her. Here are 2 of the plates - the other 2 have just been slumped and are still cooling in the kiln. The plates are about 4.5 inches square and were slumped into a concave mold.



This is only the second set of plates I've made. I forgot to photograph the other set before wrapping them up for Christmas.

I'm considering selling some of my pieces on Etsy and participating in craft shows. This way I'll continue to have excuses to keep making more pieces! There are a few projects I am hoping to try out once the holidays hit and I have some time off.

Not much else is going on with me. I attended my convocation in November - still feels great to be done school!

i splurged and bought a kiln!

I really should have known better!

I recently found out about this great glass supply store in Toronto that offers several courses and seminars and stocks a lot of glass (for stained glass and for glass fusing) and all kinds of tools and accessories. Essentially everything and anything you need when working with glass. I checked out their website last night and found out that the store is in west end fairly close to where we live. I decided to go by today and just 'take a look around.' I walked out with multiple sheets of glass, cutting tools and a totally kick ass kiln!

Initially I was considering a smaller kiln but Alex was with me and talked me into getting the bigger one. His reasoning was that I might outgrow the smaller one. This model allows for bigger projects, higher temperature firing and is digital and programmable. I probably should have bought a used kiln to start with but I was overwhelmed with excitement and project ideas as I roamed the store and Alex was pretty encouraging so I decided to get the kiln RIGHT THEN.


This is a Coneart kiln. 14.5" interior diameter, 6.5" high. Kanthal A-1 elements in the lid. The walls are 2 ½" of premium firebrick. The jacket and fittings are all corrosion resistant stainless steel. The box in the front is a Bartlett 3 button controller - suppose to ensures precise control for heating and cooling. It has software for 4 user programs, which will be very useful when I start slumping glass (for bowls and plates) instead of just making fused pendants.

The glass I bought: I really love the swirly sheets. I think I'll save those for slumping.


I also bought some broken bits and treated myself to these cool beads.


I'm usually not this impulsive and tend to be fairly 'frugul' in terms of what I'll spend on myself so I'm still trying to reconcile this purchase. It's not exactly buyer's remore that I'm experiencing but a fair dose of guilt that the money could have been better spent. That being said, I'm pretty darn excited to get started! I'm hoping to fire my first batch tomorrow after Alex installs a seperate power outlet for the kiln (he's so safety conscious!).

I already have a list of other supplies I want to get - this is going to be one expensive hobby. Stay tuned!

cottage bathroom reno

The cottage is now closed until next summer...bummer. I love going to the cottage and am sad to think that I won't be relaxing on the dock for another 6 months. We spent this past weekend driving around prince edward county looking at the beautiful fall colours, visiting some artisan studios, doing a little shopping, drinking a little too much pec wine and visiting the local mircobrewery (Barley Days). When all the fun stuff was done we got to work and closed the cottage up, drained the water system and cleaned up the yard. 

Since I have nothing crafty to post (I bought some jewelry making supplies but need to get sheets of silver, copper and brass before new projects get started) I will share some photos of the new bathroom that went in at the cottage in May.

Here is the old bathroom built by my grandfather.  A tiny room just big enough for a sink and toilet. And no hot water. Don't you just love paneling? 

 

Here's Alex hard at work taking apart the bathroom. We decided to take out the wall/doorway and extend the bathroom by taking over some of the hallway.  

Voila! The new bathroom. After extending the bathroom into part of the hallway we were able to get enough space to add a shower stall. BIG improvement if you've ever had to use the "shower room" off the garage. 

Still a tiny room but at least it's now a three piece bathroom with hot water! I really like the tiles we used and the backsplash Alex made. It's hard to see but there is black detailing and a black ceiling that looks pretty neat.  

final jewelry projects

Happy Thanksgiving everyone (well, for those north of the border anyway)!!

My silversmithing class ended the other week and I'm finally getting around to posting pictures of my final projects. I had SO much fun at this class and am really looking forward to taking more courses. Silversmith level 2 will be starting in December but I don't think I'll be signing up for that. I'd really like to but in order to make it to class on time on Thursday evenings I had to leave work early and speed like a demon from Waterloo into downtown Toronto. I was only late for one class but once winter hits with it's snow, sleet and ice it'll be a whole other story. I think it's best if I wait for spring to take another course. I'm planning to sign up for metal printmaking, which starts in May.

In the metal printmaking course we'll learn how to etch a design onto a steel plate which will then be "roller-printed" onto a silver or copper plate. We'll also be taught other surface techniques such as "paper stamping," "reticulation" and "piercing" used to create handmade filigree. I can't wait!

For my final project I decided to make several silver pendants with an "animal" theme to them. I was planning to give them to my dissertation committee members but now that they are finished I don't want to part with them! I decided to cut out bones and a paw print, as well as make a punched out design (which was harder to line up than I thought, hence the misshaped design).


I kept the 2 bones that I carefully sawed out and soldered them onto a piece of brass for a pendant for me to keep. I wasn't able to get this piece done in class and had to leave it in the pickling solution. I just picked it up on Friday and still need to sand it. There was some slatter/overspill from soldering the 2 metals together so I need to sand that off and then clean up the piece.


I also made a simple brass pendant by punching holes with different sized bits. I tried to give the piece a brushed finish. As simple as this pendant is, I really like it.


And here are my main projects that were completed during the 6 week course.

more glass pendants

I forgot to take pictures during jewelry class last week but next Thursday is the last class so my final projects will be finished and coming home with me. I decided to make a few silver pendants with cut out and punched out designs. It was A LOT of sawing (and changing of blades as I snapped a few) but I like the way they are turning out. I designed them for my dissertation committee members so they have an animal theme to them.

Now that I'm done school I'll have time to get back into soap making and baking. Hopefully I'll have something to post soon. I'm also looking into more classes to take. I'm leaning toward cake decorating or the second level of silversmithing. I REALLY enjoy glass fusing but would like to do more than just pendants so I'm looking into purchasing my own kiln so I can do some experimenting. So much exciting crafty-goodness!

Here are the second batch of glass pendants I made. I find them very hard to photograph well. The flash or light tends to shine off them and it's hard to really show off the different colours in the pieces.


And here is one that went to my best friend Becky. She sported it on our evening out to Spamalot.


This weekend has been awesome. It's really my first weekend "off" in 6 years so I've been enjoying doing whatever I please guilt-free! The highlight of the weekend was a visit to a travel agency where we booked a trip to the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana). We leave on Saturday - less than a week!! This trip is Alex's graduation present to me - he's the best. All-inclusive food and drinks (24 hours a day!) sounds so luxurious. I can't wait to go!

project two - copper bracelet and pendant

Traffic was a big mess last Thursday so I was half an hour late for class and arrived without designs for my final project. I had had a very busy and stressful week and wasn't feeling very creative so instead of designing a crappy project to start, I finished off my bracelet and made a matching pendant. I'll be starting my final project in tomorrow's class.

Here is the copper after I cut the metal and filed and sanded the edges.


After annealing and bending the piece into shape.


On to hammering


The pendant has been cut (but not yet filed or sanded)


The completed set


In other other news....I'm officially finished school!! Yahoooo!!! I successfully defended my dissertation last Wednesday and couldn't be more thrilled or relieved. Just call me Dr. Lorah!

silversmithing project one

Last week I attended my third silversmithing class. I am really enjoying myself as are the other students. I continue to be impressed by the knowledge, skill and dedicated of our instructor Sarah - she's really great.

Our first project was to make a sterling silver band ring and then set a cabochon stone with a bezel setting. I really liked the way my ring turned out and decided that I didn't want to cover it with the stone setting so I ended up leaving my ring as is.

Here is the silver I chose, I wanted to make a wide and thick ring. This picture is after I sawed the length of silver and was about to sand the edges.


Here is the silver after annealing and bending it into shape. This was the ring at the end of first class.


During class 2 I soldered the seam of the ring and then did A LOT of hammering to get the ring nice and round. Here is the ring after that process.


Next I sanded the edges, exterior and interior of the ring with 6 different grades of sandpaper to get it nice and smooth and then tossed it into the tumbler to get shiny.


Because I wasn't doing the bezel setting for the ring I was able to get started on my next project at the end of class two. During last week's class I finished the project, a hammered copper cuff bracelet. I forgot to take pictures of the bracelet when it was finished off (after cleaning and brushing) so I'll wait to add photos of that. Next week I will be starting my final project.

In other news...my doctoral defense is on WEDNESDAY!!! Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I'm trying not to completely freak out. The rest of the weekend is allotted to getting my presentation in order. I've taken Monday and Tuesday off work and will use those days to prepare for the questions I will get. By noon on Wednesday I should be a very happy camper and will likely have some minor changes to make before sending the dissertation off to be bound. I am SO looking forward to being done with school!

glass fusing is cool

As promised, here are the photos from my class on fused glass pendants. This class was so fun and easy!! Not all the pieces worked out but I had never worked with glass before so it was a learning process for me. I'm thinking of taking the class again...or getting my own kiln so I can make more of these babies. The information for the class specified that we would be able to make 3 pendants and could use different colours and kinds of cut glass, glass bead or paint on designs. It wasn't until the class was nearly done that the instructor mentioned we could make extra pieces at an additional charge. I went crazy and ended up with 8 pieces by the time the class was finished. Of course once I was in the car (and for the next several days) I came up with all sorts of other designs I should have tried and people I should have made a pendant for.

Here are all 8 of the pieces before they went into the kiln

And here they are afterward


This was the first one I made. I really wanted to use the glass beads.


I used a stencil and paint on this one (I tried to free hand a design on one piece but it didn't work out and I washed it off). The stencil stuck to the glass and I had to pick off all the little pieces of paper with a toothpick. Tedious work. Obviously I missed some of the debris as the piece has a air bubble in it! I was dissappointed that that happened but now I think it adds a neat effect.

jewelry projects

I promised myself that once school was over and my dissertation had been defended, I could treat myself to some crafty classes. I narrowed it down to either pottery or jewelry making. I did some research online and came across this great studio on Queen Street (The Devil's Workshop) that sells artisan jewelry but also has a multitude of workshops and classes. I couldn't resist and signed up immediately - for 3 classes! Two of the workshops were just one evening but the other is a 6-week course.

The first class was "wire-working basics." During the 2 hour class we made a pair of stiletto earrings and a pair of tied chain drop earrings.

The last project we did was a wire ring. This was quite time-consuming (especially since I decided to make a cluster ring instead of using just one large bead for the top of the ring).

It was a BYOB (bring your own beads) class but of course I forgot to grab my beads that morning when leaving for work so I had to buy some there. Leaving the house at 6:45 is just too early! I had stocked up on some great beads a few months back when Michael's had a big sale so I was disappointed that I didn't have those to work with. The selection of beads at the workshop wasn't the best but I'm pretty pleased with the pieces I made.

The next evening was a class on making fused glass pendants. I have pictures of my pieces before they went into the kiln for firing but I don't have the finished pieces yet so I'll wait to post all those pictures together. This was an awesome class!

Yesterday I attended my first silversmithing class. In 6 sessions we will learn how to make a sterling silver band ring then set a cabochon on it with a bezel setting. We'll also be able to do one or two other projects, depending on the labour involved.

Since I was busy working away I didn't take many pictures. The first thing we did (after learning how to put a blade into our saw and tighten it properly - harder than you'd think and more frustrating too!) was practice cutting through metal. Here's my L-line and curvy line.

I had fun using the torches but I don't have any pictures of that part. I decided to make a thick ring so bending the metal was difficult but hammering the ring around the mandrel with a rawhide mallet until the ends met was fun. Here is my ring at the end of day 1.

Once I'm back in class next Thursday I will join the ends of the ring together with solder (more torch work!) and then can get on with shaping, sanding and buffing the ring. I'm not sure what kind of finish I want to do yet. Also, I need to figure out what my other projects will be. We get started on those next week and I need to come with some drawings of my ideas.

In other crafting news, I received my first PIF gift on Wednesday! And it was 2 gifts in one - an awesomely stylish purse/clutch and a metal keychain. Thank you so much knitticrafty. I had my PIF gifts almost ready to go out but then decided to make an extra something for one of my recipients.

I am counting down the days until my defense. I don't have my presentation together yet but I've been thinking a lot about it, that counts right? I received the report from my external and she seemed pretty positive about my research. There are a few things I'll need to address in my presentation but I don't think it'll be as bad as I initially feared.

Also, we are considering moving to Waterloo! I've been surfing mls quite a bit but have only been out to see 3 houses so far. I have 4 viewings booked for Monday so things are picking up. I LOVE house-hunting!

A crafty weekend

Finally, a craft update!! My newest hobby is making cold process soap. Here are some bars from my first attempt. A friend gave me the recipe. These bars are largely olive oil based with some coconut oil, palm oil and cocoa butter which makes a mild soap with a good lather. The ones pictured below are scented citrus fresh and may or may not be destined for a PIF recipient.

I am hoping to get some batches made in September so they will be ready for Christmas. I will take some pictures of the process when I do.

I also got back into jewelry making this weekend. Here are a pair of earrings. The earrings ended up being a bit bigger than originally designed but I like how they turned out. I need to replace the earwires with bigger hooks but once that is done they may or may not be on their way to a PIF recipient.

And lastly, I made a batch of muffins to be enjoyed over the long weekend. Some of these are blueberry (for me) and some are chocolate-nut (for Alex).