If you aren't on Instagram, you are missing all the fun! Depending upon who and what you choose to follow, Instagram can be a lively, inspirational space. I follow potters, chef's, painters, travel photographers, gallery owners, style mavens, and more. Carefully chosen because they make me laugh, inspire me in some way creatively, or I learn the process of crafts I don't do. It's all relaxing to me, and a welcome break in my day to scroll through the hashtags. Check us out if you like at Instagram/rmanly.
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We were in Barnes & Noble this morning waiting for the truck to be serviced and perusing magazines. I picked this up and was surprised when one of our ring projects published in the now-defunct Step-by-Step Wire magazine a few years ago was included here. We thought is was kind of weird they didn't give us a heads up, but hey, the struggling magazine business isn't what it used to be. All publicity is good publicity. I think that wire rock wrapping is kind of intriguing too...
Cute and creative customer Many Lynn Byers bought one of our colorful enameled silk wrap bracelets at our festival booth this past Saturday, then stopped by Sunday to show all the ways she liked wearing it as a necklace. It was one of those weekends with lots of happy people milling about. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with nearly perfect weather for this part of the country and the lovely setting and lots of great art along the creek. 100 degree heat index forecasted for this weekend, so welcome to the reality of Mid-Atlantic summer! That same weekend another sweet customer came by wearing a handmade glass bead bracelet she purchased from us the previous day and expressed how much she loved it. We are so grateful for all of our happy art-loving customers that take time out of their weekend to come to art festivals and support and admire all things handmade.
The newest issue of Glass Bead Evolution is online, ready to download. The magazine is published by the International Society of Glass Beadmakers, and one of the benefits of membership. At some point it is also available for purchase by anyone. I enjoyed talking with German lampwork artist Frank Miguletz for his artist spotlight feature. His English was excellent and his work is stunning. This issue, as most, is filled with amazing photographs of the work of some amazing flameworkers that I have long admired. Get your copy and settle in for some weekend reading.
Sunday kicked off the art festival season for us. Our trusty EZup tent had served us well for 5 years but was in need of new sides. We had been contemplating for the past several years to upgrade to a Trimline dome tent because they are far more weather resistant. We have been in some EPIC wind and rainstorms. Heavily weighted, our EZup never took flight, but the rain collects in the roof and I always thought it was rude to our neighbors when we hit the roof with a broom handle to empty it out and sending huge cascades of water all around us. So we bit the bullet this year and got the Trimline. I love it. The dome interior makes it feel more spacious inside and the screened windows above allow for some cross ventilation. The quality is top notch. Thank goodness for my engineer husband who grasped easily the piles of metal tubing to put this together. No way as easy as opening an EZup. We will still use the EZup for a few one-day events we do that require quick set-up and break-down. We also got some foamy padded flooring. I recommend these. We got ours at Lowe's. They fit together in squares. It's comfortable to walk on. Preserves glass items from crashing to the pavement. And one of the best features is that when it rains, the rain mostly runs under the foamy flooring and protects your cases, hidden bins and whatever might be on your floor from getting wet. No matter your booth design, the grey is a neutral color and goes away. People will focus on all your great art and compliment you on how comfy your space is.
A little spring cleaning in the studio this weekend. This may be as clean as my bench is ever going to be. A beautifully built piece of furniture made by by my husband I should add. I only hope I can keep it this way. I have a tendency to have a clutter of UFO's (unfinished objects) at any given time. Some new idea will take hold, as I shove a piece aside. Or maybe a piece I'm working on proved so vexing I will put it aside for something less tedious. So now I have dedicated a container for works in progress. Its on a shelf with other supplies, and not distracting me. I don't find a big mess conducive for creativity, but this is a hard business with all it's little bits and parts to keep tidy. The goal is to pull them out one at a time, finish and move on. Fingers crossed. This website doesn't offer me the hysterically laughing emojis in text edit to end this post with :-)
We are dodging the blizzard hitting our friends further north, but the wind still unleashed with a fury and knocked the power out for a while today. All in all its been an unseasonably warm winter and the crocus & hellebores have revealed themselves, chives are a good 6 inches tall, and all sort of perennial sprouts are pushing out of the ground. This little brooch reminds me of everything going on in the garden right now. Silver, coin pearl and peridot.
We always have these fun and affordable rings in our online shops and our shows. They have unisex appeal. We had a couple in Williamsburg choose a pair of the heart rings as their wedding rings. I wear one of the stacking hook rings every day, but I have a heart one on my list too! Happy weekend people. I hope your team wins tomorrow. I'm looking forward to half-time and the commercials.
It's National Wear Red Day today, raising awareness for women's heart disease. So it seemed fitting to construct something from our red glass ribbon collection. The way so many women run themselves ragged taking care of their families, its no surprise really that heart disease and stroke kills one woman every 80 seconds. Ladies, please, know your numbers: total cholesterol, HDL good cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index. Love yourselves as much as you do your loved ones.
Bill is working hard today on our upcycled bottle glass prep. When he's done cleaning old wine and soda bottles, he cuts up strips and then pulls rods in a torch flame. We need the rods for the best outcome when making beads, shells and other sculptural elements. It's a long process compared to picking up a rod of regular art glass and off you go.. but there is something very satisfying about doing something eco-friendly. We are not digging giant holes in the earth and giving potentially discarded material a second life.
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