New Dragonflies!

All our dragonfly pendants sold out at Folk Fest so we were given a special order to make one as a gift for a young lady. I used the opportunity to experiment a little with a design I had in my head for a three-part dragonfly: two wings and a body, connected with jumprings and custom-hung on a sterling chain.
It turns out that it was more complicated to make than I'd anticipated. The wings were too delicate to pierce without breaking or distorting, so I had to add super-dainty loops instead. I was also determined to add two pairs of wings instead of my customary single pair. It ended up taking forever but I'm really happy with the result! It snuggles comfortably into the wearer's neck and dances as the wearer moves.
However it would probably be too dainty a piece for an active young lady to wear safely. I decided to try something on a completely different scale:
Here they are together so you can see how tiny the tiny ones are! I was in LOVE with the chubby-winged blue one, and that was ultimately what our client chose for her gift.
I snapped some quick pics before it left us. Unfortunately I mixed up which ISO setting was best, and set it at "HI", which is why there's so much speckly noise in the shots. Ah well, this is how I learn! Keep on checking out blog for our latest designs and innovations!

Winnipeg Folk Festival Report!

Another wonderful Folk Festival has come and gone. It always goes by so quickly! A BIG thank you to all the wonderful people who came by our booth to visit us and look at our most recent work. We felt very spoiled with all the kind praise! As Andrea says, it's hard to know whether we're on the right track at all when we're working in our subterranean studio, and it means so much to get feedback.
I always get such bad, high-contrast photos of our booth at Folk Fest and this year is no exception, but I'll share it anyway. We improved our look with our revamped Tree of Leaves,Andrea repainted all our displays to be black and bronze instead of black and red, and we had improved bracelet displays. Andrea handmade all our displays, mostly out of copper pipe and discarded theatre set scrap! I think our curtains looked tidier this year as well.As you can see, we had a ton of simple leaf pendants this year to offer some very cute but affordable options. They're always popular but this year I felt like we had a more complete offering, and beautifully displayed. I was also very happy with our butterfly selection this year, especially our new pierced-wing butterflies. I find them kind of retro, in a good way, and a little more graphic and funky the way they hang diagonally.
Of course we stocked up on goodies from other vendors, too! I got a new hat from Oldhat, and Andrea got a second Wanda June cap. I got us some yummy bath stuff from Heartsease. I wanted many more lovely things but we're trying to save up a cushion for a big upcoming project. I also got to see some great performers! The Punch Brothers had an amazing triple rainbow appear over the mainstage during their performance, which was magical.
So now I'm retreating from the bright and busy world again to work on some very cool special commissions, including a pair of wedding pendants! Back to my cozy underground lair... :)

Floral Stamen Breakthrough!

Yes!!! I've figured out just the right order of steps to make crisp stamens in my florals! I've been struggling with this for YEARS so I'm kind of giddy about finally succeeding. They're pretty hot, eh? And just in time for our Folk Fest show starting on Friday!

One week to Folk Fest!

As you might well imagine, Hearts of Glass studios is working at a fever pitch to prepare our most recent batch of glass goodies for the Show of the Year: Winnipeg Folk Festival!

Handmade Village at Folk Fest is simply an amazing experience. I loved it as a browser and buyer and I ADORE it as a vendor! The venue is electric with energy and excitement, the people are amazing and really care about local, handmade treasures, and Hospitality volunteers come by with fresh fruit and coffee. Of course, I still like to take a few moments to look around at all the handmade loveliness, and I inevitably pick several treasures to take home with me too!
Hearts of Glass will be in a corner booth this year (yay!) in the tent furthest from Mainstage and closest to Burr Oak. We're in the inner corridor of Handmade Village facing north-east. Here's a close-up of the Folk Fest map showing Handmae Village, with our little logo showing where you can come to see us!

New bracelets and fish for Edmonton!

I'm leaving soon for a quick trip to visit family in Edmonton. It's momentous times - my sister-in-law is turning 50, it's father's day, my niece is getting possession of her first house... So we didn't want to show up empty handed!
This bracelet it probably for my sister-in law, who likes neutrals and greens. Unless of course we give her this one instead:And my father-in-law's partner has been hinting about wanting a Laza Tiger-style bracelet for ages now, so we made her this:And finally another fish just because our fish are appreciated out West! :)

Attempted Orchids

I try to make orchids in glass.

Dragonflies

I have some new florals and tiger sets but I haven't had time to photograph them, so I'd like to share a dragonfly pendant I made earlier this Spring. It's life-sized and hangs from a clear loop behind the head. It looks like a dragonfly has landed on your neck! I make these in borosilicate as they'd be too delicate to wear in soft glass. I'm sold out for now but I plan to make a series for the Folk Festival, as dragonflies are plentiful and beloved there!