Holiday Sales and Message to (Busy) Friends

As holiday season approaches, I have recently submitted 30 of my crochet flower clips and brooches to 171 Cedar Arts Center's Holiday Cafe. (30% of the retail price goes to fundraise for 171.)

(I'm currently making a new batch of these in keener color combinations.)

I have also organized a bunch of ornaments and assembled jewelry for The Studio's Holiday Open House Sale.(50% of the retail price goes to funding their Artists in Residence Program as well as Studio Scholarships for students.)

More ornaments. Yay. (Using a blowhose is NOT easy when you don't know how to use it effectively. AND the powders I used aren't the best either. Boo.)


Box of balls for sale!


(I'm also making more of this stuff too.)

Other than all of this, I feel as if my brain is going through atrophy becacuse I haven't been reading or actively learning. So I've added more reading to my leisure time as well as listening to NPR programs while crochetting and jewelry assembling. Wee.

On another note, many of my friends are really busy in their lives. That's really great and all, but I feel that since they are so caught up in jobs/school/moving forward, it dilutes our communication and time for each other. I'm selfish and I know that we can only update each other on our lives so much, but I love my friends and I want to talk to them regularly and see what's up. I truly want to make an effort to continue my friendships, rekindle past ones, and make new ones. So expect shout outs, k? ♥♥♥

P.S. CNN + YouTube = Democratic Debate AND Republican Debate
Lots of questions. Lots of video. So check it out. I'll be doing the same.

The 11th Hour | Phil Hansen

I feel that my life is even more purposeful now. Making choices. Making changes.

Much respect to Goodbye Art, Mr. Phil Hansen.

Beginning Glassblowing Weekend Workshop

This weekend I was the teaching assistant for Amy Ruza's Beginning Glassblowing Workshop. It was the most gratifying experience to date at The Studio. We had a fabulous group of students and it was so much more than I expected. Everyone was engaged and excited to work with glass and each other. What was really special was that not only were the students involved, but they ranged in age and lifestyles—a retired couple, a registered nurse with her son and his friend, a mother of two kids who lampworks, a sculpture artist, an eager and enthusiastic man, and a former student at haystack.

On Saturday, we went through hotshop safety and equipment, and later moved to the basics of solid sculpting. On Sunday, we focused on making a blown vessel that would hold liquid and then gave them free blow time after lunch.

I didn't think I would be so involved, but I was! I really wanted to take many photos of the students working, but I was constantly engaged wit helping each student get comfortable with the glass as partners and as the gaffers. It was a wonderful teaching and life experience. I learned so much interacting with the students and it was truly an honor to be Amy's TA. She led an excellent beginners class.

Surprise!! Paperweights! (I made one too! It's the one on the bottom row, far right.)


Aren't round blobs of glass with pretty colors in them so wonderful?


Sunday morning.


Amy unloading the annealer with goodies.


Clear flowers and jackline caterpillars/snow(people)/turd balls. (Hahaha!)


Sunday's objective.


Yay, lunchtime!

Then after all of this, Ray took me out to the Walmart plaza parking lot for my first ever experience driving stick shift—it was so NERVE RACKING!! I was so uneasy and I couldn't make the car move for the life of me! HAHAHA!! Ray was so patient and awesome with me. I have really great friends. Life is good. Thank you all. ♥sandy