Easter Cross

A gentleman phoned me this afternoon looking for the perfect gift for a friend of his. Apparently his friend has been attending classes in an attempt to covert to Catholicism.

Not only has he completed the requirements but his first Sunday Service in his new-found faith will be this Easter Sunday.

After chatting with this man I designed the two crosses shown above using some of his favorite colors. Each cross is eight inches tall by six inches wide and will have a pretty satin ribbon attached for hanging convenience.

Maple Leaves

A close friend of mine gave me a nice little book highlighting various shapes, colors and style of leaves found throughout the world.

As I was looking through the book recently -- I was inspired to make a few pieces of glass using the book as inspiration.

Available for sale here.

Ice

As I was looking though some of my favorite photographs -- I remembered taking this picture while driving though Utah on our way to Washington state.

It was about 7:00 a.m. and my family and I had just left for the morning driving in the motorhome at about 75 MPH.

As I was looking out the passenger side window I saw the sprinklers had just started spraying water and the ice on the wires were twinkling in the early morning sun.

I asked my husband to quickly pull over to the side of the road while I grabbed my camera.

Well -- trying to stop a 30-foot motorhome traveling at 75 MPH is not an easy task. Although he really didn't want to turn around for a silly photo -- he did.

This is the result of the early morning drive through Utah.

I really love the ice, the water and the frost on the ground.

California Poppies

Flowers are blooming and kitties are helping in the garden.

Allie, a.k.a. 'Garden Kitty' has been helping me work in the yard. Her favorite place to hide is under the leaves of the various flowers which are now in full-bloom.

Saturday Shopping on Etsy

OK -- It's Super Bowl Playoff time and I'm from the fine state of Arizona.

Since our team has made it to the big game I decided to offer up my Saturday Shopping on Etsy to the Arizona Cardinals.

I hope you enjoy my picks for the Cardinals. You won't find any football-related items here but you will find some very nice Cardinals items.

Feel free to click on any of the pictures above. That will take you to each artists' shop on etsy where you can shop around.

In the Style of FLW

During a recent gift exchange I made a stained glass panel for a fellow glass artist.

Using the style of Frank Lloyd Wright i crafted this panel so my friend would have a pretty panel that would remind her of Arizona and the pretty colors we have here.

A Rainbow Through the Branches

The rainfall in the Phoenix area is very slight compared to the northern part of the state.

However, when the rain does fall we are blessed with beautiful rainbows that follow.

This particular splash of color is shown as it was viewed through a Mesquite tree.

Little Helpers

I was in the middle of doing my housework when I realized I had some help sorting through the laundry.

A few days back my husband and I were adopted by a pretty, grey, tabby kitty. She seems to be less than one-year-old and loves to snuggle up behind your ear and neck. She purrs like a freight train and eats like a Great Dane.

Custom Butterfly

I was approached by a large, hairy, tough-looking man who was delivering automobile parts to my husbands auto repair shop.

He pulled me to the side and asked me quietly if I could make a stained glass butterfly using dark purple, light pink and green glass. His mother apparently loves butterflies and is now bed-ridden due to illness.

His desire is to give her this large butterfly in hopes of making her last days as pleasant as possible.

As he drove away in his large 4X4 truck with large, noisy side pipes and shiny chrome wheels I was reminded that all people have a soft spot for someone special in their lives.

Pretty Blue Flower

As I was playing with small pieces of glass and gazing out the window -- I decided to turn the glass into an image of what I was seeing.

Near my neighbor's house is a pretty bed of flowers that grows throughout the wintertime here in the desert.

This little blue stained glass flower looks similar to those underneath her front room window.

Available for sale here.

Military Canons

Shown above is a custom order for a woman currently stationed at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky.

This is the emblem for the unit her family member is a part of.

Dark Amber and Royal Blue Panel

A pretty royal blue and dark amber stained glass panel. In the center of the piece is a clear square of sculpted glass.

Available for sale here.

A Winter's Bird

Ahhh -- the blistery cold of winter.

This little amber and red glass bird is hunkered down on the branch of a tree. I think he's waiting for someone to put some bird seed out in the feeder.

Actually - this panel is a gift for a friend. She lives in snow country and takes very good care of all the creatures in her grasp.

Green and Golden Glass Nuggets

Shown above is a stained glass panel hand-crafted using three different shades and textures of colored glass.

The kelly green color at the bottom of the panel is very vibrant and shows a lot of color as the sun comes through the panel. A small square of emerald green is tucked into the bottom corner of the piece which adds a touch of elegance. Toward the right side is a piece of avocado green glass.

In addition, green and golden nuggets are surrounded with swirls of wire then securely attached to the clear seedy glass.

Available for sale here.

Etsy Glass Artists (EGA) . . .

I am a member of the Etsy Glass Artists Street Team which consists of glass artisans from throughout the world.

This team is made up of men and women who form, shape, mold and create art objects from glass in its most simple form.

Throughout the year this team hosts various shows, events and sales. This Sunday, November 20, 2008 will kick off the EGA Holiday BOGO Sale. This sale runs through Saturday, December 6, 2008.

Participating artisans will offer Buy One, Get One for half the cost. So if you buy one item in any of the etsy shops listed below, you can purchase a second item from the same etsy shop for half price.

Of course, the lower priced item will be half price.

If you buy glass items from any of the shops listed below -- enter "Holiday BOGO" in the message to buyer section. A revised invoice will be sent back to you with the discount applied.

Listed below are are the EGA shops which are involved in this promotion.

vickileigh

willowglass

glasscat

rwillisglassartist

studiomarcy

prizmatic

giapet

jewelrybynatsuko

nicholebeads

MyCabinCreations

popko

Glass Nugget Sun Catcher

A little sun catcher adorned with curled wire and colored glass nuggets.

Available for sale here.

Aqua Blue Molten Glass

Using a pretty vibrant shade of aqua blue glass I crafted this small glass panel.

Surrounding the blue glass are various shapes of clear glass. Each clear glass piece has a unique impression adding to the overall appeal to the panel.

Available for sale here.

Happy Birthday Lisa...

This little purple sun catcher was made for a friend. I missed her birthday (again) last week.

So, using her favorite color of purple I made a small little colored glass gift for her.

Stained Glass Sun Catchers

Using small pieces of glass -- I crafted these little stained glass sun catchers. They measure 3" square and have complimentary colors.

Special Request for Blue Nuggets...

Using three panels I had previously created -- I crafted this panel as a special request for a woman.

She likes the blue glass combined with glass nuggets. In addition she likes the molten look of the glass as it appears to be melting onto the nuggets below.

River Rock

During a recent visit to the dentists' office -- I stumbled upon a pretty feature of river rock highlighted by the morning sun.

I liked the lines in the window, the shadows on the rocks and the way the plant waves its little green arms in the breeze.

Amber Cross

A pretty amber-colored stained glass cross-shaped suncatcher. It would hang nicely from a rear-view mirror, in the living room window or simply against the wall in a bedroom.

Available for sale here.

Colors of Autumn Stained Glass

Although the colors of Autumn don't show themselves too much in the desert region of the state -- up in Northern Arizona the colors burst.

This panel was made following a recent trip to the colorful northern part of the fine state of Arizona.

Available for sale here.

Arizona Sunset Stained Glass Panel

Inspired by one of the many, many beautiful Arizona sunsets -- this small stained glass panel consists of red, light and medium shades of amber.

Each colored piece of glass was cut into a circle to represent the sun. Jet black glass surrounds the four colors while providing a framed effect on the piece.

Available for sale here.

Vineyards of Bainbridge Island, Washington

During a recent visit to Seattle, Washington -- my family and I took a ferry to Bainbridge Island to drive around and see the sights.

A small family-owned, family-operated vineyard was on our mental list of things to do and see while floating in the Puget Sound.

Unfortunately for us, we had spent too much time at the Public Market so the vineyard was closed for the evening when we arrived.

I took the opportunity to snap off a few photographs as the sun was setting. One little pumpkin didn't make it to Halloween Night as he/she had fallen off the perch.

The crops had been brought in for the season but the leaves and rows of vines were just as colorful as if they had their fruit still attached.

Maybe next visit we'll see the vineyard while it's open.

Fresh Berries at the Market

During a recent family get-a-way to Seattle, Washington -- we strolled through the open air market at Pike's Place.

Surrounding the shops were vendors selling fresh flowers, farm-raised vegetables and fruit, freshly-caught fish and seafood and of course -- fresh red raspberries.

If there is one thing my family cannot resist is a handful of fresh red raspberries.

There wasn't enough left to even make a pie.

And Baby Makes Two...

If you've seen any of the former photographs taken by me -- you've also seen that my favorite niece was expecting her first baby.

There's something special about a new mother and the joy that show on her face.

Can you tell this baby is loved?

How many helpers does one artist need? . . .

Hmmm. Good question.

This afternoon, while making a small panel in the studio, I suddenly realized that I had an over abundance of help in the studio.

My kitty Allie together with my son Tyler, ensure that not a single glass panel gets completed in a timely manner.

Without a seat to sit on or floor space to move around in, the small black diamond panel got completed with or without any assistance from my little helpers.

What a compliment to be so needed.

Available for sale here.

Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds

That's the song I was listening to on my ipod when I drew the pattern for this panel.

Not only do I enjoy listening to the Beatles -- I enjoy drawing patterns for my stained glass.

This pretty panel is made from a vibrant royal blue glass which looks like the crisp sky just after the sun has set in the desert.

The pretty diamond-shaped beveled glass pieces will cast little rainbows throughout the room when exposed to sunlight.

Available for sale here.

It's Raining in New Orleans

As I was looking through photographs from a vacation in New Orleans, Louisianna -- I created this stained glass panel using the colors from the city.

The center of the panel contains clear glass which resembles falling rain. Surrounding the rain is two shades of amber glass with black accent corners.

Available for sale here.