I am blessed

What a gorgeous day! I have the windows open and am enjoying the fresh air. Perfect for doing my home chores and getting out in the studio to work on some glass.

Wow! I spent this weekend getting myself familiar with Facebook, and I must say I am impressed. I'm now communicating with dear friends that I have lost touch with over the years, and it sure is a lot of fun!! It's very harmless, and it's amazing how many friends I've connected with in such a short amount of time. :)

One World - One Heart Giveaway

Hi! I'm participating in the One World - One Heart Giveaway event that takes place each year. This is a time in which people around the world visit each others blogs for a chance to get to know one another and enter giveaways.

This year I am giving away this beautiful Dichroic Cross Pendant that was created by me in my home studio.

• To enter yourself in this giveaway, please post a comment with contact information.
• The drawing will be held on February 12th.
• The winner will be contacted by me with a request for your mailing address and this pendant will be mailed to you anywhere in the world.
• Sign up in my blog if you would like future updates.
• You have January 19th through February 11th to comment for this giveaway. The drawing will be held on February 12th.

New Internet Shop!

You can now see my creations on the internet in two locations:

I just opened up a new shop: http://www.rwillisglassartist.artfire.com/
My original shop: http://www.rwillisglassartist.etsy.com/

If you are in the Cocoa, Florida area, stop by The Village Gingerbread House in Cocoa Village where over 300 glass creations are available for purchase. The Gingerbread House is a fun shop that sells retail items as well as items made by local artists and crafters.

New Year, New Mindset!

It's time for me to just let loose. I plan on trying new things with my glasswork, stepping away from pendants and jewelry a little bit (not totally though) and experimenting more with new techniques.

Stay tuned...........

:)

Happy Crushing!

As many of you know, I am a fused glass artist - http://www.rwillisglassartist.etsy.com/ - and last year I came across this idea to create an inexpensive and productive way to make glass frit and thought I'd share it with you. The article is also posted in the blog at http://www.etsyglass.com/.

A friend of mine works at a local glass store, and she is always coming up with wonderful ideas. Well, her dad (an engineer) came up with this idea for a home-made frit maker. After seeing it, I made a quick dash to the Home Depot (Lowe's or Ace should have them too) so that I could make one for myself.

Materials from hardware store:

~ One 1-1/2" x 8" heavy lead pipe

~ One 1-1/2" cap

~ One 3/4" x 10" heavy lead pipe

~ Two 3/4" caps

From a glass supply company:

~ Glass Frit Sifter set (I love this set!!)

The coffee grinder just doesn't do it for me, and like many glass artists, I've been hammering the glass in plastic bags to make my frit. Now I just put my glass in the 1-1/2" pipe and use the capped 3/4" pipe to crush the glass. Then I poor the contents into the glass sifter set which separates the sizes of the frit. I then poor the frit into my 2-oz. storage containers (a gold-mine find at a local thrift store) or small zip-lock bags. The caps aren't flat, so I have to store the frit maker on its side. I'm sure you could flatten the cap. But, I'm not particular. I'm just thrilled to have this!

The weight of the capped 3/4" lead pipe makes it quick and easy for me to make my own frit, but to make the "crusher 3/4" pipe" even heavier I threw in some heavy fishing weights (a garage sale find). Rocks, lead balls, or anything else you can find to add some weight to it will work just as well.

:)

Happy crushing!

Getting Started

Ahhh..... my first blog.

Now where did I put that last blog that I started a while back.....I can't remember. I'll just add that to my "need to look for" list. If you find it, let me know. :)

How do you like that title? :) I may blog once or twice a week about what's been happening in my personal life or in my business.

I grew up in Savannah, Georgia and now live in Florida with my hubby, Brian, and our two tuxedo cats, Ben and Jeri. I'm 46 years old. We don't have children but have been blessed with wonderful nephews who keep in touch with us, and whom we can send back home when we want. (Just kidding - they live in Texas and we dearly love them).

I love, love, love color, and when I was growing up, I always admired my grandmother's little glass collection that she arranged in the picture window, and I loved the bright beautiful colors when light would hit them. Thus, my first inspiration to start working with glass. Who knew!

I have been a glass artist for about two years and love it! You can see some of my work in my online store at www.rwillisglassartist.etsy.com

As you can see from my photos in Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhonda-pics , I love nature and working in my gardens.