Etsy Glass Artist of the Week - RWillisglassartist

This week we are featuring Rhonda Willis of RWillisglassartist as our artist of the week. She has a ton of colorful and fun pendants in her shop. They would make terrific gifts for family and friends. Check out her shop to find some goodies to give this Christmas!

Etsy Glass Artist of the Week - Glass Cat

This week we are featuring Carol Rasmussen of Glass Cat as our artist of the week. I own quite a few of her items and have been pleased with every one of them. They also make terrific gifts for family and friends. Check out her shop to find some goodies to give this Christmas!

Etsy Glass Artist of the Week - 41 Design

Mary Tapken of 41 Design is our Etsy Glass Artist this week. She has really colorful fused and stained glass pendants and earrings in her shop that would be great gifts for Christmas. Here are some of my favorites from her shop. Just click on the pictures to go to the listing.

Glass Artist Creates Custom Ornaments, Rings And More!

One of our team members, Leah Pelligrini, was recently featured on her local TV news station demonstrating her glass work. Please watch the video below.

http://www.kptv.com/video/21319798/index.html

Etsy Glass Artists Christmas in July Sale

The Etsy Glass Artists (EGA) is having a "Christmas in July” sale from July 8th through July 15th. See each shop's Announcement and the list below for their particular offerings! Please use the code "CIJ" in your notes to buyer upon checking out so you can get the sale price. This is a great time to start Christmas shopping (you know it’s going to be the season before you know it!) or a little treat for yourself.

Etsy Glass Artists "Christmas in July" Sale
July 8th through July 15th

Participating Members:

MyCabinCreations
http://www.MyCabinCreations.etsy.com - 20% off Everything

Jewelry by Natsuko
http://www.jewelrybynatsuko.etsy.com - 20% off everything

RWillisglassartist
http://www.rwillisglassartist.etsy.com - 20% off glass items only

tekaandzoe
http://www.tekaandzoe.etsy.com - 20% off

Paulasstressart
http://www.Paulasstressart.etsy.com - 20% off everything

Susan Sheehan
http://www.susansheehan.etsy.com - 20% off all glass

Glass Circus
http://www.glasscircus.etsy.com - 20% off everything

Fire n Sand Glass
http://www.giapet.etsy.com 20% off all glass items

Color Shoppe Studio
http://www.colorshoppestudio.etsy.com - 10% off all Stained Glass Jewelry

Glasscat
http://www.glasscat.etsy.com - 20% off fused and dichroic jewelry; 15% off any stained glass items.

41design
http://www.41design.etsy.com - 20% off

Etsy Glass Artists Spring Bling Sale

The Etsy Glass Artists (EGA) is having a "Spring Bling" Sale from April 18th through the 24th. See each shop's Announcement and the list below for their particular offerings! Please use the code "BLING" in your notes to buyer upon checking out so you can get the sale price. This is a great time to purchase that perfect gift for Mother's Day or a little treasure for yourself.

Etsy Glass Artists "Spring Bling" Sale

April 18th through April 24th

Participating Members:

http://glasscat.etsy.com/ - Dichroic and Fused Glass BOGO 1/2 off, All stained glass 10% off

http://groovyglassgirl.etsy.com/ - Free Shipping
http://susansheehan.etsy.com/ - Glass 10 to 25% off as marked in sale section of store
http://chickadeebeads.etsy.com/ - BOGO 1/2 Off
http://jewelrybynatsuko.etsy.com/ - BOGO 1/2 off
http://mycabincreations.etsy.com/ - 20% off everything
http://rwillisglassartist.etsy.com/ - 20% off all glass items
http://paulasstressart.etsy.com/ - 20% off entire purchase
http://colorshoppestudio.etsy.com/ - 20% off all stained glass jewelry
http://giapet.etsy.com/ - BOGO 1/2 Off
http://glasscircus.etsy.com/ - 20% off on all my glass

*BOGO = Buy One Get One 1/2 off

Come check out our new EGA website http://www.etsyglass.com/.

Use the word egateam in the search box on the Etsy front page to find a listing of all of our members creations.

Thanks so much for your past business and support of our shops!

New Etsy Glass Artist Member - Glass Circus

The members of the Etsy Glass Artist Street Team would like to introduce our newest member Martina of Glass Circus. She makes colorful, unique kiln formed fused glass items and has a wonderful shop. We hope that you will all stop by and say hello to her with a purchase :).

Here are some of her colorful creations.

GroovyGlassGirl's Deal of the Day

Today only you can get this pendant for $20...this is a $5 savings off of the original price of $25....and a super bonus is if you let me know how you found my shop, I'll refund your shipping charge! For more details or to buy the pendant click here.

March's Featured Artist: Carol Rasmussen Of Glass Cat

Featured this month is the beautiful stained glass and fused and dichroic jewelry shop of Carol Rasmussen of Glass Cat.

Please give us a little background on yourself:

My name is Carol Rasmussen and I live in the suburbs of Chicago, ILL. I have been married for the last 22 years to a wonderful man who puts up with my passion to create. We have three shelter cats, all males. I was lucky enough to retire early and focus on my glass work full time for the last 7 years.

When did you first become interested in glass?

I have always loved the color and sparkle of stained glass. I first became drawn to this medium 30+ years ago. Not many classes were available and it seemed to be a much guarded secret. 22 years ago, on my honeymoon, glass crossed my path again as I found my way into a stained glass shop and we purchased a couple of pieces for our new home. After settling into my new neighborhood, I found a stained glass shop right in town and signed up for classes. What started out as a hobby quickly grew into a passion and I found my happiest days were the ones I could spend creating.

What do you like best about what you do?

I don’t know if I could pick one thing. I really love all aspects of the creation process. I would have to say I love hearing from my customers, what they like about a piece, how it has brought them joy.

Is there a pattern in the way you select material? In the way you use color, texture and light?

I think this is something I struggled with early in my career but after years of experience I don’t really spend much time thinking about it. I have developed an eye for color and texture. Sometimes I feel the pieces choose themselves.

What inspires you?

Hmm, what inspires me? I love color and surround myself with it. You won’t find much black and white in my shop or home for that matter. I am always seeing color combos and patterns around me and trying to come up with new ways to use them in my work. There is seldom a moment when I am not thinking about glass.

How much time do you spend creating your pieces?

This is something I get asked at art fairs all the time. While holding a piece a customer will ask “how long did it take you to make this?” I used to struggle with the answer, trying to be precise. I think I now have the answer that is the most correct. It has taken me 22 years to create that piece as you see it. I have had many failures, pieces I would never put up for sale. I keep some of them to remind myself how far I have come. I do spend 40-60 hours a week on my business, creating, marketing, selling, packaging and I have to say—I love it all!

What are your techniques and style and how do these relate to the medium.

As far as style, I would say most of my stained glass work uses bright, contemporary colors and lines. I like cute and cuddly, so I try to reflect that in some of my work. My fused glass work is in its infancy and I feel I am still developing my own style.
What do you find the most challenging about your work in the glass arts?
Early on, I would say, believing in myself. Right now, focusing on one thing. I have so many ideas running through my head, so many projects I would love to tackle and new techniques to try. We, as glass artists, are lucky to be living in this time. New products are being developed at an astounding rate, and I want to try them all.

How did you find Etsy?

Believe it or not-Google. Friends and family kept telling me to sell on eBay. I did not like the look of it and did a search for craft malls, Etsy popped up. It took me about a year from my first look til I took the plunge. I used to sell in B&M craft malls, so it was a natural progression.

What do you like the most about it?

I love connecting with people from all over the world and knowing my artwork is spread across the continents. I love my Etsy Glass Street Team members. They inspire and teach me every day and I love the feeling of belonging to an art community. Etsy has made my dreams become reality and I know I can go as far as I want with the medium I have chosen to express myself-Glass.

One World One Heart Winners

Here are the winners for the OWOH drawings.

Bella Modiste
Morna
Joanie
Mari
Jaimie
Nichola

You will be notified by email to get your info. See the original post for details on what you won.

Thanks to everyone who entered our drawing and who visited our blog. We have great plans for future giveaways and sales so continue to check in often.

Our next drawing for an item from the team starts Tuesday 2-17-09. Come leave a comment on the post for a chance to win.

Also please sign up for our newsletter to be notified when we have our sales. Check out our webpage as well for beautiful glass creations from our members. I guarantee you will find something that you love.
You can find us on Etsy by putting egateam in the search box. All of our wonderful items will come up for you to look through.

Once again ~ Thank you!

February Featured Artist: Mandy Caird of Prizmatic Art

As 2009 gets rolling we decided to feature a member of our talented street team each month. We learned so much about each other when we did this a while back and we got such great feedback from our customers that we decided it was time to show you the artists behind the glass. February's featured glass artist is Mandy Caird of Prizmatic Art. Now I was lucky enough to be the secret Santa recipient of one of Mandy's gorgeous bowls and a magnet set this holiday season! So I can tell you firsthand that her art is absolutely stunning.

Mandy, can you give us a little background on yourself:

My name is Mandy Caird. I'm from the UK and now live in sunny Denver. I work as a project manager for an online training company. I originally trained as a Biochemist and worked in research for a few years and I still have some of the mad scientist in me when I work with glass!

When did you first become interested in glass?

I've always loved stained glass windows and any kind of art glass, but I could never afford anything. The only way I was going to have glass in my house was if I made it myself, so I took a stained glass class about 15 years ago. The class was so much fun that I immediately got the glass bug! Then 5 years ago my wonderful sister in-law loaned me her small kiln and I became an instant glass fusing addict! I'm also a bit of a tom-boy so the tools appealed to me. Other people can bake cakes, but my oven goes to 1700 degrees!

What do you like best about what you do?

I love the colors, especially blues and greens! I love seeing how different colors of fused glass will turn out. It's always exciting after I've had the kiln running overnight to find out the next morning what gift has been created for me.

Is there a pattern in the way you select materials? In the way you use color, texture or light?

I select glass I like no matter what I am making. If I find a piece of glass that I think is drop-dead gorgeous I'll save it until I come up with with an idea of how to use it.

What inspires you? How are your inspirations expressed in your work?

Ordinary everyday objects inspire me. I can be driving to the grocery store or having lunch with a friend and I will see something that will make me think of glass. Glass isn't just for hanging in the window or wearing. I try to make many different things with glass, from clocks and candle holders to business card holders and magnets.

How much time is spent creating your pieces?

I'm usually very slow and often I will lay glass pieces out for days and play with the colors and shapes before firing. I once had a mirror frame for 18 months before I finalized it - it was a geometric design and I kept moving the pieces around until I was pleased with the final color balance - it was well worth the wait :-)

What are your techniques and style and how do these relate to the medium?

When I began I used to try and fire pieces so they would almost come out of the kiln ready to use. However over time I have collected more equipment that allows me to manipulate the glass more after firing. I think I have more tools than my husband! Fusing glass is just the first part of the process. After grinding, shaping, slumping or sandblasting, the final pieces have usually been in my kiln at least 3 times. The trick is knowing when to stop!

What do you find most challenging about your work in the glass arts?

Time and space! Since I like to mull over my designs, you can image I need quite a lot of space for all my projects-in-progress! Luckily I have the run of the basement and my husband has the garage - I think I won on that deal.

How did you find Etsy? What do you like most about it?

A friend at work liked my earrings and asked me if I sold them on Etsy. Within a week I had an Etsy account and items listed in my shop. I love the "buy handmade" concept and being part of such a creative community.

Wanna make some glass frit?

Rhonda Willis from www.rwillisglassartist.etsy.com shares with us a great way to make frit:

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).

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. And, 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. Smile

Happy crushing!