Etsy Glass Artist of the Week - KimVGlass

This weeks glass artist is Kim of KimVGlass. She has wonderful borosilicate glass creations and mixed metal jewelry. I personally adore her lampworked hearts - they would make terrific gifts for your Valentine sweetie!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to ALL

The members of the Etsy Glass Artists street team would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. We would also like to thank our loyal customers and blog followers for your support and patronage of our shops this past year, we could not do it without you!
If you are looking for last minute gift ideas please check our gift guide here.

Etsy Glass Artist of the Week - Wild Sage Lampwork

This week we are featuring Pam Dansie of Wild Sage Lampwork as our artist of the week. She has a ton of colorful and fun items 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 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

Wild Sage Lampwork - Sale Item Of The Day - Pandora Beads

My sale item of the day is this wonderful set of Pandora Style Beads. They are reduced from $22.00 to $18.00 today only. Thanks for looking.

May's Featured Member- Susan Sheehan of Susan Sheehan Lampwork Glass

May's featured member is one of our team administrators and has been instrumental in guiding the EGA safely into 2009. Susan Sheehan of Susan Sheehan Lampwork Glass is a full time lampworker. She lives in Exeter, New Hampshire with her husband and 2 children. We asked Susan to tell us about herself:

When did you first become interested in glass?

It sounds terribly cliché, but I got into glass because of an artistic block. I was a photographer and for months everything I shot looked awful to me. I had lost the joy and dreaded finding new images for my note card business. I decided to take a beginner bead making class and suddenly found my creative spark.- What do you like best about what you do? I love the process. I enjoy sitting down to the torch, melting the glass and forming it the way I wish. I have an obsession with making tiny dots become flowers and colors play nicely together.

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

I love fashion. I’m not exactly a fashionista, but I admire clothing design and color is a big part. I browse Vogue, am drawn to small designer boutiques and often spend a day just window shopping to fill my mind with textures, form and color.

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

I am inspired by the beauty of nature and my favorite places, sandy beaches and flower gardens, are often what I try to portray. Fortunately both of those are close enough all I need to do is go for a walk to get the juices flowing.

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

I think my style is dreamy and serene. I love the look of Monet with colors that flow into each other and let the viewer define their shape. I find my techniques lend themselves to less control and more submission to the glass and its ways.

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

There is always something new to learn. It is what keeps me excited and motivated. Whenever I feel I have mastered something to the point of boredom I can throw in a new technique to spice things up. I think of the great masters and realize generations later their offspring are still rediscovering a new way to do what has always been done. I’ll never know it all.

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

I heard about Etsy from another bead maker. I love the interactive nature of selling on Etsy. Never would I have believed the amount of conversation I have with customers through e-mail. I really feel a personal connection and that is pretty amazing.

Sale Item of the Day ~ Pandora Style Bead

Regular $10.00

Today only $8.00

Find it in my Etsy store - here.

This is a slider bead that will fit a pandora bracelet. It has an approx 5mm hole and measures 8mm x 20mm. It is a deep rich purple and white.

Bracelet is for photograph and comparison only. It is not included in the sale. Bead could also be strung onto a leather cord, ribbon or even a chain.

Beads are individually hand created by me. They have been properly kiln annealed for lasting durability and are each properly cleaned and inspected.

Thank you for looking!

Natural Elements - A Collaboration - Sale Item of the Day - 10 percent off today only

Regular $30.00 -Today $27.00

You will find it listed in my Etsy store

As anyone who knows my husband and I would know this was bound to happen eventually. We have created a collaboration of our talents. My husband does fabulous woodturning and so one day I said to him that he should try and make a bead. So he did and we lined it and I made some complementary glass lined beads and this is the end result. We hope to make many more in the future.

The wooden beads are created out of paduche which is a wonderful natural red color. They are lined in sterling silver. The glass bead is created by the process of lampworking and is a complimentary animal spot print on black and also lined in sterling silver.

The wooden beads measure approx. 10mm by 19mm. The glass bead measures approx 9mm x 17mm. The beads are designed to be worn on any of the euro bead systems. They could also be strung onto a leather cord, ribbon or even a chain.

Bracelet is for photograph and comparison only. It is not included in the sale.

The glass beads have been properly kiln annealed for lasting durability and are each properly cleaned and inspected.

Thank you for looking!

Spring Challenge ~ Easter Egg Vessel Pendants

Polka Dot Egg Vessel Pendants

Every Spring I get the itch to make cute little pastel beads, bunnies, and flowers. So here was my chance to make a few cute little lampwork glass Easter egg vessel pendants!

Leave a comment here for a chance to win an item from an EGA member!
Thanks for stopping by the EGA blog to take a peek!

"Spring trees" - This Month's FREE Giveaway!

EDIT: The winner is MICAELA! Congratulations!! I will be notifying you via email and sending you the spring trees necklace!

The Etsy Glass team has a monthly drawing of our creative glass goodies because its FUN!

It's a great way to share our talents and get everyone in on the action.

This month's prize has been donated by PoPkO!

Spring is on it's way! The prize this month is YOUR CHOICE. Sounds like fun! Everyone has different taste in jewelry, so I thought I would help you out. I've made a fused glass RING and NECKLACE with little trees tack-fused on top to celebrate the new season.

Please choose your favorite, and mark in the comment section which one you would like to be wearing! Winner will be awarded on April 17th.

HOW TO ENTER:
Leave your name and email address or some way to contact you (should you be the winner) in the comments section of this post. Be sure to write your choice - RING or NECKLACE!

Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter on the left to be notified of any upcoming sales and events. Also use the egateam tag in the Etsy search box to locate all of our listings for sale.

Sale Item of the Day ~ Bubbles ~ March 10, 2009

Bubbles - Lampwork Fish Focal/Pendant

Regular price $14.00 - Today only $12.60.

Let me introduce you to Bubbles. She is a new little fishy I raised over the weekend and she is looking for a good home. I guarantee that she will make you smile. Bubbles measures approximately 35mm long, 26mm high, and 18mm thick. The hole runs vertical and is 3/32. She is a pretty purple, green, teal and blue.

Beads are individually hand created by me. They have been properly kiln annealed for lasting durability and are each properly cleaned and inspected.

Thank you for looking!

Sweet Spring Beary - Etsy Glass Challenge Entry - Please Comment

Etsy Glass Artists team members decided to creatively challenge one another to come up with their interpretation of Spring and or Easter. Between now and Easter we will share some of these creations with you here on our blog. Let us know how you feel about our art by leaving a comment. Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered into a random drawing to win some handmade glass goodness from several of our shops. We will have several winners too! (one entry per person per post. In other words you can enter once every time we post a new product!!!) Be sure to check back on the blog on April 10th as we will announce the winner that day. Entries will be accepted until midnight April 9th.

Hi.. I would like to introduce you to my Sweet Spring Beary. She would like to think of herself as an adorable little spring bunny but she ended up being a beary instead.
I have tried to tell her that she is adorable regardless of her name. Maybe if you help me by leaving a comment she will start to believe that it is true. If you would like to adopt Beary please stop by my Etsy shop.

Easter Owl by Marcy Lamberson of StudioMarcy -Please Comment

Easter is in the air at StudioMarcy and my whimsical owl lampwork glass focal bead is ready for it. Dressed in bunny ears and bunny slippers, this sleepy-eyed owl is hoping to find an Easter basket full of chocolate eggs.

I recently saw a little toddler wearing bunny slippers and that really made me smile. I thought it would look so amusing combined with bunny ears, (my daughter had some as a little girl), and placed on some of my quirky animals, birds and creatures. So now I have a variety of "critters" wearing them in my shop. I just finished a penguin as a customer's special order today.

For more fun beads, stop by my Etsy shop, StudioMarcy. I list three new beads every day.

Don't forget to comment on my bead, to enter into our Etsy Glass Artists Giveaway. And just so you know, I get a big smile every time I read a nice one. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Sale Item of the Day! March 3rd

Tristan - Big Hole Slider Bead Set - 20 percent off Today ONLY

Regular price $22.00
Sale price today only is $17.60

This is a slider bead set that will fit a euro bead bracelet. They have an approx 5mm hole and measure 5mm x 15mm and 6mm x 16mm. They have a pretty metallic swirl on the 2 green beads and the other three are a stunning metallic blue.
Bracelet is for photograph and comparison only. It is not included in the sale.
Beads could also be strung onto a leather cord, ribbon or even a chain.
Beads are individually hand created by me. They have been properly kiln annealed for lasting durability and are each properly cleaned and inspected.

Thank you for looking!

"Fishy Swa" - This Month's Free Giveaway!

We had such a terrific turn out for the One World One Heart Drawing that I thought it would be fun to continue with that. The members of the Etsy Glass team will be doing a monthly drawing of our creative glass items.

I am going to start this month with "Fishy Swa" a lampwork glass pendant handmade by me. Here is the link to my store should you want one of your own. She is so excited to see how many people leave their comments on this post, and even more excited to see who she will be awarded to on March 17th.

So leave your name and email address or some way to contact you should you be the winner in the comments section of this post.

Be sure and sign up for our newsletter here to be notified of any upcoming sales and events. Also use the egateam tag in the Etsy search box to locate all of our listings for sale.

Ice Cream In Cold Weather- Here's a Tutorial on How To Make Your Own by Studio Marcy

A terrific tutorial from Marcy Lamberson of Studio Marcy. Go check out the rest of her blog here.

To me, it's never the wrong time of the year for ice cream, no matter how cold outside it is.
I thought I'd tell you how to make your own ice cream cone, so when the warm weather hits, you can have plenty on hand.
1. Using dark ivory, make a small cone. I use my torch mounted marver to roll it out.
2. Using the ice cream color of your choice, start adding glass to the top of the cone shape and once you have the top section full enough, gently melt it so it becomes rounded and smooth.
Hint: be sure to rotate your mandrel so the glass can flow into place, I often have my mandrel upside down, so the glass flows next to the mandrel and rounds out on the very top.
3. Now you're ready to add your "drips". At the bottom edge of the "ice cream scoop", I make "V" shapes with more glass. I also take the end of my rod and drag it farther down, if I need to.
Melt slightly so it's smooth.
4. With a razor or the sharp edge of your Stump Shaper, carve a circle around the original scoop, so it shows well. That also pushes glass in each direction and enhances your drips.
5. With your razor, gently heat one area at a time on the cone and make your diagonal slashes. I do one direction first and then the other direction afterwards.
6. Using a red of your choice, you can add the cherry on top.
7. Voila! A calorie free ice cream cone ready for you.
If you want to purchase a ready made ice cream cone, click here. And don't forget, I'd be happy to make one in your favorite flavors...just ask me.

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!

Glass Jewelry

For the women in your life who love a little sparkle, dichroic jewelry is a great gift choice. Whether it is a dichroic pendant, a pair of earrings, a bracelet or a ring, she's sure to love the dynamic color shift of dichroic glass. For the women who enjoy a more subtle look, glass enamel or art glass jewelry and lampwork are the way to go. Here are some of our favorite pieces.

Stained Glass Gifts

EGA stained glass artisans create suncatchers, stained glass panels, and three-dimensional stained glass objects like business card holders and photo frames. Here is a selection of stained glass items that would make a wonderful and unique gift.