Fused Glass Tile

A couple of weeks ago, there was a lovely event up in Palmer called "Who Let the Girls Out".  There were activities and special things going on all over town.  While at Half Moon Creek delivering some new earrings, I decided to take advantage of their offer to make a fused glass tile.  The upstairs studio was full of people and cute kids making tiles.

All manner of glass in a rainbow of colors was available to use on our tiles: shards, chips, stringers and small bits (not the right name, but you get the idea).  All we had to do was arrange some glass on the clear tile and they did the fusing for us.  Here's what I made:

I love the way it turned out.  Pretty cute, huh?  I think I'll hang it in the window in my studio.

New Book for a New Year

The other day, while at Barnes & Noble, I saw this book in the crafting section. I think I had read about it somewhere -- Somerset Studio, perhaps. I was intrigued by the title and I'm always on the lookout for materials to spark my creativity. The author, Rice Freeman-Zachery is well known in the crafting world and has written other books and numerous articles for Belle Armoire and Somerset Studio.


The book appears to focus on creativity from the perspective of a wide variety of artists, working in many mediums. There are exercises to do and plenty of great visuals. This is the type of book I will work my way through slowly.

If any of you have read this book, I would love to hear from you!

Silk Art

One of my dear friends is a fabulously talented artist by the name of Chelline Larsen. She paints on silk and is inspired by the beauty and wildlife that surrounds her in Alaska. Several pieces of her art adorn my home.

This first one is a small wall hanging that is a beautiful underwater scene. Chelline quilted this piece and embellished it with lots of tiny seed beads and real shells.

This next piece is hanging from the rafter in my home that separates the living room from my studio area. Again, it is an underwater scene that features a huge octopus. The color scheme is among my favorites -- blues, purples and greens.
The last piece is another small wall quilt that I bought for Rick. The raven image is hugely popular in Alaska and these colors are ones that Rick feels strongly about.
My photos do not do justice to Chelline's talent. Visit her website to see more of her beautiful work.