Jinx status ignored

So they ignored my warnings about being a Treasury jinx and my items are featured in two new treasuries. YAY! But, let's hope this time around, it doesn't crash.


The first one is a lot like the other blue-themed one I was in, but using a different piece of mine. Lovely other works are included by other glass artisans of varying sorts.

The second one makes me look like the poor cousin to some damn fine and (some pretty expensive) artisans. But they're all such gorgeous pieces, I can't help but feel good to be included.

Perhaps I need to get out of my piddly arena and get busy on some larger works ...

Regardless - thanks to avenuebeads and sarahsky for including me in their treasury picks!

Blossoms and Teapot Stained Glass Panel

Trying to take pictures of stained glass on very overcast days is challenging, to put it nicely. I still am not sure if these pics will work or not. Ah well, it's supposed to be snowy all week, so I doubt I will see much sun for photos. Luckily the snow is nice and bright, or it would have been a complete disaster. I see people asking about light boxes and stuff for their items, but man - stained glass is a whole 'nother animal.

This is the one I completed yesterday, but won't be up for sale for a day or so yet. I like the composition idea, and will perhaps revisit it in the future.

It's getting so I don't want to put chains or hooks on them. I really like the look of these just leaning up on a window. But, I suppose not everyone has windows like mine (the upper/lower panes where you can slide the bottom one up to open it, making a perfect shelf midway up the window). I've always wanted the long narrow windows running across the top of the room. Usually you see rows of colored bottles or glass there. These last 3 or so panels would go perfectly on something like that ...

the scoop

It's only Monday, and I'm already worn out. The entire day was spent working on, or waiting to get back to working on my newest piece. I did it the hard way, with no hard copy design - just the one floating around my head and numerous sketches. It turned out pretty good, but is a little dark. Hard to tell now, as I finished it after dark, so I can't tell how it looks with good light behind it. Nor can I get a good picture yet. Tomorrow!

My next design, I think, is going to be a Russian theme. We'll see how that turns out - I've been sketching it out, did my first .post due. postcard of the sketch in watercolor and ink, but I am hesitant. I just want it to be Right - it is too time-consuming and absorbing to work on these panes to have them be crap in the end. [added 2/28: Ha! cgregori from .post due. said he thought the onion domes were acorns. I knew it wasn't ready yet!!! Now I can't quit seeing acorns.]

I also may have gotten another custom order from a friend (of a friend) who sells honey at a year-round farmer's market. She seemed pretty interested in both Etsy and a business card holder. I haven't heard from her yet - but there's no telling if I ever will. It was still nice to have people asking about what I have been doing ...

Seemingly, I am dangerously close to becoming a recluse. :D

jinx

Okay, on a site with 30 thousand+ sellers and 100+ treasury lists, it is a bit silly to call myself a jinx, but the first time I've been featured in two treasuries at once - the Treasury dies once - no TWICE (2nd time more permanently, it's still down) in one day.

If anyone of the treasury-grabbin' persuasion reads this, they will not add me ever.

Ah well.

more surprises

How cool to find the pear has been included on Box vs. Indie! It's a blog that has some interesting ideas, beautiful pics and is now going to be linked from here. (since I never knew about it before)

I also made another treasury list, thanks to Glass House Jewelry:

Abstract Pear Stained Glass Panel

I just finished this one today. It is more along the lines of how I have been testing out a more "painterly" way of doing stained glass. I'd still like it to be a bit more abstract and a little more free - but it is a good start I think.

There's a watercolor painting I did a few years ago that is this image, except the background is alizarin crimson and there are no lines running throughout the piece. It's one of 4 paintings I will never sell - I love it. So to put the idea to glass was only natural for me, especially since I wasn't sure how the technique would look, using something near and dear made me more comfortable.

I have an idea for two more and am off to work on those now. Yay! I really hope this gets good feedback. I would like to know if I'm the only one that appreciates this type of style.

Treasury List!

This is cool, my Dark Abstract Panel made a Treasury list on Etsy the first day I posted it. Yay!



That is heartening.
You can click here to see the Treasuries, but you'll have to look for the one titled "Shapes" to see this particular one.

I've only been on a few Treasury lists and would like to thank madcitysue for including my panel.

Yay again!

new ideas

I've been thinking about changing my style a bit in stained glass. I love the abstract look, but want it even more abstract, more... painterly? I'm not quite sure how to accomplish it, but making a few test attempts and sketches has been helping.

One is almost finished, and it is pretty close to what I'm trying to do, but not quite there yet. I need to loosen up! I feel the same way about painting. I love watercolor, but cannot seem to let the control go to let the watercolor do what it does best, which is flow, mix and create on it's own - with little help from the painter. It's one of the things I love most about it -but that quality is also what makes it challenging for me. You should see the paintings I have in my mind's gallery!!

Anyhow, working with glass in a painterly way, because I still have control by it's very nature (cutting, foiling, etc.), but so the finished piece seems... spontaneous (?) is what I'm aiming at here. Who knows? Worst I can do is try and it sucks. I still have the skill set and am pleased already with many of my pieces. Basically, I'm looking for My Style. The ever-elusive thing.

I just felt like sharing my train of thought - putting it in writing to help make it more focused. Heh, basically to give myself gentle reminders to have goals and direction in art, instead of doing *whatever* then being disappointed with a half-baked outcome.

New small panel

I finished this piece today - after a lot of foiling. The colors in it remind me of more traditional pieces, either that or the heavy use of black... probably the combination. Regardless, it's my husband's favorite now, and I think it definitely ranks up there for me, as well.

The really dark pieces are the opaque black I used for a previous custom piece and thought I'd give it a whirl. Also, I have had the amber color for quite awhile and had never used it, but for some reason, I held it up for the hundredth time - and liked it! I also didn't really like that yellowy green color because it was hard to find colors to go with it, but I think it works well in this piece. Funny how all those colors I normally wouldn't like turned out to be perfect together in one piece using a black I probably never would have bought.

More with this darker look will be coming soon - it's a refreshing departure from my typically brighter pieces. I'm very, very happy with how it turned out.

It won't be up for sale til later in the week, but a sneak peek here is allowed, I figure.

YAYAYAY!!

I checked my convos this morning and WON a free gift from LeahPelligrini just for having her absolutely fantastic mobiles in my favorites! YAYYAY! She has the most awesome stuff and we share a love of Alexander Calder.

I won two of her little Mobi mobiles!!!!

Sharing time

I just had to share this email I received after Mashulu saw her biz card holder (pictured last post) for the first time -- it made me giddy!

"CAN YOU HEAR ME SCREAMING FROM WHERE YOU ARE????lol...CJ, it is BEAUTIFUL, seriously! And you got it done so quickly! I'm glad you posted it so I can give you a sickening amount of praise in your feedback. Now I really want to start doing some shows so I can show it off.
A thousand thanks to you. You are so very talented...thank GOD for Etsy!"

I walked around on cloud 9 for hours after this. YAY!

finished custom order

Here's the custom order I finished yesterday

for Mashulu.

And here's the close-up.

I'm pretty happy with it. I hope she will be! If she ever gets to see it. Etsy has been down for a few hours already this morning. I notice quite a few people have gone to Flickr groups to compensate.

Things to Do

~ Add pics tomorrow (need good sun for glass photos) for the finished the custom order for Mashulu.

~ Add pics of custom order to Etsy shop, even though she won't be purchasing until next Friday - good exposure to show I did some nifty custom work.

~ Make my postcards for .postdue. One for .postdue. 'headquarters' and one for my February contact. Yay! Been thinking a lot about it, but haven't actually set ink to paper yet. Gotta get the stamps too.

~ Get some ideas for incorporating liskidder's test cabochons into some stained glass. She sent a little pile of them, they're cool - but I haven't decided what to do yet. They'll be for EGA advertising sales, if we ever figure out how were going to handle EGA advertising, that is...

~ Need to get some glasswork going for shop!!! I have nothing good to list :( But the kids have a 4 day weekend, so hopefully I'll get out there and get a little stash going before the Tues-Thurs big selling days. It would be nice if I could get ahead of the game. Heh, whenever I do have a stash, list it all at once, or on a weekend, so it just gets lost in the shuffle.

custom order

I'm just going to jump right into this blog without any introductory remarks besides this one, stating I'm not going to make any introductory remarks. Okay? Good.

I was so excited today to get my first custom order. It is from a fellow Etsyian, Mashulu, who loved my business card holders and would like one of her avatar. I don't advertise that I do custom work, but she convo'd me just to ask. It was a no-brainer, of course. It is hard enough getting people to see, much less buy from, one little store on the internet, without being picky about how you get sales. I have to admit that I had thought about doing custom work, but was more afraid of getting stuff that I would have to say no to doing. I will be putting up pictures and whatnot of this and other projects I am working on (or anything else that has to do with my shop) as often as possible. I'm waiting to hear back from her on a few details before I get started but just wanted to tie up a few loose ends - like this blog sitting empty of posts.

Mission accomplished. :)