Make Something Mondays: Self-Bailed Dichroic Glass Pendants

I'm not sure if my MSM posts fit in very well because I'm not really very crafty. I'm enjoying them, though, so I'm going to keep at it. Last week I showed you my new temporary work area. The photos show the outcome of being able to leave my tools and supplies spread out.

I layered different colors of glass, like usual, but this time I stuck a piece of special fiber blanket between the layers to create a tunnel. Now I've got pendants ready for chains or cords, with no need to glue a bail on the backs.

The final shapes aren't exactly what I had in mind, but I like these two. Look for more of these pendants to appear in my Etsy shop over the coming weeks as I play with the shapes of future pieces.

This post was inspired by Jolly Mom and Go Graham Go!, the ingenious moms behind Make Something Monday. We'd love for you to join us next Monday!

Lucky Me, I Won Another Giveaway!

I entered a giveaway a while back at Fabulous Fun Finds. I love that blog; there's always something new and very cool for me to discover there! My prize was a custom child-size apron from Polka Dot Market. The original was meant for a girl, with frilly pink bows and whatnot. Sally Gemignani, the genius behind the polka dots, made a little guy style apron for me. I love the way it turned out! Now as soon as Gabriel is old enough to help out in the kitchen, he'll be stylin'! I can see it as a perfect craft time cover-up too.

Do You Bonanzle?

Bonanzle is a funny name. But it's a happy, friendly place--at least from my experience so far. Touted as one of the most user-friendly and well developed alternatives to eBay, I had to give it a try.

I'm still learning my way around and trying to get my listings edited the way I'd like, but the site is fairly easy to navigate so it's just a matter of me putting in a bit more time. Customer service has been awesome--I had a small problem and had not only a response but a solution within a couple of hours. The listing fees are perfect--$0.00! The final value fees are very reasonable, ranging from $0.50 to $10.00.

I've got a Bonanza scheduled for this afternoon. This is a sale I created where I was able to set the date, the length of time, and the percentage of discount I wanted to give. It also gets me on their front page for a good number of hours today!

Come take a look at Bonanzle. If you missed my Bonanza special, just let me know and I'll give you 15% off anything in my booth.

Make Something Mondays: Temporary Work Space

In July I complained about how slow my new studio/workshop was coming along. And although there's been a tiny bit of progress since then, it's a really tiny bit, and the area is not at all useable. I've decided that we will not get it done during my lifetime and I'm ready to hire someone to finish it. In the meantime, I've been dragging my glass and tools to a table in the backyard, and then packing it all up and dragging it back inside again a few hours later. Not only is this a pain, but now it's getting too chilly to work outside.

I've appropriated our dining room table and made it a temporary glass work area. I can spread some of my stuff out, at least enough to be able to create some things. And I'm not packing it up and putting it away each time I cut some glass, so I can be a lot more productive.

I use the big plastic box for containing glass while I'm cutting. I discovered during my very first class that after about an hour I have enough tiny chunks of glass scattered all over that I have a mess equivalent to that of a toddler eating corn. Corn doesn't usually draw blood if you step on it, so the box is my solution to a never-ending band-aid shortage.

I've placed a small folding table and uncomfortable metal folding chairs in our kitchen so we have a place to eat. It's sort of like dining in a travel trailer: one of us can take things out of the refrigerator and another can load the dishwasher--all while seated at the table! Not ideal for family meals, but a girl's gotta make stuff, right?

This post was inspired by Jolly Mom and Go Graham Go!, the ingenious moms behind Make Something Monday. We'd love for you to join us next Monday!