Martin's Glass House Blog

DECEMBER CALENDAR

2009-12-02T09:37:00.005-07:00

Here is the December calendar!

Please note that the time correction has been made on this calendar for the December 5th holiday bazaar. The time was incorrect in the email sent on December 1st!

Hope to see you on the 16th!

c@

FRUIT OF THE MONTH - NOVEMBER: PASSION-FIG-PERSIMMON

2009-12-01T16:23:00.010-07:00

NOVEMBER - FRUIT OF THE MONTH

PASSION-FIG-PERSIMMON

Welp, here it is... the last of the Fruit of the Month workshop series photos... for now. It's hard to believe that we've inspected, tasted, constructed at least twelve different fruits in glass this year.

As I look back over the past twelve months, I can only say how impressed I am with the progress that each person has made as they've learned new glass fusing techniques. We've learned to use all sorts of scrap glass, made frit - and used "store bought" frit, mixed colors... cut circles... put a lot of thought into our creations, trying to imitate fruit in glass. It has been quite an experience for all of us, and as if that wasn't enough - we've made a lot of new friends, too!

I don't know which was more fun - making the plates, learning about fruits, how they look inside - and which way to cut them to make them the most interesting in appearance, and how good they taste, or making new friends. And I can't think of one fruit that we tasted that we didn't like!

And there are still so many fruits left to try! In November we pulled a pummelo into the studio, too ... just to taste it.

When you're in the store, you'll see this giant green thing that looks like a grapefruit. The label says it's sort of a cross between an orange and grapefruit, but it didn't actually taste like either.

Maybe you'd like to check it out yourself.

As far as I'm concerned - it's pink inside... and we already did pink with the grapefruit!

Dorothy demonstrated one way to eat a pummelo (see photo at left).

If I were to do it again, I think I'd slice it across the middle and section it the customary way for eating a grapefruit. Not knowing what we were in for, we just divvied it up among us to get to the pulp.

Unfortunately, there weren't any passion fruit at the grocery store for us to use for research in our construction of glass fruit this November. Really a disappointment, but we did the best we could using the photo from October.

When I realized that we wouldn't have a passion fruit for November's workshop, I picked up a Fuju persimmon for us to examine and taste.

The photo at left is a thin section of a persimmon. We were surprised to find that, unlike most of the other fruits we'd inspected, the persimmon had eight seed spaces instead of five... more like a daisy design inside than a star like the apple, pear and papaya.

I found this picture of a pomegranate - cut in half horizontal to the stem. Even the seeds of the pomegranate are arranged in a 5-pointed star pattern! I had to run downstairs to cut the pomegranates in my fruit bowl in half just to double check to see it in real life!

I hope you find this as exciting as I do... at least if you're reading this far, maybe you do! Now I want to keep looking for new fruits, to see what they look like inside, and to see how they taste. Maybe even try to duplicate them in glass.

But, in the meantime, for our November Fruit of the Month workshop... without any passion fruit, we had figs, persimmon and pummelo to use for research.

Before and after photos are below - and Sara's will be forthcoming, as she was unable to attend the workshop in November.

NEW YEAR SPECIAL! And, just a reminder to those of you who participated in the Fruit of the Month workshops: If you have made twelve dishes by January 31, 2010, you can make one larger piece (serving bowl size) for 20% off the normal price! If you haven't finished all twelve, you can still catch up just by coming to open studio times in January!

And watch for the December calendar coming out next! There will be a Fruit of the Month workshop reunion at the Studio Open House on Wednesday, December 16th. Everyone is invited - and those with fruit dishes are invited to bring them in for one massive group photo with everyone's dishes and artists in it! Hope to see you there!

Enjoy the before & after photos!

FRUIT OF MONTH - OCTOBER: CITRUS

2009-12-01T15:27:00.010-07:00

Wow - the pages of the calendar are flipping by so quickly and I still haven't posted photos of the Fruit of the Month workshops for October and November yet! So, here is the first...

OCTOBER: CITRUS FRUIT

Even though the early October snow storm a week kept us from meeting on our originally scheduled date, we finally did get together (still in October!) to sample nearly every citrus fruit we could find that month (except for one, which you'll see in November's photos). We even included a few other seasonal fruits that we found at the grocery store. In photo at left, clockwise from 12 o'clock high: orange, lemon, lime, key lime, passion fruit and fig.

Fortunately, we did get the passion fruit in the very short window of time it was available, as Dorothy has been waiting ALL YEAR to get to look at the inside of the passion fruit and to eat it, as well as to introduce the rest of us to it!

The photo at left is a little out of sequence, but I just wanted you to see right away the passion that drove Dorothy to lick the passion fruit juice from the sample plate when we were done with the workshop!

I have to admit, although the inside of the passion fruit does not seem very attractive (see photo below), it was quite tasty. And really, it is not all that slimy to eat as it looks in person ... the photo does not do justice to the real fruit. Especially the slimy-ness!

However... IF you ever happen to see the passion fruit at the grocery store - unless you are fortunate to live where it grows and you have greater access to it, I highly recommend that you try it.

It is somewhat pricey for its size ... a little larger than a golf ball, and very wrinkly on the outside (when it's ripe), but worth the experience. And, hey. The cost of one passion fruit from the grocery store is certainly a whole lot less than a trip to Hawaii! So, splurge a little if you get the chance!

We also sampled figs. Now we just need to find the right glass colors that will work well with some of these pink-ish fruits.

Here I thought it was difficult to get pink grapefruit color way back in the beginning of the year... try matching glass colors to passion fruit and figs!

Actually, I think we're getting pretty close... See the photos for November Fruit of the Month!

But... back at the ranch... it was still October...

Kathy brought her orange place mat for inspiration and reference, and she also brought a plate of lemon bars that were superb.

Sorry... I neglected to get a photo of the lemon bars, and I still need to get the recipe for them! Trust me... they were beautiful and tasty, and I'm hoping to add them to my Christmas cookie trays this year if she'll share her recipe with us.

I'll post the recipe here when I get it!

Now... take a look at the dishes that were made...

The photo at the left shows the finished pieces. "Before" photos are below.

In photo, clockwise from 12 o'clock high: Patty's lemon, Sara's lime, Kathy's orange, Dorothy's orange.

Dorothy's orange - before.

Kathy's orange - before.

Stringers used to divide orange into sections.

Patty's lemon - before. Note the use of stringers for the pulp in the flesh of the lemon. Frit used to divide lemon into sections.

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER CALENDAR

2009-11-03T14:38:00.006-07:00

Wow! It's hard to believe that it's November already (except for the snow that we had last week)!

Here is our new calendar that includes some important information for December, as well. Just click on the calendar to make it larger, especially if you want to print it out.

Do you have all your holiday glass projects planned?

Not only is gift-giving season quickly approaching, but the eating season is officially upon us now, too. Do you have enough serving pieces for your holiday entertaining?

Plan to include some glass fusing in your holiday plans! It's a fun way to brighten your home and table with all kinds of beautiful glassware - from the table to the windows and walls!

Do you have out-of-town guests visiting Laramie? Think about bringing them by to join in on the fun of making treasures to take home with them as souvenirs of their visit. It only takes a few hours to create something wonderful that they'll remember for years to come!

More days available for Open Studio! The next several weeks are going to be busy, busy, busy, so I have scheduled a number of dates that I will be available if you need time to work on your projects. There is no time indicated on the calendar for those dates.

You must call at least one day in advance to schedule a time with me to work in the studio for these special dates.

I have also scheduled "regular" open studio times from 5:30 - 9 PM on Nov. 6, 11 and Dec. 2. There is an additional daytime open studio scheduled on Friday, Nov. 6 from 1-4 PM. Remember that you must also call at least one day ahead to make sure I know you are planning to come!

ARTS & CRAFTS SHOWS COMING UP! If you don't have time to get away to create your own projects, please feel free to stop by any of the numerous shows I have coming up in November and December - nearly every Saturday for the next several weeks, with the exception of Thanksgiving weekend. But, there is something FUN planned for that Saturday - with details below.

TREE HUNTING WITH MARTIN'S GLASS HOUSE! You are invited to join us on our annual trek to the forest to get our Christmas tree on Saturday, November 28th. Phil will be hauling his trailer to bring back everyone's trees. A number of people are already planning to join us. We hope you will, too!

We'll start at our house at 7 AM with breakfast (waffles, egg dish, ham, fruit, juice - and COFFEE). At 8 AM we will head up to the forest (our probably "not-so-secret" tree-finding spot) to look for trees. Be sure to bring your tree permit that you must purchase beforehand at the Forest Service! We will car pool so that we don't need too many cars all going to the same place, and should hopefully all have our trees and be back on the road home around 11 AM or before.

So, BUSY AS USUAL! Please come join us! See you soon!

c@

OCTOBER 2009 CALENDAR

2009-10-05T09:45:00.004-06:00

Here is the calendar for October 2009. Wow, it's a busy month! Just click on the calendar to make it larger and to print it out.

Please note the change for the Fruit of the Month Workshop. It will now be held on Wednesday, October 28th from 6-9 PM.

The schedule change is due to the fact that I made a last minute decision to participate in the Svensk Hyllingsfest Arts & Crafts Show in Lindsborg, Kansas when I found out that they still had an opening. This show - and Swedish festival - is held only every other year. If you're on the road in Kansas, please stop by to shop!

There is one brand new workshop scheduled for Saturday, October 17th from 9 AM - Noon. This is open to beginners - you do not need to have attended the Fusing Basics workshop to participate!

COPPER INCLUSIONS WORKSHOP: Learn how to use copper inclusions in fused glassware. You'll be thrilled when you see how beautiful it is when it is fired, and you might even be inspired to create a special serving piece for your fall entertaining - especially Thanksgiving!

You'll be making one 6" square piece to learn the techniques that you'll need to create projects during open studio times. If time permits you may make additional pieces for an extra fee.

Saturday, October 17th - 9 AM 'til NOON

Pre-payment is required! A minimum attendance of 4 people is required for the workshop to be held, so invite a friend or two to participate with you! If minimum attendance is not met, the workshop will be canceled and your pre-payment will be returned to you.

Workshop Fee: $50, includes all materials, instruction and kiln firing; additional pieces $22 each. Students will receive a 10% discount for the workshop fee only.

FRUIT OF THE MONTH WORKSHOP - CITRUS:

Join us to create beautiful citrus-like dishes! If you've been participating every month so far this year, by now you have a great collection of dishes that look like fruit. Check past blog posts to see photos of everyone's dishes.

Besides the benefits of just getting together to relax, have fun, closely examine the design and colors in fruits... and eat treats, everyone is learning new techniques to use to create designs in glass. Participants are getting great at cutting circles, too!

Another great benefit - if you've created a dozen 6" dishes by the end of the year, you will receive a 20% discount to create a larger serving piece to go with the set of dishes! If you're behind and don't have close to a dozen dishes yet, you'll want to get into the studio to work on more projects (you can make more than one during open studio times) to take advantage of this great discount!

Wednesday, October 28th - 6 'til 9 PM

Workshop Fee: $40 for first-time fruit fusers, $30 for past fruit fusers. If time permits, you may make additional fruit plates for a special reduced fee of only $15 each! This is a great deal you won't want to miss! And, it will give you an opportunity to catch up to have a dozen plates by the end of the year so that you can take advantage of the 20% discount on your fruit serving bowl!

OPEN STUDIO TIMES:

Please call at least one day in advance to let me know you plan to come to open studio. There is a $10 per visit fee for use of the studio tools and supplies. All glass and other materials require additional fees depending on what you choose to use in your project.

WE HAVE APPLES & PEARS!

2009-09-15T09:57:00.007-06:00

SEPTEMBER FRUIT OF THE MONTH: APPLES & PEARS

Wow! We're winding down the year and the Fruit of the Month dishes are piling up!

This month we made TWO dishes - an apple and a pear - so that everyone will be on target to get their 20% discount on a larger serving bowl to go with their sets of individual dishes.

It is getting more and more difficult for me to keep everyone's dishes identified from table to kiln and out again, but I think I got it right (again - double check before & after photos below) this month. Fortunately, each person's plate was a tiny bit different one from another. Some were dramatically different, such as Dorothy's red apple plate with a bite taken out of it... with a fly on the bite, and Patty's red apple that shows part of the outside and part of the inside all on one side of the plate.

Check out the bottom of this post to see all the Before and After photos for each person who attended the workshop. (You can click on any photo to see it in a larger format.)

We began the workshop by having Dorothy cut open several pieces of fruit so that all could be inspired. (She did so well on the peaches last month!) We had a variety of apples - Gala, Jazz, Granny Smith and Fuji...
and pears - Bartlett, Bosc and Red (do these have another name besides Red?)... they look like Bosc, but red... they were might tasty, whatever the case!

The fruit was sliced in many directions, but everyone pretty much made their decisions to create their plates using a crosswise cut of the fruits which showed the "stars" inside the fruit.

Eventually, Dorothy took a bite out of her apple to create that design in her plate. I think she ate the rest of the apple because it was pretty tasty, but not "Delicious!" (Oh - that was bad! :-) )

It was also noted that the pears we had on hand seemed to have seeds that were better organized in twos within each point of the center star design than apple seeds.

The apples we had on hand seemed to have seeds piled into the centers of the stars, a little less organized.

Check this out at home to see if you find the same thing about seed organization in apples and pears. Let me know what you find!

Then everyone got to work... deciding what color glass they wanted to use... picking out colors of frit... mixing colors of frit... deciding how to make seeds...

Kathy even wore her "apple shirt" for inspiration. You can see from the Before and After photos, below, that it must have worked for her!

Hoping to see more of you as we finish out the year of Fruit of the Month workshops with CITRUS in October... and whatever we decide for November! Come be part of the fun!

WE HAVE PEACHES! FRUIT OF THE MONTH

2009-08-29T13:27:00.016-06:00

PEACH: August's Fruit of the Month!

Probably one of this year's most challenging fruits to reproduce in glass, I think; but everyone did a great job on their plates! (Photo above, top row left to right: Dorothy, Patty, Sara; bottom row left to right: Cat, Kathy.)

Dorothy (above) was the recipe contest winner with her TEN SEASONS dessert - which included BACON as an ingredient! Definitely a unique recipe, as Dorothy made it up just for this contest! Yummy, too, with the whipped cream on top and blackberry/mint garnish. Here is her recipe - photos of the dishes are at the bottom of the post. (I was only able to get photos of the steps that Dorothy completed in my kitchen.)

TEN SEASONS (Makes 6 pastries)

Ingredients

Puff Pastry Shells
below)
Fresh peaches, peeled and sliced (Dorothy recommends Colorado peaches)
Bacon, cooked crisp, then crumbled
Cinnamon-Sugar (Dorothy also added cardamom)
Whipping Cream
Mint Sprigs & Berries for garnish

Set oven temperature according to puff pastry package directions. Remove a portion of the center from each pastry shell, being sure to not open the hole all the way through the shell at the bottom. Bake the shells for about 15 minutes.

Pour some cheese filling into each partially baked shell; bake another 10-15 minutes. The filling needs to be cooked, but don't let the shells become too dark! Allow shells to cool before proceeding.

Arrange sliced peaches (as artistically as possible) on top of each cooled pastry shell.

Top with bacon bits,

and sprinkle generously with cinnamon-sugar-spice mix.

Place pastries under broiler

until the sugar forms a crust - but do not burn! (We set the timer for 2 minutes, but it took less than 2 minutes for the crust to form, so watch it carefully!)

Whip the cream until stiff. Using a pastry bag, pipe the whipped cream attractively on top of the sugar crust.

Garnish each with a mint sprig and a berry (Dorothy used blackberries).

Cheese Filling

2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 C. sugar
1 egg
3/8 C. whipping cream or half & half

Cream together the cream cheese and sugar.
Add egg and cream; beat together until smooth.

Here are the before and after photos of the dishes... You can click on the image to make it larger.

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR

2009-08-26T21:58:00.002-06:00

Here is the calendar for September! Click on it to make it larger...

FUSING BASICS:

This month will be the very last Fusing Basics workshop offered this year! If you want to take the workshop, but the schedule doesn't work for you, you will need to find at least three other people to take the workshop with you and schedule a time and date that will work for your private group.

The fee for this workshop is $50 per person, with a minimum of four people required for the workshop to be held. The fee includes all costs for students to make a night light, sun catcher, pendant/cabochon, and 6" square or round plate or bowl. If you wanted to make these pieces individually, the cost would be substantially higher for all of them. Be sure to take advantage of this great offer!

FRUIT OF THE MONTH: APPLES & PEARS

Fee for Fruit of the Month (FOM): $30 for past FOM fusers; $40 for first-time FOM fusers. The fee includes all costs for one 6" round plate or bowl. Each additional piece is $15 on the night of the workshop.

OPEN STUDIO: The name "open studio" is a little misleading because if no one calls to let me know they're coming, the studio is not really open! You must call at least one day in advance to let me know you will be coming to use the studio for your projects. Anyone who wishes to work in the studio must have already taken the Fusing Basics workshop. There is a $10 fee each night to use the studio equipment and includes the cost of kiln firing.

AUGUST CALENDAR

2009-08-26T21:56:00.001-06:00

Late, but posted! Here's August's Calendar! Click on it to make it larger...

WE HAVE WATERMELON!

2009-07-19T20:53:00.010-06:00

During June's Fruit of the Month Workshop, we created watermelon dishes! Just sharing the photos with you now - a little bit later than anticipated, but knew you wouldn't want me to miss posting them! Shown in the photo above, from the top and going clockwise: Dorothy's inside and outside view, Sara's slice, and Patty's section with a seed being spit out to the side. Very clever creations by these ladies!

Patty Hansen also created a Watermelon Salsa recipe, too, which she brought with her to share with everyone to be eligible for the grand prize of the evening. Patty received a 50% discount on her watermelon dish for making the salsa and bringing it to the workshop!

Patty's Watermelon Salsa

Oh, my... it was good, and she made homemade tortilla chips, too! Everyone enjoyed it immensely - even Sara who, unfortunately, also had chips and salsa for dinner before coming to the workshop! Phil always enjoys participating in the workshops - especially when it comes to taste testing.

Here's Phil sampling the chips and salsa.

Here's Phil demonstrating how to clean the plate. Simply tilt the plate to let the remaining salsa juice slide into your mouth, then lick the plate starting from bottom to top!

And, just so you know that we did MORE than EAT watermelon salsa all night, here are a few photos of our results!

This was our research watermelon specimen, above. For some reason, there weren't ANY watermelons with SEEDS at the grocery store, so we worked with a tiny seedless variety.

I created a 6" plate (above)...

And a 9" bowl (above)...

And a large chip/salsa or cheese/cracker platter...

Here are the before and after photos for all the plates shown in the photo at the very top of t his post. Just click on any photo in this blog post to make the images larger.

FUSING BASICS - JUNE

2009-07-13T05:06:00.021-06:00

The last Fusing Basics workshop for the 2008-2009 season met at Martin's Glass House in June for a huge blowout session. Everyone tried to learn as many techniques and make as many projects using those techniques as could possibly be done in just three hours!

In photo from left to right: Joyce, Anne, Nancy, Jo Lynn, Karyn, Sue Ann and Kay.

Creations included 6" square or round plates... but Anne chose to shape hers into an oval persimmon, and Joyce made a very "outside the lines" abstract hanky votive out of many pieces of iridized scrap glass.

Clockwise at left, starting at "noon," are Joyce's hanky vase, Jo Lynn's contour abstract, Anne's persimmon and Karyn's contour flowers.

There were an assortment of other creative designs using all kinds of glass elements such as dots, stringers, noodles, vitrigraph and frit - you name it, it was used!

Some plates were full fused, some contour fused. Individual photos are shown at the bottom of this post.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take individual photos of the finished plates, but everything else is here!

In photo - from left to right - includes plates made by Jo Lynn, Nancy and Kay.

We ended up with quite a collection of very fun night lights and a sun catcher... Jo Lynn experimented with "weaving" strips - and there was a great assortment of imaginative designs by everyone!

Back row night lights, left to right, made by: Sue Ann, Joyce and Karyn. Front row night lights and sun catcher, left to right, made by: Anne, Jo Lynn, Nancy and Kay.

... and a handful of pendants were made with channels and fine silver wire for hanging, and cabochons to be hung on pendant bails.

Back row, left to right: Jo Lynn's dichroic glass cabochon with frit, Sue Ann's dichroic pendant with fine silver wire, Karyn's dichroic and iridized glass cabochon.

Front row, left to right: Joyce's transparent abstract pendant with channel, Nancy's dichroic glass cabochon, and Nancy's dichroic glass pendant with channel.

Enjoy the individual photos - before and after - below. Just click on each image to make it larger to view more detail.

Watermelon Recipes!

2009-07-08T21:33:00.004-06:00

Here are two recipes from tonight's Watermelon Fruit of the Month workshop:

Watermelon Salsa

Entered by Patty Hansen

Patty won the recipe contest for the July Fruit of the Month Watermelon workshop. She received a 50% discount on her project for the night - and we all very much enjoyed snacking on the watermelon salsa. It was great! Her recipe is below, followed by another recipe that I haven't tried yet; but it sounds pretty interesting. If you try it, please send your review to me at dts@martinsglasshouse.com!

4 cups chopped watermelon (remove seeds!)

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint

1/4 c balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp. lime juice

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup chopped red onion

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1-2 tsp. chopped jalapeno, or to taste

Combine all ingredients. Mix well and chill before serving. Serve with corn chips or with grilled fish.

Watermelon Summer Salad

This recipe came from the www.Allrecipes.com website ... they say, "Be prepared for a pleasant surprise!" If you try it, please send your review - and a digital photo, if you can - to me at dts@martinsglasshouse.com.

3/4 cup halved, thinly sliced onion
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1-1/2 quarts seeded, cubed watermelon
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup pitted black olive halves
1 cup chopped fresh mint
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Place the onion slices in a small bowl with the lime juice. The acide of the lime will mellow the flavor of the raw onion. Let stand for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the watermelon cubes, feta cheese, black olives, onions with the lime juice, and mint. Drizzle olive oil over it all, and toss to blend. Dig in and be prepared for a pleasant surprise!

JULY CALENDAR - WORKSHOPS, OPEN STUDIO TIMES

2009-07-06T11:47:00.002-06:00

Please click on each image to get more information about workshops and open studio times in July!

Remember:

1. Summer Studio Safety: Please wear closed-toe, hard-sole shoes and long pants.

2. The Fusing Basics Workshop is required before you may attend Open Studio times. Since there will not be another Fusing Basics Workshop until sometime in the fall, you may round up at least three other people to attend a private session with you. Call for appointment and more information.

COMING JULY 8th - WATERMELON!

2009-06-26T07:50:00.005-06:00

JULY FRUIT OF THE MONTH WORKSHOP
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8th, 6-9 PM

Fee: $40 for 1st time; $30 for past fusers; extra dishes, $15 each.

I know you hear this every month, but I still can't believe what a great time we always have at the Fruit of the Month workshops! If you haven't been to one yet, there is still plenty of time for you to catch up! You can make the monthly project and, when done with that, make one more ... then attend an open studio or two to make more.

Remember: Everyone who makes 12 fruit dishes - either at the FOM workshops or at open studio times - will receive a 20% discount on a larger serving bowl to make a complete set. If you want to make salad serving utensils, you can do that, too! If you want to make a whole set of just one fruit, you can do that, too!

We have held the last Fusing Basics until the fall; but as long as you are making the fruit dishes and know the basics of cutting glass, come to open studio to keep working!

If you have not taken the Fusing Basics class, round up at least three other people who want to take the class, and schedule a special Fusing Basics session for your group anytime during the summer. Daytime classes are welcome!

WATERMELON RECIPE CONTEST

Remember to enter the Watermelon Recipe Contest by July 3rd! Just find a recipe with watermelon as an ingredient - preferably a recipe that you have already made and sampled so that you know it is good. Then email your recipe to Martin's Glass House at dts@martinsglasshouse.com.

Marge and Phil - our very impartial judges (Cat will break a tie) will critique each recipe to determine which recipe entered is the most unique use for watermelon.

Please - only ONE entry per person!

WHAT DO I WIN?

If your recipe is chosen as the most unique recipe using watermelon as an ingredient, you will receive a 20% discount on your Watermelon Fruit of the Month project!

If you make the recipe and bring the dish to the Watermelon Fruit of the Month Workshop, you will receive a 50% discount on your Watermelon Fruit of the Month project!

So, now's the time to take on the challenge! We are all looking forward to eating watermelon at the Fruit of the Month Workshop!

WE HAVE STRAWBERRIES!

2009-06-18T14:20:00.017-06:00

June was "Strawberry" month for the Fruit of the Month workshop. This is a group photo of all the dishes - except for Patty's. Patty left town for a few weeks before I got a photo of her dish, so we'll have to catch up with her when she gets back!

Top Row (left to right): Sara, Dorothy, Cat
Bottom Row (all Cat's - including the tomato and banana).

Designing strawberries in glass turned out to be a little more challenging than we expected, but it was fun and delicious making the attempt! And what lucious research specimens we had to imitate! This is a close-up of some strawberries to illustrate the pattern created by the seeds in the flesh of the fruit. Designing strawberries in glass turned out to be a little more challenging than we expected, but it was fun - and delicious - making the attempt!

We discovered that strawberries don't seem to have a uniform number of leaves from berry to berry. In my original sample - made sometime before the workshop, there were 10 leaves. The berries we worked with at the workshop seemed to have 11 leaves. Since then, I've cleaned more berries and some had even more than 11 leaves! Next time you're cleaning berries - count the leaves! See how many they have.

Dorothy chose to create her strawberry with the inside showing. The photo on the left is her piece before it was fired. It was constructed with red glass over ivory. The details inside were created from stringers (almond color) and coarse frit (ivory and pink champagne). The tips of the leaves are just barely visible from under the berry, with a few of the seeds shown in yellow, which were made with coarse frit chips.

Sara chose a fairly challenging design. She wanted to create a piece that showed both the inside and the outside of the strawberry. The photo on the left is one layer - it is clear glass with stringers and frit arranged that, when this layer was placed against a red layer, it would look like the inside of the strawberry. This side would become the inside of her dish.

The outside of the strawberry was an opaque red layer with leaves and seeds, placed on top of the bottom clear layer. Sara arranged several bits of coarse frit in yellow and clear around the edge of the clear side of the piece. This created a little bit of space around the edge so that, when fired, air would escape between the layers as the top layer slumped onto the bottom layer - so there wouldn't be any bubbles trapped between the two pieces because of the frit and stringers inside.

Then both layers were carefully placed in the kiln to be fired with a contour fuse. After the first firing, the piece was slumped into what we call the "wide bottom fluted" mold so that the leaves became the bottom of the dish, the inside of the berry was the inside of the dish.

This is the bottom side of Sara's dish.

This is the inside of Sara's dish.

FATHER'S DAY GIFT IDEAS!

2009-06-12T18:40:00.010-06:00

Just the tip of the iceberg if you're looking for ideas for Father's Day Gifts! Many of the items shown in this photo can be made for $10-$20, some higher. (See image of Stand-Up Deer at bottom of this post.)

There are TONS of ways you can adapt these ideas to make them your own, and to personalize gifts for your Dad.

Many of these projects are easy for kids - so bring them on Saturday, June 14th, to make something for their Dad! Many will be completed with one firing, and some with a little more embellishment of your own after firing. All will be greatly treasured!

We have new patterns for all kinds of wildlife! So if your Dad is a hunter, fisherman, bird watcher, or wildlife watcher, he's sure to love whatever you make!

In fact, I think all Dads love anything you make - especially if they're delivered with a batch of homemade cookies... even the burned ones (cookies, that is)!

Shown above (click on image to make it larger, if you wish):

Stand-Up Fish... I also made a Stand-Up Deer, but it was still cooling in the kiln when I put the photo above together... So, there is a photo of it at the bottom of this list. The size is about 3"x4"... could be used on a desk, shelf ... or what about to decorate a cake? You can create any design you like... wedding figures, action figures... you are the creator!

Key Chain... If you do your own beading, you can complete it at home; or we have all the components (purchased separately) and tools here for you to complete it.

Fish Decor... Make the glass fish in the studio and either use it as a sun catcher alone, or create a unique hanger for it out of wood. We might be able to persuade Phil to dig in his wood scrap pile to find a piece of wood for you, or use something of your own... maybe even not wood, you are the creator!

Wine Bottle Stopper... Just two cabachons that are done firing and ready to be glued onto your stopper (available for purchase separately at our studio) in just a matter of hours!

Individual Chip & Dip Plate... Use our wildlife patterns, or come up with some ideas of your own. Individualize it for your Dad. This plate can also be used for fries & ketchup, veggies & dip... pretzles & mustard! In fact, the plate shown is 9"x12"x1" and would hold fries, ketchup AND a burger! It's awesome!

Magnets... Make dichroic or plain, smooth or textured... shapes, squares, circles... the sky is the limit! If you happen to deliver these with homemade cookies, don't let your Dad eat them!

Money Clips... A single cabachon embellishes the clip. Simple and quick! (When Dad takes out his cash to put it in the money clip, be sure to be there to ask for some! :-)

Night Lights... OK. Even though I think most Dads say they can see in the dark and won't stub their toes on anything when they walk through dark rooms (I really think they're trying to save electricity-but night lights don't really use much electricity), I'll bet any Dad would love to have something created by you especially for him. AND, he'd use it so you'd know he was proud of it. Remember to deliver it with some freshly made cookies for added impact!

Other Personalized Gifts... The boot plate shown can be adapted to include your own ranch brand! But, you can create any design you like... western, contemporary, you name it! In fact, what a perfect gift to complete by adding a pile of homemade cookies to be delivered with it!

If you are in need of a cookie recipe - especially if you need one with high altitude adjustments, just email me. Phil and Marge are the models used for the Cookie Monster, and have been taste testing my cookies for a number of years now. I have tons of great cookie recipes!

Need more ideas? Come to the studio to be inspired! Business card holders, paper clip holders, biscotti holders, tea bag holders... You'll probably be overwhelmed with ideas!

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE BAKE WITH RHUBERRY SAUCE

2009-06-11T21:31:00.013-06:00

Wow. Is it ever hard to be on a diet and be around dessert - let alone be the one to make it, too! However, I managed to test only a teeny little piece of the crust from the dessert I made for the Strawberry Fruit of the Month Workshop last night. Now I can confirm that, yes indeed, it tasted very good!

The original recipe calls for peaches. I substituted strawberries (it is not unusual at all for me to change ingredients in recipes!), and added my favorite recipe for using rhubarb: Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce. I call it "Rhuberry Sauce".

Doesn't it look just so yummy on this plate I made? Hard to tell from the photo, but the plate is an "apple" design for a future Fruit of the Month workshop sample.

OK... so the bottom layer is the cream cheese bake portion. Then a large scoop of ice cream was placed on top... and smothered in Rhuberry Sauce. You can click on the photo to make it larger if you really want to drool!

Dorothy and Phil were the first ones to sample the dessert, while Sara worked away on her very special creation. I'm not going to give away any descriptions of it right now - we'll see how it turned out in the final slump. I can tell you, though, that after the first firing, everything sure looked pretty good!

We had a great time. I wish you could have been here! Unfortunately, now Marge and Phil are going to have to finish all the dessert that was left over!

So... Here are some before and after photos of the Strawbery Cream Cheese Bake with Rhuberry Sauce... as well as the recipe at the very end! Enjoy!

Need to figure out the best way to pre-rinse handmade glass dishes?

Phil demonstrates how to clean the rest of the sauce off the plate.

And here is the recipe I promised so that you can make it yourself at home.

It is really, really, really good... even though that judgment is based on just the teensiest little bit of crust I sampled. It is just not very low-cal!

Strawberry Cream

Cheese Bake with

Rhuberry Sauce

Rhuberry Sauce:
4 c. thinly-sliced rhubarb
20-24 oz. frozen strawberries, thawed slightly
3 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch + water to bring up to 1/2 c.
4 drops red food coloring

Instructions: Place all ingredients in large saucepan; bring to boil, stirring often, until sauce is thickened. Reserve 1 c. sauce for making the cake, and about 2 c. sauce to serve with the cake. Place remainder in freezer containers to store.

Cake:
2 c. thinly-sliced fresh strawberries
1 c. strawberry rhubarb sauce
2-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1-1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 sticks cold margarine or butter
One 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
One 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
2. Combine flour and sugar in large bowl; cut cold margarine into the mixture until very finely blended (mixture will be dry—or you may blend it with your hands to make it more crumbly). Reserve 2 c. for topping.
3. Press remaining crust mixture in 9”x13” glass pan that has been sprayed with non-stick flour spray. Bake crust for 15 min.
4. While crust is baking, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in the condensed milk until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix well.
5. After crust has baked, carefully (the pan is hot!) lay the sliced strawberries over the crust. Drizzle 1 c. rhuberry sauce over the sliced strawberries, then carefully pour the cake batter over the top. Sprinkle the remaining dry crust mixture over the top of all in the glass pan.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the crust is just beginning to turn brown.
7. Set baked dish aside until it has cooled a bit; then chill for a few hours to make it easier to slice and serve.
8. Serve with ice cream and more rhuberry sauce, or just rhuberry sauce alone.

c@

JUNE 2009 CALENDAR

2009-06-04T22:27:00.007-06:00

Click on the calendar to make it larger and print it out.

Be sure to note several new changes in the information that follows, including pre-payment for registration in the Fusing Basics class.

Reminder: SUMMER STUDIO SAFETY

Please do not wear shorts or sandals to the studio!

LA GRANDE FLEUR MASKS

2009-05-11T09:10:00.008-06:00

A few photos of the masks that I made for La Grande Fleur - shown here as window hangings, but can also be hung on a wall.

Enjoy!

"Margaritaville"
Into the kiln just before sunrise... as a result of my having too much caffeine the day before...

The parrot trimmed in dichroic glass was inspired by dichroic glass scraps that fell into the shape of a palm tree. The wing is "padded" for three-dimensional effect.

The lazy ol' sun (with black glass vitrigraph chin curls) was slumped over a bisque mask. With reflective mirror lensed shades... He's so cool.

Doesn't it just make you want to lie in the sun on the beach?

"The Pharoah"

Originally began as only a headdress to adorn a sun face slumped over a bisque mask, which isn't in the photo - but you can see it at the studio.

Became quite an elaborate piece... with frit-painted facial features on the almond glass face.

The headdress is cherry red glass sectioned by noodles of marigold and black. Plenty of dichroic glass accents on the headdress, which suspends the face with brass chains adorned with flashy glass beads.

These will both be auctioned at La Grande Fleur. I hope they go to wonderful new homes...

Don't they both just make you want to lie on the beach in the sun?
c@

WE HAVE PINEAPPLES!

2009-05-08T15:49:00.012-06:00

What a wonderfully sweet and juicy treat we had at the Fruit of the Month workshop this month! My, oh my... the pineapples were as delicious to see as they were to taste!

I made a trip to Denver a few days before the workshop, so I was able to pick up some "Honey Pine" pineapples from Sunflower Market. Oh, were they divine!

They were great references for the projects - and some of them even had seeds in them! Next time you have fresh pineapple, look for the little black seeds in the pulp of the fruit!

In the photo above: Top Center, Tracy; Second Tier (left to right), Lisa, Chris, Dorothy; Front Row (left to right), Patty, Christy, Sara.

We had chunks and slices of pineapple to use as reference, as well as whole pineapples that were very similar in appearance to Patty's whole pineapple dish in the photo above! :-)

Once again, each person had a very unique design, though I have to admit that I had to check now and then to see whose was whose as I was unloading and identifying each!

Dorothy created a dish with both the outside and the inside design of the pineapple on one plate - and added a cherry on top!

Patty made the full-sized pineapple dish and achieved a very clever design for the outside of the pineapple. Great job cutting the leaves on the ring saw, too!

We got the kiln loaded and fired it up that night. Now all the dishes are ready to go to their homes!

Enjoy the before and after photos, below! Click on the whole image to see it in a larger format. Better yet, come to Fruit of the Month workshops to see everything being created!

What Happens at Open Studio?

2009-05-08T15:10:00.012-06:00

I thought you might like to see some photos of recent open studio creations at Martin's Glass House.

Remember - you can create pretty much anything you can imagine at open studio sessions - but you must first attend the Fusing Basics workshop!

(Click on any image to see it in a larger format.)

DOROTHY AND ESTHER MADE BUTTONS

The sweater above is one that Dorothy made for Esther - not at open studio. We only work with glass here (and occasionally with clay)! They came to open studio together to create buttons for the sweater.

Both Dorothy and Esther have previously attended a Button Frenzy workshop. Great job, ladies! You learned a lot! They look mahvelous!

Dorothy and Esther made six buttons; only four were used for the sweater. What fun! Here are photos of the four buttons used on the sweater.

BARB'S CLOCK

It took Barb about four open studio sessions to assemble her clock inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright designs.

First cutting pieces... drilling a hole in the base... assembling pieces...

Then, assembling and gluing pieces in place... assembling and gluing more pieces in place...

Then assembling and gluing more pieces... and finally it was ready to fire in the kiln.

We did a tack fuse to just hold all the pieces in place without changing their shapes.

This is the clock - without hands. Barb strategically located four black rectangles to indicate 3-6-9-12 on the clock.

The hands will be installed at open studio tonight. I'll update this post with a photo of the finished clock when it's done.

I'm eager to see it. Aren't you?!

PATTY'S DROP VASE

I think Patty was inspired by drop vases made at the Pineapple Fruit of the Month workshop.

A little push and pull on the pieces at assembly to get them in the correct position to stretch upon dropping was all it took. It's always a surprise to see how these turn out!

This one is very pretty!

Here is a photo looking into the vase from top down.

PINEAPPLE SAMPLES!

2009-04-29T07:39:00.005-06:00

Holey Pineapple Slice, Batman! Am I excited about the up-coming Fruit of the Month Workshop!

We'll be making pineapples - and I have some samples now to show you! I threw these together somewhat quickly so that I could get the photos posted and an email sent out to you; but I'm sure with your own unique style, some time and patience, you will come up with something simply mahvelous!

The smaller round dish (6" diameter) is the primary project for the May Fruit of the Month Workshop. The full size dish (12" L x 6" W) is the "Bonus Dish" for the workshop, but you can choose to do either - or both - of the dishes. If you choose to make both, you will receive a discount of about 15% on your total cost! Cool deal!

I can visualize half a real pineapple, scooped out, with some kind of pineapple fruit salad inside, served on this clever dish. It was a lot of fun to make - and even more fun to see when it came out of the kiln! (Anyone have an idea how to scoop out a real pineapple? We tried a grapefruit knife to get the fruit out from the ends. It works pretty well. Pretty juicy, too!)

Coming up with ideas for making the smaller round dish (6" diameter) was fun. I'm sure you will come up with many more clever ways to design a pineapple slice. This small dish was made by cutting strips of yellow and light amber glass into pineapple wedges, filling in the spaces with a random mix of assorted frit sizes in ivory, yellow, white and amber. The edge was done with coarse frit in amber, yellow, olive and moss. With a live pineapple model at the workshop, you will see colors and structures to inspire your design.

So, have you figured out yet why I just love to do glass fusing? It's not just the feel of the warm, glistening glass that is alluring, but the surprise of how things look when they come out that keeps drawing me to the kiln in the middle of the night to see how things turn out! Take a look at the leaves on the end of the dish. What a surprise! Lots of leaves! These were made with three differenct colors of green.

And every piece will come out differently. I experimented with a technique to add more than one layer of leaves, which makes the dish look much different than I bet you thought it would look, didn't it? This dish has two leaf layers, but I'll bet with a little diligence, we could put three layers in there. On the other hand, maybe two layers is enough. :-)

MAY CALENDAR

2009-04-25T00:52:00.014-06:00

A little earlier than I usually get the calendar posted, but I wanted to give all of you a chance to plan ahead!

The Fruit of the Month workshops continue to increase in size, so be sure to sign up for it quickly! An additional day for Pineapples has been added in the event that Wednesday gets too full! Be sure to contact me if you prefer Tuesday, as a minimum of four people for Tuesday will be required to hold the additional class if Wednesday's is not full!

Descriptions for all workshops are below. Just click on the calendar and descriptions to make the image large enough to read. You should also be able to simply print out the calendar and descriptions, each on one page, without any problems this month (hopefully!).

We will again be closed for a week during April, so please plan accordingly!

See you in the studio soon!

FUSING BASICS - HANKY VASES!

2009-04-24T21:46:00.002-06:00

Thought you might like to see the project results from the Fusing Basics class held in April. What beautiful vases!

Top: by Angela
Right: by Linda
Left: by Cindy

Vases are just one type of project that you can make in the Fusing Basics class. Come check it out if you haven't taken it already!

The Fusing Basics class is required before you can participate in open studio times, so you won't want to miss out on all the fun!

Got the Blues... Berries, That Is!

2009-04-12T19:16:00.050-06:00

What a great time we had at the April Fruit of the Month workshop! Phil put some blues CDs on the stereo and we got busy workin' and swayin' to the Blues-Berries! You can see each of the individual pieces in the photos at the bottom of this post. Photo (left to right) - Front row: Barb, Patty, Rhonda; Middle Row: Lindy (vase), Sherrie, Katie, Lisa, Stacy (vase); Back Row: Minerva, Konnie (vase), Sara, Chris (vase), Dorothy.

We had plenty of "blueberry" dots for everyone (though a little short on the light mauve that many sought out), and once again everyone came up with a totally unique design of their own. It never ceases to amaze me! We even had one piece that was identified as "Not a Blueberry"! (I'll let you guess which one it is!)

This bowl is one that I made for a sample - just a clear circle with blueberry dots on it. I did a contour fuse and slumped the bumpy side down in the mold.

The bottom side of the bowl shows the contours of the dots.

And, oh boy, did we enjoy desserts: a gorgeous blueberry cobbler provided by Chris, and a cheesecake with glazed blueberries on top that I'd made. Too bad I didn't think to take a photo of the desserts. Phil took all the leftovers to work with him the next day - nothing went to "waist" here! And, after all was said and done, Phil went around the studio and ate the "research" blueberries that were left on the small dishes on the tables.

Since everyone had sketched out their designs and picked out a mold for their project, I was able to map out where everything went in the kilns to keep it all sorted and identified. There were 3 or 4 pieces that were constructed entirely of dots - and yet each person had picked a different color background, so they were still identifiably different from one another. They came out beautifully, and I think everyone is thrilled with them!

Here are the photos of the "Before" and "After" blueberry dishes. Just click on the images to see them in a larger format. Enjoy! Try to not get blueberry juice on everything!