L'chayim!

A satisfying moment is when you've spent long hours working in a special project that turns out beautifully. I absolutely love this Hebrew Chai magnet. I love the rich colors. I love how the beveled glass plays with the underlying image. I love the meaning of it: life. What can be more appropriate for this time of year, for Spring, when life in nature is returning than to introduce this celebratory piece? Many thanks to my dad who helped me through this process.

Signs of Spring

I just wanted to share these images of lambs taken at the Fischer farm in West Tisbury. Those of us with children really wished to see the little lambs when they arrived. Some of the lambs were as young as 2 days old! They were terribly cute as you can see from these pictures. They have a bunch of these little guys with more appearing each week. Simply adorable!

Hanging Vase

The hanging vase project is finally finished! This project started with a thrift shop goblet. I'm fairly pleased with the results but am filled with ideas on different methods. I wish I had better photographs, but these will have to do for now. I think once I have several completed I'll photograph them all together. At the rate I make these it should be a bit warmer outside.



This vase could be filled with all kinds of things. A few cut flowers from the garden, seashells, colorful small objects, even dried flowers would look nice in this vase. How about a bit of sand with a votive candle for a bit of romance?

Family Pets & String Dolls

I'm really not sure what anyone else thinks about these Koonin Pets from Kamibashi, but I think they're wonderful. They're a mix of my 2 favorite things: visual texture and animals. "Those are creepy", my husband said looking at my monitor from over my shoulder, but I think they're adorable. They're so expressive!

Just as wonderful and wacky are the handmade String Doll Gang, also from Kamibashi. With names like "Super Piggy" and "Safety Boy", someone clearly has a sense of humor. It's too difficult to pick a favorite, but each one is supposed to help you in some way. Crazy Eyes helps you find things, Lover Boy attracts passion, inspires loyalty, and serves up the love, and Super Piggy might just save the world yet. They're only 2.5" tall, but they seem to be a whole new breed of super hero.

Getting Closer

Not yet ready but getting close, I couldn't wait to share a peek of how these magnets will look with the gorgeous beveled glass. These magnets are going to be solid and the magnetic material strong. No one wants a cheap magnet that keeps slipping down the refrigerator! I plan to have several customizable designs available by mid-April.

In the Works

In production and available soon are these beautiful beveled glass magnets. These are only concepts. Photographs of the actual magnets will be available in the next few days.

I plan to have the magnets available at Annie Howes Keepsakes in the next couple of weeks. Each square magnet measures 2" x 2" and is created with beveled glass. Each will be offered as a variation on an existing theme, with new themes being added continuously. There will also be 1.5" x 1.5" round magnets available for the Alphabet themes. I'm very excited about introducing these magnets. Who doesn't keep a magnet on their refrigerator? Why not make one entirely yours with your own image and your own text?

What's Next

The next project I hope to have completed by next weekend is a hanging vase or votive holder made with stemmed glassware. A little photo documentation goes a long way when describing any of these projects and I've helpfully included those below.

First, I've removed the stem of the glass. Then I rasped the raw edge of the break until it's fairly smooth and even. It's nice to have a Dremel tool on hand to really smooth it out and remove any remaining glass burs.

I then wrapped the lip of the glass with copper foil tape and applied the solder.


Next, at the base of the glass, I wrapped the portion I plan to solder with copper foil tape. I then applied the solder and added a small silver jump ring.


This piece is now begging for completion, but sadly I'm still waiting on materials. In the meantime, I have a second piece of stemware I can bring to this point, and a third piece of glass whose intended purpose still puzzles me, but was such a great find and is such an interesting shape I simply couldn't pass on it. More on this project as materials arrive.