Do you know - What lampworking is?

Do You Know is a new blog series designed to offer information in a fun way.
I am all about fun, after all!

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One question I'm often asked is, "what is lampworking?" I love this question because lampworking has such an old history. It's just amazing.

The term "lampworking" was actually coined because our ancestors once used oil-fueled lamps to melt glass. But our ancestors didn't just make beads, oh no!! Small glass vessels were a common item as well. How cool is that!

Today's lampworking is born from techniques mastered by Venetian glass artists. Previously, artistic beads were a European delicacy, but today people around the world enjoy the art of lampwork bead making. Especially me!

Today's heat source has evolved tremendously since single fueled oil lamps. Above I show a picture of my dual fueled Nortel torch. This torch uses propane and oxygen to produce a small yet hot flame. I'd like to thank my husband for keeping my gas tanks full!!

This information is just a minute bit of all the info that can be found on the World Wide Web. The internet makes it so easy to find out more about our world, including the great endeavor of lampworking.

Go ahead, research something! Learning is fun

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References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lampwork
http://www.theglassmuseum.com/lampwork.html
http://www.artofvenice.com/art/Lampwork1.htm

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Summer craft/art sale season is here!!

I had to make a difficult decission today: to sale or not to sale? (I know, SALE was spelled that way intentionally, lol)

I had to take into account the gas prices (boo to every oil company that is making billions of dollars at the expense of the poor Americans), the distance I have to travel, the booth fees and the energy I have to expend.

So let's see, gas is now $3.89/gal. I have to drive 2.5 hours. I have to get up at 4 a.m, and I have no energy or inclination to travel that distance at those prices to be let down and lose money because everyone else is in the same boat as me. CAN'T AFFORD GAS!

So, I've decided that I will only be entering into juried art sales this year. I will most like only be doing about 2-4 sales.

I know this may seem drastic to some. And although I usually do fairly well at these sales, I have yet to meet the percentage of sales that is required by the professionals to make the events worth while.

So, I will be taking those gas funds and trying my hand at some sort of advertising. I know, I know... these sales ARE advertising. However, I don't feel that I have many return customers from these sales. So to me, at least, I don't feel they have much of an impact except to make a couple extra dollars on short notice. And now, with gas prices what they are, I don't want to take any chances.

Please, feel free to leave a comment and let me know how your craft sales have done, if you have attendend any!

Good luck, I hope you all do well this summer! :)

Edited on 6/1/08 to add:

I just spoke to my sister, who I do the craft sales with, and she also has decided not to do many shows this year. For her knit items, she gets a ton of repeat customers who call her directly. And for my beads, I do pretty well online. So I feel a whole lot better! SMILES :)

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Fall is here!

Well, at least it's finally cooled down enough for me to comfortably sit at my torch for hours. But some days it gets too cold! I'm never happy.

Well, our craft sales will be kicking in full steam now. We take August off because it's just too hot out. My last sale was pretty slow, but I was able to touch base with a customer from last year and she has a wonderful project she'd like me to do for her. A birthstone bracelet. The birthstones will be replaced by floral beads. Each bead will have the birthstone color of one of her grandchildren. She's waiting for the newest arrival to their family before we finalize the details. What fun!

I've been making some leaf beads, and focals in fall colors. The halloween beads sold great on the etsy site, www.glasstastictreasures.etsy.com. I still have some left. But above are some of the newer ones I did yesterday, and I'll have more online tomorrow night.

Happy fall everyone!

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