Just had to post these pics I took in Ireland two years ago... just fabulous

new post for Monday...just looking after the grandkids...great day for a BBQ.. I was dispatched to get the hot dogs & buns.. time for a roast on the beach. We do this every spring when the water is low and we can build a fire on the beach

QUOTE for the week-

Creation is the Artist's True Function
Where there is no Creation there is no Art...Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954)

Had a busy time last week.. taught a lampworking class and a fused pendant class. Great people in both classes.

Did a little skiing..Big White was fabulous.. The Grandkids are doing very well considering they only started skiing last year..


I'm busy designing bracelets, etc. for an up & coming show up at Summerhill Winery..It is called "FABULOUS FINDS" an Artisan & Collectors' Show Sat. March 27... 10 am - 4 pm.
SHOP HANDMADE - SHOP VINTAGE

I will be sharing a table with my daughter, who does vintage wares..do plan to drop by...

Winter is now half over...Yeah!!!! Here's a quote I recently saw:

LIFE is a Coin...You can spend it anyway you WISH..but you can only spend it ONCE!!!

Here's a little "HISTORY of JEWELLERY" that I hope you will find interesting:

The first jewellery ever made was produced by hand in the Stone Age. Our ancestors made jewellery from materials they considered to be precious such as shells, stones or bones. The jewellery was not only supposed to decorate the person wearing it but also an expression & proof of success & social standard. The hunter, for instance, proudly wore a chain with teeth & claws from a bear as proof of his courage.

The first glass was formed over 40 million years ago by tremendous heat from volcanoes-it is called obsidian. The first man-made glass (consisting of sand, potash & lime) is believed to have been made about 3500 B.C. in Anatolia & Mesopotamia. Of course the Venetians (from Venice) took glass making to another level. Colours can be made by adding metallic oxides..glass can be poured, molded, stretched, cut, polished & etched..making it ideal to add sparkle & excitement to jewellery.

The first attempt of designing 'jewellery' is to be seen in the arranging of chain links or beads according to size. Already the Sumerians had the manufacturing know-how for making most of the jewellery we know today. The ornament as a unified form of decoration was then found in necklaces, earrings & bracelets. "Ornamento" is still today the Italian word for jewellery. Only in the 15 century the meaning of jewellery gradually changed from a status symbol to a fashionable accessory.

Both men & women adorned themselves with decorative gold necklaces, bangles & bracelets. The individual links could be taken out from the piece of jewellery & used as a means of payment.

During the Renaissance the wearing of jewellery became more & more the exclusive right of women & the styling of jewellery was increasingly influenced by fashion. The fast process of industrialization in the 19th Century brought with it the mass production of jewellery. Today thousands of identical pieces of jewellery can be produced.

For quite some time now fashion jewellery has become the fashionable alternative to real jewellery manufactured by jewellers or industry. However, fashion jewellery cannot & does not intend to replace real jewellery.

Buying hand-made jewellery from an artisan insures that you have a Unique, One of a Kind piece to add to your collection.

Another fab day in the Okanagan. I looked out my studio window yesterday and this cute little doe was looking back @ me!!!

I've been really busy making a bunch of awesome beads...just took them out of the kiln after annealing them and then cleaned them with the dremel drill. I went to the hardware store and purchased a hose clamp and L-bracket and fixed the drill to my work-bench and then hooked the whole thing up to a foot switch...presto..I can now use both hands to hold the bead & clean it out in 30 seconds flat...such a time saver.

I made a make-shift light box out of large vinegar jug..the photos of my jewellery are much better now..also I have up-loaded them all on Piccasa & it is 2 or 3 touches to fix the photos.

I hope to post some on my Etsy shop soon..taking good photos seems to be something I need to work on...

Another fab day in paradise..here's a pic. of the view from here...

Just got back from a little trip to Palm Springs..had great weather..did some bead & finding shopping.. some things you just can not get here...Time to get down to business and make some

beads and stuff..

Here is a cab that I made in my micro-wave kiln..Took just 3 minutes...awesome...

Another Christmas has come and gone...where ...o... where did the time go...Not much doing on the glass front here...everytime I want to get some glass stuff done.. I get side tracked.....

Had 3 good days skiing @ Big White with my husband, daughter and grandkids...Was mighty cold but the skiing was fantastic.

Have spent the rest of the time cooking, eating and trying to figure out the Blue tooth phone thing ...as of the 1st of Jan. we must use hands free phones..

Also I have been organizing my pictures that are on my lap-top..seems I have not done anything with them in a couple of years...my New Years resolution is to do them every month and then not have to spend a whole weekend making a mess of them..

We had a Red Tail hawk land in our yard today..my husband took a pic. of him as he was making a meal of a California Quail....Apparently it was quite interesting.. I will post a pic. him...the bird book says they rarely eat fowl...only rodents...I guess the quail was on the no fly list...!!!

Back from Vancouver, managed to fill another dumpster.. and got things organized in the old house..(I am defininitley getting rid of all the stuff I don't use).

.... and back to the studio..we have a display down at the R.C.A. I have started it but not finished. it's good exposure...Have to add a few more things, it will show a good range of all my projects and classes.

Had a class of very nice ladies today.. doing wire work with my hand-made glass beads...everyone did exceptionally well. I was impressed...

Well..things never turn out how we would like them..I had all my ducks in a row..that would be pieces of glass in my case...

After my last class I returned home only to have a phone call from my cousin saying my Uncle had passed away.... We were going to Vancouver anyways...so we spent the whole 4 days throwing stuff in a gigantic dumpster.. I knew he liked to keep & collect things.. (cameras especially..over 300 of them) but no idea he was such a hoarder... One dumpster later and another to fill...

Anyways..another trip to Van. on Mon. And a quiet family graveside service for him as he left no instructions for his final demise...

Soooo .....we just have to wing it..

My husband and I came back vowing to get rid of all the extra stuff we have surrounding us...

All this stuff just creeps up on one... I think we can get by on very little because we all have our favorite things.. and use only maybe 40 or 50% of what we have....

So another job to do in the near future....

Another fabulous day in the Okanagan..seems we are having lots of them these days.

Finally got the studio cleaned up and ready to start production for the HOMES for the HOLIDAYS.. gig...

Did a bead-making class yesterday at the RCA.. great ladies to teach.. They made some lovely beads.. Now I just have to anneal them... My kiln is just about fixed.. we have all the parts.

We took it apart and saw that it was just the infinite control switch where some of the wires were fried.. Got the new one at the local appliance repair shop.. how easy was that??? Sounds too easy to me!!!

Where did October go? Can't believe it's almost November... we have lived in the Okanagan for 10 years now..that's amazing too.

I have been busy teaching and making pieces for the up-coming ...EVENT..

'Homes for the Holidays' Nov. 13, 14 & 15..

I will be at the Martin Lofts.. 700 Martin Avenue on Friday Eve. 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm.

This is by admission to ticket holders only..(http://www.selectyourtickets.com/)

On Saturday (Nov. 14) I will be at the Rotary Centre for the Arts...Studio 203 (no tickets needed here)

There is also a big artisan Sale at RCA all that weekend..Our studio will of course be open...

The Evergreen Art Gallery will be up for viewing also...

Not sure where I will be on Sunday..

These are the pics. of pieces that I fused in micro-wave kiln about 20 years ago...

Now it is official..I have my web-site up and running
http://www.faywolfendendesigns.com/

although I have to finish it off and add some stuff ...that will be a challenge for me
My daughter Stacy helped me..she is the techno whiz around here..
There is not enough time to do everything...

My kiln stopped working...looks like I need a new Controller..The solution to fix it is not easy (parts have to come from Toronto) or cheap.. but I figure I will up-grade to a digital control..

I have ordered a new mini-kiln that uses the micro-wave to fuse glass..only can do one large cabochon at a time..but it will be a good teaching tool as I will be able to use it at Studio 203.

I used one of these about 20 years ago and then they disappeared off the market... I still have the pieces that I fused.. will post some pics. of them....Fusing is really "HOT" right now...no pun intended..

Another fabulous day here in the SUNNY Okanagan....
Another day of teaching at the RCA..this time it was fused glass...had two great ladies...they were excellent students...very nice work... will post pics. of their work when I finish fusing.
The studio is working out very well...

I am being represented in a NEW Gallery that is showing my ART Glass panels and Beadwork Bracelets:

A Woodside Design Gallery...1561 Pandosy St. Kelowna...

If you are in the area drop by and have a look

or drop by the RCA and say Hi.. I am usually there on Monday afternoons and some Wednesdays, depending on if I have a class...

I have my first class to teach on Monday....It is a lampworking class..

Our weather has been just fabulous...too bad ...we had to put the boat away for the winter as the lake is too low to get it off the lift. Oh well. I have lots to do to keep busy. .We have a big show the 13, 14, 15 of Nov. @ the RCA

Another fabulous day in the sunny okanagan.. time to get some work done...have been making a lot of beads and finally got them all annealed...now have to clean them...

Had a great "Grand Opening" lots of friends came..many thanks to all who came...

Getting ready to teach some classes and start designing more pieces..have lots of ideas.

Have been making a lot of beads lately..I love to make beads...they are instant little master pieces...whereas designing and building an art-glass piece could take a week or longer.