Merry Christmas from Sassy Glass Studio | Last-Minute Shopping

A little bit of this...a little bit of that...

The weeks leading up to Christmas are different for me than for many other people. My small creative business is busy creating wonderful gifts, packing and shipping and sending them all over the world and spreading the word about the business and all the wonderful things it has to offer. But sometimes, like today, I sit here thinking what it would be like to go back to the way my life used to be. No creative business, no hand-crafting fused glass goodness, no capturing beautiful images as part of the ALM Photo team, no sharing the local handmade scene with everyone in Knoxville...none of that would exist if I hadn't taken the hugest risk and quit my corporate job and decided to follow a dream with my husband and become full-time photographers. The fused glass business was something that fell into my lap later. Amazing, isn't it, how one moment in your life can lead to a lifetime of change. A lot of people don't know why I do what I do and now you do. 

While I don't mean to sound all sad and sentimental, I felt like sharing a little bit about me on the blog. It's part of my commitment to focus on the behind-the-scenes action at Sassy Glass Studio and ALM Photo. It's easy to appreciate the beauty of a piece of fused glass art or a photograph of your loved ones, but what about the story behind it. Why did I create this piece of art? Why did I choose these colors? Was the texture a choice or a happy accident? What inspires me? It will be a subtle change in the focus of my business, my blog and my life. I hope you will join me on this little journey and enjoy the stories, insights, advice and answers I share along the way. As always, your questions and comments are welcome. 

Merry Christmas to all of my customers, friends, supporters and new people I have let to meet!

Sassy Glass Studio will be open by appointment through Christmas Eve for local shoppers. Lots of great last-minute gifts are available as well as gift certificates in any amount or for Fused Glass Classes.

Find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and visit our Etsy shop.

Sassy Glass Studio | Holiday Open House | December 12th

Sassy Glass Studio is holding a Holiday Open House so you will have a chance to come check out our one-of-a-kind fused glass art and relax with some refreshments. You will find lots of great gifts or maybe even something for yourself. Orders for custom creations will be taken throughout the Open House for delivery by Christmas.

Preview Sassy Glass Studio's one-of-a-kind fused glass art in the Etsy shop and on ArtFire. There is something Sassy for everyone!

OPEN HOUSE HOURS:
Sunday, December 12th- 3pm to 6pm

Please invite your friends, the more the merrier! The Open House will be held in the new expanded glass studio in the building at the end of the driveway. There's plenty of parking in the driveway and on the lawn. Look for the lights!

Be sure to stop by and register to win one of three giveaways: $25 gift certificate to Sassy Glass Studio, $50 off Beginner Fused Glass Class and Creative Fee {$125} for an ALM Photo session.

Photographic prints by ALM Photo will also be available.

Is Your Holiday Shopping Done? We Hope Not! {one-of-a-kind fused glass art}

Sassy Glass Studio has been busy creating lots of fused glass goodness for everyone on your holiday shopping list! There are several new items already listed in the Etsy shop and many more will be listed very soon. Below is a sampling of what you will find in the shop.

As a special treat to those of you who read my blog I am offering a special one time only coupon code for 20% off in the Etsy shop. To receive your unique code, simply sign up to receive our newsletter {click here}if you are not already receiving it and send an e-mail to lisa@sassyglassstudio.com and I will create the code and send it to you. Simple!

Also, don't forget about the Fused Glass Holiday Ornament Classes scheduled for December 1 {7-9p}, December 8 {7-9p} and December 12 {12-2p} and the Sassy Glass Studio Open House on Sunday, December 12 from 3-6p. There will be a special giveaway and raffle for a portrait session from ALM Photo.

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The Art Walk at Trillium Cove : Featured Artist {one-of-a-kind fused glass art}

Southern Fried Gallery has been consigning Sassy Glass Studio's fused glass art since they opened and I love the support owner Amy Rochelle has given local artists. This weekend Trillium Cove in Townsend is hosting their first Art Walk with a Fine Art and Fine Wine Sneak Peek on Friday evening from 3pm-7:30pm and artist's booths and other festivities throughout the weekend. Friday evening I will be joining my fellow Etsian and Knoxville Creative Hands Street Team member Hannah Turpin of Buzzabee as the featured artist at Southern Fried Gallery. Drop by for a glass of wine from the Picnic Pantry's wine list as well as food and entertainment.

I will also be hanging out at Southern Fried Gallery on Saturday taking in the scene. See you there!

{Click to view flyer full-size}

Knoxville Creative Hands Street Team Fall | Holiday Show & Sale

Drum roll, please....

{click to view larger image}

It's been a hectic couple of months for me and all my hard work and stress will come to fruition this weekend when I unlock the door Friday afternoon at Merchant Village, Unit 1B, 314 Merchant Drive in Knoxville and begin the load in process for the Knoxville Creative Hands Street Team Fall | Holiday Show & Sale. Over 30 Etsy shops will participating in this event bringing with them lots of handmade items, vintage goods and craft supplies and we'll also have ALM Photo on hand with a photo booth to take wonderful photographs that will be perfect for holiday gift-giving and greeting cards.

Click here for a list of all the Etsy sellers participating in the Show & Sale as well as details about the event. Of course, I want everyone to come and visit me at the Sassy Glass Studio booth, but I also want you to take a moment and chat with the other local Etsy sellers, interesting and creative people who are probably your neighbors, and see what they have to offer. This event is the perfect opportunity to find the perfect Christmas gift, learn something about a craft you gave up long ago or discover a new art or craft you'd like to learn more about.

I look forward to seeing you this weekend and be sure to stop and say Hello! especially if we've not yet met. It's always fun to meet the people who have found me on-line in person.

Stay up-to-date on All Things Sassy :: Visit our website, find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Primary Colors | Circles and Squares | Custom Creations {one-of-a-kind fused glass art, Knoxville, TN}

Have I ever said how much I love creating custom work? Well, if you don't know by now, I really, really love it!


A couple of weeks ago a customer contacted me via e-mail about creating some one-of-a-kind fused glass art for their living room. They had found me on-line and loved my work {their words!} and sent me a photograph of their living room along with some guidance on sizes and shapes for a bowl and eight coasters. Their beautiful living room {pictured below} featured bold colors and geometric shapes and after I had sent off a swatch of colors for approval, I set to work sketching some ideas. My first idea for the bowl was to create a circular pattern of abstract pieces, but quickly figured out that it would be difficult to get this design to come out perfectly. Yes, I am a bit of a perfectionist. I settled on a pattern of overlapping circles with a bit of abstract work on the edges for the bowl and a pattern of squares for the coasters. The squares would be the perfect partner for all the circles in the design of the bowl.

Cutting the glass for all the pieces took quite a bit of time since there were a lot of small circles and many little squares of glass in six different colors. The palette for this project was cobalt blue, aqua blue, orange, yellow, red and green. After cutting all the pieces of glass, it was time to assemble them into the design I had in mind. This design changes several times, but I finally settled on an arrangement of circles that was appealing. Assembling the square pieces for the coasters was by far an easier task. Once all of the pieces were assembled, they were placed into the kiln on a shelf and fired to a full fuse {1475 degrees} and when the pieces were fully cooled the large flat piece was placed back in the kiln to be slumped into a bowl mold. I chose the bowl mold with the wavy edge to add playfulness and chaos to its design.

The images below will take you all the way through the process from design to completion. Enjoy!

Color Swatch

Bowl Base

Cutting Circles

Design

Pretty Colors

Repurposing a cupcake pan...

Loading the Kiln

Bowl in the Mold

The finished set

Primary colors, geometric pattern with a little abstract for good measure...

Create Your Own Fused Glass Holiday Ornament | New Class for 2010!

Sassy Glass Studio is offering Fused Glass Holiday Ornament Classes on several dates now through Christmas. Classes may also be booked for other dates/times for groups of four students to accommodate busy schedules. Maximum number of students in one class is four.

Students will receive an overview about glass and the fusing process before creating two ornaments in their choice of colors. Ornament choices include a tree, snowflake, package with bow, candy cane, wreath or any other holiday design. Completed designs will be placed in the kiln to be fired at the end of class and ready for pick up as soon as the following day.

Scheduled class dates:

Wednesday, November 10

Wednesday, December 1

Wednesday, December 8

Contact me via e-mail or at 865.406.3870 to reserve your spot.

Cost is $50 per student. All glass, tools and supplied are provided.

Class is from 7p to 9p.

Light snacks and beverages will be provided.

Get a group of friends or family together and have a fun night out creating your own fused glass goodness. Create a special keepsake your family will cherish for years to come. We look forward to seeing you in class!

Beginner Fused Glass Classes | Upcoming Dates {one-of-a-kind fused glass art, Knoxville, TN}

Creativity runs in the family...sign up the whole family!

Are you ready to take your creativity to the next level? Well, get fired up about learning how to create your own fused glass art!

There are two Beginner Fused Glass Classes coming up over the next few weeks! Session dates and times are listed below.

Session {1} | Fridays

Day 1 is September 24 from 10am to 2pm 

Day 2 is October 1 from 10am to 2pm

There is room for two more students. 

Session {2} | Saturdays

Day 1 is October 2 from 10am to 2pm 

Day 2 is October 9 from 10am to 2pm

There is room for three more students. 

Find out more about the classes here. Contact Lisa via e-mail or at 865-406-3870 to reserve your spot. Students are always welcome to book classes to fit their own schedules. Don't miss out on the opportunity to create your own fused glass goodness. See the Fused Glass Class tab above for more information.

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Show Your Spirit | Fused Glass Jewelry and More in Your Team's Colors

I will admit I was a little freaked out when I moved to Knoxville in 1999. The University of Tennessee Volunteers had won the National Championship in 1998 and the Big Orange fever was high and rising. Everywhere I turned there was orange. Shirts, hats, car flags, hair clips, dog collars, bathing suits. Anything you could license (or not) was in UT Vols orange or featured the Power 'T' logo. Heck, even the McD's on the Strip near campus was orange.

So, although I knew orange was very popular for the people of Tennessee, I never really jumped on the bandwagon when creating pieces for Sassy Glass Studio. Sure, I made the occasional set of orange and white checkerboard coasters, but I didn't have a line of jewelry or anything. Until now. Check out the UT Vols-inspired fused glass pendants, earrings, hairpins, cocktail rings and tie tacks that are currently available in the shop as well as the coasters that can be custom created in quantities of 1 to 100. Why stop at jewelry or coasters? Plates, platters, bowls and business card holders can be created in orange and white too.

Orange isn't your team's color? No problem! Being from Massachusetts, I don't have allegiance to any particular team so I am more than happy to create jewelry or any of the other pieces mentioned above in your teams colors. Almost any color of the rainbow is available. Just ask! Pricing is the same no matter what the color combination.

Show Your Spirit with Sassy Glass Studio's one-of-a-kind fused glass art and jewelry! Enjoy...

A couple of pieces done in University of North Carolina blue...

Check out more Sassy Glass Studio fused glass art in the shop, find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. There is something Sassy for everyone!

First Friday | Salon Visage on Market Square {one-of-a-kind fused glass art, Knoxville, TN}

Sassy Glass Studio is the exhibiting artist at Salon Visage on Market Square for Downtown Knoxville's First Friday tomorrow {September 3rd} and I would love for you to come by and check our fused glass goodness. We will be displaying the Coral Collection {shown below} as well as items from the orange and white Vol-inspired jewelry collection. Visit our Facebook page later today for photographs of the jewelry. We look froward to seeing you!

First Friday, September 3rd from 5p-8p at Salon Visage on Market Square, Downtown Knoxville

View more of Sassy Glass Studio's one-of-a-kind fused glass art in our shop, find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.