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.

Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair {one-of-a-kind fused glass art | Knoxville, TN}

The past week was a whirlwind of activity- organizing, creating and stressing out- culminating in a successful Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair over the weekend. After setting up the freshly-washed tent on Thursday morning in the pouring rain, Allan and I headed home to dry off and get some work done. Then we headed back downtown with our ALM Photo hats on to Salon Visage to photograph models being styled for a charity fashion show for Habitat for Humanity and the models strutting the runway at the Farragut Building and finally to set-up the booth in Krutch Park extension. It was a very long day, but I was glad we took time to set everything up Thursday night because there would have been no way I could have done it Friday morning. The weather started out rather chilly Friday morning but the day turned very warm and sunny by mid-day and drew the lunch crowd out to take in all the art and food on a stick. Saturday's weather was much the same and I had a great time chatting with everyone who visited the booth including a succession of photography friends. The weekend flew by and before I knew it it was Sunday and the final day of the Art Fair. The weather was absolutely glorious and it was wall-to-wall people all day. I could not have asked for a better weekend to share my fused glass goodness with everyone who ventured out to the Art Fair.

Here are some images of the Sassy Glass Studio booth in case you didn't get a chance to see it for yourself.

Visit Sassy Glass Studio on Facebook, Twitter and Etsy.

It's a Sassy New Year! {one-of-a-kind fused glass art | Knoxville, TN}

Sassy Glass Studio wishes everyone a Sassy 2010!

The Sassy Glass Studio blog typically showcases some of our one-of-a-kind fused glass art, lets you know where we are or will be displaying our work or sharing photos of recent creations or students learning how to create their own fused glass goodness, but I have decided to share more about the people who make Sassy Glass Studio what it is. So, now you can expect to find out a little bit about me, Lisa and my ever-present and super helpful husband, Allan. We like to call our little slice of Fountain City heaven, Creativity Central because it houses not only the Sassy Glass Studio glass studio and 'shop' but is also the headquarters for our professional photography business, ALM Photo. There is always something interesting going on around here even if it only laughing uncontrollably while trying to shower the kitten after she decided to take a swim in an unflushed toilet (true story!).

In case you were wondering...All of the Sassy Glass Studio images are taken by me (perhaps one day Allan will lend me a hand...hint, hint!) with my trusty Canon 5D and I am often asked by other artists who like my images if I will photograph their work. Well, the answer is I would, if they would pay me, but as a 'starving artist' myself I know that I couldn't afford to pay someone to take my photographs. Perhaps one day I will offer a class on how to take the best photographs possible with the camera you have. Let me know if you would be interested in this type of class. I also began offering fused glass classes this past summer and have recently expanded my studio space to include a 'classroom' and 'shop' so that student will have more room and I can display some of my work for customers, clients and students. Classes are conducted for one to four students at this time (perhaps more in the future!) and would love to teach you how to create your own fused glass goodness. There will be more on the expanded space and classes in future posts so stay tuned!

Update :: Things have been crazy busy around Creativity Central since the beginning of December and it's not looking like it will get less hectic any time soon. Allan and I traveled Christmas Day to Jennings, FL to photograph motorcycle tracks days for four days and returned on December 30th in the wee hours of the morning. We shot well over 12000 images from 9 o'clock in the morning until about 5 every afternoon. Long days, that started out frigid, but so much fun and, we hope, profitable. I didn't know I would love photographing fast motorcycles as much as I did or that I would actually be quite good at it. By the last day I was positioning myself about 10 feet from the edge of the track and getting much better shots than when I started off the first day about 50 feet away. You can see some of the images on the ALM Photo Facebook page and as soon as they are uploaded (a ridiculously long process) they will be available on our website.

I hope you will find the 'behind-the-scenes' information in future postings to be interesting and let you get to know me (and Allan!) better. We'd love to show you the glass studio and 'shop' next time you are in the Fountain City area, so give us a holler and we will tell you how to find us.

Here are a couple of pieces that were created in December...

Be sure to check out the Sassy Glass Studio Etsy shop,

follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook!

Knoxville Creative Hands Street Team Spring Show & Sale - Saturday {one-of-a-kind fused glass art, Knoxville, TN}

Here are some images from Saturday at the Knoxville Creative Hands Street Team Spring Show & Sale. We had a great turn-out considering this was our first show, we didn't have an advertising budget and there were a lot of other activities going on around town. Tomorrow should be a successful day as well.

All went fairly well, save for the incident with the alarm going off on the back door and the lack of key to turn it off. Thanks to Allan for getting the tire wrench and whacking the box open and to MJ for cutting the wires.

The pizza party was a nice end to the day and everyone enjoyed chatting with one another and learning a thing or two. MJ, Veronica and I will begin planning the Fall/Holiday Show & Sale very soon so be sure to keep an eye out for the announcement.

Veronica Stone, one of the KCHST Spring Show & Sale organizers and owner of Etsy shops creativefocusds and luckyroni.

Allan Mueller, Mr. Sassy Glass Studio and my sweet, supportive husband.

Mary Jane Borden, one of the organizers of the KCHST Spring Show and Sale and owner of Etsy shop mjbordendesigns. She's also my awesome sister-in-law!

Jean Widby of wjwidbydesigns showing off their jewelry.

JeriAnne shows off her goods in her two Etsy shops, JeriAnnesGallery and picturepretties.

Hannah relaxes in her booth with her fragrant soy candles from her Etsy shop, Buzzabee.

Jenese tidies up the fabulous goodies in the JPatPurses booth. This is one fabulous Etsy shop to check out!

As usual...only a photograph of the Sassy Glass Studio and ALM Photo booth and no photo including me. Maybe tomorrow Allan will take his camera out of the Pelican case and take some photographs for me.

Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair {one-of-a-kind fused glass art, Knoxville, TN}

Allan and I experienced a wonderful weekend of great fun, super people and beautiful art while exhibiting at the Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair in downtown Knoxville! We had superb weather for the first three days of the show and even though it rained on Sunday there were lots of people out and about and many of them found their way to the Sassy Glass Studio booth. Many of Sassy Glass Studio's fabulous one-of-a-kind fused glass art made its way into the hearts and homes of art lovers from near and far. I totally spaced out and neglected to get a photograph of the cute pug, Edmond, whose people purchased him the Swanky Dog Bone bowl...he was a frisky pup.

Many thanks to Kristin and my mom for coming by and hanging out with me for a few hours on Friday and Saturday while Allan was off gallivanting, I mean shooting photographs.

Sassy Glass Studio is working to replenish the shop with lots of great new art for the Knoxville Creative Hands Street Team Spring Show and Sale on May 16 and 17 in the Centre at Deane Hill on Morrell Road across from West Town Mall. The Show and Sale will be indoors in the former Cato's store next to Stein Mart. There will be over 30 vendors present who sell their handmade items and vintage on Etsy.com. Contact me if you would like more information or if you have any media contacts who would love to assist us in getting the word out about the show. We hope to see you there!

Here are some photographs from the weekend...

Allan is a very Sassy assistant!

The tent glowed pink at night...very Sassy!

One-of-a-kind fused glass goodies

Yes, three Yorkies with hats on in an antique pram...

Here I am being Sassy!

A Sassy shopper

The new Sassy Glass Studio sign

The improved pendant display- an old screen, a little ribbon and a hot glue gun

A shot of the entire booth

Sunday was not sunny, it was rainy but we found straw to keep shoppers feet from the mud (very Tennessee and reminiscent of my younger years in the barn)

Allan spreading some Sassy joy to passerby in the rain

Allan doing what he does best...making the customers laugh!

Pink Posies Fused Glass Votive Holder :: Featured in an Etsy Treasury by eternal images {one-of-a-kind fused glass art, Knoxville, TN}

:: Pink Posies Fused Glass Votive Holder ::

Allan and I were in Atlanta for a few days attending a couple of photography seminars, Sandy Puc's "Tots 2 Teens" and LexJet's Great Output Seminar "Professional Photographic and Fine Art Printing", so I didn't check my e-mail until this morning. What a great surprise to find that Jillian Spencer of Eternal Images had selected my Pink Posies Fused Glass Votive Holder (above) for her Lilac & Lime Glass and Pottery Treasury.

Jillian is a photographer and her Etsy shop offers a lot of nature and macro imagery. Click here to check out her Etsy shop. Jillian is very talented and I was impressed by her work and began following her blog as inspiration for my own artistry. Be sure to click here to view the wonderful Treasury Jillian assembled and take a look at all the beautiful works of art featured. It's fresh and Spring-y and you won't be able to resist the gorgeous colors!

Thanks again Jillian!

Combination of Talents :: Fused Glass Art + Photography

Even though it isn't even the New Year yet I am already working on my resolutions and yesterday I began taking wonderful fresh photographs of all my pieces. One of my big business goals of 2009 for Sassy Glass Studio is to have all my pieces available for sale on Etsy and to create a portfolio of my work. The portfolio will serve several important purposes, all of which will help me easily share my art with more people. Over the summer I exhibited my art at art shows and had a number of people comment that I should sell my art in shops or contact interior decorators and show them my work, but I didn't have a really good way to show anyone my art. This led to the realization that I needed to design a catalog/portfolio to showcase my art. The portfolio would be easy to take with me to a shop or office and allow me to show the different types of fused glass art I create. I can always make another appointment to bring some pieces in for a more physical examination, but I believe the portfolio will really help me get my foot in the door. So, this is why I put on my ALM Photo photographer hat and had Allan help me set up the light table and lights out in the photography studio yesterday.

Allan had already convinced me to leave my "shop" set up from the Open House until I needed to take my inventory somewhere, like to an @ Home Show or an art show, rather than box everything up where nobody can see it. Since the actual Open House, I have had a number of folks just drop by to see my one-of-a-kind fused glass art and make some purchases so I am not at all eager to put it all up any time soon. Most of all, having all my pieces out will make it a whole lot easier to access them to take the photographs. By the way, if you would like to come and check out the Sassy Glass Studio "shop", give me a call or e-mail me and we can arrange a time to meet. Please help me get the word out about Sassy Glass Studio and pass this information on to any shops or interior decorators you think may be interested in selling Sassy Glass Studio's one-of-a-kind fused glass art.

BLOG BONUS: Now through March 31st, 2009, you will receive a credit equal to 10% of the total purchase of any new customer you refer to Sassy Glass Studio. Simply make sure your friend or family member mentions your name to me at the time of purchase.

A Sassy thank you to everyone who has helped me get through this first year in business. It has been an awesome adventure and I wish you all a Happy New Year!!

Here are a couple of photographs from the first session:

If you are in need of professional photography in the Knoxville, TN area please contact Allan and Lisa Mueller of ALM Photo.

***Attention Artists: Do you need fresh images for your website, Etsy (or other on-line shop), art show applications or marketing materials? If so, contact ALM Photo for information on our special "artists only" packages.

Sassy Glass Studio :: Last Minute Shopping!

Do you still have some Christmas shopping that needs to be done? Looking for the perfect one-of-a-kind gift for that special someone? Trying to avoid shopping at the mall and box stores? If you answered "yes" to one or more of these questions then I have fabulous news for you. The shop is still open at Sassy Glass Studio! Call us at 865-406-3870 to let us know you'd like to stop by and enjoy some stress-free shopping with ample parking. Gift wrapping is also available for a nominal fee.

Guys...we have a lot of great gift ideas for the ladies in your life (wives, girlfriends, moms, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, and friends) and Allan would be more than happy to help you shop for them. He's great at picking out just the right pieces.

We'll be open through Christmas Eve at 4pm! There's something Sassy for everyone!

Sassy Glass Studio :: Open House Preparation

It's been a very busy couple of weeks for Sassy Glass Studio as the first Open House draws near. Inventory created, house cleaned, table set-up, columns moved, trees decorated, and cookies baked...and so much more! The dining room and living room have been undergone a tremendous transformation and been converted into a fabulous shop. The Open House is a four day event beginning December 11 and ending December 14. The Open House is four hours each day so everyone should be able to fit a visit into their busy schedule. Everyone is invited to stop by and see Sassy Glass Studio's one-of-a-kind fused glass art and perhaps pick up a couple of unique Christmas gifts. Tell anyone you think may be interested. Orders for custom creations will be taken through the end of the Open House for delivery by Christmas in the Knoxville area. Please click on the image of the invitation to view full-size. Call if you need directions or have any questions.
There will also be flirty and fabulous jewelry by MJ Borden Designs and photographic prints by ALM Photo available for sale during the Open House.

There's something Sassy for everyone!