Back in the glass studio: Refreshed, reorganized and ready to rock and roll!

Guess who's back in the glass studio? Did you guess me?! After over a year of recovering from a spate of injuries and the resulting creative slump, I'm back to work in my newly refreshed and organized glass studio. This is super awesome for a couple of reasons. One is that while cleaning and moving things about, I uncovered lots of pieces not listed in the Etsy shop and the other is that it's August which means there are less than four months until Christmas! And you're wondering what do those two things really have to do with each other... Together these two things mean a spectacular clearance sale on all the fused glass goodness! Honestly, there is a lot and it's a bit overwhelming. There will be quite a bit of photographing, editing, and listing going on over the next few weeks, but I've adjusted the pricing on everything in the shop to reflect the sale prices. Low, low prices! Pendants and rings are only $5. Coasters and holiday ornaments are only $10. Keep checking back for new items! PS If you are located in the Knoxville, TN area and would like to pick up your purchase at the studio, simply use coupon code LOCAL at checkout to get free shipping, then just let me know when you would like to pick up your order. Easy peasy! ___________________________________ {Connect with us!} Follow us on Twitter Find us on Facebook Pin us on Pinterest Peep our snaps on Instagram Custom orders are always welcome! Also, if your event needs awards or commemorative items, Fusography pieces are perfect for incorporating the event logo, photographs or graphics!

Fused Glass Class : March is National Craft Month!

March is National Craft Month!

Have you always wanted to learn how to create fused glass art? Well, then March is the perfect month to take a class and create something beautiful! Sassy Glass Studio is currently booking classes on the following days:

Tuesday - 9am to 1pm
Wednesday - 5pm to 9pm
Thursday - 12pm to 4pm

Other class days and times may be booked based on my availability. Classes are limited to 3 students. Book your date and time at the link below and I will send you an invoice you can pay securely with a credit card. Easy peasy!

SCHEDULE A CLASS

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Inspire. Empower. Motivate. | Creative Business Coach

You're not alone.

Sometimes when you're a creative person, maybe an artist, photographer, writer or graphic designer, you work alone in your studio or office. Often times getting together with peers in your field or other creative folks can encourage better brainstorming, help perfect designs, or challenge you to try new techniques. But does this really help your creative business become more successful? Probably not.

Few creative activities will help you take your business where you want it to go and you've probably already figured out most creatives don't enjoy all the boring business stuff. For most creatives going into business is just a matter of starting to take jobs or commissions, creating a website or online portfolio, applying to art shows, in short - selling your work. But then you realize there are all these other, less creative, tasks that go along with building a successful business, like taxes, branding, and marketing. Unless you are in the minority of creatives who took business classes in college or worked in the corporate world before ditching your suit for paint brushes, you don't know much about starting and operating a business and that is where I come in. I'm here to let you know you are not alone.

I'm here for you.

Ten years ago I quit my day job at a large corporation and went full-time into the photography business I own with my husband, Allan. It was both the best decision I have ever made and the worst. It was the worst decision because I didn't go into it with a well thought out plan for success, no business plan, no clear picture of what would happen next. But I learned. I learned a lot! It was the best decision because it gave me the opportunity to learn everything about being in business for myself as a creative. Along the way, I discovered that I love to teach and guide other creatives.

For the last few years, I have had the pleasure of serving as the Team Captain for the Knoxville Creative Hands Street Team and through team meetings and events I have met lots of artists and creative folks who would love to quit their day job and make a living doing what they enjoy most: creating. Countless hours have been devoted to answering questions and giving sound advice over cups of coffee and one day it hit me how much I loved sharing my story and showing others how they could have their own successful creative business. It was then that I decided to launch Pink Spark Creative and offer creative business coaching. Together we will determine where you and your creative business need help and we'll create an Action Plan to get you there. I'm the nudge, the push, the spark you need to get to the next level, whatever that looks like for you.

I'm here to help you so you aren't alone.


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Fused Glass Goodness Available at Ijams Nature Center Gift Shop

Happy New Year!

I'm working on my goals and crossing tasks off my to-do list like a boss and it's only the third day of 2017! Although 2016 was a year filled with awesomeness, it was also laced with some not so spectacular events, so I am ready for a clean slate/fresh start/another 365 days to create! I'd love to hear about your goals/plans for this year - please share with me via email or over on the Twitter!

Big news!
Yesterday morning I dropped off a stack of Fusography coasters and a selection of pendants to Ijams Nature Center's Gift Shop. I was asked a year or so ago to put some items in the shop aaaaand I finally got nudged enough so I finally did! So now you can find my fused glass goodness at Southern Market and Ijams.

Here's a sampling of the pieces available at Ijams...

Also, if you've been thinking about taking Beginner Fused Glass Class, I have one scheduled for January 23rd from 2pm to 6pm. Find out more about the class here or email me to reserve your spot!

Lastly, I am STILL working on the Fusography video series and ebook. If you are interested in being the first to know when it is available, please sign up here! I promise it will be worth the wait!

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New Year. New Fusography Collections.

So much has happened with Sassy Glass Studio since I fired my first kiln load of fused glass goodness nearly 9 years ago. There have been periods of intense creative growth, the addition of new products and designs, lots of markets, studio reorganizations, many students to teach and the building of a sustainable creative business. But there has also been so much more than all that. I've evolved as an artist and creative entrepreneur, and I'm now running three businesses- Sassy Glass Studio, ALM Photo, and Pink Spark Creative. Pink Spark Creative is where I share all of the knowledge, lessons and experience I have gained as a creative entrepreneur over the last 10+ years. It was because of the growth of ALM Photo and my desire to launch Pink Spark Creative that I spent very little time in the glass studio last year. In fact, I took nearly a complete break from May to November. It was a much-needed break, but I was back in the studio before the holiday markets and now I'm recharged and ready to take things in a bit of a different direction.

As you may know, I took a small space within Handmade at Southern Market along with 50 or so other Knoxville area Etsy sellers in October. This opportunity forced me to evaluate the items I was creating and offering for sale there and in my Etsy shop. And it also made me realize it was time to "practice what I preach" to my Pink Spark Creative clients and offer a smaller selection of items that, while still one-of-a-kind and handmade, could be made in limited quantities or duplicated.

So, that leads me to the announcement of some of the new Fusography Collections for 2016. I've really enjoyed designing artwork that can then be turned into a decal and fired onto my glass art. The first pieces will be coasters, but I'll be expanding to plates, platters, small trinket dishes and more over the next few months. Being able to add coordinating patterns to my pieces is something truly unique that no other fused glass artist is doing. For once, I am on the cutting edge!

These coasters were created to give folks a fun pop of color on their desk and either motivation, inspiration or a good laugh. If you have any suggestions for designs, please let me know. I am always open to new ideas!

Visit the Sassy Glass Studio Etsy shop to purchase. As of January 24, 2016 not all of these items are listed in the shop, but they will be. Also, the turnaround time is currently about 3 weeks until I determine which designs will be created and sold on a regular basis. (This is probably why I have procrastinated about doing this for like three years. I didn't know what to create!)

And, if you are interested in learning how to create your own fused glass goodness, I will begin teaching beginner and intermediate classes again in April. At this time, I do not teach a class in the Fusography method as it is a long process and would take about a week to cover. I will, however, be creating a video and possible an ebook on the process that will be available for sale.

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Learn Something New! Take a Fused Glass Class

I love learning new things! Do you?

I also love teaching others new things, like how to create fused glass art!

For over seven years, I have been teaching my Beginner Fused Glass Class to students from across the country in my Knoxville, TN studio. The first half of the super fun, four-hour class is spent in the classroom learning about the different types of glass used for fusing, materials that can be used as inclusions, designing your project, selecting and cutting glass and so much more. 

During the second half of the class, students will spend some time honing their glass cutting skills before selecting the glass for their project and getting to work creating their one-of-a-kind work of art. Students may choose one of two projects, a set of four 4-inch square coasters or an 8-inch square suncatcher or trivet.

The Beginner Fused Glass Class is perfect for folks who love learning how to create art using a new medium and for those interested in developing or expanding their glass fusing skills. Many students sign up for the Intermediate Fused Glass Class soon after completing the Beginner Fused Glass Class because they have fallen in love with fusing. Don't say I didn't warn you!

There are several dates and times available for classes as shown below, but I am always open to working with your schedule to find a mutually convenient time for a class. Class size is limited to four students, so don't wait to book your day and time. Class fee includes instruction, information packet with class notes, usage of tools and all materials.

Contact me via email or at 865-406-3870 to schedule or for more information. A 50% deposit is due when booking to hold your date and time. Book your class with two or more people and you each save $20!

Sassy Glass Studio will be back at the Market Square Farmers' Market on Saturday, June 27th from 9am to 2pm.

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Behind-the-Scenes at Sassy Glass Studio : Dogwood Art DeTour - April 11-12, 2015

Spring has sprung at Sassy Glass Studio!

Read on to find out what's happening in April and May...

Every now and then I get a request from someone who wants to watch me work in my fused glass studio, see my kilns or view all of my fused glass goodness, and I often can't accommodate these requests because I don't actually work in my glass studio full-time. Most days of late, I am toiling away at my laptop in my office just outside of Downtown Knoxville, across the hall from the ALM Photo studio and offices. For the last few years, I have been spending more and more of my time working on Pink Spark Creative, my creative business mentoring and consulting business and as a photographer than a fused glass artist. And it seems that I tend to be in the glass studio more often teaching fused glass classes than creating fresh fused glass goodness. It finally hit me recently that I'm an educator at heart, so I have been spending much more time teaching and coaching than creating.

I share all of that with you now because this is the first year since I started Sassy Glass Studio that I will not be exhibiting at the Dogwood Arts Festival on Market Square (formerly the Market Square Art Fair), but I am participating in the Dogwood Art DeTour on Saturday and Sunday, April 11 and 12, 2015. So the good news is that you get to come visit my glass studio which will be open that Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm and watch me work, ask questions and even purchase some of my fused glass goodness. It is your personal behind-the-scenes look at Sassy Glass Studio!

There are over 20 working artist studios open to the public for the Dogwood Art DeTour so you will have plenty of places to stop and visit on your way to or from Sassy Glass Studio in Fountain City. I look forward to meeting you and sharing my love of fused glass with you. I'll have plenty of chairs and some snacks too, so you can come hang out as long as you would like. Just don't judge me if my lawn is impeccably manicured and my gardens free from weeds! I'll be busy filling custom orders in the glass studio over the next week and a half until the Art DeTour.

Other exciting events coming up...

The first Market Square Farmers' Market of 2015 season is May 2, 2015 from 9am to 2pm and I'm listing the dates I will be participating below. My MSFM participation is very lean this season for the above-mentioned reason of affording myself more time to teach fused glass classes and focus on making time to enjoy life.

Mark your calendar to visit Sassy Glass Studio at the Market Square Farmers' Market
May 2
May 9
June 27
July 11
August 15
September 19
October 10
I also intend to participate in the Market Square Holiday Market each Saturday before Christmas in December.

Fused Glass Classes
Fused glass classes are scheduled when it's mutually convenient for the student and me which, as I mentioned above, is one of the reasons I am participating in the MSFM less often and freeing up more Saturday's. If you are interested in signing up for a class or would like more information, simply click here to email me or call me at 865-406-3870.

Get Crafty With the Knoxville Creative Hands Street Team
As many of you know I am one of the founders and Team Captain of KCHST, the local Etsy team and we're excited to be hosting the Etsy Craft Party again this year. The Craft Party will take place on June 5, 2015 from 6pm to 8pm at the ALM Photo studio. More details will be posted on the KCHST Facebook page as they become available. We're currently seeking food and beverage sponsors for the event, so if you or someone you know if interested, please let me know.

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Beach Trip | Relax. Recharge.

Sometimes you need to take a few days to relax. To recharge. And become less crabby. Which is why I take the occasional mini-vacation to Jacksonville, Florida as part of "Operation Less Crabby Kitty". Over the Memorial Day weekend I traveled further South to visit my best friend, Carol, for a few days. We go to the beach, we play Scrabble, we drink margaritas, we eat fried food and pizza and we laugh. We laugh a lot. 

I always feel better about myself, my life, my work, my relationships and my art after a few days in the sun and a little tequila. I wanted to share a few photos from my time away. Even though I took my DSLR I never took it out of the Pelican case and shot a single frame with it. Sometimes it is fun to just use the camera I have on hand.

Enjoy my photos and don't forget to make time in your life for your own "Operation Less Crabby Kitty". You'll feel much better, I promise!

ON A SIDE NOTE:
Now is the time to sign up for Fused Glass Classes! The weather is perfect to work in the studio and open the doors to the sounds of the birds. Click the links to find out more information on Beginner Fused Glass Class and Intermediate Fused Glass Class!

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Market Square Farmers' Market | Shop local, handmade, and fresh!

Spring has sprung!

The temperatures have been heating up, except for some reason today in Knoxville they have dipped down into the 50's, and the arrival of warmer weather means it is time for the Market Square Farmers' Market.

shop local | shop small | shop handmade

The Market Square Farmers' Market kicked off on the first Saturday of May with beautiful blue skies and a huge crowd. It couldn't have been a more perfect day! The Farmers' Market is an amazing source of fresh produce, meats, prepared foods, flowers, plants, art and hand-crafted goods.

This Saturday the International Biscuit Festival is also downtown so be sure to get to the Farmers' Market early! As always, you are welcome to bring me a biscuit! And be sure to keep your eyes open for the Biscuit Queen! In case you are shopping for a gift for graduation, a wedding or other special occasion, drop by Sassy Glass Studio this Saturday because I won't be back to the Farmers' Market until June 7th.

Take a tour of the Sassy Glass Studio booth at the Market Square Farmers' Market

ON A SIDE NOTE:
Now is the time to sign up for Fused Glass Classes! The weather is perfect to work in the studio and open the doors to the sounds of the birds. Click the links to find out more information on Beginner Fused Glass Class and Intermediate Fused Glass Class!

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Dogwood Arts Festival | April is for art. And wind. And rain.

This year marks my seventh year participating in the Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair. The event runs over the weekend of April 25 through 27 and takes place in Downtown Knoxville. There is a wide variety of art as well great food, think funnels cakes and corndogs, as well as lots of entertainment. Preceding the Art Fair is the Dogwood Art DeTour which is a self-guided tour of Knoxville area artist studios open to the public on April 12 and 13. This is a great opportunity for you to come and watch me work. Or just chat. I usually do a lot more talking than working during the DeTour. Don't miss either event!

April is for art. And wind. And rain.
What's most interesting about this being my seventh year is that my first year was almost my last. The weather was crazy and my tent exploded in a downdraft. I refer to the explosion as the 'tent incident' and share the tale with other artists setting up for the Dogwood Arts Festival Art Fair for the first time. I don't do it to scare, just to educate on the dangers of wind. An article appropriately titled, 'Festival faces twists and turns', appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel on Saturday, April 12 2008 in which I said "Yeah, the weather's bad, but we've been able to work with it." and as if in spite of this comment my tent incident occurred late Saturday afternoon. The tent incident prompted my husband, Allan, to go into research mode to find out what sort of tent would withstand the crazy weather in East Tennessee. This research resulted in us obtaining what I now refer to as the "mondo artist tent" shown below. We asked the guys picking up the trash if they would take the busted up tent away and they did! We did; however, keep the broom sticks we used to hold the busted tent together.

It's certainly a sturdy tent. And it is pretty too. And it is very good at keeping the rain out. Like in 2011 when it rained really hard and everyone left early, except for me and Allan. Because we were the only ones who stuck around, we got on the WATE news that night. You wouldn't believe how many friends saw the report and texted me that evening. And the next day people searched me out just to say they saw me on the news. The moral here is to never leave early. Unless there is a hurricane warning and then it is probably a good idea to vacate.

Back to the wind. There was another year when the wind was a problem for Sassy Glass Studio. Take a peek at this fantastic post from Moxley-Carmichael's 'The Blue Streak' back in 2010 about how the Dogwood Arts Festival has improved and has real art. {A side note: it really was bad for a few years. Shew!} Anyway, shortly after Cynthia Moxley photographed the gorgeous blue art panel in the photo above, it blew over onto the ground and broke. Crazy wind strikes again!

This is the last wind story I promise. The first few years I exhibited at the Dogwood Festival Art Fair people would ask why I didn't have anything with dogwoods. So after years of being asked, I finally made some fused glass vases, plates and pendants. I should have known there was trouble brewing when I created these pieces. First of all it was difficult to figure out how to make a realistic looking dogwood from glass and second, I wondered if they would actually sell. Well, they didn't sell. But only because they never had a chance. I had a great display right at the front of my booth so everyone would see the pieces. This was also the perfect place for the wind to catch the table, lift it off the ground and slam it down. Yes, the glass broke. I lost most of the dogwood pieces. And that was the end of creating fused glass dogwood art for me.

 

So, as you can see, April is a month filled with art and wind and rain. But don't let the weather keep you from coming out to the Dogwood Art Festival events this year and checking out all of the fabulous art. We artists are a hardy bunch and we'll be there rain or shine. Or wind.

ON A SIDE NOTE:
There are still a few more days to celebrate!
March is National Craft Month and there are three ways you can celebrate in Sassy Style! Find our more in this post. This is the only opportunity this year to save on fused glass classes!

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