Garden of Glass

Playing With Color

2009-06-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

I've been having some fun with my camera. I recently purchased a big notebook full of colorful paper and decided it might be fun to add some color to my photos. Supply photos don't usually seem so interesting and they needed some jazz. So here are a few of my favorites that I just finished up within the past month. I hope you like them as much as I do.

Not Just For Jewelry Artists

2009-03-08T22:38:00.000-07:00

These slow times have given me the time to start organizing my work space. While doing this long overdue activity, I re-discovered a plethora of old, forgotten, yet very useful Cross Stitch magazines.

I love cross stitch! In one of my past lives, I was an avid cross stitcher, embroidery girl, sewer, crocheter, knitter, to name a few. The result is, as is many times the case, a nice collection of Cross Stitch magazines . I find myself with all these magazines, and while they all have so many very wonderful patterns for a huge variety of items, I could really use the extra space in my "craft area" now.

Whether it's because I'm environmentally conscious or just have a hard time parting with them, I want to see them go to a good home. I've placed them on sale for a price reduced from the original list price on my Etsy shop in hopes that someone out there can get good use out of them.

These slow times are good for activities like this, and hey, who knows, I may even find a sale in there somewhere too! I invite every Cross Stitch lover out there to have a look. Maybe you'll find a long lost issue that you are missing from your collection and find a must have in the process.

Happy stitching every one!

Getting Down to Business

2009-01-17T23:32:00.000-08:00

The holidays have come and gone, and so now it's time for me to get busy listing all these great new beads I've been collecting the past couple of months.

Lately, I've found myself drawn to the very large beads. Beads that are 16mm, 18mm, and 20mm in size. These can be difficult - and expensive to obtain, but so much worth it!

I've also collected a wide variety of red beads over the past weeks and as soon as I can get all those beads photographed, I'll be sure to post as many examples here as I have time for!

Time For a Short Vacation

2008-11-23T20:07:00.000-08:00

Every time I take a vacation, I have the intention of not working at all during the time away. But when it comes to beads and bead stores, I cannot stay away! Technically, the visits to bead stores would fall under the category of work, but, is it really work when it's fun? I also find myself unable to resist the handing out of business cards when appropriate.

So far, I haven't had the chance to look up the bead stores in the location I'm visiting, but as soon as I do, I'll make a post and review the store. Look for it within the next week or so!

What's In a Name

2008-11-14T10:49:00.000-08:00

On occasion, I am asked how I came up with the catchy name for my shop. When I started my shop, it began as a de-stash shop for my jewelry supplies. At the time, most of the beads I had for sale were made of glass, so that is where it started. I knew I wanted glass somewhere in the name. I gathered up all the items I was going to place for sale, and when looking upon the collection, I was reminded of a flower garden with all the colors in front of me. That's when the name hit me, and Garden of Glass was born!

Besides my large collection of glass beads, I have a great many other items for sale including clay, plastic, wood, shell, stone, and even some vintage beads as well as a small amount of findings.

What started out as a tiny little de-stash shop has become a full blown supply shop. I am having so much fun searching out new items to sell here! Be sure and have a visit!

Newest Additions To My Shop

2008-11-10T07:43:00.001-08:00

I'm pretty excited about some of my latest items. I recently ordered a big batch of beads that were all mixed up. It took some time to sort them all out, but I ended up with a great collection of unusual beads! Many of these are items I can't order by themselves.

Here are a few examples of some of the 16mm and 18mm beads - I can see these being used as a centerpiece in a pendant or a bold pair of earrings. If you'd like to see more photos of them, simply click on the photo.

Welcome!

2008-10-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

Beginnings. Everyone and everything has one. Beginnings can be scary, exciting and just plain fun!

Welcome to the beginning of my Garden of Glass blog. I have no idea where it will go or what will be contained herein, but I assure you I'm going to keep it as exciting as I can, and definitely fun! As for scary, well, not so much!