all work and not so much play

Making the glass is just phase one. Then comes phase two.

Photographing and editing the pictures of the glass
is a whole other can of worms, oh, I mean challenge.

After at least a zillion photographs and more hours than I care to count, I've finally come up with a formula that works. When the photo is good from the start it really helps. Here's an outline of the process: take the picture, crop it, resize it, cut it with the rounded rectangle tool and then paste it into the template that has my website on it, then save it etc.

It's really important to capture your "brand" with your photographs and if you expect people to buy online, without the one on one sensation of touching, feeling and seeing it in real life then it's imperative that you capture it's essence as best you can in the photograph. Because I make so many one of a kind pieces I need to be able to photograph them myself and so here's what I've come up with.

Here's an example of the edited results. What do you think?

just for laughs

Joanne Colan cracks me up. Check it out:

http://www.rocketboom.com/vlog/rb_08_apr_24

getting around

I was very excited to be featured on two blogs yesterday!

A great Portland resource, DIY Alert, which gives readers listings of all the classes and events coming up in Portland as well as a blog that highlights cool places and PDX Profiles featuring local Portland artist and crafters. Check out the PDX Profile blog entry on DIY Alert!

And I was delighted to find myself on the Bullseye Glass Blog as well. Thanks Lani!

A very exciting day!

happy earth day

Thank you Earth for sustaining us another year despite our abuse! I know each of you are doing your part, so please keep doing those good things. Whether you do a little or do a lot, it all adds up and together we can do it.

A few resources:
The Nature Conservancy
We can solve it
Ecologue
Tree Hugger
Planet Save
Conservation International
Live Earth
Science Daily
The Green Guide
Living Green
Green Living Tips
Fair Trade

Is glass green? Well it's pretty green, and getting greener all the time. Check out the Bullseye Glass Blog article that Lani wrote about the Oxygen tank and how they are working to reduce their carbon footprint. The Bullseye Factory also reuses it's water and recycles all sorts of things. I'm glad to know they are conscious of being green and working to continue to reduce, reuse and recycle!

dremel radness

OOOOOhhhh ya!

I just got a cordless Dremel Stylus and it totally rocks!

I'm off to tool cord free.

fun new pics

I've been making some improvements to my website. Check it out and tell me what you think (or if you even notice the difference).

cheeky b

I'm so excited that the super cute boutique Cheeky b is going to be carrying my fused glass pendants. Next time you're in the Pearl in Portland, drop by and check them out!

http://www.cheekyboutique.com/

906 NW 14th Ave
Portland, OR 97209
Phone: (503) 274-0229

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Urban Life Accessories

• Registry Available
• Gift Certificates Available
• Free Gift Wrapping Service

Discover why we were voted the #1 Gift & Accessories shop in Portland!

Unique, hip accessories and gifts for the urban home, human and pet. Be cheeky and explore the crossroads of form and function, art and craft.

We have an abundant supply of fetching gifts for hip humans, urban dwellings and modern style aficionados.

Check out our hand selected collection of handbags & totes, jewelry, housewares, bath goodies, pet and children's toys from local and global designers!

You will have so much fun shopping, touching, trying and testing at cheeky b!

best book ever

"The Rules of the Red Rubber Ball" is the best book ever! If you haven't heard of this book, or seen it...check it out the next time you're at the bookstore. I am so in love with Kevin Carroll.

Want to follow your dreams or support someone else in their dreams? Check this out, or order it right now!

tax day

I'm sure you've all done your taxes. I kind of dread going through my receipts and dredging up all my spending from last year, so I put it off as long as possible. Luckily, I got my done just under the wire thanks to my genius accountant Jane.

Thanks Jane, for making taxes as painless as they can be!

timothy adam designs

Love this fellow Etsian, Timothy Adams Designs. He has some helpful how to videos on You Tube. He's a great resource! And he also makes rad stuff.


Check out his Etsy Store and his Blog.

outside the box

So many insights, so little time. I love Portland. There are always so many great events going on around town. Last night I went to an event at one of my favorite Portland shops, The Office called "HOW TO CREATE A KILLER PORTFOLIO", a paneled discussion, mainly for graphic designers. I wanted to go and see what they had to say because it's a visual medium and found some interesting information even though it was a bit outside the jewelry box.

It was a great talk, a super rad panel. No matter what your artistic medium is, you have to get yourself out there. For graphic designers, it's a portfolio. For actors it's a head shot and resume. For jewelry designers its a line sheet. And on and on it goes.

What is true universally is this. You are selling (and people are buying...) YOU. Simple right? Your first impression must engage, entice and excite your audience so that they want more, as Kelly Collermade (the moderator and the OFFICE PDX's Marketing Director) reminded us, it's like dating. You don't want to tell your whole story all up front, save some of the good stuff for later.

etsy favs

Is it possible that you don't know about Etsy yet? Well, please check it out if somehow you've not had the pleasure of spending hours and hours perusing some of the most awesome handmade items you've ever seen. Here are a few of my favorites:

improv(e)

Did you know I teach improv? YES! I do. I've got an amazing bunch of students that are fearless and fabulous and inspiring. I studied to be an actor (ya, I know, who gets a BFA in acting right???) and I have always been drawn to improv. Not only is it fun, but it teaches the most basic life lessons while having that fun.

The improv basics are:

• always agree, say "YES! and" the 'and' let's you add to what your partner has said
• be present and in the moment, fully listening and fully engaged in the exchange
• be free both physically and mentally and just go for it
• and most importantly NO JUDGMENT, for yourself or others
• and of course...HAVE FUN!

If you've been toying around with the notion of putting some more fun into your life, or if you want to boost your self confidence, or if you just want to explore your creativity. Seek out an improv class. It will improve your life!

etsy mini

become x

Today marks another momentous occasion in the lives of the young women who are graduating from Become X . Become X is a non-profit organization that I am delighted to be a part of. Become X is an 11 week program for high school age girls. The program focuses on teaching the girls to live a life based on choice rather than circumstance. I am lucky enough to be the self confidence instructor and it always does my heart good to see these young women after their 11 week experience give their "I am" speeches to a crowd of friends and family.

I am so inspired by the women who give their time to the program and those who are courageous enough to go through it!

Thank you for sharing!

blend creations

I am in LOVE with everything that Blend Creations makes! If you haven't seen the work of husband and wife team Vivian Cheng and Eric Jean-Louis then please visit their amazing site! What makes them even more awesome is that Vivian is the most inspiring woman.

Because I am such a huge fan of Blend Creations, I asked Vivian a few questions about her business and how they spent their advertising and marketing energy and she actually answered me. Not only did she answer, she did it with such generosity and kindness. So thank you Vivian, for being the kind of woman and business owner we should all strive to be!

She recommended the Switchboards, and if you haven't heard of it, it's a great resource for small businesses. Business women UNITE!

Everything about Blend Creations is top notch!

They also blog.

adobe photoshop elements saves the day

Well it's finally happened - I have Photoshop Elements up and running on my Mac and I even know how to use it! So, the watermark is back and the editing is ON! I've been waiting for what seems like ages to get Photoshop on my new mac but it wasn't available. Gimp was great and did the job (with a few gimpy issues) but having Photoshop again is awesome.I love Photoshop, even though I'm quite sure I don't even know the half of it!!! I had to call Tech Support a few times, and they were really nice and super helpful. Affordable and powerful. Nice combo.

new pics

The sun is out and spring feels sprung (again)
and it was a perfect day for some new pics!

How do you like the new background???

For those of you who take photos of your work, you know that it's not just the taking of the pictures, it's soooo much more than that. The process gets more and more involved the nicer you'd like your pictures to look! And so, it is with much sadness, that for now I'll be leaving off the watermarking (adding the website information) to each picture. I've got hundreds to edit and it's an extra few minutes for each photo, so for now...it's rounded corners! Look for these on Etsy very soon....Enjoy!

great food drive 2008

Great news -- the great food drive reached and exceeded their goal of 1 million pounds of food! Yay! Thanks everyone who purchased this month. I'm happy to have contributed 10% of sales this month to this great cause! Love you all.