Reflection is always a way to grow. As we head toward the end of 2017, I wanted to take a moment to look back on some of my favorite fused glass jewelry I’ve made this year. I’m so thankful for my online business because it has forced me to document the work I’m making. Once a piece leaves me, the document is all I have aside from the memory, so it has been really great to have photos to look back on.

I say often that, “work leads to more work,” when people ask me how I come up with all my ideas. Last year I began experimenting with powder enamel and glass. I got some really cool pieces from the process, but enamels are basically powdered glass that become airborne, and when inhaled can lodge themselves in your lungs and give you silicosis. But enough of that scary stuff! In search for a safer technique I purchased several glass paints and shortly thereafter designed my Whimsical Hearts Valentine’s Day Jewelry. My goal in designing these pieces was to create something light and fun, so I used really boldly contrasting colors to the white and red hearts I painted on the glass. They are sweet, fun, and light, exactly what I wanted!

One of the things I’ve done more this year than in the past is to use different ways to hang my pendants and earrings, other than simply glueing findings to the backs of the glass. I started working with some beautiful laser etched dichroic, and really wanted to simply highlight the glass by adding a decorative touch of spiral coiled wire by the bail, giving the piece a little more interest. I actually did this on my Valentine’s Day heart pieces too. Again, work leads to more work! So…I’m spending a ton of money on Dremel bits, and even more time making now, but who’s counting! The pieces look cool with the extra decorative element, and it does make a difference when more parts of a piece of jewelry is considered. I drill a small hole in the tops of several of my glass pieces now, allowing me to make wire bails with spiral accents that show up in a lot of my jewelry. In addition to more wire on the pendants, and continuing to perfect my wire wrapping throughout the year, alternatively there have been more metal free glass pieces created in my studio than ever before. I use fiber paper in these pieces, creating a hole for a chain or satin cord to slide through, and that’s how the piece then hangs. You’ll see more of these in 2018!