Nancy's Nook...
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My Philosophy:
I believe in Karma. I believe that whatever good or bad that you do, will come back to you. I believe that life is a journey...that we have lessons to learn...other lives to touch.
Why am I giving away all my secrets in glass? Simply put, life is short, we all have a finite time in our life. I just thought it would be nice to tell you what I've learned in glass for the last 20 years...
I've never taken a class. I always wanted to, but circumstances didn't permit that. And, I'm one of those people who can't read and understand instructions. I read Stephen King's 'The Stand' in three days but if you hand me instructions I can't seem to grasp them. Yet, if you show me something one time, it's learned...Funny how the mind works...
I would go and study other peoples work and then go home and try to do it better. I learned a lot of different ways to do stained glass because of two reasons. First, I had very little money and second, I knew of no other way to do something. So, I had to figure it out...
I've taught a lot of people thru the years and many have pointed out that I teach 'different' then what is in instruction manuals. They love learning from a different perspective though and I love to talk glass! I've written guides here on Ebay and will be adding more all the time. Just click on 'guides' at the bottom of the page.
I love doing the challenging or impossible jobs. When I drew this Harley-Davidson logo with flames years ago, I used what I call "Continuous Flow" in the background with Spectrum Black Baroque glass. To pull it off means you have to cut every single piece of the background successfully. The effect is very, very cool and really adds depth to the piece. I try to use this technique and challenge myself in just about all of the work I do.
One of my Tiffany lampshades, a 26" Clematis had the recent honor of being one of those chosen by the Association of Stained Glass Lamp Artists (www.asgla.com) to be featured in the 2009 calendar. It also had a background of 'continuous flow'. To say I was excited about this great honor is an understatement...it's been almost a lifelong goal!
This is the piece that made the front page of the newspaper a few years back. It was my largest project yet, at 8' by 4'. To help the Robinsons decide on the flower colors, I actually cut one side with the flowers Uroboros yellow and white mottled and the other side Bullseye cranberry pink streakie. It looked pretty cool, cut out like that. You could really see how color sets off and changes when next to another color. As you can see from the picture, they picked the yellow and white flowers! I took the cranberry pink flowers and fused them on top of a white picket fence windchime. :)
The stress of such a big job and all the possible problems that could occur...Think about it, if even one piece had cracked on the transport over it would have meant a trip back to the store for a repair job. The possible nightmare effect of delivering and returning back to the store over and over again was sickening. I literally felt like passing out by the time delivery day arrived. Then, in fifteen minutes, the window was in and it was perfect..Whew!
Now, if by now, I'm coming off as being too proud, let me say this. I have made huge mistakes in glass, but that's what makes you better...Mistakes are what teach you and guide you. I once had to do the above pictured panel. It was a dream job - a client who wanted the very best in everything. I designed a border using almost a dozen American Bevel clusters. If you've never experienced their clusters, then you truly haven't held a real bevel in your hand! Razor sharp edge that actually transmits color...an amazing bevel and well worth the cost!
Anyway, I was supposed to make the window 68 inches wide. Unfortunately, my personal life at that time was...hmmm...bad. I'm assuming the stress of that made me do the window at 72" wide. Twenty four hours before delivery I happened to grab the invoice and noticed my mistake. Whoa...what a nightmare. One would think you could just take two inches off of each side. I couldn't do that though. I had created a symetrically perfect piece. It was mandatory that it stay symetrical. I had only one option...I bawled like a baby for five minutes, picked up my cutter and cut that beautiful window into four pieces. Then I took one inch off of each section and then reassembled the window. No one never knew of my mistake but I considered it a lesson well learned. That old adage, "Measure twice, cut once" is so very true...
How is YOUR journey going?
If you're ever in the neighborhood, stop on by my brick and mortar store: Love That Glass, located in Park Hills, Missouri. It's about an hour south of St. Louis, just off of Highway 67. I work with the belief that a repeat customer is the ultimate compliment!
I can guarantee you that you won't be able to see everything in an hour! And, of course, you'll want to see my "Wall of Glass"...
Ha en fin dag!
Love That Glass
349 W. Main St.
Park Hills, MO 63601
573-518-0451
Store Hours:
Tuesday thru Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturdays 10am - 4pm
Closed Sunday and Monday
See my other listings for more great items!
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Paypal preferred!
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I ship items out on almost a daily basis. I do my best to give fair, honest prices for shipping. If I discover that I've overcharged you in any way, I'll always put in a surprise or two to help make up for it.
I will not require insurance on most items, however NO REFUNDS given for loss or damage when items are shipped uninsured. My wrapping meets, or exceeds, post office requirements. If you choose not to insure I will take no responsibility for any loss or damage done by the post office.
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