I placed two ads on Ravelry today, once I figured out how to use GIMP (graphic image manipulation program?). GIMP is essentially like Adobe Illustrator, which is great because I've been battling with trying to load my Adobe programs and getting serial number errors
(bang head on desk, pause, repeat). I knew there had to be an online program to do what I needed.

So I'm directing Ravelry knitters to my etsy site with a couple ads, with a very limited budget. We shall see ...

Out and about in Troy, NY

I love acorns! We went on a mini-adventure today, over the bridge to Cohoes, NY to visit the little knitting shop Beau Knits (four years old this month!) We were looking in to placing our buttons in their shop, so hopefully you can soon find Thistle Hill Glass tucked away in Cohoes (which really, is looking quite fabulous these days.)

Our mini-adventure ends with Kismet Gallery. Kismet has their hands on a handful (hee! alliteration!) of our necklaces, earrings and of course, buttons! They have a lovely little store down by the post office, filled with consignments from tons of local artists.

So it seems we're starting to make our rounds.

Back when we were Kopi Glass, we did this during the holidays and it was a fun gathering... So there's a good chance we will be having an open house this summer.

Today I burned the living crap out of my most important finger. (That'd be the right index finger.) I've had little burns from glass over the years (many little burn scars on my upper chest, and I've had a couple down my shirt too - yowza), but this was a doozy. I grabbed the wrong end of a LARGE hot glass rod. Alot of screaming ensued as I ran to the kitchen for Caroline's aloe plant.
I inserted offended finger into an aloe leaf, secured it with a rubber band, took a nap (yep) and a couple motrin and woke up with a pruny, yet healed finger.

Aloe is the stuff. Hopefully I can get back on the torch tomorrow.

getting it together

The pieces are coming together. We have a pretty solid working routine -- time on the torch,
glass work, cleaning, sorting, photographing, a little jewelry workuploading pics. And it requires a daily brainstorming ... Caroline (button model to the stars -- scroll down) is a great addition -- great eye, good ideas, and wacky as all hell.

Today in the Studio.....

We've been working on button use ideas! You can do just about anything with the buttons: put them on bags, on mittens, hats, sweaters, scarves, pillows, headbands, button bracelets, necklace accessories, pouches.... I have a couple pictures of Caroline modeling a few of her articles of clothing, now adorned with Thistle Hill buttons!






Oooh, shiny.... More pictures of button ideas in action to come!

We will be joining many other talented artists and performers at the Albany's, Art on Lark.
Art on Lark
June 21st, 10:00AM to 5:00PM

Happy Birthday Dad.

back to the torch

Faced with the prospect of job hunting and returning to the grind, the time had clearly come to get back to the torch. So with the help of Caroline (teeny tiny freak show), I am getting the studio organized, working on a website and my etsy store and am churning out the glass with renewed vigor.

Of course, I still have 4 courses to go before I'm a college grad (on the 30 year plan) so I've got to fit in the reading and writing too. There's a possibility of my working part-time temp -- had a promising interview at NYSUT today, so life is suddenly extremely busy and I'm diggin' it. NYSUT seems like a good fit -- both ways. They like my experience with organized labor and as a legislative assistant, and I like the hours. Fingers crossed on this one.

Job one is to keep my energy up, which I struggle with. But besides a gramma/baby nap on Sunday, I haven't napped for a couple weeks -- and those who know me, you know I live to nap.

So Kopi Glass is no more -- too many people said "what? copy glass? what is that?" and all my printed materials were out of date, so time to come up with a new handle. I imposed on my girl gang to brainstorm new biz names for me, and hours of hilarity ensued over the weekend. Among the favorite (but, really, unusable) suggestions: Slut Buttons, Glass of the Mohicans, Bellybuttons, Buttons Along the Mohawk, Khyber Pass Glass, Your Ass Is Glass, Wandering Jew, Pure Bug Beauty, Afroburner Buttons -- you get the idea.

After all that (thank you ladies, I shall treasure your efforts) I went back to my first pick, Thistle Hill Glass. It's a real place, the location of my Petersburg property. So if I never get to build my dream shack off the grid, I'll at least have memorialized the location.

Suddenly there aren't enough hours in the day. I like that. My energy plan -- a swig of liquid B-12 with my morning pot of coffee.