How Do You Like Our New Digs?

Sometimes you just have to dust off the old stuff and rearrange it to see what you have. Yes, it's the same stuff on the walls still, but just wait! We haven't got around to rearranging the pictures yet, so cut us a break, moving into new digs aren't easy. You need to take your time, hire a decorator, ask a lot of "what do I do with this" questions. We're still at the take your time step, so paleezzze cut us a little slack (there's a lot of boxes to unpack!). In the meantime, how do you like the new wall color I choose? I did get that done! Plus, I'll be sending some new designs in soon (like in 24-48 hours), so you can see what I have been really working on. So don't sweat the small stuff guys, life is too short! See Ya!

I Promised I'd Be Better In 2009!

I started off with a bang, but the bang went down hill fast this past week. On Saturday I must have come in contact with some nasty little creature of a germ that has taken out some horrible revenge on me this past week. I am still not over the little monster yet, but after going to the doctor on Tuesday and getting the necessary pills to combat the beast, I am confidant that day will be here soon.

I Was Out Shopping On The Internet Last Night...

Now that's a phase we wouldn't have heard much of twenty years ago. But today it seems it is a pretty common thing to hear. I wonder, do a large part of those who shop and buy end up buying handmade items made by artists like you and me? Are those shoppers aware that they can buy beautiful, handcrafted, reasonably priced quality gifts directly from the artist?

Today I came across a site that is working hard to inform shoppers all over the Internet to BUY HANDMADE! The site tryhandmade.com is one worth checking out and passing on to your friends and family. This truly is the time of the starving artist, so pass it on and help support one or two.

Crystal Wand Creations is the FEATURED ARTIST on Talent DataBase!

Click Here to visit Crystal Wand Creations on Artfire.com!

Since the snow is still falling in the streets of historic Kokomo, Indiana it seemed like a good time to join a great website we had been hearing such good things about. Artfire.com is a new website I recently came across and haven't shut up about since. We are the new kids on the block at Artfire.com, but they don't treat us that way. We've been very impressed with the quality of the website and the versatility of all the tools. We highly recommend it to all you artists out there looking for a place to sell your wares without breaking the bank doing it. You can try their website for free and continue to use it for free if that's what you like, or if you choose you can upgrade for $7 a month and get a all you have plus a lot more to make your shop work even better for you and your customers.

Welcome to 2009!

We are looking forward to the new year and all the opportunities that it brings. We are planning a new line of jewelry and some unique glass ornaments. Keep checking back as we will have our upcoming art & gallery spring and summer shows listed soon. Thanks for your continued support! Crystal Wand Creations.

Here Little Birdie...

This is one my favorite special order pieces. They can be ordered in any color. These beautiful birdhouses are really meant to be enjoyed indoors; however, they can be used outdoors too. Please remember any stained glass pieces used outdoors will be subject to the weather; therefore, causing them to gradually corrode and deteriorate. So bringing in your precious pieces of stained glass during the winter months will always help them to last years longer.

Yes, Kokomo Opalescent Glass IS Still Alive and Well and thriving in Kokomo, Indiana!

I went to the Ft. Wayne, Indiana VA Hospital this morning and had a great visit with a great bunch of people there while getting a mole removed. When asked what I did for a living I told them I made stained glass and jewelry. After we all talked about how beautiful stained glass is, and what pretty pieces some of the ladies there have one of the ladies asked me if Kokomo Opalescent Glass was still in operation. Well that got me thinking, are there any other people out there that think Kokomo Opalescent Glass is no longer making stained glass anymore? I guess if there is just one then I might want to tell that one person, "hey! if you're interested, Kokomo Opalescent Glass is still open and has been since 1888."
As a matter of fact KOG is known around the world for its' glass. Those of us in the stained glass community already know this, but for those of you who aren't familiar with all the various art glass manufacturers then this may be of some interest to you. In fact, in the mid 1880's a huge pocket of natural gas was discovered in Kokomo. The City of Kokomo offered free gas to any business who would locate here and bring jobs. The gas was gone inside of ten years, and now, KOG is the last surviving Gas Boom business, and the oldest manufacturer of opalescent glass in the world. Check out their site sometime you might be surprised at the extensive history they do have. I hope this has helped to clear up any misconceptions about KOG still being in operation after all these years. So until next time remember don't sweat the small stuff!

OK, THE ELECTIONS OVER!

OK...Now that the election is over we can all get back to our stained glass and jewelry making as usual, right? Well, I hope so, but with the economy in such an up and down spin I know it's going to be hard. I try to keep a positive outlook on everything, after all that's really all you can do, your already surrounded by so much negativity. So here is what I suggest. Get back to the basics, or nature if you like. Open your eyes to everything and anything as a possibility for a piece of jewelry, or if it can take the heat of a soldering iron and you can wrap foil around it (or lead, zinc, copper or brass) then you could use it in a stained glass sun catcher or unique creation of your own. Be creative folks! They did it back in the great crash of 1929 with tin foil, sugar and you name it. So I know we can do it with what ever we come up with today. Granted I don't think sugar fits into stained glass or jewelry making, but you get the picture. Look at it like this, we've had since 1929 to prepare for the return of this type of money crunch time, so let's get down to business and show how creative we can be!

Shop Our New Location!

We are very excited about this new website we have just recently opened. Check it out and let us know what you think. We have a large selection of items, and plan on having a lot more, listed in the Gallery sections. Plus, we have about 50 items for sale in the Marketplace area as well. This is a new website and we are still in the beginning stages of setting it up, but with that in mind, there are still lots of great things to check out. Hope you enjoy it!

Falls Back!

Well falls back no matter if we like it or not! Frankly this is one of my favorite times of the year. I love to watch the leaves change colors, and the cooler temps don't bother me either. Well it never fails though when fall gets here I always get inspired to go back to those earthy, more natural colors. I do it in everything I do. The clothes I wear, the make-up I put on, and the glass and jewelry I create all seem to start having a more earth color to them. It's that "fall" side of me just falling out all over the place! Let's hope that's all that falls out:) Anyway, life always just feels better in the fall. I think it has something to do with going through the change (no, I mean the change for us women over 45!) and loving the cooler temps. It's that half way point between burning up and freezing to death. Ahh, just right! Well hopefully you get my point, it's just nice to have fall here. Because I know that in about a month and a half I'm going to be looking out my window and there's probably going to be about 3 to 4 feet of that white stuff on the ground. I'm going to be freezing to death and have my heat set on 68 degrees and be wrapped in every piece of extra clothing I can lay my hands on, because the gas and oil prices are going to be through the roof and I will need to conserve my heat! I know all this is going to happen because it always does happen, every winter, just like the winter before, without fail. There's not a lot I can do about that. But this morning it was a crisp cool 60 degree morning and it's been that way all day long. So that's why I'm loving it that fall's here. Because there's nothing I can do about it, and AT LEAST IT'S NOT SNOWING!