Hot Blown Glass

As a kid who grew up watching endless programming from PBS, those programs helped to shape a great sense of curiosity in me. I especially loved seeing videos of how things were made or how they worked behind the scenes. I know I’m not the only one—I’ve had conversations with other people about the “how crayons are made” video in particular.

I now love tours (see my post from a few years ago about the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory in Boulder, CO) and taking classes to try my own hand at new projects.

Glass blowing is one of those arts that I’ve seen plenty of on TV but have never before had the opportunity to see it in person. When I learned that there’s a glass-blowing studio in Hendricks County, I put it on my radar. Finally, an opportunity to visit and profile it for the HCCVB blog came up.

Seeing some glass blowing done in person, then getting to see samples of finished pieces next door, really made me appreciate the practice and artistry that goes into this. If you have any desire to try it yourself, check out my post on the HCCVB blog for a list of several workshops coming up this fall. 

Second Saturdays: Hot Blown Glass

Just south of Cartersburg Road between Danville and Plainfield, Ind. in Hendricks County, marked with a simple white sign by the road, you can find one of the most unique, hands-on art studios in the state: Hot Blown Glass, Ltd.

As part of the Rural Routes to Main Street Second Saturdays schedule, Hot Blown Glass is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month. Lisa’s hot shop is one of very few of its kind in the state of Indiana, and after seeing glass-blowing many times on TV, I was excited to see this done in person.

It was just as fascinating as I’d hoped. Read more…

New items in my Etsy shop!

Great gifts for the sewing, knitting and crocheting fanatics on your list

It takes a long time for me to get a new item to the point where I'm ready to launch it, because I want to plan everything correctly and make sure it's perfect before the baby bird leaves the nest. Because of that, it's incredibly exciting when I get to the point where it's ready!

The idea for these two new items started more than three years ago. If you've been following this blog for any length of time, you've probably noticed that I have an incredibly talented mom. She sews. She knits. She crochets. She cooks. You name it, the woman can do it—or teach herself how—and it's awe-inspiring.

She's been sewing and crocheting since she was a kid, and she taught herself to knit several years ago. These hobbies aren't just a passing fad in her life, either—they've become ways for her to make unique hand-made gifts for friends and family every year.

That adds up to a lot of projects over time!

Because of that, when everyone's birthdays rolled around, or the holidays approached, she had to spend time racking her brain to remember what she made for them the year before, three years ago, five years ago... not an easy feat by any stretch of the imagination.

So, three years ago for Christmas, I made her a journal that she could use to keep track of her sewing projects. I used one of my photos for the front, created lined pages for project information inside, and bound the journal myself.

She loved it! As soon as all the gifts under the tree had been opened and the bits of flying ribbon and paper settled to the floor, she started logging her recent projects. It's become an invaluable resource for her.

She needed the same thing for her knitting projects, too, so I made a similar journal—but with different, specialized lines inside—for her for Christmas last year.

All her crafty friends started asking for them, and that brings me to today!

When you visit my Etsy shop now, you'll find a sewing project journal featuring this photo on the front and back cover:

And a journal for knitting and crocheting projects with this photo on the covers:

Both of which have pages inside with room for 64 different projects. If you (or the sewer, knitter, or crocheter on your list) make one new item a week for a year, there's still some extra room for more!

A journal like this becomes a scrapbook, a resource, and a place to recognize accomplishments. Heck, you could even consider it stress relief!

I'm so excited to have these ready for you now. These two journals have been in development for a long time, and I know they'll be something you or the crafty person on your list will really love.

Visit my Etsy shop to see both the sewing and knitting / crocheting project journals in more detail (with more photos of each).

Happy holiday shopping!