A month ago or so I spotted an ad for a blown glass "make an ornament" class. A quick call to Jen and I signed us both up --- today is our class. It is at Vetro Glass in Grapevine, TX. We check in at the studio and are quickly picking out glass colors and starting. Each person has an individual instructor - Jen goes first. She takes the rod and goes into the fire to collect some molten glass. Then the glass is rolled into colored pieces of more glass. We have both chosen a candy cane mixture of red and white. At this point she still has her purse, but it is shortly taken away and placed in a drawer along with mine. They are soooo good about allowing me to wander around near her and take pictures. That makes the whole event even better.
Learning each step.
Each step is given with instruction and before long, she is on her own.
Once it is to the desired size, shaping starts to take place and she pulls the glass out with the tongs.
Back to the fire.
At this point, some humor enters in --- he tells her to blow on it so that she can say she did indeed "blow some glass" as we do not have enough knowledge to do that part.
Shaping and blowing and shaping and blowing follow.
Once it is the the right size, a torch is taken to smooth the whole thing. I didn't get pics of all steps but keep readying, cos she got the ones I missed.
My turn. Lessons first - then on my own.
Shaping and starting to blow.
The final blowing takes place in a mold that keeps it perfectly round.
Pulling and sealing the loop.
TA-DA. Into the annealer to cool. We can pick them up anytime tomorrow or after.
Jumping ahead a bit --- here is my finished one. Jen got her class, ornament, and holder as a Christmas present. LOVE this so much.
We finished a bit earlier than we thought and have some time to kill. How about a walk down Main Street in Grapevine, The Christmas Capital of Texas? Come along and see the pretties.
The decorations on this shop are soooo sweet. Hahahaha. Not only that, they are cute too.
This sculpture is super fun. Entitled Sunday Skaters, the plaque says, "Church and Sunday dinner at last are done, Now it's time to have some fun! Mary Virginia, J.E., Dorothy Beth and Muttin skate nearly to Main, then around they spin. To the 1920s and 30s, Oh! let's go back! There were no worries then, just the sidewalk cracks! Whether then or n ow, Grapevine's still the same place, here children play freely, because they are safe."
There is a beautiful tree downtown - standing on top of a brass drum containing more Christmas images.
We stop in a candy store and do spend some time laughing.
So many choices. Well, that's it for now. She is coming back next month and I'll be up to collect the ornaments. We can each see more then. In the meantime, have a soda and let's get onto Thanksgiving.
A month ago or so I spotted an ad for a blown glass "make an ornament" class. A quick call to Jen and I signed us both up --- today is our class. It is at Vetro Glass in Grapevine, TX. We check in at the studio and are quickly picking out glass colors and starting. Each person has an individual instructor - Jen goes first. She takes the rod and goes into the fire to collect some molten glass. Then the glass is rolled into colored pieces of more glass. We have both chosen a candy cane mixture of red and white. At this point she still has her purse, but it is shortly taken away and placed in a drawer along with mine. They are soooo good about allowing me to wander around near her and take pictures. That makes the whole event even better.
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