MAKE IT!

Check out this amazing video that the Make It crew has put together.
Will you be there?
I hope so, because we will!

www.makeitproductions.com

The Bigger, The Better...

Recently, I have had quite a few customers pick up one of my fused glass belt buckles and ask "What is this? A pendant?" while holding it up to their neck. When I tell them what it is, 9 times out of 10 they'll say something along the lines of "interesting, but it would make a great pendant too!" or "Oh I thought it was an awesomely large pendant". So after a recent custom order for a woman who wanted them bigger than normal, I decided to make a few extra to try them out. I have decided to keep the lines simple and the colours bold for now so they can be worn with various styles. They also look pretty amazing worn on a longer chain too!

I would love to ask your opinion. Do you think BIGGER really is BETTER in this case?

Summer Strawberries

It's that time of year folks!

Fresh berries are staring to pop up everywhere! I picked up some local berries over the weekend and came up with a beautiful way of eating them with warm pasta. I know, it's very fulfilling just indulging in them fresh as is, but it's also nice to use them in dishes other than dessert.

I don't have much of a sweet tooth so I tend to look for ways to use sweet ingredients in savory dishes. I came up with this recipe yesterday at lunch when nothing else in the fridge appealed to me. Just thought I'd share this amazingly yummy combo!

1 cup cooked baby shell pasta
8 large strawberries, diced
1/4 medium red onion, sliced thinly
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp fresh parmesan cheese
Half the juice of a lime and a bit of lime zest
Handful of fresh basil
Lots of fresh cracked pepper
Pinch of salt

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain. Add Tablespoon of butter to hot pasta until all shells are nicely coated. Toss in the strawberries, onion, basil and parmesan cheese. Squeeze lime juice all over. Add salt and pepper and sprinkle a few basil chiffonades on top.

The dish is best when served immediately. Enjoy!

Keeping things fresh with some custom work...

When working with a more complex medium such as glass, people tend to be really curious about the process and the boundaries of what can be done with glass. I get a lot of inquiries about logos, obscure shapes and images using specific colour schemes. Unfortunately there are times when I'm limited to what I can do only because I may not have the proper resources.

Here's a piece however, that I was able to create using a pair of scissors, a thin sheet of copper and a steady hand to cut the tiny image out. The details were quite tricky and it did take a few tries before I could cut the whole thing out without accidentally clipping her arm or head off! I think it turned out quite funky and I hope the dancer who commissioned me to create this thinks it's awesome too!

Who doesn't love pink?

Amazing sunset steps from our front door.

The Pacific Rim artisan market

This upcoming weekend, the 23rd annual Dragonboat Festival will be happening at the Creekside Community Center in Vancouver. Along with the many races, entertainment, food and film festival there will be over 2 dozen local designers and artisans showcasing and selling their work. I've been busy in the studio creating lots of new sets, belt buckles and a handful of cuff links sets too!

Admission to the artisan market is free and is open from 2-6 on Friday afternoon and 10-6 both Saturday & Sunday. More information about all of the events can be found HERE.

Recycled Crayons!

A few weeks ago, I came across a few boxes of brand new crayons. I don't need them, but I didn't want to just throw them out. Instead I decided to make recycled crayons for my little niece and god daughter. I think they turned out so well!

I started out with 48 crayons, a paring knife, an old cutting board & butchers knife, a mini muffin tin and my oven set to 220 degrees.

Take the paring knife and score a tiny line down the crayon along the seam and the wrapper should come off in one nice piece. This will save a lot of time.


Using an old butcher's knife, I chopped the crayons into 1/4' chunks and began filling the tins. I made sure to add a few shavings of white to the bottom of the tins (that would in turn become the tops of the new crayons) because I love the contrast it creates!




I put the tray into the oven for about 18 minutes. Once the tops were liquid and flat, I took them out to let them cool and moved the whole lot into the freezer. 3 hours later, they were ready to use!